irishface

I am enjoying your report, Alex! Your way with words makes me chuckle! thanks so much for taking time to tell your story!

Alexgadgetman

@ Irishface
Thanks

@ Annhig
Apparently Lublin is a candidate for European city of culture 2016, says it all really.

Alexgadgetman

Day 15: wrong day of the week to be in Lublin...

So, my first full day here, time to explore. I left the hostel around 10am and immediately headed for the old town, supposedly a 'little krakow', to be honest, though I havent visited krakow yet I would have to agree that it is a 'little krakow' just without the 'row'. 

The old town is a single street that leads away from the castle, on either side there are buildings that are neither impressive nor that old. There are, I must admit, four or five nice buildings, around the grand hotel. Though that is it, even the shops with their canopy's look bedraggled. Yesterday they were not open and today they may as well not have.... There aren't throngs of tourists here, in fact, I haven't seen any coaches today (there was one at the castle yesterday). Apart from a small park, and numerous churches (having seen the ones in Gdansk, these were unspectacular) there wasn't really much to see on the main strip. The attractions seemed to have scaffolding around.

Much in keeping with the not a lot to do theme, my original aim was to find a launderette. Apparently it is only open Friday and Saturday in July and august. That was the only one in Lublin as well.

Back to the castle, closed on a Monday.. Tried to get a bus to Majdanek, got off at the wrong stop and hastily retreated back to the centre of town.

Got a pizza around 5pm and decided it was getting dark so I had better get back into the hostel (the situation reminds me of 'i am legend'). Also has anyone watched the wire...

Started thundering again... Seems to be a recurring theme here!

annhig

I really think that you will find Krakow more enjoyable, alex.

RedStater

I'm off to Warsaw this Thursday, Alex, on a cycling trip, and will also be hosteling it. I'm reading your trip report with great interest. Incidentally, I'm sure that you already know this but the forecast calls for thunderstorms for pretty much the rest of the week.

Florida1

I am enjoying your report, Alex and look forward to following you along on the rest of your trip!

easytraveler

Hi, Alex,

Enjoying your quiet sense of humor and your glimpses into history.

It appears that the part of Germany ceded over to Poland has fared even worse than East Germany! So sad in a way - what Communism destroys.

easytraveler

Oops, sorry, thought you were in Lubin instead of in Lublin. Different parts of Poland!

Alexgadgetman

Redstater:
Warsaw is a good city to cycle in (I don't know about the surrounding area but I didn't see many hills). The weather in generally fine in the morning and early afternoon then takes a turn at around six. But it only tends to last for half an hour or so. Kind of odd really.

Enjoy your trip

Alexgadgetman

Day 16:

Up around half nine this morning, breakfast was two slices of jam on bread. Decided to head to Majdanek today then see about the castle later.

I (obviously) got on the wrong tram first then had to backtrack. Ended up on the 156 tram which stops outside the museum/camp.

I don't really want to write a massive amount about the camp, except to say that I would recommend visiting it, the barracks filled with shoes and the the furnace room were especially moving, though all the exhibits and buildings are significant and thought provoking.

There was only one coach when I arrived - an Israeli tour group. The entire site was well signposted and I didn't find myself considering a guide as the buildings generally had a short english description inside. Some exhibit materials were also in English (newspaper clippings) as were the main headings.

I left Majdanek around half one and headed back into town.

For lunch i decided that I may as well splash out a little - meat filled dough balls, (pierogi!!) chips and banana juice (well, I was bored of having a snack at lunch and fast food in the evening). It came to 33PLN and I left 7PLN as a tip, which is over 20%, but service only took around 10 minutes and the waitresses are probably underpaid... So 40PLN or just under 9 quid. Not bad for a place on that is on Lublin's main strip (well part of it).

I have decided that there is a little hope left for Lublin, the area immediately surrounding the town hall is quite pleasant and is worth a 10 minute wander. It's a shame that 'nice lublin' seems to extend for 1 km down one road... I reckon that Lublin can be seen in a day trip. Especially whilst all the churches are undergoing renovation.

I decided not to visit the castle this afternoon but instead to wait until tomorrow, else I will run out of things to do. I would have left Lublin tomorrow, except my phone doesn't work here... It just beeps continuously when you place a call. (I think I fail at putting in the local calling code).

Alexgadgetman

Day 17:

Started the day with a wander through the old town on an empty stomach as the hostel's one loaf of bread at breakfast had been eaten! Ended up finding a supermarket that sold bread/pizza things with bacon and cheese on. Ate two of them and realised that I wouldn't be needing lunch.... I have developed an affinity for Nestea over the past few weeks, it is cheap and refreshing. Also this drink called Kubus, a multiflavoured carrot juice.

Anyway, I ended up wandering back through the Market (it was Market day, no I lie, it is always Market day ) They really do sell everything, from bras and pants to a whole dead chicken. Unfortunately no washing machines. I last washed my clothes on day 8... So that means I am on my 10th set, even though I only have 7.. Fortunately I bought four extra pairs of socks for 12PLN. Going to Lodz tomorrow, hopefully they have a laundrette there.

On the accommodation front, I actually booked somewhere else for tonight, only to wander back to my current hostel around midday and be told that I had to change rooms... To a twin...... So I am staying another night, and cancelled the new booking (there was no deposit).

Headed to the last attraction this afternoon, the castle, to be honest it is more an art gallery with a (very) nice chapel in it. I quite liked it which is rare for me and art gallery's. Unfortunately I left me camera in my bag at the bag place at the entrance (I'm sure there's a proper name for this, I just can't remember it). The chapel has some very impressive (restored) Byzantine murals, and is nicely air conditioned (sorry, but it is in the twenty's here and the cold air was a relief).

The museum itself has four bits, a folk art bit (it was all a bit barmy), a modern impressionist, CAD bit (ok, so this bit was, as far as I am concerned, not really art). Then two good bits, a military bit with machine guns and the usual array of exhibits that aren't original. The second bit was a polish portrait and scene area (with a few landscapes thrown in randomly). The most impressive painting by far was 'the union of Lublin, Jan Matejko'. But then i guess that they have stood it in the middle of the exhibit room for a reason I guess...

I was only in the castle for around an hour and a half, mainly as I was getting dehydrated.

Had a kebab for dinner and watched a movie on someones laptop. Also packed ready for my five hour train ride to lodz in the morning.

Mathieu

Really enjoying reading of your travels Alex.
You're a stoic, with a great attitude to enjoy and make the best of whatever your travel path leads you to. Good on you.
There are lots of less anxious places soon coming up on your itinerary. But I'm enjoying reading everything to date, and can remember being in similar situations as you 7 years ago in lesser known parts of Croatia. I made the most of it too, and its all part of the adventure, I say.

Stay safe and keep up the interesting reports. Hope you find that laundrette soon.

M

annhig

yes, Alex, I'm still following you with interest.

good luck in Lodz.

Alexgadgetman

@ mathieu
Thanks for your kind words and I also see things as another part of the adventure, though doubt that I would quite qualify as being a stoic!

@Annhig
Thanks

Alexgadgetman

Day 18, leaving Lublin arriving in Lodz.

Getting to Lodz actually required a three hour backtrack to Warsaw. From there it was another two hours. To be honest I should have spent another night in Warsaw and daytripped Lublin. Certainly my next few journeys are all fairly long. Though after Lodz comes Krakow, which from many of your descriptions sounds like it will be fun (also meeting up with parents!!)

Ended up paying 15PLN for a taxi to the station so I could get the 9:55am to Warsaw, it was worth it so I didn't have to wait for two hours for the next train. To be honest the PKP website has been exceptionally handy in sorting trains out, I had a rough plan before I left of what trains I would get. However, have had to change train times thrice.

On the first train to Warsaw the ticket checker started talking to me in polish, asking for something, probably my passport. In a lazy mood, I just said 'English' and she gave up. 

On another note, what is the difference between Chen-quour and prosher??(both spelt totally phonetically). Prosher seems to be used for both please and thank you, whilst Chen-quour seems only to be used for thank you... On a language front, I still only know yes and no, and the two above, languages never were my strong point.... (evidence of that is my C in GCSE German).

Once back in Warsaw, I managed to get on the wrong train, fortunately it stopped at Warsaw Centralna so I could get a connection from there. I will echo an earlier post I made and say that Poland doesn't do signposts... It has a departure board but no platform numbers. Once again it was a combination of KFcC's Internet and a live departure board (very 21st century!) that helped me get the right train. So I was still able to arrive in Lodz for 4pm.

Lodz has one major road (over 5 km!!) and loads of other long straight roads. Lots of (real!) old buildings and a fair few museums.

First major result, a washing machine in the hostel!! Immediately dumped all my clothes in and set it off - though it only has a spin dryer... I guess I will have wet clothes for a few days yet.

By now it was about nine, so I grabbed a kebab for sustenance (food places seem to close around nine around here, apparently the poles are early eaters.) and went back to the hostel for some sleep (travelling is the most tiring thing).

Alexgadgetman

Day 19:

Started out the day with cheerios then headed to a supermarket for some fruit and also bought some Kubos ( carrot juice). Obviously the person who said it was a 15 minute walk was being a little liberal with his time measurements, about 45 minutes after setting off I saw, in all it's glory, Tesco's. Some things never change!

Stopped at a greenway for some food (I don't actually know what I ate... A lasagne layered thing but with solid rather than melted cheese). Also had a smoothie.

I then decided that I may as well walk to the end of this 'long' street, 5 km here I come. Needless to say, I never made it. I must have walked for about an hour before reaching a large Market (not a shopping centre), with a small park opposite. By now I was almost delirious and drank most of my 1.5litre bottle of water. I decided to mooch around the stalls (meat, veg or clothes.. Kind of hard to mooch around two of the aforementioned). After this it was about 2pm!! Then I walked back to the hostel. Needless to say, I was peckish again and had some noodles from 'Noodle w pudle', actually a rather large portion.

After crashing at the hostel for a few hours (fulfilling social obligations and the likes, plus checking on my now damp washing). I headed out to pierogarnia for pierogi. This place is at 69 ul. Piotrkowska, in the courtyard, to the left (opposite Ganesh), for anyone who may want to eat cheap pierogi. The building itself looks more like a family house with chalk arrows on the floor and drawings on the walls. The telltale sign of it selling pierogi is the small menu outside. There were both meat and vegetarian types available and I chose meat. Now the type of meat I had is debatable as I think that I was offered duck. However, just talking to someone who has lived here for six months, he says that it is more likely that it was the standard pork filling and that what was actually said was 'tak' (yes). Whichever it was, it was filling and good (plus cost only 14PLN).

On the food front, today has been an absolute feast. Consisting of four real meals (cheerios, greenway, noodles and pierogi), I am now absolutely stuffed and as the weather is a little cold have no intent of walking around, so decide to watch some Tv whilst the food goes down. Adding it up today I spent 76 PLN on food, about double what I usually would.

Tomorrow I hope to visit the massive shopping complex (which is supposed to be so much more ).

Oh, and I much prefer lodz compared to Lublin, Poland has redeemed itself!

Alexgadgetman

Lublin hostel: a review, stayed four nights, three in a six bed dorm, one in a twin.

Ok, this could be quite a long review, but I am going to try and portray the hostel as fairly as possible.

Location - ok so the hostel is 1Km from the old town and attractions such as the castle. However, the hostel itself is in an exceptionally run down area. I was told that the street it is on has the most crime of any in Lublin. With an abundance of cheap booze shops and intoxicated men wandering around, I had to make sure I wasn't out too late for fear of being mugged. You will constantly hear sirens from police cars / ambulances during the early night. I spent four nights here and on the last one I even had the honour of hearing a car break in being played out (window smashing, car alarm going off, shouting, police siren). Who needs Police, Camera, Action! When you have all that outside your window. Watching the first half hour of 'shooter', I think I heard more sirens outside than in the film.

The rooms - simple facilities, well not even simple if I am honest. In a hostel room, I expect a few things, obviously a bed (theirs are small and have thin, camping like children's mattresses, wooden bunks). Then for security, a locker and a door lock, neither of which this hostel had. There were no lockers, and one key for each room so you could not lock the door to your room unless your group had booked the entire room. Rooms were literally just beds in the dorms and beds with a cabinet in the twin rooms.

Hostel itself - the hostel had some major problems, such as the fact that there was only one toilet and one shower between everyone who was staying. Now when the hostel was empty this was fine. However, when full, as on my last night, it was a queue for everything, especially the shower. Obviously there are some hygiene issues around that as well.... The hostels facilities consisted of a common area with a fridge, microwave, sofas, old computer and a black and white tv. To be honest, the only useful thing was the wifi. No towels provided or available, nothing purchasable at reception (they don't really have a reception, just a girl who sits on the sofas in the common room).

The receptionists, well I am kind of mixed about this. They were nice and helpful when I was there, yet when I was checking in the girl waited until her YouTube video finished before acknowledging me. On a security note, it was entirely possible for someone to wander in off the street without being noticed.

Breakfast - seemed to be a loaf of bread or some rolls distributed on a first come first serve basis. Ie you get up by half eight or you don't get anything (unless you wanted meat pate), also had jam and honey.

So, for me, a solo traveller, this hostel gets one star out of five, It simply isn't fit for purpose - the only caveat to this is if you are in a group which books a room out and therefore can lock their room (and belongings away). Though even then, you had better shotgun the toilet!

easytraveler

Hi, Alex,

Still enjoying your trip report! It's the way many of us travel or would like to travel, just park ourselves in an unknown city and explore away, not being too influenced by guidebooks or other writeups and free to form our own impressions.

BTW, did you ever mention the name of that hostel that you gave one star to? Certainly a hostel to be avoided, if at all possible! Were there no other hostels in Lublin or is this hostel a reflection of the overall conditions in Lublin?

Alexgadgetman

@ easytraveler

Hostel tanie noclegi is it's name, though it's English name is actually 'hostel Lublin'. Or at least it's website is at hostellublin.pl.

It isn't so much a lack of accommodation, as a lack of online accommodation. You can find other accommodation, it's just not bookable on the internet. It takes a bit of a search to find places but it can be done. Though apart from a hostel behind the university I think other accommodation is all non dorms.

Alexgadgetman

Day 20 (another milestone):

Yesterdays entry was, unfortunately, incomplete. I actually went out at half ten to see Green Lantern. Which meant I walked to manufaktura. As the film finished gone midnight and i didn't get back to the hostel until oneish, this morning I didn't leave the hostel until 12pm.

So first stop - manufaktura. I aimed to go to the three museums here. However, I was unable to find any of them in an hour and a half on walking round. My only success was buying a new camera case. Also they are setting up a stage in front of the shopping centre (free concert coming up?!?!).

I found the museum of the factory (finally!). It is on the second floor by the cinema and climbing wall. I had to go up the fire escape to reach it. It's a small museum charting key figures and organisations in the history of the factory as it used to be (textiles). Things like looms and areas on the brass band. Not very large but ok for half an hour.

After this I decided to get a mid afternoon snack. At this point I should mention that I had a KFC 'grander Texas' burger for lunch. So I wanted a pizza slice on a baguette, quite large but manageable as it was around half two. Unfortunately the language gap intervened and resulted in me ordering two. Now, I have to say, it must have looked like greed at it's best with me balancing these two large bits of pizza in my hands whilst attempting to eat them without wearing them. After this was accomplished, full would be an understatement as to how I felt.

The rest of the day was kind of a mix between walking around the shopping centre and recovering at the hostel. Also had a light night kebab. So I had a large burger, two pizza baguettes and a kebab today, must be that healthy streak coming in.