Have reached my first destination of Krakow safe and sound. Would love a Knorr Noodle Soup but must make do with local 'cuisine' - I touch nothing that hasn't come in a wrapper! Journey here was eventful. Was having a too leisurely breakfast (E9.95!!) until well after 07:10 when realised that we, myself and FranBot ,should have been boarding our 07:30 flight since 07:05. I ran through the New Terminal with one thought: Aer Lingus are nothing but Bastards with Wings.
Have failed to acquire any new words from the Polons themselves. They seem a polite, hardworking people that are willing to help - nothing like the distant, socially incongruent people that befloat Eire. Here, they live on very little and have even less English - hence my difficulties in getting Knorr. Catholocism is as rampant as souvenier store chains. The men are all 'army' fit - I fear an evasion. Lock up Black WeatherMan, he may prove useful in the Resistance.
Today, our second day, saw me eat healthily. Yesterday, in fact, I ate many fruits and nuts. I even had a boiled strawberry which repeated on me until I said my night time prayers (i.e. Swig of 'alochole'). I'm bemused by their fruits. Very varied, very mouldy. I bought Banana Juice today. How one gets the juice out of a fucking banana is beyond this diety.
Today, we visited Auschwitz. I didn't get emotional as so many others have which isn't to say I was disinterested or unaffected by the surroundings; it's difficult to feel too much emotion at times where it's all around you, so intense, so photographic, and so real. We seemed to be constantly behind five 'typical' Americans. They talked louder, they stood taller and they made their presence known. They wore bright yellows, took photographs, and remained whisperish in the Gas Chambers where silence is expected. They discussed the varied and 'awesome' shoe styles of inamtes in the Museum of Possessions, of which one exposition included hundreds of childrens' shoes. There were three colours: Black, Brown, Nameless. Under 'ARBEIT MACHT FREI', these five stood together for a photograph. Proud, giggling, and painfully absent from their surroundings, they posed. 'Smile for the camera!' the taller and brutish of them called aloud. Amongst all their American 'Colgate' teeth and bright colours stood they in the exact same area where thousands were sent to meet their maker.We decided to numb our troubles and start drinking on a hill in the centre of town. FranBot noticed that there was noticibly only the two of us about of the millions of Krakowians doing this. A quick 'mush!' from the Polan's Gardai and this bitch was found swigging back a bottle of knock-off Malibu.
I type this sitting beside some Mary from Vienna. He aks if I know 'Tom' from Ireland who he met in Isreal. I do not, it appears.
I make my way to Prague tomorrow morning for a seven hour train journey commencing upon the seventh hour. We all know how Jim likes it when he craves sleep.
I miss you as I do me noodles,
Jim
