Kraków is very pretty, and the weather has generally been gorgeous (mostly sunny, and just a little chilly). The food’s decent, and prices are reasonable away from the touristic old town.
I’ve been in Kraków far longer than I expected (11 days so far). Where did the time go?
During my travels, I’ve kept my pleasure reading pretty spare. I’m usually doing utility reading: Lonely Planet, Wikitravel, Wikipedia. “Leisure” reading may be the odd blog or ten.
After a couple of days of sightseeing Kraków, I started reading a Kindle novel to pass the time (the hostel was dead; I seemed to be the only guest). One novel turned into two, two turned into seven…
Without much structure in my life, I don’t have much discipline anymore. I’ve become a creature of impulse.
One day, I woke up with a sharp pain in my back, around my left shoulder blade. It hurt to look up. It hurt to reach down. It hurt to sleep on my front, side, and back. Pinched nerve? Sore muscle?
It was probably from staying on my back or slouching up in bed all day while reading. Reading = bad! 
I gave it a few days of rest, at the same time trying to keep some level of activity (walking, stretching) so my back wouldn’t lock up even more. The first anti-inflammatory cream I got from a pharmacy didn’t seem to help. I found some Bengay at a different pharmacy. It seems to be helping a bit. I can now lay on my back to sleep.
Usually, I wouldn’t be too worried about how long my back took to heal. This time, I have a bit of a time constraint. I’ve already booked an inexpensive flight from Gdansk to Cologne, Germany; my flight back home is from Dusseldorf.
I have one week left in Poland. I hope my back doesn’t prove to be a huge distraction!
Jon, get a massage!
I did, but it didn’t help.
Have you tried ibuprofen? I take 800mg twice a day when my back acts up and I feel much better in a day or two.
Yes, I’ve been popping 400mg ibuprofen every 4-6 hours. Kind of helping a bit, so far. Your results are encouraging!