Main Street, Zakopane, Poland

A day of difficult decisions.

Breakfast Time : Our German friends know their flight is cancelled this evening, and they have to think of another way to get home. Our flight from Krakow to Edinburgh tomorrow is still showing as due to fly. All UK airports are closed due to the ash cloud. Internet connection is intermittant, and we are running up serious mobile phone bills trying to sort things out.

10 am. The leaders of our Polish trip have contacted the coach company we are using to find out if we can hire one of their vehicles to take the group home to S. Germany and then travel north to the Channel to allow us to cross by ferry. The reply, "Yes", and we have to make a decision within thirty minutes, as the company are receiving requests from other groups of travellers stranded in Poland. What a dilemma - if we go with the coach journey and then our flight goes out tomorrow, we won't be able to make an insurance claim. We are also booked into a rather nice four star hotel in Krakow this evening, overlooking Wawel, and don't know if we can cancel at this late stage and get a refund.

We finally decided to hire the coach, cancel the hotel, and resigned ourselves to a very long road journey through Europe. The hotel say that they have a queue of people trying to get accommodation for the presidential funeral tomorrow. Our £44 rooms are now selling for around £2,500! They promised not to debit my card.

So off to Zakopane, where we had about three hours walking around the town. The steep snow covered mountains are very dramatic set against the beautiful wooden buildings. I spent time watching these men as they installed this new statue in the street. I bought some more amber jewellery, leather gloves and some small traditional carved wooden boxes to take home as gifts.

After the delights of quality cakes and coffee, we set off through the mountains, back to Krakow and on to Katowice, to a rendezvous point with the coach that will take us back to the Channel. As we journeyed, we had a call to say that no foot passengers are being allowed across the Channel, so we have to book the coach right through the the UK in order to get across. We also suddenly realise we have no Euros, as Polish currency is the Zloty. More complications.

An emotional time of farewells as we said goodbye to our Polish friends. I know our friendships have become stronger because of the situation which has developed. I am sure we will meet again.

We journeyed on over the border into Germany and passed Dresden. Blip Advisor sent me a text about 10 pm to say that Easyjet had just cancelled our flight tomorrow. What a relief to know we made the right decision.