Monday, July 10, 2023

Pole Position.

A journey cobbled together.
Kraków, Poland – Advancing with mild hesitation, the flickering bar on the ticket machine says "Processing."

Same, machine; same.

I've been up for 30 straight hours and attempted various origami folds to tuck myself into the tight airplane seats found on discount airlines. It turns out I'm not as pliable as I may have once been.

It doesn't help the seats on Eurowings are as thin as cafeteria trays.

For being the primary mode of transport into the city centre, the train is less well advertised than other options. A sign is tucked into the corner, almost an afterthought. When I ask for help, the woman at the information desk looks up from her phone just long enough to offer a dismissive wave in its direction.

The platform is a stew of languages, all seemingly asking the same questions. All seemingly in the same sort of haze.

The machine may be slow, but it’s relatively intuitive.

For 17 Zloty ($5.60 CAD), we have a comfortable 20-minute, five-stop run into the old town and, unlike most transport tickets in the city, this one doesn't need to be validated.

This time, I have plenty of room to stretch out.

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