Into our second month of travelling and no one has killed anyone yet!

This morning, we took our time getting ready to leave, visiting with a young couple from Germany. The Hostel Helvetia has been Margaret's favourite so far because the receptionist was friendly, the sights and food markets were close, the kitchen wasn't busy, and everything was really clean and bright. And what she enjoyed most was how friendly it was. We visited with many different people and got some good ideas for future adventures. However, it was time to leave. We've decided not to tell you all about our mistakes every time we take public transportation, so we'll keep it short by saying that eventually we were seated together on the train to Krakow. When we arrived, we were greeted by several sets of young people with hostel information (although Barry had pre-booked on the 'net', it was great to get walking instructions) and we were quickly on our way to our new home for three days. Coming out of the train station was a bit of a shock when we hit the summer heat. It cheered us up even more and we were immediately engulfed by the incredible sights and sounds of this beautiful city. Our hostel proved to be wonderful as well, when we were first greeted by a very enthusiastic, dread-locked young man who showed us to a beautiful room called the India Room, completely decorated in Indian art. The appliances and bathrooms are all state of the art, some of which we haven't even seen in Edmonton Dream Homes! We settled in, played a game of cards and then set out for supper at "U Babci Maliny" restaurant. We were told about it by Mik Moss, a former student of Margaret's. We wandered through the incredible Rynek Glowny, a great medieval square, the center of which is the Cloth Hall, filled with kiosk merchants selling every souvenir imaginable. Above the Cloth Hall, there is an Art Gallery of great Polish art. The square is reputedly one of the biggest ones in Europe (200 m x 200 m). Buskers such as break dancers and various other performers gather here. Another wonderful sight is St. Mary's church where, once an hour, a bugler plays the hejnal - a bugle call - but stops halfway through in tribute to the original watchman who, legend claims, died in the 13th century when he was shot through the throat by an arrow while bugling. After he plays, everyone in the square waves to him!

We wandered along, enjoying the horses and carriages, accordion players, bubble blowers, and various other street entertainers. Unfortunately, we lost track of the time and by the time we made it to our restaurant, it was closed, so we settled for a dinner of pizza bread and kebabs. We made up for it with delicious desserts on the square and two other 'Mik' recommendations - beer with raspberry syrup and a delicious cherry liqueur. Not a bad start to Krakow.