Getting to Wroclaw initially was a bit of a struggle, for no reason other than the fact we were pronouncing the place totally wrong (the Polish don't use W's they prefer V's - try to pronounce it as "Vroh-Slav."). Therefore every time we asked for a ticket to Wroclaw the only response we got was a puzzled expression. In the end we overcame this issue by writing the name down. After she had finished laughing the ticket issuer told us the fare and it was plain sailing from thereon in.It cost us around 48zl each to get to Wroclaw and the journey takes around 4 and a half hours. The train we took was basic but comfortable and most of all on time and clean (how refreshing). We were greeted in Wroclaw by Nina's friend Jo, and were driven on the crazy polish roads to her coffee shop. This was a real delight and whilst outside of the main market place in Wroclaw it is close enough to the Wroclaw Panorama to pop in if you are in the area.
Wroclaw itself is gorgeous, as its market place is surrounded by restaurants and bars, but unlike you would expect in England these are far from rowdy but still bustling and welcoming. In the centre of the market square is the flower market, which operates 24hrs a day 7 days a week and is sure to brighten up the dullest of nights. It must be reassuring to know that if ever you are late home and for what ever reason you can turn up with a huge bunch of flowers and avoid any major interrogation.
Whilst in Wroclaw we stayed at Jo's place and were treated to home cooked Polish cuisine each day. Meals we had included Pierogi Ruskie (a ravioli style dish with a potato, onion and cheese filling, yum), Lazanki (a mixture of cooked white cabbage, pasta and various meats, again this was delicious) and also Cielecina (basically a veal dish with onions and potatoes, again really nice). Sadly Nina's vegetarian so she did miss out on this treat, but she made do with Pierogi, tomatoes and onions.
We also took a trip up to Carpache (right on the Polish - Czech border) and whilst the weather was miserable the views of the mountains were amazing and the whole area (primarily a ski resort) is an excellent spot to go and chill out for a while during the summer and just get lost for a while.
Wroclaw allowed us a different view of Poland and I would recommend this to anyone unafraid to try a bit of the lingo, because as it is not a major tourist spot (despite there being direct flights from the UK) fewer locals speak English than in Krakow.
After a few days we took and intercity train back to Krakow which was more comfortable but still took just as long and cost an extra 30zl each. To be honest I would stick with the lower fares if you are travelling during the day as the benefits of the intercity are minimal. We spent the last night back at the Giraffe hostel in Krakow drinking a variety of vodkas (mint, cherry and honey).
After waking up with very sore heads we hot tailed it to the train station and got the Krakow Belize express train to the airport (15 minutes; 6 zl) . This time the airport seemed a bit more European in its organisation, but we muscled through and took our flight to Venice which is where I am writing from now. We left Poland in glorious sunshine and arrived here in a down pour after some pretty thrilling turbulence. What I've seen so far I like. We move to Verona tomorrow though and I will fill you in, in a few days time.
TTFN
