Going home day. After a rainy and mizzly day yesterday, it looked fairly bright as we sorted ourselves out to pack up our few bits and pieces, have breakfast and check out of the hotel. The Hotel Rezydent just off the main square had served us well for the last three nights, and could not have been better placed to get us into the heart of the town by just stepping out of the door.

The receptionist had booked us transport to Katowice Airport via the Wizzair bus, and we took a last walk through the town on the way to the bus station to catch our 11am transport.

The journey went smoothly – and unfortunately was almost solely motorway so no interesting views from the window. This was a shame as the journey going the other way – which we had done in the dark – took us through towns and villages, which would have been a much more interesting view for our daylight journey.

We arrived at Katowice in plenty of time… to find our flight delayed. Our incoming plane was not in; and once it arrived, it had to fly to Milan and back before it was then going to take off for Cologne.

A 5 hour (yes, 5 hour!) delay is not a problem for me – especially when I have a good book, a free lunch and enough local currency to get rid of to get me at least a couple of beers. Nige on the other hand, prowled about, sat for a bit, had a beer, prowled about again, and generally moaned about Wizzair and saying (very loudly) that he would never be flying with the airline again.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s just one of those things – an annoying, but inevitable, consequence of travel. I did tell him that we jolly-well would be flying Wizzair again, as I have plans for the Ukraine and a trip to the Crimea. He rolled his eyes and raised his eyebrows (not at the same time, obviously, as that would be a bit impossible), and kept future chuntering to himself.

We arrived at Cologne airport at 10pm, with an hour’s drive to go. A long and tiring trip home (we probably could have driven home from Kraków in the time it took from the point we left the hotel), but well worth the trip – especially as the whole thing cost around £200 and I have had my first taste of cherry vodka (something tells me it won’t be the last!).