My last and toughest day of them all.
Get up 6ish had a good sleep, Mariana and her mum have to be up for the dentist, we have some breakfast and i say goodbye.
The morning air is good 7.30 am, and am feeling i can kick on and arrive Krakow at a decent hour.WRONG. Stop at Terchova and have food, chai and a nice chat with Joseph and Erika in the sun before setting off again. There's one massive climb that really gets me, as i snake my way through the lovely Tatra mountains... Arrive at Namestova feeling a bit tired and refuel, green tea with mint 2 cups and lots of sugar, another pouch of food and desert.
As im leaving Namestova it decides to rain, i get soaked, and to make matters worse, as i go over a little speed bump, on the bridge, my right pannier, rams into my spokes and breaks 2 of them. I have now broken 3 out of 4 of my panniers...the rains lashing down..
WHY ? i ask myself as i take shelter in a hut, where i find cztery Poles...As im doing maintenance, we chat, with the little Polski i know and when im done... i wait..i wait..
and then throw in bedzie wspaniala, it brings the Dom na dol, and they all say and keep saying it as i ride off into the storm.
The rain gets worse and pelts down its hardest on my trip,
WHY ?
I had not been on the motorway all trip, and it seemed i was getting nowhere and there was too many for crying out loud hills.. im wet and i want to go home, in the end i have enough...i think it was Naprawa where i broke the rules and got on, after an initial climb, i got quite lucky as it was downhill for 20-25km.
In the end i came off, i got lucky, had to charge my satnav, refuel and was 18 miles of Krakow...
Why is it so hard when you become so near, its all in the mind, all in the mind....
just like when you need the toilet and your nearing your destination.. ALL IN THE MIND.
I feel a bit better, not long now...but it does not last, more hills and its getting late..Just after Myslenice and more climbs the rolling hills and valleys were filled with mist and fog everwhere..it was like the place was on fire....
Then i could see the lights of Krakow, get in there, i cycle with new found energy, come on pawel bedzie wspaniala.
Even from the outskirts it took a while...until i knew where i was....i turned of the satnav, turned on my camera ( found out didnt record in the end) and cycled like a madman weaving through all the people, trying hard not to knock anybody over.
Cafe philo was i glad to see you, arrive about 10.20pm. Done, finished and never again.
There is a polish princess in the corner of the bar and im convinced she is meant to be here to welcome me...get chatting, really nice and she is an actress. All the time she just didn't stop smiling...i order a coffee, because Kasia said so, even though i dont drink it, and a pot of tea. Magda the polish princess lets me use her phone with my sim as mine's paggered and i try to phone Kasia...I wanted to leave my bike at her parents, but because it was getting on i wanted her to phone them and see if i could leave it early in the morning.. I had wanted to do that...go to the Sky hostel...slip under the radar and cause no fuss...but simon had phoned marcin and before long Agnieszka and the rest of the polski crew arrived....it was ok, but not what i wanted..and now i know, even more clearer where my head and heart is....it seemed to (did) take an age to get to marcins...had a hot hot shower....a good sort out of all my wet stuff...found that id left me jacket at Cafe philo...had some nice food....good chat....cheeky one...powered down and 3ish turned of the light's......... Amen
