It seems like we just got to Krakow, and now we’re leaving again. \u00a0We’re taking a 7 hour bus ride today to Poznan for the 2009 Malta Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n Originally, the plan was to wake up around 8:30AM this morning and go on a walking tour of Krakow. \u00a0But when 8:30AM rolled around, and people started getting up, my throat was absolutely killing<\/em> me. \u00a0I was getting sick. \u00a0It wasn’t a surprise – Ryan and Jiv had been sick the night before, and all of the second-hand cigarette smoke I was inhaling probably wasn’t helping either.<\/p>\n So I thought it’d be best if I sacrificed seeing more of Krakow for my health. \u00a0I went back to bed.<\/p>\n I woke up just after 11AM. \u00a0It turns out that Una and Linn opted out too, and now we’re sitting outside of the hostel at the first floor restaurant. \u00a0We’re about to get breakfast, and then it’s 7 hours to Poznan.<\/p>\n Still sitting outside the restaurant. \u00a0We’re really taking it easy this morning…I had a “Polish Breakfast” (bread, ham, cheese, scrambled eggs), orange juice, and a lemon sorbet for my throat. \u00a0It looks like either Linn or Una got\u00a0pirogies:<\/p>\n [simage=521,288]<\/p>\n Our waiter found out we were from Canada, and says that our rugby team is really rough and tumble, but “never gets anywhere”. \u00a0Hm. \u00a0I didn’t even know we had a team.<\/p>\n Everybody came back from the walking tour (or from their own separate morning adventures) at pretty much the same time.<\/p>\n [simage=520,288]<\/p>\n And then we were off!<\/p>\n We’re on our way to Poznan. \u00a0We left about 40 minutes ago. \u00a0I’m trying to read Guns, Germs and Steel<\/a>. \u00a0Even by itself, it’s a pretty hard book to read. \u00a0Now try doing it on a bumpy bus with people talking all over the place. \u00a0Not exactly ideal. \u00a0I found myself rereading paragraphs over and over again without really absorbing anything. \u00a0Eventually I gave up and just looked at the countryside.<\/p>\n [simage=522,288] You can barely see them in the second shot, but there are wind turbines in the background. \u00a0Wind turbines seem to be pretty common out here. \u00a0It’d probably be more common in Southern Ontario if we didn’t have the Hydro system to rely on.<\/p>\n Still en route to Poznan. \u00a0Apparently another hour and a half to go. \u00a0We’ve driven through a pretty brutal thunder\/rain storm. \u00a0Rain flooded an entire section of the street, but our bus driver, Pan (Mr.) Stephan, just plowed right on through it.<\/p>\n Now the sun is setting, and it’s overcast, but at least the rain has stopped. \u00a0We’re all getting pretty stir-crazy in the bus. \u00a0We’ve all been reading, sleeping, playing word games, making jokes, telling stories… this long trip has reminded us of how brutal our flight home will be (20+ hours!!). \u00a0We also joked about the garbage strike (which was still on at that point)<\/a>.<\/p>\n We’ve been eating chips, popcorn, and other junkfood from gas stations and rest stops along the way. \u00a0I feel pretty trashy. \u00a0Everybody is restless.<\/p>\n We’ve arrived at the hostel. \u00a0Feeling like trash. \u00a0We couldn’t find the place at first, and then found out we had to walk down a sketchy alleyway to get there.<\/p>\n To top it off, between us and the door was a\u00a0veritable\u00a0lake of foul smelling liquid. \u00a0We grit our teeth, and Tamara visibly shuddered as we\u00a0walked through our personal oasis of filth to the hostel door.<\/p>\n This hostel really doesn’t feel secure at all. \u00a0And the shower doesn’t drain. \u00a0And the bathroom door doesn’t close properly. \u00a0The beds aren’t comfy. \u00a0A whole host of complaints. \u00a0Our long journey probably didn’t help our mood.<\/p>\n And I was hungry. \u00a0So after dumping my stuff at the hostel, I walked back through the putrid lake, and found an all-night grocery. \u00a0I got some fruit, some yogurt, and some soup. \u00a0I showered (most unpleasant, with the soapy water not draining), and then I went to sleep on my lumpy mattress on the creaky bunkbed in the sketchy hostel.<\/p>\n Click here to go to Part 13: First Day in Poznan, Still Sick, and LA MENZOGNA<\/a><\/p>\n1:13PM<\/h3>\n
3:00PM – On the Bus to Poznan<\/h3>\n
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\n[simage=524,288]<\/p>\n9:30PM<\/h3>\n
11:00PM<\/h3>\n