Sat - 16/03/14
Weather
I have checked the Toruń weather forecast. I will need my
big coat!
I had finished packing by about 21:30. I didn’t sleep at
all really. I set multiple alarms and then rested on my bed. My backpack when
fully loaded could fail the Ryanair size test so I put some of my not
particularly valuable valuables into my suitcase. They were cables and
electricals mostly but also spare reading glasses etc. Immediate note that I
forgot to pack my smart watch charging cable.
I got my Veezu taxi at 02:20 with no problem. Consequently,
I was at the Kingsway bus stops half an hour early. There were more bus
passengers around than drunks. The National Express coach was on time. It was a
comfortable journey with a big video screen so we could watch our journey. We
got to Bristol airport 10 minutes ahead of schedule. The Ryanair automatic bag
drop machines were not accepting my 07:10 flight bags at 03:55 but the desk
check in was open and I used that. Security was reasonably quiet so I got
through there fairly quickly too.
I had plenty of time to kill so I went to Starbucks and
had a Mocha Grande and a bottle of water (approx. £8.20). I read my book for a
while (There is no wall by Allie xxx).
The gate was announced just a few minutes late and off I
trotted. (Gate 13). Boarding was fairly swift. I had a window seat with a
pre-school age child next to me and his mum in the aisle seat. Like most people
on the flight, they were Polish. There were some British people, including some
Masters Athletes (including Jean Thomas and Rob, Jane Horder etc.).
I was a bit hungry and thirsty so I had a hot dog and a
coffee at the small shop at Bydgoszcz airport. That cost xx.xx Zloty. I got the
bus to the bus station and paid on the machine with my contactless STAR card
(xx.xx zloty), it was a quicker ride than I anticipated and I missed the stop.
The bus station stop is on the main road a couple of hundred metres away from the
actual bus station, this seems to be a feature of some Polish transport
interchanges. So, I missed the stop, got off at the next one and walked back.
It took me a while to find the bus station terminal building. It was a bit of a
dump to be honest, but not as bad as Newport’s. I had to buy a Coke Zero 6.29
zloty at a shop in the bus station just to have enough change for the attended toilet’s
entry machine (5.00 zloty).
The Flixbus journey was great (comfortable). Also, the
information on the booking “we stop at stand 9” was spot on and welcomed.
I saw Stuart Thorpe and his wife at the bus stop. At Toruń
bus station. I had time to kill before the hotel check-in time at 15:00. Maybe
I could have gone in early. The receptionist was very chatty and helpful.
I decided to try and buy a charger cable for my Garmin. I
found a Decathon shop at a big shopping mall about two miles away. I walked to
Katerina and bought a couple of paper bus tickets from a machine there. I got a
tram towards the mall and again lost my sense of direction slightly before
heading to the mall.
After my tour of the mall the Decathalon shop assistant
helped me to set up an online order for a charging cable. It cost 129.99 zloty.
I will have to collect it at the store in a couple of days. I got a bus back to
the old town, that was an easy journey from outside the mall to Alex Solidarnosc.
I walked back to the hotel and had a two-course dinner.
Steak and Crème Brûlée. I had two coke zeros with that (Total cost 168 zloty).
I went to bed early and had a long, 9 hours sleep during
which time my body battery recharged to 85%. I won’t bother recording great
detail while I’m in Poland, I shall just record brief data snapshots and how I
am actually feeling. This morning, I have woken up a bit stiff and sore. The
weather forecast is chilly and drizzly.
The hotel room is good. It is comfortable and there is plenty
of space. There was not a huge supply of tea and coffee but at least there is a
kettle. The cups are a bit small. So, I had a couple of Nescafe sachets, a
green tea and a raspberry tea all of which were very nice.
Daily Spend
two course dinner. Steak and Crème Brûlée. I had two coke
zeros with that (Total cost 168 zloty).
charging cable. It cost 129.99 zloty.
3 bus tickets (two paper and one contactless) – 3 * 3.80
zloty
Coke Zero 6.29 zloty at a shop in the bus station
Number 80 bus xx.xx zloty
Bus station toilet entry machine (5.00 zloty)
Airport Hot Dog & Coffee xx.xx zl
Mocha Grande and a bottle of water (approx. £8.20).
What is next?
The weather forecast suggests it will be chilly and
drizzly. I will wear my GBR old style track suit if it is not too drizzly. I
shall walk/jog to the arena. Maybe keep track of my activity on iPhone Strava
app as I can’t charge my phone. I want to watch the 3000 metre races.
Saturday 16 March 2024