Krakow

For the evening of the 27th we had a few hours walking tour around Krakow, which was not destroyed by the Nazis in the war and is therefore better preserved and more historical. However, we were getting pretty tired after getting up at 4AM to catch the train here in the morning and four hours touring Auschwitz. So we told our guide we just wanted a brief, "photo op" walking tour through Krakow and then to drop us off at the train station an hour early so we could get some food and rest.

For the train back to Warsaw we met back up with another group that had been with us on and off throughout the day (because they were using the same tour company), a couple of Swedish men who asked us if hockey was big in Canada. We responded that hockey was HUGE in Canada and that you have to turn over your passport if you don't worship hockey. This was somewhat discredited over the next ten minutes when it was revealed that the Swedes were aware of the following facts whereas we were completely unaware of them:

• That the World Cup of Hockey tournament was taking place.
• That the finals of the World Cup of Hockey had not yet taken place.
• That the finals of the World Cup of Hockey was a best of three, not a single game.
• That Canada had already qualified for the finals of the World Cup of Hockey.
• That Sweden had been eliminated from the World Cup of Hockey in the semi-finals only hours before.
• The structure of Team Europe and Team North America in the World Cup of Hockey, or that they even had these teams.

Other things we couldn't come up with:

• A single Swedish player on the Calgary Flames, either current or historical.
• A single Swedish player in the entire league, either current or historical.
• A single player on the Calgary Flames current roster, of any nationality.

However, I was able to point out that twelve years ago when the Flames had their 2004 Stanley Cup run, we had a lot of Finnish players (though I couldn't name any), and Finland is close to Sweden, so I'm sure my deep hockey expertise was fully restored in their minds.

(Events of Sept 27, 2016; evening.) 

Warsaw Old Town

Just a short day of sightseeing today since my legs are as flexible as stone, and rough-hewn cobblestone in Warsaw Old Town is not an ideal surface for letting them recover.

Quite stupidly, instead of going for a tour on a tram (shown in picture), rickshaw (also shown), or Segway (not shown), I signed us up for a two-hour walking tour around Old Town. By the end the only thing I had strength for was a traditional Polish dinner.

(Events of Sept 26, 2016.) 

Auschwitz

(Events of Sept 27, 2016; morning.) 

THIS IS WARSAW!!!! (...marathon, in pictures)

Our first full day in Poland was dominated by my running of the Warsaw Marathon.

Running in a foreign place is a great way to get a taste for the "off the beaten track" parts of the city. The start of the race was in a historic-looking neighborhood...

...but soon the scenery got quite drab (communist influences throughout) so was not the best for keeping my mind distracted. Fortunately, there were quite a few characters in the race to keep me amused.

Near the start of the race I was just behind Krzysztof Drabik (www.speedbar.pl/), a "Cocktail"-esque performance bartender who juggled his water bottles the entire race. (A bit hard to see in the photo that he's juggling; looks like he's just holding a beer.)

The big stars of the race were Spartanie Dziecion (www.facebook.com/SpartanieDzieciom), a group raising money for disabled children by running dressed up like "The 300" Spartans, complete with spears and shields, running the entire race in military formation.

Unfortunately, this team totally screwed up my pace since I discovered that it is physically impossible to run next to men in military uniform and NOT match their pace, even if it's faster than you like to run. Eventually I stopped and took a walking break to let them pull ahead...

...only to have them let me catch up as they set up a "spear tunnel" for us to run through:

The wheels fell off for me at the 25 km mark and I slowed considerably, letting the Spartans and just about everyone else in the race pull well ahead. There were not many left on the course by the time I finished, thirty minutes behind my previous personal worst.

The above picture is the definition of the expression "I'm so far behind I feel like I'm in first place".

(Events of Sept 25, 2016.)

Fifty!

Just arrived in Warsaw, Poland after a week in London. Didn't bother blogging from London because we've been there quite a few times in recent years, but it was very nice to see everyone there once again.

I might not have time to blog here in Poland either, but needed to get at least one post up because this is country number...

50

... for me!

Tomorrow morning I'm meant to run the marathon, but am not very confident since I'm wearing a new pair of shoes that don't quite fit, not to mention a week of ale and curries in the UK.

(Events of Sept 24, 2016; morning.)