After seeing the rain in Krakow, it was time to see how the weather would treat us in Gdansk. A fast train will take about 9 hours, but flying is definitely the more comfortable option.
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We had a ride reserved to take us from the hotel to the airport. It was to pick us up at 11:00 am. By 11:10am, we decided to call and find out why there was no ride yet. Apparently, the driver had simply forgotten us. Our name was on his list; he just missed it. We made it to the airport a bit later than expected, but still with plenty of time to spare. As we went to check into our flight, we discovered the second problem of the day.
They had no record of Grace or me being on the flight. There was nothing they could do. We tried calling the number from the travel agent confirmation sheet (which listed all of our names, and “paid in full” on the top, before listing the travel details below), but since that was in New York, it wasn’t open yet. There was a number listed in Warsaw, but on calling, a recording indicated the number was not valid.
So my dad bought tickets for Grace and me with his credit card. I trust the travel agent will reimburse him for this difficulty.
Polish airlines does not fly direct from Krakow to Gdansk. Instead, we had to make a stop at Warsaw. Each flight is less than an hour in duration, and we had about an hour layover in Warsaw. Overall, not too bad. The flight to Warsaw happened without incident. But at Warsaw, we discovered the third problem. Flying from Warsaw to Gdansk, my mother had a later flight than the rest of us. Fortunately, hers was just an hour later, but it was still rather inconvenient.
Our flight was one time. Her flight was about a half hour late. Thus, we spent about an hour and a half waiting for her at the Gdansk airport. Things could have been worse, but I was beginning to wonder what benefit booking through a travel agent could possibly provide with difficulties like this. Also, while waiting, I noticed that there is, in fact, a non-stop flight from Krakow to Gdansk – it just isn’t with Polish airlines, but rather JetAir – again, it’s a shame the travel agent didn’t provide this information.
We made it to our hotel a bit later than expected, but considering the problems we faced, I think it worked out quite well. We were staying at the Grand Hotel in Sopot. The name Grand is definitely apt.
This hotel was built in 1924, and is on the Baltic Sea. It is one of, if not the classiest hotel around. I’ve recently learned quite a few famous guests have stayed at this hotel, including Charles de Gaulle, Fidel Castro, and Adolph Hitler… hmm, that does make for an interesting guest list.
