Day 13 - Tuesday 9 April 2019 Budapest to Krakow

Up early, had to be at the airport at 7.20am for a 9.20 flight.  It seems funny going through all the rigmarole for an international flight and then spend 40 minutes flying in a Dash 8.  Still, a nice flight with LOT Polish Airlines.

I am staying at the Imperial Hotel in Krakow, which is right on the edge of the market square, some say the square here is the largest in Europe, but I am not sure about that.  The square is surrounded by restaurants and bars, all with outdoor dining and drinking areas looking out across the square.

I am sitting in one of the cafes, still within range of my hotel's wi fi typing this and lo, I hear a trumpet player in the distance.  The trumpeter plays a tune from the ramparts on the hour but he only ever gets half way through and suddenly stops.  The legend is that in 1363, or thereabouts an observant guard spotted the dreaded hun or turk or somebody at the gate and started playing his trumpet as a warning, but halfway through his warning call he was struck in the throat by an arrow and died without completing his call.  But his warning was sufficient to arouse the garrison and they defeated the enemy.  So now, whenever this tune is played it is never completed.  My word you people learn some interesting stuff reading this blog.

I am only in Krakow for one night.  Tomorrow I get involved in some TGW stuff, goody I hear you all say.  Tomorrow I catch the train to Przemysl, the scene of a major siege on the Eastern front in TGW.  I have a guide and he has a driver organised for the day on Thursday and we will be visiting various sites around the town relating to the siege.  The town was occupied by both the Germans and the Russians in WW2 and we will be visiting some of those sites.  We will also be visiting a cold war command centre from the time Poland was part of the Warsaw pact.  I bet you can hardly wait.

Poland has experienced a lot of history and I intend to cover it all!

Lunch today was the largest pork schnitzel I have ever seen with a complimentary starter of the largest pickle I have ever seen with cold sauerkraut and a plate of french fries and a cold Polish wheat beer and a complimentary plum brandy (I think) to finish with, all in all most satisfying.

After visiting Przemysl I am returning to Krakow for 3 days so will report more on this city then. 

Fun Facts: The drivers of the horse drawn carriages use a bag on a stick to catch the horse droppings (most of the time).

Step count today: 10,850

Observation: Heavens to betsy, they still give you a plastic straw, sometimes two, in your spritzer, we will all be going to hell.