Last day at the hostel in Zakopane and return to Krakow
Krakow, August 11, 2018
Yesterday afternoon we left Ždiar to head back to Zakopane. Although we were sad to leave the Ginger Monkey hostel, we were happy to reunite with our friends again. It is hard to believe, but yesterday was our last night with them since we have already finished our volunteering experience at the Good Bye Lenin Hostel. I can’t believe it has already been a month since I arrived!
Last Day in Zakopane
We didn’t do much in the evening; we just hung out on the hostel’s terrace chatting with our colleagues as a farewell. It made me quite sad, but on the other hand, I’m excited because my Central Europe adventure is officially beginning! From now on, I’ll be traveling in adventure mode, with no idea where I’ll go or where I’ll end up. For now, I’ve taken a bus to Krakow, the first destination of my journey.
I’m really going to miss my bedroom! I don’t think I’ve posted any photos of it yet… so here are a few:
From Zakopane to Krakow
My friend Karolina was also leaving the hostel today, so we went to Krakow together. As is typical in Zakopane, it was raining heavily in the morning, so she had to leave her motorcycle there temporarily. To be honest, we were quite sad because we have great memories with the motorbike and have traveled many kilometers on it.
We went to the Zakopane bus station to catch the first bus available. We were lucky because the next one was in 10 minutes. During the journey, we took the opportunity to practice Duolingo, learning Esperanto (let’s see how long that lasts), Spanish, Polish… a bit of everything. When we got tired, we put on some music and spent the last hour enjoying the scenery. Well, and the torrential rain outside.
Once in Krakow station, we grabbed a kebab and I helped my friend buy her train ticket to Warsaw, her hometown. The process of buying the ticket was quite chaotic. The prices were very high, the machine wasn’t working, and there was a huge line at the counter. To make matters worse, after she bought the 19:21 ticket and we were waiting for the train, they announced it had been canceled. In the end, she had to take the 20:00 train. We spent some time hanging around in the station until the departure time.
Accommodation: One World Hostel
Today was practically a travel day, so I didn’t do much. I’ll be staying at the One World Hostel for the next few days, a hostel right on the edge of Krakow’s Old Town. My main plan is to visit the Auschwitz concentration camp and the Wieliczka Salt Mines, as I didn’t have time to visit them the first time I came because I had to start working at the hostel.
I’m surprised by how easy it is to find last-minute accommodation in Poland. There are so many options, and they’re quite affordable. For example, One World Hostel cost me €9 per night in a shared room with 6 beds. For now, there are 4 Spanish girls in the room, but people come and go, so it’s possible that tomorrow or the day after I’ll have different roommates. We’ll see!
