CITYTOCITY, MALLTOMALL

Three days, three cities, three stations - four shopping malls. Warsaw-Poznań-Kraków-Warsaw. My early morning trip to Poznań on Wednesday for a conference that ended at lunchtime left me with four hours before my night train to Kraków. I visited two malls in Poznań - Stary Browar ('Old Brewery') and Poznań City Center by the railway station.

Stary Browar - the atrium. Based on the brewery building dating back to 1890.

The Pasaż - the new part of the old brewery. Completed in 2009.

Poznań City Center Mall, built above the new railway station; opened 2012, renamed Avenida Poznań in 2016.

On by night train to Kraków. I love Polish night trains. One tip - buy a małpka (small bottle of vodka) for the journey. Once you are in your berth, a few swigs of Żubrówka aid sleep. And should you wake up in the middle of the night, and the be-dum-be-dum-be-dum is stopping you from going back to sleep again, a few more swigs from the małpka and you're back in the Land of Nod, east of Eden. Normally, if your train is late, you fret. But a night train arriving late is a blessing, because you get more sleep and who wants to be killing time at quarter past six at your destination anyway.

Yellow stripe on this maroon Przewozy Regionalne loco looks handsome

My train arrived in Kraków 45 minutes late; after breakfast at the Scottish Restaurant, I set off to cross Kraków on foot, heading for our office there. As the previous day in Poznań - not a single cloud; the dawn fog was burning off as I arrived in Kraks.

Vans delivering bread, trucks removing rubbish. Corner of ul. Szpitalna and Pijarska 

Looking east along ul. Świętego Ducha, into a rising sun

Bazylika Mariacka (St Mary's Basilica) seen from the rear.

On the east side of the Rynek Główny, by the Basilica.

So Continental - the most Polish of Polish cities. Ul. Podwale, looking south.

Back then to Warsaw, popping into Złote Tarasy today, the shopping mall overlooking the Central Railway Stations. I need some photo provisions - two 52mm UV filters and a 77mm polarising filter. Another late arrival; once again works on the line mean single-track running as the train approaches Warsaw. Kraków and Poznań also massively dug-up; EU funds are having to be spent before the local elections!

This time last year:
(Internet) Radio Days

This time two years ago:
Another office move

This time three years ago:
Manufacturing a City of Culture

This time four years ago:
My thousandth post

This time five years ago:
Closure of ul. Poloneza

This time six years ago:
Scenes from a suburban petrol station

This time seven years ago:
Red Arrows over Lincolnshire from 30,000 ft