Our flight departed 15 minutes late but somehow managed to arrive 20 minutes ahead of schedule. Our plan was beautifully simple: land, pick up our rental car, drive to the hotel, and be comfortably settled in our room half an hour later. What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite a lot, as it turned out.
We arrived at the rental car desk, only to discover that Scott's American driving licence was apparently not American enough for Poland. Since he only had his US licence with him, the rental company flatly refused to give us a car. No negotiations, no exceptions, no car. Luckily, not all rental companies are equally enthusiastic about ruining people's travel plans. Avia came to our rescue and happily handed us the keys to a Seat. For approximately double the original price, of course. Because nothing says "welcome to Poland" quite like paying twice as much for the privilege of driving away from the airport.
We eventually made it to the hotel, where we discovered another charming little detail that had somehow escaped our attention during booking. The hotel had exactly ONE parking space. And, naturally, that one parking space was already occupied by somebody else's car. Following the receptionist's instructions, we set off in search of an alternative parking lot. What we found was a pitch-black area behind a half-open gate, looking considerably more like the entrance to an abandoned industrial site than somewhere you'd voluntarily leave a rental car. I actually walked past it initially because the possibility of it being a legitimate parking lot hadn't even crossed my mind. Eventually, a man materialised out of the darkness, opened the gate and casually informed us that the parking lot was closed at night, meaning we wouldn't be seeing our car again until morning. On the bright side, they accepted both cash and cards. How wonderfully modern for a place that appeared to operate somewhere between a secret underground facility and a horror movie set.
With the car safely imprisoned for the night, we dropped our bags in the room and went hunting for dinner. And this is where Poland finally redeemed itself. Scott had what he declared to be the best kielbasa of his entire life. Admittedly, I have no idea how many Polish sausages he's eaten in his lifetime, but he seemed sufficiently impressed for it to qualify as a major culinary event.
Today we had planned to grab lunch at a nearby café, which seemed like a perfectly achievable ambition. Apparently, we were being overly optimistic again. After standing at the entrance for approximately five minutes, waiting for someone to acknowledge our existence and perhaps reveal the complicated secret of whether we were allowed to sit at a table, we gave up. Clearly, lunch was not part of their business strategy. We took our hungry selves to a sandwich café instead, where the revolutionary concept of actually serving customers appeared to be alive and well.
The moment the working day was over, we rushed into the city, determined to squeeze in at least a little sightseeing before darkness swallowed everything. Our first ambitious idea was to climb a church tower and enjoy some lovely views over Kraków. Unfortunately, every other tourist in the city had apparently had exactly the same brilliant idea, and all tickets for the day were already sold out. So much for seeing the city from above. We settled for exploring it from ground level instead, wandering through the streets, admiring the beautiful buildings and popping into shops along the way. Not quite the grand sightseeing adventure we'd imagined, but at least nobody tried to charge us double for walking.
We finished the evening at Moo Moo, where we decided that after a day of work, minor disappointments and failed sightseeing ambitions, we deserved some proper meat. And what an excellent decision that turned out to be! One of the best beef tartares and carpaccios we've had. Absolutely delicious and easily the highlight of the day.
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