Day 231, 20 February 2013, Krakow, Poland. (Pictured is our sleeping compartment from the overnight journey from Vienna). Our opinion of Polish rolling stock has soared. We're not sure if it was the height of our sleeping compartment or the massive width (by sleeping car standards) - we're pretty sure it was't the extreme firmness of the beds. It might have been sheer exhaustion or the knowledge we had to wake up by 6 am for a 6.40 am arrival. Who knows? But we had the best sleep of all our train journeys so far. So good that it was real struggle to stay awake and get dressed when the alarm went off at 6 am. Once we were dressed we found out from Mr Chatty (the carriage attendant), that we hadn't imagined the stops during the night and we weren't getting in to Krakow till 8.30 am. So we lay straight back down and snoozed for another couple of hours as the train roared through snowy, dark countryside. We were in Krakow almost before we knew it. It turns out the large amount of countryside is due in part to Poland being a country of country-side. The vast majority of the population still live in villages outside the major cities. Warsaw, the largest city, is the only one with over 1 million inhabitants. Krakow, where we are spending our time has a mere 800,000 residents. 1 in 5 are students - which is great for us as it usually translates to a younger, forward thinking vibe and also a high level of literacy in English. We heaved our bags and ourselves off the train at 8.30 am with the generous help of Mr Chatty (also one of our best sleeping car attendants ever - not a word of English beyond "Tea or Coffee?" and thus no urge to hammer on the door to tell us things every 10 minutes - as per the overly-efficient Sabina on the Venice to Vienna leg!) After the brisk days with blazing sunshine in Venice, we have indeed come back to the depths of Europe's winter. It was snowing gently in the square next to Krakow Glowny station and we took a while to become oriented. Tried the information counter at the station. Older lady, no English and only train information. Certainly no maps for pesky travellers. Tried the information desk at the major shopping centre that has fused itself symbiotically with the train station refurbishment. We're not kidding - missed the exit turnoff as we left the station and found ourselves funnelled into Galeria Krakowska. Very glossy, very slick - all the big name shops. At least their information girl was from the 'English' generation and helpfully directed us to an actual information bureau. And oh, what information we received. Magda the magnificent is tucked away in an underpass and doesn't get as many customers as she deserves. Free maps? Indeed... and let me just point out all the features of Krakow and the best 3 day ticket to buy for your trams and places you might like to eat and don't bother with a City Pass unless you plan on spending your whole five days in a Museum and don't let the cab driver charge more than 40 zlotys to get to your hotel.... And 30 minutes later we most definitely had received the brief on Krakow - phew! We even knew what tours we'd probably do - a walking tour of the Old Town, and because business is slow, there was a two for 1 deal - so also a walking tour of the Jewish quarter Kazimierz and where the ghetto was, Podgorze. We popped into the government authorised info desk on our way to the taxi rank. Three young ladies still not managing to do the job of one Magda. It was hilarious in a Fawlty Towers scary kind of way. "Where can I buy a transport card for the trams?" I said. So you want to rent a car... one said. No no, I said - I want to buy a transport card. Ohhhh.... you want to buy a car.... No. No. Nevermind. So there's a tip for you - look out for the private information bureaus run by See Krakow. Yes, they sell their own tours - but they also give unstintingly of good advice on what to see and do.... which is kind of what information bureaus are for afterall! It was 10.30 am before we reached the Park Inn (a new, mid range offering by Radisson). And the angel in charge let us have a room immediately. Now we are on a budget, but boy, did we get a deal here. 10 minute tram ride from the historic centre of Krakow (Rynek Glowny) and we are paying the same here as for a fleabag hostel in town with a shared bathroom and no breakfast. We are in fact staying in 20 odd square metres of brand new bliss. Softy, squishy, comfy bed, armchair and table, massive bathroom (with bath), in room safe, incredibly helpful staff and free wi-fi. Spend less to get more we say - and there are times when quaint (old), historic (worn-out), charming (mean well but don't know a thing about service), central (party going hostellers) and close to transport (immediately next to a 24 hour tram line) all become a touch too much. So we are ensconced in 4 star luxury with hot and cold running housekeeping for 5 nights. Bliss. And not ones to look bliss in the mouth (and go out into a blizzard instead), we ran a bath, had a snooze, had lunch in a hotel restaurant and spent a lazy, hazy day reading, watching snow fall and planning our time in Krakow. All in good time.