Dressed up as a Teutonic knight today and had my picture taken by some Polish guy. The sword and the helmet were really heavy, but the little dress/cloak thing was pretty cool. Hope the pictures turn out okay (just used my film camera). It was fun!

Visited Marlbork (Marienburg), the oldest, biggest brick medieval cathedral. Had a successful moment with the train. Since none of the ticket office attendants speak English, I used my phrasebook to write the information about the ticket that I wanted in Polish on a piece of paper and handed the agent. It worked great! She gave me exactly what I needed, and it was cheap, too.

I had a little trauma with the train, as I got off a stop early by mistake. I could see the castle in the distance and just got excited. Once I got off I realized it was a really rural stop, and no one else got off with me. By then the train was pulling away (this seems to be a theme). However, it actually worked great. It wasn't that far to the castle, and a lovely walk along the river, with the nicest breeze blowing. I went to the main train station (the regular one) for the return trip back to Gdansk, and it was actually a longer walk that way. Ha! Who knew.

So I spent the day wandering around the castle on my own using a little mini-tour guide book that I bought. It was pretty spectacular, mostly because it was just so huge, with drawbridges and special fortifications and narrow little staircases that led into little hallways with tiny metal doors. It was a lot of fun exploring on my own and just finding my way around...it is a huge complex.

Did a lot of walking today, so I am going to call it a day. I didn't get a lot of sleep last night, either, because some girls from Sweden and Norway checked in as well as some people from California and we had a wonderful time talking. It is a small hostel, so we all kind of get to know people as they pass through. Anyway, hope you are all doing well! Gute Nacht!

p.s. Patti - I rigged up my purse today for the first time as a backpack using the method you gave me and it worked great (especially for maneuvering those tight little passageways in the castle). Thank you!!!