Darran does Polska!

We (the Canuck interns) booked a trip to Krakow, Poland in early August, so there was a lot of build up and anticipation that surrounded it. It was a short weekend break, but it was still amazing.

Our two hours London-Krakow flight was on Friday night. After a bag search, a flight attendant's face in my lap and passport issues resolved, we arrived at JPII airport very cold and very tired from the journey. After a quick check of the shuttle bus and train times, we made our way into the main city. A frigid -15degree and snowy 20 minute walk through the Old City brought us to our Hostel, Nathan's Villa. We settled in our 6 person room and made our way to the streets for some dinner, a (few) drink(s) and some clubbing before bed.

A huge advantage to visiting Poland is the exchange rate :). No matter what currency you choose to convert, you win! After conversions, a beer costs 1 Euro, 50pence or less than 2 Canadian. AMAZING! Food was pretty cheap too.

Most of Saturday was spent in Auschwitz. It was a very eye opening, chilling experience. I'm happy I went and saw everything first hand, so I was able to get a better understanding of what thousands of men, women and children faced decades ago. Obviously, I will never know the pain anguish and torture they went through, but any further understanding of their pain sheds new light on the culture at the time and our history.

When we got back from Auschwitz we finished off the day with some shopping at the local westernized shopping empire, where some of us made contributions to a few multinational organizations' bank accounts. Dinner was had at a traditional Polish pierogi restaurant, where a massive plate of meat pierogies cost me less than 3 Canadian Dollars...whoo hoo! Because we were only in Krakow for two nights, we decided to make the most of our time in the city that's known for having hundreds of bars/clubs/pubs within a 1km radius. We started off at the Hostel pub, with a shot of absinthe and then made our way to a Kahn suture Bar, followed by a (brief stint) at a Heavy Metal Pub, proceeded by a couple cave bars. It was loads of fun!

Sunday was a day dedicated to Krakow, with our personal tour guide, Mr. Tadeusz, at the helm we saw (almost) every nook and cranny of Krakow, including the castle in the centre of the city, a few churches, classic buildings and non-westernized shopping empires (i.e. local shop markets). His junior tour guide, Ms. Pleet, gave us a very interesting crash course on the Jewish history of Krakow and on the local synagogue. The city has so much history that's sometimes never highlighted, it was great!

We flew out of JPII airport that night, but not before we enjoyed a yummy homecooked Babcia meal at a local restaurant...costing less than 5 Canadian dollars...I LOVE IT! It was for the best that we got to the airport with ample time, as after we checked in and went through security (I had my bags checked again), passport control decided to stop me and 'ask some questions'. Primarily, about where I was born - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. A pretty big Middle Eastern country that's known for its two main cities - Abu Dhabi and Dubai - and its lavish way of life. However, the young gentleman at the passport control counter had never heard of the country and couldn't locate it on a map (even after I named it's neighbouring countries) or on a 'list'. A consultation with his passport control friend ensued for about 10mins before I was asked to prove where I was staying in Krakow and the reason for my stay. A total of 20 minutes after all the other Canadians got through the control station, I was allowed to pass through and enjoy some duty free vodka purchases. Yummy.

The flight back was all but uneventful, with a cranky head of the flight crew, and a few rowdy brits reciting lines from the Borat movie, it took in flight entertainment to a whole other level. I love traveling!