Hotel System Premium Krakow

... by their families and cultures and every single person has the responsibility to step out of their bubble and scrutinize where they come from. EVERYONE. The whole idea of "nationhood" by this point in my life seems ridiculous. That may sound shocking to some but I have realized how dangerous nationalism is and how it dumbs people down. This includes nations with an existing country and those groups of people who are considered nation-less. Especially after coming from Asia ...

... deaths of so many different people. Charismatic is not the word I would use for Hitler. After the full day at the museums, I caught a train back towards Krakow &#8211; this train was accompanied by about 50 soccer players yelling cheers &#8211; I think they were all Polish, but don&#8217;t know for sure. <br><br>In Krakow, I stayed just off a magnificent town square from the 1500&#8217;s at Mama&#8217;s Hostel &#8211; a great place ...

... We didn't hear an English voice (Aussie) until we mistakenly went to a Lonely Planet restaurant (very overpriced and chain like) and then didn't hear another. As you can see we went to quite a few beautiful parts of town and all in all had a rather spiffing time!! Always however avoid boiled cabbage and anything that mentions lard in the menu...yuk..

... on another bus that would take me in the general direction of my own hostel, 'hostel tamaka' for Pln30 per night. It was hitting 7am by the time I arrived at the door but thankfully the reception was open and I was able to drop my bags but I couldn't actually check in till 12.00pm. I had pre-booked one night but had been thinking on the coach journey that I might stay two, but with not being able to check in I would be spending quite a long day around the city and figured that one day ...

... had a bus to catch and some hiking to do. We headed for the bus station, retrieved our bags, and hopped on a bus for Zakopane - a three hour journey south. It was a good opportunity to catch up, and more importantly, talk about cricket. Will's pod entry for this same day is 'The same old tour'. It may have been for him but I think it was a fantastic new adventure in a new and fabulous city that I had not been to before!

This is my last day in Poland. Decided to save Auschwitz for last. The mood was quite somber as everyone silently walked from barrack to barrack. There are very few standing buildings now as the Nazis attempted to destroy the evidence prior to Soviet liberation. They dynamited the barracks and chambers and had the remaining prisoners walk from Poland to Germany. My pictures say more than I can.

... was very fun and appears to be gaining a reputation for tourists. Much more energy than Warsaw but with the same great low low prices. Despite the large group of kids in the hostel I still was able to have a great time...the place was only steps away from the heart of the old town where most bars, restaurants and clubs are located. If you can get to only one city in Poland, come to Krakow...there is more to see, more to do and the people are much friendlier than in Warsaw.

... woke up and told them off. Later that night, I stripped down and pretended to pass out on the sofa in front of the reception desk. Unfortunately for me, Magda didn't feel me up. Even more unfortunately for me, those 2 guys that were feeling up the UK girl DID ... Waited an hour to buy tickets for the salt mines. It was worth the wait. The caves had some pretty amazing sculptures, all done by the miners. Back to Krakow. Ate a sausage in the same place in the Rynek. Trying ...

... marathon I had seen the Kosciuszko Mound. There are 4 of these mounds in Krakow. The older two are from the 7th century but no one knows what they were made for. The Kosciuszko Mound is more recent. It's only 34m high but sits on a natural hill so stands out nicely. It was erected in 1820 soon after the man, who worked hard towards independence for Poland during times of foreign occupation, died. Trees surrounded the mound and as I got closer there was a fort ...

... stag do. It was a mixed day - a bit sad to leave poland and also the realisation that this was the end of my European travels. Tomorrow I'm back in the company of friends and no longer travelling alone on my own adventure. It's been an amazing time of experiences, emotions and growth. Sometimes its been hard hard work and all I wanted to do was go back to the cosy, familiar world of London and just surround myself with friends. But at other times ...