Grand Hotel - Krakow, Poland - 11:51am

I'm in Krakow. I don't really know what to do now that I'm here because I think that I am supposed to wait for Robyn to arrive. I don't know when she arrives though. That's okay because I am really enjoying the high ceiling luxury of this hotel.

This is the first hotel I have stayed in - and its a good one. After sharing rooms with smelly strangers and having to wear flip flops in the shower, I have loved spending this morning prancing around naked in my room. I've even showered twice!

My trip to Krakow didn't go exactly as planned. I left Klaipeda at 10am for Marijampole, Lithuania to catch a bus from there to Warsaw, and then from Warsaw, a train to Krakow. Unfortunately, the bus coming in to pick me up in Marijampole was a bit late and we didn't arrive in Warsaw until after I had missed the last train to Krakow.

The bus ride was pretty miserable. I'm letting the wonders of chemistry hold back any of my cold symptoms, but my nose was still snivily and my eyes watery throughout most of the ride. Also, it rained terribly around the Poland/Lithuania border, causing the bus to leak right on top of my head. Little drips of water found their way into the open pages of my book in my little corner seat in the back row of the bus. It was such a sad sight that it made me laugh.

At least I got to enjoy three movies on the bus ride. The Tailor of Panama, Daddy Day Care, and The Dukes of Hazzard. Yes, three movies, all mercifully dubbed over into Polish. The only one I paid any attention to was Daddy Day Care, which had English subtitles but they were too far away to read. I did laugh aloud at one point when one of the guys in the movie gets kicked in the balls. That was the highlight of my trip. Also, Eddie Murphy's face with Chaim Topol's voice is a logical disconnect like no other.

I got to Warsaw, purchased a ticket to Krakow, and waited several hours for my bus to arrive. Since I had finished my last book, Bill Bryson's "A Short History of Everything," and I was also done with Thomas Friedman's "The World Is Flat", I picked up an abandoned, English language copy of "The Bonfire of the Vanities", which, if i remember correctly, is one of my dad's favorite books. I started it and I so far love it.

On the bus I met David, and his sickly brother Daniel. David and Daniel were on their way from Warsaw to a small town south of Krakow to see a specialist doctor to help Daniel with his severe allergies. David, the older brother, spoke English pretty well, and we talked nearly the entire way to Krakow.

I arrived here at about 5am, took a taxi to the hotel, and promptly engaged in the aforementioned nudity and bathing. I slept till 11 and am now just waiting for Robyn to arrive.

This town looks like its going to be a great one to explore. So, Robyn, hurry up and get here.

-euroschlep

¶ 2:23 AM