Tonight I take the sleeper train leaving Krakow at 22:41 and arriving in Prague at 7:01 the next morning. From there I hope to check in early to the hostel I reserved a room in for three nights. The Pension Unitas & Art Prison Hostel came recommended as a convenient, cheap, and interesting place to stay. Apparently the basement was used as a secret communist prison. Now it's a cheap place to sleep for the night. I hope they let me leave after I check in.
Last night I packed my bags, putting what I thought I would need for the next week in the smaller bag. This morning I skype'd my sweetheart, ate breakfast, got my stuff out of the safe, checked out of the hotel, and took a taxi to the Biprostal building where the LLP offices are located. At first the driver assumed I was headed to the train station or the airport, so when I wasn't making myself clear I got some assistance translating from the front desk clerk. A short ride and ten zloty later I was at Biprostal. As I was wheeling my two bags and carry-ons into the building I got a few strange looks from people who work there. I could imagine their internal dialogue "Silly tourist, he thinks this is a hotel".
Paul is lending me his backpack for my trip. Thank you, Paul, once again you've proven to be an excellent host and friend. He brought it in this morning and I moved my stuff from the smaller bag to the backpack. After a load test I took Paul's advice and edited down my clothes that I was planning on taking. If I'm going to be hostel jumping across Eastern Europe I need to pack light. Paul made an excellent point, that if I don't have enough to wear, I can always buy something when I need it and it will be a great souvenir. I think I have it down to a reasonable weight now, but I'm probably still taking way more than I need. This will definitely be a learning experience. I'm looking forward to it and the next time, whenever that may be.
I'm leaving the rest of my junk locked in Paul's office while I'm away. When I return I will have to do one more quick repacking before Friday. It shouldn't be too much to manage. In fact I will probably have extra room in my bags to fill up with vodka!
Paul and I just got back from lunch. We took care of my last minute supply shopping and then ate a delicious lunch at a Ukrainian style restaurant, that I didn't catch the name of, but I do remember trying to get in there during the last trip with Daryl, Tom, and Mark when it was too busy. The zurek with horseradish in particular was tasty. On the walk back I picked up a new pocket-knife, something that will come in very handy, and some munchables for the train ride and whenever.
This afternoon I might go to Szymon's flat to watch part of a football match before I need to go catch my train. Marcin had to take a train this morning to his hometown to get his passport and will be returning in the evening. He may get back to the train station just as I am leaving. It would be nice to see him before I head off.
I am leaving my laptop, and I will most likely not have easy access to the internet. I do plan on posting pictures and doing blog updates when I find convenient internet cafes. Stay tuned. Ciao.
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