August 18, 2015
Train to Krakow
This was another day spent on the train, so I don't have much to report.
The train station in Gdansk is quite pretty, I think, so (lacking anything else) here are some pictures.
As on the train to Gdansk, this train did not have any designated space for bicycles. The notable difference was that I had the only bike on the train, and with just one bike people could get into the toilet, so nobody complained.
The intercity trains have compartments with assigned seats. I had a seat in the compartment closest to my bike, at the end of the train. When I got in, it was locked and I couldn't get in and sit down. It took about half an hour for the conductor to come by checking tickets, and he unlocked the door for me. For the rest of the ride, there wasn't anyone else assigned to that compartment, but there was a constantly changing cast of characters who came in to take advantage of the empty seats. The longest stayers were a pair of teenaged girls, who giggled the way teenage girls do, and then a 30-ish man who said someone else was in his seat, and then immediately closed the window. The breeze from the window was keeping the heat tolerable, so I asked him to open it again. We reached an agreement that was tolerable, but not as comfortable as it had been. As the newcomer in the compartment, I would have expected him to either accept it as it was, or ask before he changed it. Men.
When we arrived in Krakow, a couple of other passengers helped get my bike off the train, which was down a couple of steep and narrow steps, and there was even an elevator to the station level. From the station to the street was a long set of stairs and a broken escalator. I unloaded my bike, took the panniers up, headed back down, took the bike up, reloaded everything, and found my hotel just a block away. Since I was arriving after dark (yes, it's getting dark as I get further south and the seasons move on) I booked a hotel close to the station. Since I almost always take at least one wrong turn coming out of a station, I thought it would be best to be close. My wrong turn this time took me into a shopping mall attached to the station, rather than outside, but someone pointed the way for me and I turned around.
The hotel I'm in is a little quirky, and I've managed to get lost just trying to find my room. It is an older building that sort of wraps around a courtyard. I do have a full kitchen, and the first fan I've seen on this trip, and lots of space. On the other hand, the bed is terrible. An interesting feature is the old heater. There is also a modern radiator, and there is absolutely no need for heat right now, so I'm not going to try either the old or the new one.
Today's ride: 5 km (3 miles)
Total: 1,363 km (846 miles)
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