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Published: August 1st 2011
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Waking to the sound of gentle rain falling we made the decision to walk the Old Town of Krakow where we could take shelter in churches, shops, restaurants, if the rain got too heavy. Seems the hot dry weather we have had in Southern Europe has deserted us.
Our drive into the centre city means taking the rollercoaster ride along the road from the hotel. Over time heavy vehicles seem to have taken their toll on the road surface leaving deep ruts reminiscent of the dirt roads of the 1800s, along with cavernous potholes and innumerable patches of seal. Then there are the corrugations which all make for a “bucking bronco” ride along the road. We hope the car’s suspension survives.
From the carpark to the Old Town is only a short walk, part of which goes through a subway under a major intersection. In the subway there are small businesses selling all sorts of goods and along the centre are elderly women sitting on little stools with open baskets of bread rolls for sale. As you enter the main street through the Old Town you are confronted by a continual line of people trying really hard to sell sightseeing tours
of the city on small electric cars similar to elongated golf buggies. The drivers of these electric cars spent much of their spare time curb-crawling trying to entice the tourists to climb aboard. After many a polite “no thank you” it became easier to ignore the approaches and keep walking.
The city was humming with crowds of tourists and locals. The rain appeared to have decided to give up and spare Krakow today so the coats were put away. The town square is enormous with the usual array of open air cafes around the outside and a large flower market in the middle. The historic cloth market takes pride of place and it’s great to wander through looking at the little shops selling local crafts and traditional clothes. All that is left of the old town hall is the large clock tower. The guide of a free walking tour of the city was entertaining a large group of followers with his descriptions and anecdotes. We stayed with the group briefly, but as we were wanderers today decided to go our own way.
This adventure of Europe has so many links to places we have visited and Krakow was no different.
We came upon St Andrew’s Church and the Convent of the Poor Clares. Our first connection with this order was in Assisi, Italy, and then again in Bratislava.
Our day finished with a walk through an area that was once the Jewish Ghetto during the Second World War. We looked at the buildings and wondered which ones had survived, and about the lives of the people both past and present. Our walk took us to a memorial square filled with larger-than-life chairs set out in precise lines. This square was where the Jews were assembled before being transported to Auschwitz. Close by was Oscar Schindler’s factory, now a museum. We had missed the opening times so we could only imagine what was inside.
Tomorrow we must go to Oświęcim, the Polish town near Auschwitz.
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