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Travel Day to Krakow, Poland

6/22/2012

2 Comments

 
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We are in Krakow, Poland and are so grateful for your prayers!
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There is a huge square right in the very center of Krakow.
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Sidewalk cafes encircle the center square of Krakow.
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Traffic and more traffic! Everywhere we go, there is road construction, detours, and traffic! Keeps us from getting homesick!
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Here is the dead end where we looked up and saw our hotel (Park Inn Radisson) just beyond the fence. Bud is returning to our car after getting directions on how to get over there in Polish!!!
We left Vienna around 9:30 am and arrived at our hotel in Krakow around 6 pm. We again were slowed down by road construction as we drove through Czech Republic and  Poland. The roads that are not under construction are very good. We didn't expect them to be so good. It was a cloudy day, but no rain. We used our GPS only around big cities since it shuts down if it is left on too long. We saved it to help us find our hotel in Krakow. It worked fine mechanically and it led us to the right street, but "Jill" told us to turn left and the Radisson would be on our right. We were concentrating so hard on being in the correct lane to make the U shaped turn that we missed seeing our hotel which was on the right before the left U turn. We drove around and around.  Kathy tried several things on the GPS, but still we couldn't see our hotel until we came to a street with a dead end. When we looked up to see how to turn the car around, there in front of us on the other side of this huge boulevard was our hotel. What a relief! Now the problem was how to get out of the dead end and across the boulevard. Bud stopped the car and saw a man standing up on the corner of the boulevard. There happened to be a staircase leading from where we were stopped at the dead end up  to the boulevard above us. Bud went up to look around and asked the man how to get over to the Radisson. The man only spoke Polish, but with hand motions he showed Bud the route. We followed the man's directions and got back up on the boulevard. We honked and waved at the man and he waved back as we went by. God was answering our prayer for a straight path to our hotel! We are so grateful! This is only the second time that "Jill" has given us wrong directions, so we are going to "fire" her just yet!  It was a very stressful 20 minutes as we went in circles. It was funny how God led us to the dead end where we had to look up and the hotel was right there in view! There's a good lesson in this for all of us! When you come to a dead end in life, look up and let God show you the way!

After we checked in, we walked about 25 minutes into old Krakow. We ate dinner on the big square, walked around the square, and met a couple with two small children from Australia. We took pictures for each other and chatted with them for a few minutes. We also needed to get some more Polish money so we can pay cash for some tours that are offered in English. We are going on a tour to Auschwitz tomorrow (Sat.). The bus picks us up and returns us to our hotel. This isn't how we usually do things, but the language barrier makes getting around a little more difficult. This is a 6 hour tour and includes a documentary film. It is all in English. 



Thanks for all your prayers! God is answering every one of them. 


2 Comments
russ and bernie
6/22/2012 09:34:52 pm

Hey Bud and Kathy - sure looks like a great trip! thanks for sharing your pics and thoughts- and the reminder to keep looking 'up' for God's direction! we're praying for you - Aushowitz should be very sobering
Give thanks unto the LORD for He is good and His mercy endures forever!

Reply
Donald
6/28/2012 02:42:31 pm

Thanks for the pictures off the beaten path! (The detours and dead ends!) Its nice to see not only the tourist traps, but the other things that you are experiencing as you travel! I am enjoying following you both on your journey. May our LORD Bless You!

Reply



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    Bud and Kathy Downs

    We'd like to have you follow us as we go.  Our on-line journal, or blog, will recount some of our experiences as we travel.  We will attempt to do this on a regular basis so check in with us often. 

2401 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032  
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • Staff
    • Elders
    • Weekly Newsletter >
      • Offering & Attendance
    • Church Directory
    • Bible Reading Plans
    • Contact Us
  • Ministries
    • Cactus Care
    • Pastoral Care
    • Prayer Ministry
    • Missions
    • Men's Ministry
    • Women's Ministry
    • Teens
    • Small Groups >
      • Tuesday
      • Wednesday
      • Thursday
    • Service Opportunities
  • 9am Bible Classes
    • Adults
    • Teens
    • K - 6th grade
    • Nursery
  • Sermons
  • Calendar