My Royal Route to the HiveBeeCon started yesterday at 5am when I had to catch the bus to the airport for my 8am flight to Krakow. I was hoping that the McDonalds next to the bus stop would be open (there are some that open 24 hours) so I can get some breakfast. Sadly not.
It only took me 30 minutes to get to the airport, 15 minutes to go through customs. Then I spent over 2 hours sitting in the airport doing nothing. I could have done with two more hours of sleep! After some delay, I finally got on the plane, I'm buzzing away to the HiveBeeCon already!!
I was so tired and slept for the entire flight, and soon we landed in Krakow. Hello HiveBeeCon.
The train ride from the airport to Krakow centre was smooth and quick. Apart from the fact I bought the wrong ticket for the bus instead of the train. Luckily the error only cost me USD1.5 and I bought buy the correct ticket once I got on the train.
I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the city. You can't really get lost in Krakow. The Old Town is ringed by a park just follow the walk.
With Krakow being the second largest city in Poland, and the previous capital city of Poland, it has a rich history and still retains the legacy of stunning architecture. I just followed the park walk and stopped whenever I saw any interesting things.
These horse drawn carriages seems quite popular around Krakow. I think it's a nice way to see everything leisurely and I could hear them trotting along the streets from quite far away. The only downside is the traffic jam it causes. Cars can't overtake them in the city and they also go along parts of the tram tracks. I can imagine how annoying the locals can be because of the inconvenience
This is an interesting monument in the park. The information was only in Polish and I could only read 1939. I assume it had something to do with Russia's invasion in Poland that year. Some things never change.
Towards the end of my walk on the city, I saw this very grand building. There are many like these in Krakow but this one stood out because of the rather grand entrance. When I peaked inside, I was very surprised to see who occupied it. Zoom on to see if you can figure it out.
I was half tempted to have dinner in the previous building as I missed it in the morning. Just joking! No way would I eat in McDonald's on holiday. We found a place that says it does home cooked Polish food instead. I don't know how authentic it is, but it was very nice, and a lot more local than McDonalds!!!