In terms of racking up the train points today was a poor show
consisting of only train 22, however it did wonders for the
untracked statistic of average journey length. The route was from
Berlin all the way to Krakow in Poland, 10 glorious hours of choo
choo fun. Worried about missing our train we got up early and
hustled to the station, inevitably ages before it actually left in
the end. We did our best to faff until we were late but to no avail
so were waiting patiently on the platform hoping the electronic
sign would switch to our train to confirm we were in the right
place. We'd forgotten that we had paid extra for a seat in a cabin
but were glad when we found we had all six seats to ourselves so
spread out accordingly. In general we killed time as that is all
there is to do. Staring out the window we noticed when we crossed
the border as everything felt less affluent, houses looked more run
down, platforms needed more work and no electronic signs helping
the hapless traveller find the right train. We had packed a packed
lunch but with yesterdays bread feeling more like cheap wood we
were interested in any dining options available but nothing seemed
obvious. The train did in fact stop for an extended break at one
platform where some people got off and found food but by the time
we realised that this might in fact be lunch we were worried about
being left behind! Shortly afterwards a trolley came round and we
at least got a round of hot drinks to keep us going.
Overall our cabin was spacious and comfy and the ten hours went by
much faster than the equivalent flight would have so we arrived in
Krakow relatively fresh and ready to wrestle with our map to find
our hotel. This was actually just across the road from the station
and after going through a very upmarket shopping mall to get there
we found the right address, headed down the alley and were pleased
to see reception lit up and waiting for us. We dropped the bags off
and headed back into the mall for some quick and dirty food before
retiring for the night.
Day five - Eastern Europe |
21Mar 2012