Krakow, POLAND

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Late arrival from Ukraine as our train was delayed by two hours after custom inspectors at the Ukraine / Poland border uncovered several bags of smuggled cigarettes in MY couchette! Fortunately I wasn't on their suspect list and they only asked me to leave the couchette so they could unscrew the ceiling panels and carry out about 50 cartons of Ukrainian-made cigarettes. Wow! I'm safely in Poland.

Krakov is the "new Prague" they say...due to less tourists...hmmm...outdated statement. Now they say "Lviv is the 'new Krakow'". The massage is: If you don't come and see these places soon, they will be like Prague....overrun with tourists!

Nevertheless, Krakow is not yet like Prague and has a lot of authentic Poland to offer. Fact is: For centuries Krakow was the capital of Poland, the seat of kings and still draws great scholars and artists from the whole world. The old buildings were not destroyed by WWII, and Auschwitz (where 1.5 million people were executed by the Nazis) is just a short drive from Krakow.