Thursday 19th August mileage 6020 Krakow Poland

Got up early and had usual (only) breakfast in hostel bread (toast) and jam and coffee.  At table talked to a Canadian literature lecturer who travels usually to Europe every summer vacation.  Checked out early after completing blog from the night before so I could be first at the Suzuki dealer to stand a chance of getting the bike serviced straight away.  Found the garage CM Rider ok with tomtom, it was a Suzuki and BMW dealership but unfortunately it didn't open until 10:00am so I had a hot dog and coffee in the petrol station adjacent and went back at 10:00.

Nice people, efficient and they said they could do it straight away.  They asked me if there was anything wrong with the bike or anything else that I wanted doing.  I sjowed them the bent pannier bracket from the M25 incident and also the taped up handguard damaged after I had "laid the bike down" in Norway !!  They said they would fix both these things for no extra charge.

The garage mechanics name was Tomck and he was very thorough in doing his work.  He seemed toi check everthing he should and he cleaned the whole bike from top to bottom.


He straightened the pannier bracket and fitted a missing rubber bush, then he drilled a small hole in the damaged handguard and then fastened it in place using a tie wrap which looks much better than the gaffer tape that I had used.  Bike looks as good as new.

Whilst waiting for the bike to be completed I noticed a monument on the hillside opposite.  This turned out to be a monument for the location of a concentration camp called Praszow.  Went over and took some photos.

Person came up to me and asked if I spoke english?  He was from Liverpool and his wife wqas from California.  He told me that the Praszow camp was a particularly bad one, and was the place that had featured in the film Schindler's List.  It was where the commandant had sat on the veranda of his house and just randomly shot people as they passed in tyhe yard below.   Later that day with Savi we went back and discovered that Schindler's actual factory has been renovated and converted into a museum.  We also spent time looking for the commandants house that is still meant to be in place.  We found what we think must be the house if it still exists !

After I got the bike back went to the hotel to meet Savi.  We had been moved to an adjacent hotel because they said someone was ill, but we think they were just overbooked, anyway we got complimentary breakfast thrown in.   When I arrived on my bike Savi had told the hotel I would be coming and the Concierge came running outin the rain to tell me to put my bike into the hotels private courtyard.
We had a late meal of chicken salad followed by salmon pasta and goulash zupa.

Made enquiries at travel agent and hotel and booked tours over the next two days for Auschwitz and also the salt mines.

More later
TOR