The train ride was as long as I expected. I was able to get a compartment all alone; there must not be too many people traveling this route. Left Budapest at 6:30PM, passed through Slovakia in the middle of the night, then entered Poland and arrived in Krakow, Poland at 5:18AM. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get the best night’s sleep since it seemed like I was woken up hourly by people asking for my ticket or passport. There were a lot of border crossings, each requiring a stamp in the passport. Plus the train was older and I don’t think the heater worked in the car.
I found a hostel by 5:30AM; said I wanted to test out wireless and they had a nice 5 or 6Mbit connection, so I decided to stay here. Nice place, they also have 500 channel satellite TV, plasma screen, free breakfast, no bunk beds, and free laundry for $18 a night. Not crowded either, just like the place I stayed in Budapest. These countries are a little farther out of the way, so I guess less people come here, but they are very nice and cheaper places to travel.
I had some traditional Polish food at a restaurant here. I got two plates for $4. I ate some kind of fish-stick like “pancake” and a strawberry ravioli or dumplings.