Impossible Dreams

Our group split up after our tour of Krakow ended next to the cathedral in the Main Square. Most of the group went looking for beer and perogies, but being vegetarian, my options were limited. I was at risk of completely losing feeling in my hands, so I ducked into the Hard Rock Cafe. The staff was nice, and I got a seat upstairs by the window. The square was icy and grey. I think my waiter could tell I was freezing and tired. Who goes to Poland in November anyways? Me and 20 other study abroad students, apparently.
After I ate, I headed back to the hostel, hoping to find a store that sold gloves since I had lost mine in Prague. I found a warm store that had a box of gloves. I picked a pair of woolen ones that were blue and white. The women there were more than happy to help me stay warm, and offered me scarves and huge winter coat as well.
After a while I began to realize I was lost. The storefronts had long stopped looking familiar, so I went into a tiny convenience store that mostly sold cigarettes. The clerk explained to me in broken English where I had gotten lost. It was snowing now, and I headed back up Starowislna. Confidence restored, I began looking up at the trees, so tall, their branches like arms reaching for the ice-blue sky. Each branch had a perfect blanket of snow on it. When I got to the corner of the street where our hostel was, I stopped. I stared up at the sky and the trees and the fat snowflakes falling on everything. I took in the beauty of winter in Krakow, leaning against the rough bricks of the building, breathing in the cold air for just a few more minutes before I went inside.