Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport – Krakow Lotnisko – Krakow Glowny – Katowice

I didn’t get a lot of sleep. Not because I couldn’t but because there wasn’t time. I’d fallen into bed shortly before 2am and needed to be up and out of the hotel less than 4 hours later. Happily I managed this and the airport transit was working correctly so my big bag was checked in shortly before 6am.

By 6:30 I’d found something to eat and drink, as well as my departure gate, and we were boarded by 6:40.

The plane wasn’t particularly busy so I had room to spread out a little and close my eyes for the 2 hour flight.

Once in Krakow, I retrieved my bag and headed to the airport station. From landing to boarding the train was just over half an hour, which I thought was pretty good.

The shuttle service to the main station in Krakow was very busy; I stood on the 20 minute journey to the city centre station. From here I could get a direct train to Katowice, but had not planned ahead as I didn’t know if the flight would be delayed. As it turned out I had over an hour and a half, which wasn’t really time to head into the city, so I found a quiet corner in the shopping centre which adjoins the station and wrote up part of this diary as well as dealing with a few emails.

I’m reasonably well travelled in Poland, having first visited almost 20 years ago, so it was fun to look at the departure board and remember various trips over the years. My starting point for visiting this country back in 2006 had been musician Anna Maria Jopek, who over the years has become a dear friend, and I was here this time to see her perform, as well as exploring parts of the country that I’ve not seen before.

The journey to Katowice took a little under an hour. The train was going on to Berlin, having arrived from Warsaw. I know both capitals well, but wouldn’t be visiting either on this tour.

Unlike many Polish stations, Katowice station is very modern. I had a little time before I could check into my accommodation so found some lunch in the concourse and sat in the sun to eat it.

At this point I was back on my original itinerary. If I’d not taken the crazy last moment decision to go to Paris, I would have reached Katowice from Venice via Graz and Brno. They will have to wait for another trip.

My apartment was very close to the station so I left my bags and headed straight back out. I’ve been to Katowice before and recall being unimpressed by it, at least compared to other Polish cities. It’s pleasant but it certainly not in the same league as Wrocław, Gdańsk or Kraków. That said it does have some interesting buildings and sculptures.

Tonight’s concert hall was a new one for me, and very modern. It’s a little way outside the city centre, maybe 10 minutes walk.

Adjacent to the concert hall is a mining museum. This is still being worked on but they allow people to walk around some of the outside areas without a ticket.

I took a different route back to the city and passed something I’d heard of but had never seen, a set of vertical parking machines. You drive in at ground level and the car is moved up on a vertical conveyor after you get out. It’s a good use of space – their website says they can put 16 cars into the space of two – but it didn’t look terribly well used. I wonder why.

What I’d noticed so far about Katowice was that it was mostly very new. Consulting my map I headed for the old town on the far side of the railway. The buildings were certainly older but there was no historic town square or similar, as I’d expected. I did rather like the Rialto cinema building though.

After my early start today I decided to take a rest for a while, back in my room.

I decided that I would eat before the show and a small cafe had caught my eye while I was out earlier. They had a wide range of really lovely looking food, and I decided on an Indian-inspired dish. The staff really could not have been more helpful and pleasant, and the food was delicious. Highly recommended.

Tonight’s concert venue was a new and award-winning hall, and was a real work of art. The sound quality was really super, unsurprisingly, and the concert itself was super. We’d been asked not to take photos during the show and I’m glad to say that people had complied with this.

I’d not let Anna know that I was coming as there had been a distinct possibility that I would miss the concert tonight – if I’d not made that 7am flight then there was no recovery option to get to Katowice. However I sent her a text afterwards to say hello and how much I’d enjoyed it, and after an exchange of messages agreed that I’d catch her the day after tomorrow, at another show.

Katowice by night, like many cities, is more attractive. I rather liked a lit water feature in centre of the city, and also a rather odd sculpture that had inexplicably combined a handshake into the body of a bull. Very strange indeed.

By now I was definitely ready for some sleep.