Eastern Europe, Day 5: Overnight Train & Krakow

   So, we boarded our overnight train around 11 PM, piled into our compartments, three berths each, and woke up in Krakow after an interesting night of track noises and train rocking. Some of us slept like babes, while others tossed restlessly, but I guess that goes without saying.

Monday night was the first time I had ever been on an overnight train. I had heard a lot about it in the nights preceding our journey; some said it would be fun, others said it would be terrible. We arrived at the Prague station about two hours before we departed. The first thing on my mind was to find an outlet to charge my phone, then to pick up some snacks, knowing it would be an eight hour ride. An hour later, we boarded the train and found our compartments. They were exactly how they sounded: a compartment, a container, a cell. It was barely big enough to comfortably accommodate one person. I had to share mine with two others. The three bunk beds were stacked on top of each other with only enough room to fit the width of our bodies. We squeezed into our bunks for the night and tried to get some well needed rest and relaxation as the train took off. ~Darius Phillips

Julia in concert at the train station, Prague

   Then, we introduced ourselves to old Krakow, shopped for souvenirs, and enjoyed Polish dishes like pierogi and kielbasa. Yum!

Portraits in the Old Town Market Square, Rynek Glowny

   After we checked into our hotel and took showers, we took the tram to the Jewish quarter. We walked around for a little bit and learned about the history. Then, we took the tram to the central square and had dinner. After dinner we took the tram back to the hotel. Today was nice because we got to relax and explore Krakow at our own pace. ~Maddie Koch