Krakow, Abel Hostel
I slept better last night right through till 5.00. The forecast was for rain in the morning but it was dry. There had been rain in the night. So another day of beautiful weather in Poland.
We lay a little longer and after breakfast headed up into the old town to get the last of the presents for people.
We went to the open market just a block away. I got Anne an antique plate. Well it might be but I might be a totally ripped off tourist.
The lady on the stall indicated the markings on the back as if they were important. I don’t know. She let me have it for 50 zl about £10 and I like it. I hope Anne does! The lady didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Polish.
We went through square Szeroka.
We got a couple of cars for Euie. It was impossible to get a Polish one.
And at Rynek Glowny.
This is entertainment in the Main Square. I don’t think Health and Safety would allow it in the UK!
We got Kirsty a box and Russian dolls in the market in the Merachant’s hall.
We went to a lot of shops. I got myself a stone egg.
I got Anne a Krakow dragon which was not really appreciated. She got herself a tile.
We also saw the square again and recorded the bugle call at 11.00. It is lovely. The picture is better, the sound is worse.
We meandered back down to the hostel and had a bit of a rest and our lunch in the room.
We then headed to the Kosiuszki Mound, down the Vistula river and then by road.
Then we went for our tea. We meant to go to the place we were Tuesday and Thursday but it was shut. We then went to where we were last night. The chap got the order wrong and gave us potatoes instead of chips. He realized his mistake and brought us a huge pile of chips. We then went to find a shop called EMPIK at Galeria Kazimierz.
When we came out there were some dancers performing some medieval dance on a platform. I don’t know was it Polish folk music, but it was really nice and we stayed a while to watch.
We phoned Mairi who has driven to Edinburgh. We also phoned mummy, and Charlie who is back home from the caravan holiday. We wrote the card for the staff in Polish using Google translate – so dear knows what it actually says! It is a lovely evening but very noisy.
Kościuszko Mound (Polish: kopiec Kościuszki) in Kraków, Poland, erected by Cracovians in commemoration of the Polish national leader Tadeusz Kościuszko, is an artificial mound modeled after Kraków’s prehistoric mounds of Krak and Wanda. A serpentine path leads to the top, approx. 326 metres (1,070 ft) above sea level, with a panoramic view of the Vistula River and the city. It was completed in November 1823.
It is in another beautiful park. It is such a green city. We were, and are, very tired. We passed another cemetery and there is a strange custom here of stalls outside to buy candles and flowers. We kept going up and came to the mount itself surrounded by a fort. We had to pay 12zl to get in; not much. 
We got stunning views from the top of the mound. we could see the mound over in Podgorze that we were on on Thursday. We had a wee picnic on a stone seat just below the top. We came off the mound and bought an icecream. 
We passed this church – Kosciol pw. Najswietszego Salwatora (Church of our Blessed Saviour). Mass seemed to be on and it was being relayed on speakers to outside the church.
You can get flowers or candles outside the cemetery.
This was a very green and very large grasshopper on the road.
Then we trudged back to the Abel Hostel. We picked up a bit of cash at an autobank. Quite a high rate for the privilege. 
This is a bit of a disgrace as the exchange rate is 5.28 Polish Zloty to the pound. The final cost when we got our bank statement was £23.57 to withdraw about £20!
We got very foot weary to our room. I had a snooze!
We were after envelopes which are very hard to come by in Krakow. We couldn’t find the place so asked three lovely young people. One was studying English at University and they were all keen to speak with us. They went out their way and took us there. This is a lovely city with some very lovely people. We found the place and got cards instead of envelopes. It is to leave a gift with the staff.
I went to take photos and was stopped by a security man. Felt like the old cold war!
The young man on reception gave me my Polish lesson – prosze bardzo – my pleasure.
So what did we walk today
Morning to old town and shopping – 4.7 miles
Afternoon to kopiec Kościuszki – 7.3 miles
Evening to get meal and out to Galeria Kazimierz – 2 x 1.2 miles
total = 14.4 miles
We must be fit!
Anne’s photos
