town

I don’t know where to start. It’s been one hell of a week, starting on the 28th October morning, ending today, 3rd November. I was about to take my first RyanAir flight, intra Europe, from Paris Beauvais to Wroclaw ( pronounced Wro-SLAW ), Poland. Why did I choose Poland? Simple, it was a very cheap flight! 45 Euros, return journey included, and I booked about a month or two in advance. Also, it was right next to Prague, and for another 5 Euros, I could get to Prague by bus. Not bad, not bad at all! Sounds pretty exciting, in fact! 😀

With this plan in mind, I left college to get to Paris, you know the usual story. However, this time, I took the bus from Lille( 1 Euro, much cheaper! ), which dropped me off to a point in Paris where I hadn’t been before : Eastern side, Quai de Bercy.

There’s something about this city, something I can not lay my finger on, but every time I come here, I experience something magical! And everytime I leave, I think, I wouldn’t be coming here again, I’ve pretty much done all there is to do. This was my 4th time. My first time post Autumn, and my, didn’t that give this city another flavour!?

But well, I think I had just the perfect amount of time, before my flight, to go over the city once. According to Google Maps, it would take me about 2 hours ( 10 K.M ) to walk from this Eastern end to the Western end, where I take the bus to the airport from.

Pro Tip : Booking RyanAir? Pay attention to the airport! For example, RyanAir only operates through Paris Beauvais, which is really outside the city, costing another 17 Euros to get there! Factor this cost in, and the extra time it’s going to take, while making the bookings!

A few not so interesting events and a couple of hours later, I ended up in Wroclaw, at 23:30 PM. At this time, pretty much the last bus leaves the airport for the main city. I deliberately delayed myself to miss this bus, spending time in the bathroom, having the prepacked croissants I bought in Douai, for one sole reason : I was about to do something I had never tried before : Spending the night on the airport, all alone, to kind of save on an accomodation, which would be valid only for a few hours, as I had the bus to Prague at noon. The things we do for money? It was practical and kind of easier than going through the trouble of locating an hostel. Had I gotten kicked out,  I don’t know what I would have done, since I had no backup plan! But looking back, I probably would have come back in. Not a very good back up plan, but hey, that’s all I had.

Pro Tip : While deciding to do the above, check online for reviews and airport timings! If the airport closes, there is no way you could do this, and you’d be kicked out! Also, sleeping post arrival without a connecting flight is considered bizarre, and most authorities wouldn’t allow it. So, be wary of security and try your best to make sure they don’t approach you. Don’t do stupid stuff.

True, it is pretty uncomfortable. There was an air of confusion and excitement, not knowing whether I was  going to make it without any clashes with the security. Thankfully, after the last flight into Wroclaw, the airport was left pretty much deserted, save a few fellow travelers with a connecting flight, the occasional security, and the cleaning staff. I stayed awake till about 2 to figure this whole out ( and the fact that the chair was very uncomfortable was a major contributing factor ) . After which, I started to feel the night setting in over my eyes. It was a broken sleep, I’ve definitely had much better, but well, there was no way I was complaining. Free clean toilets, free water, free wi-fi, electricity and a warm area for the night!

Pro Tip : All over Europe, I’ve seen that the tap water is highly portable. Drink away to glory! Check online, ask if the water is drinkable though! Heard that beer is cheaper than water in X. ( X = Munich, Germany etc. ) Well, If you believe that, you’re doing it wrong. Do you know why? Because you’re not supposed to buy water, you’re supposed to drink it from the next water fountain you find.

Caution : Follow at your own risk, if you believe your immunity system can handle it. ( Is that a challenge? ) 

Next morning, I ventured into this town I had never even heard of before. I instantly fell in love with it! It’s so travel friendly! Moving through it, I tried to pinpoint the reasons why Wroclaw was so cool.

#1 : It is freaking pretty!

#2 : I saw a majority of women on the street, and only a few guys. I haven’t checked the sex ratio here, but I am pretty sure it’s in favour of the ladies. But can it be just this?

Every girl my age I looked at, smiled back at me. Woah, friendly little town!?

#3 : Have you seen the exchange rate here!? It’s approximately 4x cheaper than the rest of the west!

( Try singing that. )

1 Euro = 4.2 Zloty. But don’t apply this logic in Prague ( 1 Euro = 26 Czech Krowns ). Prague is not any cheaper. The “4x” was just a coincidence 🙂

#4 : Free wi-fi in almost the whole city, with directions on every street on how to get to the next wi-fi zone! Haha, doesn’t get funnier than this! ( Okay, it probably could, but go with the expression, okay? )

Lovely little town, eh?

Sadly, I didn’t have much time! However, I did see most of the monuments around town, and made my way to the bus. Prague was waiting for me.