Fri 25 June 2010
So, I'm on a train to Warsaw. Or at least, I'm relatively sure that I am, but it's impossible to be certain with Polish rail. Md wasn't kidding when he said they run on "Wodka and Prayer". Though, this train is clean, even if it is rather slow. I was hearing yesterday from a German woman in the hostel that the trains themselves can be new (such as the Intercity that I'm presently on) but that the rails are too old and in bad condition. I know this train takes nearly 2 hours longer to arrive in Warsaw because of engineering work, so I guess at least they're trying to fix the problem.
Anyway, the rail stations aren't a friendly place for foreigners - at least, not in Gdansk. Most of the destination signs don't work and of course, there's no English. I expect that it'll be easier in bigger stations. So: yesterday. I was up bright and early at 6:30am. I'd gone to sleep early because I was so tired after my early morning. So I showered and got ready, and wasted the 1 & 1/2 hours before breakfast by catching up on the internet. I had open sandwiches (German-style) for breakfast. Sadly, the coffee was instant. (Ed note: I'd soon realise how good that breakfast was, when I stayed at other hostels.) I ate and lounged around for a long time. Then I went on a wander through the old town, to the remnants of an old Mill complex that was bombed out in WWII and never demolished or repaired. It's crumbling, and trees grow in the mortar and on the ceilings.
Then, after many photos, I walked out to the Solidarity Museum. It was underground, and small, but pretty cool. I bought a tshirt, which I think will be too big, but I like it anyway. After that I went on a long walk, finding the Gdansk fortress built in a hill behind the Old Town, and housing a museum... it was entirely in Polish, so incomprehensible to me. I bought more cherries and nectarines at the fruit market, and sat in a park eating some. I went back to the hostel to rest my tired feet and put some things into my locker - I've been carrying too much weight in my bag, which is quite difficult when I need the two heaviest items: water and camera.
I hung around reading for an hour, which was a silly idea in retrospect (despite my aching feet) because it meant that I was too late to see the Postal Museum. Oh well. I took some photos of the monument and went for another wander. Saw yet more churches, etc. I was back in the hostel to use the internet for a bit when I decided that I was hungry. I think that really, I just wanted to eat something hot, which is a little more fulfilling than the fruit and rice cakes that I'd snacked on. I went for a wander to a kebab place, which was a total mistake. Not only did my felafel come with pickles (!!) but the entirely thing was drowning in the cheap and nasty tomato sauce that I'd opted for. So much sauce! It was terrible. I went back to the hostel, disappointed but no longer hungry, brushed my teeth, internetted (yes, internetting is a verb now) and had a very early night.
Consequently I kept waking up very early. I got out of bed at about 6am and showered. I'm wearing my 2 Pound black Primark sneakers today because I dropped one of my green sneakers in water last night, and it's still a little damp. Had a coffee and read some of the book I found in the room. It's seriously good, so I've stolen it for the journey. I had to wait to use the net because the guy working on night duty at the hostel was sleeping in the common room (girlfriend in tow) and the door was locked. So when he was finally up I could use it. Had breakfast - open sandwiches again - minus cucumber, and plus a few slices of bread and jam. I walked to the station, waited for a while, and here I am on the train.
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