We got up, had coffee and breakfast, packed out bags and took a cab to the airport Marriott where the car rental office was located. Driving through Warsaw is a nightmare. The cab driver was a nice elderly man who was very critical of how the city manages its roads and the traffic. He made comparisons to Sweden and Canada and other countries he visited and said that in Poland nobody seems to take people’s convenience into consideration. He couldn’t have been more right, we concluded when we got on the main road leading from Warsaw to Wroclaw, two major Polish cities. The road used to be four lanes, two in each direction, but along most of the first 100 km, one side was closed for construction (most of which was hardly happening), and traffic was redirected to the other side. It was excruciatingly painful and slow driving -- with hundreds of trucks and stops at traffic lights. It took 2 hours to drive the first 100 km so we decided to stop for lunch in a picturesque-looking traditional karczma (inn). Unfortunately, the quaint look of the place was not indicative of the quality of the food.
After another 4 hours we finally got into Wroclaw. Our hotel is in the historical center near the university and we nearly missed it because it is hidden in one of the side streets. We booked it from the web (mostly for the location) and it wasn’t expensive so we didn’t know what to expect. We were more than pleasantly surprised. It’s a fantastic place, a totally renovated 18th century building with ultra modern interiors, very big rooms and very high tech bathrooms. Totally cool. If you ever travel to Wroclaw, this is the place to stay -- Hotel Centrum Dikul.
About an hour after our arrival, we decided to go out for a walk. We did take umbrellas because they’ve been threatening rain all day. Just as we walked out of the hotel a downpour started completed with thunder and lightening and all the bells and whistles. We did take a walk, but a very short one -- just to get a bottle of wine.
No comments:
Post a Comment