Krakow or bust!

On Thursday morning we set off from Wroclaw in the general direction of Krakow with the intention of stopping for an overnight en-route.

It was a hot day and we stopped around mid-day at the small town of Kluczbork for a break and a coffee. We found a small arty coffee shop (quite unusual for rural Poland) with record sleeves of Bob Marley, and original artwork on the walls and selling CDs and books as well as coffee tea etc.

It was run by a young man who had moved here from Wroclaw to settle with his wife, and had seen the possible business oportunity. We had some good coffee and a pleasant chat with him, within the limits of his English.

The contrast in the quality of some of the roads is quite amazing. There are brand new ultra modern roads built to best European standards which connect directly to old Polish rural roads with potholes and deep grooves worn by decades of heavy trucks on the soft tar during hot summer weather. They even have a road sign to warn you about the “tramlines” - erecting signs is clearly cheaper than repairing the roads!

We drove on to Czestochowa, where there was a campsite adjacent to the Monastery of Jasna Gora which has a painting of a “Black Madonna” which is reputed to have performed miracles and the monastery is therefore a place of pilgrimage. All quite big business it would seem judging from the size of the car and coach parks and the various catering establishments including the camping site which had grown up around it. Also rows of market stalls selling quite tasteless souvenirs as well as children's toys including replica sniper rifles!

We didn't go into the monastery, but had a walk into the town and a beer at a pavement bar. We got back to the site just as a short thunder shower passed over.

Friday morning was a bit cooler and breakfast was briefly interrupted by a shower of rain but the day brightened up quite quickly and the temperature indicators on the motorway round Krakow were showing 24 degrees when we arrived. We chose a campsite about 12 km south of the city which has a bus service into the centre from outside the gate. We have just rested and relaxed since arriving mid-afternoon and will venture into the city tomorrow.