Another day on the train

The train from Berlin arrived late in Poznan (obviously), so I was happy I had booked the next train an hour later than the schedule had proposed. That gave me enough time to successfully navigate getting lunch in Polish (one + "points at it" please and thanks) and find my way to the right platform. Only to find that the Polish train was 20 minutes late too.

Since by this time none of the announcements were translated into English, it took my fullest attention and power of observation to keep track of what was going on by reading people's reactions and body language:

General sighs of disappointment and groans, hectically checking their apps, sigh of relief (apparently still the same platform), nervously keep checking it and a collective sigh of relief as the train finally arrived.

So while this aspect of the trip was business as usual, one big difference to Germany was that trains are much cheaper in Poland. So much so, that I could book first class without breaking the bank.

Then again, first class in this train (or in Poland in general?) meant you got to sit in an air-conditioned compartment with five other people and had access to a power outlet vs. having to stand in the narrow hallway, where, if you were lucky, you could at least sit on a small fold-down seat.

This meant that walking up and down the train every now and then to get some blood circulation in the bottom half of your body was a bit of a squeezy challenge. So I leaned back and finished reading my book over the course of the next couple of hours. Just as I started to get worried I might get butt sores, we finally arrived at Krakow.Read more