Postcards from... Opole

November 2011 and my exploration of Poland was in full swing. As planned, I got the 06:25 train from Bielsko to Opole. Getting up at 05:15 wasn't much fun, but my grumpiness was soon replaced by happiness as the train made its way slowly through the Polish countryside. Because the autumn has been so mild the leaves, which were still on the trees, were a beautiful yellow-gold, and especially pretty in the early morning mist. Seeing them made me very glad I'd dragged myself out of bed.

At 09:35 on the dot I arrived in Opole. I was pleased to discover that the train station was a mere minute or so's walk from the main square. As with all the Polish towns I'd visited, the Rynek (main square) was the highlight, and Opole's was no exception. It was gorgeous – I simply couldn't take my eyes off the Town Hall tower.

Walking towards the Rynek



The beautiful Town Hall tower

Pretty houses on the Rynek

Aesthetically pleasing lines

Having had a quick scoot round the town and somehow gravitated back to the Rynek, I realised that I was hungry. The only question was where to go? There didn't seem to be anywhere, and the Rough Guide was about as helpful as a chocolate teapot – less so in fact, because I could have at least eaten said teapot! After lingering outside a likely-looking café for a bit, I did my usual trick of walking in hot on the heels of another customer. That way if I didn't like the look of the place, I could slip out hopefully unnoticed! As it happened, the waitress was lovely and before long I had a cup of tea (with milk!) and the biggest toasted salami, ham and cheese bagel I'd ever seen! And the bill? A mere 15zl (£2.60/€3.60/US$4). Bargain!

Refueled, it was time to go walkabout again, which didn't take long. Later, having seen everything I wanted to see, I sat on a bench in the Rynek reading my book.

The art nouveau Most Groszowy (Penny Bridge)

One of the many love locks on the bridge

Bazylika katedralna Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego(Holy Cross Cathedral)

The main entrance to the cathedral

Opole is a very small but perfectly-formed town. It didn't really warrant an overnight stay, but having gotten up at stupid o'clock and spent three hours on a train, the last thing I wanted to do was spend two hours walking around the town and another three or four hours back on the train. So I had booked a hotel. For £43 (€60/US$68) with breakfast and free WIFI included, you can't go wrong. And when I went to my hotel to check-in, I was delighted to discover that instead of the single room I'd booked, I had a MASSIVE twin room with a view over the river...

The view from my window

After a few more loops of the town, involving more food and some last lingering looks at the Town Hall tower, I decided to call it a day and head back to my hotel room. It had been a long day, but one that was worth the effort. I'd had a lovely day in a picturesque little town...

Close-up of the Town Hall tower

The Town Hall

The River Odra by night

The next day, having seen all that Opole had to offer, I made an executive decision to get an early train back to Bielsko, which as usual was easier said than done. My limited Polish meant that I had to conduct the transaction in English. The cashier's limited English meant that she had to conduct it in Polish. A recipe for disaster, if ever there was one! I asked for a ticket to Bielsko and she said something in Polish that sounded a bit like 'normal'. Guessing that she meant second class, I said yes, and was surprised when she charged me 28zl (£4.80/€6.70/US$7.60) instead of the 42zl (£7.20/€10/US$11.40) I was expecting. But when she said peron 2, the very platform where my intended train, the 10:21, was departing from, I didn't question her further.

As I walked away from the counter I glanced at my ticket and noticed the listed stops, NONE of which were ones that the 10:21 goes through... Turns out that normalnie is a regional train as opposed to an InterCity one, hence the price difference. So, I had unwittingly been sold a ticket for a different train and all I had to do was find out which one! I looked at the departures board – 10:02 to somewhere beginning with 'p' – and then at my watch. 10:04. Bollocks! And then, like the greatest gift I've ever received, the late 10:02 pulled up at platform 2. I tore down the stairs, through the tunnel and up onto the platform where I thrust my ticket in the face of a conveniently-located official who assured me that the train was indeed going to Katowice. Relieved I found a seat and got my book out...

Of course that was only the first part of the journey. I still had to get from Katowice to Bielsko. On arrival in Katowice at 11:45 I hunted down the info board and scanned the departures. Nothing. There had to be something, surely. I scanned the board again. No trains to Bielsko or even Cieszyn, the possible final destination for Bielsko-bound trains. Panicking slightly I looked around. I was definitely at the right station...

Eventually I followed some people who were walking in the direction of platforms 4 and 5 and the exit. If push came to shove I could always get a bus back to Bielsko. As I passed another information board, I decided to have one last look. And then I saw it. The 12:26 to a place called Zwardon (never heard of it!) going via Bielsko. Phew! I KNEW there had to be one somewhere. Thankfully, the rest of the journey was uneventful...