Friday, September 13 – (edging into 14)

[UPDATE–1:00AM Krakow time]. Apparently there is some truth to the Friday the 13th superstition….read at your own risk…

Last day in Poland dawned cloudy, cool, and a bit damp, so did my core workout inside. After breakfast, we had to check out of our apartment, but we were able to store our luggage with them as we planned a full day of activities.

First stop, the Rynek Underground Museum. The museum is relatively new, established in 2010 after extensive archeological excavations under the current market hall in Old Town. Parts of the exhibit date back to the 11th century and include market stalls and a necropolis that included the graves of more than 200 people. It was very cool exploring under a very busy market that is currently operating.

We had a little free time, so stopped for a coffee and the tastiest tea I have ever tasted. Dan ordered it, black tea with freeze dried and fresh fruit. Made me wish I had chosen it.

For the main event, I had booked a food tour for the afternoon. We had done this in Portugal last year and enjoyed it so much we decided to do it in Poland. We were not disappointed, so prepare for plenty of food porn.

A good group–5 Americans (including us), 2 Australians and Judyta, our Polish guide. Everyone was friendly and enthusiastic to try everything.

We started in Kazimierz with some Polish street food and then a cute little place for two soups. We moved into Old Town for a massive meal including some traditional savory items, pierogi (4 varieties) and golabki, pickled beets, bread, what our guide called “Polish gnocchi ” and wiener schnitzel. She explained that the last item is a result of the fact that Krakow is in the section of Poland that was once controlled by Austria-Hungary. This large meal was accompanied by a lesson on and tasting of Polish vodka. As expected, I thought it was primarily a drink to scald my throat, but I was willing to give it a try.

We finished with dessert, a creme cake, and coffee, at a little bakery located not far from our apartment. The piece seemed huge, but Judyta actually explained these were only half sized pieces–yikes! Needless to say, I still managed to finish it off!

After our goodbyes (funny how you feel as though you get to know people after only 4 hours), we had to go back and pick up our luggage and head to the airport.

The airport experience, as usual, was a delight. Friday night and half of Poland is getting out of Dodge. The security line moved like an egg through a snake and felt about as comfortable, as I am pretty sure they were pumping in heat from the Sahara. When I finally got to the front of the line, I first had to wait for two young women to remove approximately 45 pounds of jewelry. Then, when I went through the Magnetron, I set it off 3 times with no apparent cause, so I had the full body cavity inspection. OK, so that’s a little hyperbolic, but after winding my way through the colon that was security here, it seemed an apt description.

Good news, boarding delayed an hour due to weather. No worries, apparently they decided to make us feel better about it by keeping the waiting area, and subsequently the plane, at a tropical 98 degrees. I kept waiting for them to break out the grass skirts and umbrella drinks.

We then sat on the plane for two hours as they had to call in an engineer for a “technical issue”. That doesn’t make this nervous flyer very happy. Engineer finally arrives, and suddenly, it sounds as though someone is sawing off the plane’s wing. That sure helps the old blood pressure. In the meantime, they have finally turned on the AC, but there are so many people coughing I feel as though I’m in a tuberculosis ward…

Annnd, after sitting on plane for 2 1/2 hours, the plane is fixed, but Heathrow is closed so we had to get off, go back through Polish passport control, collect our bags and then fend for ourselves.

Fortunately, I spotted a Hilton Garden Inn across the street and did a Chris speed walk to the check-in counter, so was among the first half dozen or so in line and we got a room. I am not sure the 40 or so people behind us will be so lucky.

We still have no information as to when we’ll get out tomorrow , when I should plan to reschedule our train tickets to the Lakes District, whether I will lose the cost of tomorrow’s hotel because we’ll arrive in London too late to get a train. We already lost the cost of our airport transfer and London hotel tonight. I shall think about all that and the travel insurance claims tomorrow…Instead, I will actually look at the positive–I have a place to sleep tonight that isn’t in the terminal.

Just think what you all have to look forward to tomorrow!!

17,378 steps; 8.3 miles