This is the half way point of our trip.
Didn’t sleep well, the bed was a bit small and the motion of the train was like being on a plane experiencing constant turbulence. Still, it was better than just a seat. Train arrived at 06:30 and the hotel was just around the corner from the station. As usual, Song did a brilliant job with the booking – a really good hotel right near the attractions and the transport, in this case just over the road from the station.
Couldn’t check in till 15:00 which was a bit of a blow because I was hoping to have a shower, feeling a bit icky. Dropped the cases and trundled down the road to the market square. The sky was overcast and it was cold, about 7C. It was about 07:00 and Easter Sunday and everything was closed, we hoped stuff would start to open otherwise it would make for a boring day. Song was hungry and I was feeling jet lagged (or train lagged) so the sooner we could find somewhere to sit and eat the better. Found the market square and the cafes were closed but with signs of activity – yay! They didn’t open until 08:00 so did a circuit of the square and by the time we’d finished it was 08:00 so we practically kicked in the door of the first one we saw. I ordered a French breakfast – 2 croissants with jam and coffee that came with the world’s smallest milk jug and was virtually black but I needed it to wake me up. Song ordered eggs, ham and cheese and tea. Settled into an armchair and decided to see how long we could stay before the staff gave us dirty looks. We could see the sun had now come out but were still reluctant to leave too soon. Ordered another tea and coffee when we could see the staff talking amongst themselves and pointing at us.
Finally left the cafe and exited into the main square where the sun was shining and crowds were buzzing, the cafes all open.
Walked down to the Jewish quarter, visited a Jewish cemetery that had been destroyed during the war by the Nazis but was rebuilt. The walls had been made up of the broken tombstones.
We carried on and made our way across a bridge to the old town. There wasn’t much to see as far as we could tell. Hopped on a tram back to the main square where the market stalls were in full swing and crowds were filling the restaurants, a big change from when we arrived when it was empty. Had a local sausage each from a stall then walked back to the hotel via the Barbican gate and checked in at around 13:00. The room was very modern – a Samsung tablet that controlled the heating, Tv and lighting. I had great fun turning the toilet light on and off. Song wasn’t as amused as I was.
Decided we were too tired to go out again so chilled out in the room playing with the lights. Walked 11.91 Km today.
