Bye- Bye Wheels

On to Poland. Entirely flat, and unfortunately located directly between the Soviets and Germany, this nation has been marched across by both of those armies time after time. So much so that Polish jokes began like; How do you stop a Polish army on horseback?      Turn off the carousel.

Our trip here started with a bike ride to the Budapest train station. After pleading with the conductor to let us bring the bicycles on board, he still would not budge. Very emphatic "no" motions. Ah.......shit. We wrote out two quick "free" signs. We leaned our faithful machines on a post, and I shed a tear or two as I waved them goodbye. Laura's email address was on the note also in case the lucky Hungarian wants to thank us.

An all day train ride back through Vienna and further east got us here around 9:30 pm. Much of the ride was spent in conversation with two Polish gals and a Norwegian couple about our age, Hilde and Thomas from Oslo. Very interesting few hours, and we will probably see the Norwegians again.

Kracow has a million people, but it doesn't seem like it around our hotel in old town. The square is one of the best we have ever seen, the Poles are friendly and extremely nice and helpful. We have hit a bad stretch of rainy, cold weather. Today is so wet we can't even walk around with our umbrella. But being in the same square where Nicolas Copernicus spent time makes up for it. He is the most famous Pole of all, formulating the theory of the sun being the center of the universe in the early 1500's.

Laura bought some scissors to give us both a cheap haircut, but we haven't used a washing machine in over a month. At times our room looks like a Chinese laundry. We are finding the food here a little more like what we are used to. Hot dishes for breakfast, refills on coffee. I actually had pancakes for breakfast this morning while you were all sleeping.

Tomorrow we have a tour lined up to Auschwitz. That will be depressing, but interesting as a part of history. I have been wanting to see it.

One more joke seems appropriate: Who wears a dirty burlap sack and rides a pig?   Lawrence of Poland.