What was old is new again

Laurel and I returned to Krakow today!  The flights were boring, with the most trouble being a 10-minute delay from Frankfurt to Krakow.  The weather was sunny in Fort Wayne, Chicago, and Frankfurt, but rainy and somewhat cold in Krakow.  It's June 11th, and Laurel and I spent what time we were out and about in the city today with coats on.

There are many items which had become routine to me (and Laurel) before we left last summer that are suddenly new again.  Sure, some things have also changed while we were gone, but even the typical seems new again.  A multi-story Mike Tyson advertisement still adorns the side of the parking garage at Krakow's airport.  Some quirks of European living stood out again (half-flushes on toilets, room keys controlling the hotel room's power, the exit signs look different, etc.), but were quickly recognized.  Obscure Polish words jumped back into the forefront of our minds, such as osoby (persons, like as a count for a room), ceny (prices), polecamy (menu "we recommend"), etc.  These things were old when we left them, but now seem new again, and we haven't really even begun to explore.

Those of you out there who are Puffer fans will be glad to know he has made the return trip with us.  Here he is again, hamming it up as usual, on the plane:

Finally in the room, with a present that my coworker Danielle left for us at the front desk...

Enjoying the hotel lobby in the evening...

One major difference between our trip last year and this one is that Laurel and I both have functioning smartphones this year.  We got them working today and they appear to be good to go for all intents and purposes.  We'll see how they get utilized going forward.  Maps+GPS will be quite handy, though!

We were also very grateful for the help of a friend today in getting our bus passes figured out.  Doing that without a native speaker would have been terrifying and likely would have failed.

Tomorrow I will go to work and Laurel will begin exploring (weather permitting).  We are both tired, but both very excited to be back in Krakow!