Kracking Krakow!

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Dear Blog Readers,



A quick weekend jaunt to Krakow off the back of a work trip felt worthy of a short travel blog for the fans! Disappointingly, I fear the general audience heading to Krakow are stag and hen dos, which my Polish colleagues were quick to inform me, were, unfortunately, a tarnish on their wonderful city, so I'm hoping this reaches a new audience of tourists going to visit for different reasons!



Firstly a couple of recommendations for evening drinks and food which are hopefully not too overrun with stag/hen dos! On Thursday evening, my colleagues and I went out to Hala Forum which is at the foot of what used to be the fanciest hotel (Hotel Forum) in the whole city and now lies deserted/ruined due to being closed over two decades ago for poor construction infrastructure. The ground floor, however, is turned into a huge food/drinks hall with over 10 different bars/food stalls to choose from and a lovely outdoor setting by the river to relax in their deck chairs. Here, I sampled pierogi for the first time, boiled dumplings stuffed with meat, cheese, onions, or whatever you choose! They're delicious and surprisingly filling for the portion size. I had a side of chicken broth soup and drank a selection of different lemonades that were on offer. There are other things around the Forum to entertain yourself with too - an outdoor club was banging out some tunes, there's a Ferris wheel, a little theme park, and a hot-air balloon that you can go in and take in a view of the city.



The following evening, I'd been recommended a steak restaurant called Pimiento, and there are three spots in town to choose from. Two are bigger restaurants, but if you want something quieter, then the shop/bistro option is a great shout which is just north of the old town walls. There are probably about 20 seats there next to a butcher's counter which has a selection of steaks and cured meats. The set-up is lovely and the service was so nice - we chatted through the steaks on the counter and got to choose which one I wanted. Honestly, it was one of the best steaks I've ever had and was washed down with a recommended Polish soft drink called Pan Jalowiec. The weather started turning from overcast to clear blue skies so I had a lovely walk back through Planty Park as the sun was setting.



I'd booked myself on the Krakow Old City Walking Tour (through Walkative) which was absolutely superb. Big Tom was our local guide - a historian and storyteller, we couldn't have asked for a better guide or better weather to enjoy the morning walking around the capital. We started at the Barbican which was just outside the old city walls, reminded me a little of York, and headed through the Brama Florienska, a 14th-century Gothic gate tower (slightly grander than Monkbar!). We carried along around the outside and then cut towards the famous Market Square which is centered around the Cloth Hall, lined with small market stalls under-roof, and lines of horses & carts waiting for tourists outside for a ride. We were fortunate that there were outdoor market stalls set up for the weekend which added to the hustle & bustle of the square. Around the perimeter lay plenty of restaurants and bars at up-market prices for the punters.



In the corner, there is St Mary's Basilica - a fantastic church with a couple of interesting features. Firstly, the two towers at the front are at different heights, the legend has it that two brothers were building the towers, and one killed the other after he'd completed his tower causing the other to be shorter. The other oddity is the bugle-sounding 'bell' on the hour for which a trumpeter can be seen from the window of the tower and plays a tune that cuts surprisingly short - legend has it that the original player was shot through the neck at that very point! Also in the square is another church but from slightly earlier, in the 11th Century, where we were taken down about 8 feet to the original entrance, showing how the city has built up over time - Big Tom reminding us that we're basically just walking on our ancestor's turds & waste!



As we walked past the magnificent clocktower, we were guided towards the University area of the old town, and in particular, the Jagiellonian University library where Copernicus studied (his statue is nearby). Big Tom told us some wonderful stories from his time at the university as we headed out of the city walls, through the park that surrounds it, and towards the Wawel Castle on the hill. This gives a lovely view over the city, and I went up one of the towers to get an even better view. The church, surrounding area, and scenery were magnificent on such a clear day, which was a wonderful ending to the tour.



I decided to have a go at using the e-bikes and e-scooters dotted around the city center using the Bolt app. Uber is really cheap there and also a great alternative, and I did see plenty of buses and trams going around the town too so there are plenty of transport options! I was soon on an e-bike and having a lovely ride around the city heading over the river and eventually finding the Schindler Enamel Museum. Infamously brought to life in Schindler's List, the museum is a fascinating insight into the lead-up to and daily struggle of the life of Jews in Krakow during the Second World War and how the factory helped save thousands of lives.



It was fitting to head back over the river afterward, this time on an e-scooter, towards Kazimierz or the Jewish Quarter and had a look at the Old Synagogue, originally built in the 15th Century, and now containing a small museum about Krakow Jews and the exhibits are split up into the different stages of life. I realised I'd been so busy exploring by this point that I'd not even eaten so went to Hamsa which served some delicious hummus, pitas, beef kebabs, and salad. I finished it off with a dessert of malabi which was a like a pannacotta topped with a sweet compote.



The following day I tried to squeeze in a couple of things before catching my flight home. I'd been recommended getting breakfast at Charlotte which was just off the main square but there was already a big queue outside when I arrived! I decided to head next door to Scandale Royal which also did a cracking breakfast so no complaints! After swinging by the supermarket to pick up some sweets for back home, I finished my whistlestop tour by heading to The Princes Czartoryski Museum which is fairly close to the Barbican that we'd been to the prior day, and also recommended by Big Tom! The museum is lovely with lots of fine art, ornaments, medieval items, and even a first edition of Copernicus's De Revolutionibus! The star of the show, however, is Da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine, which has its own room on the second floor and I was able to enjoy looking at it by myself for 15 minutes! It was quite amazing, given there were only four Da Vinci's which he used female subjects, including the Mona Lisa, and only about 20 paintings in the entire world so to get to see it with no queues/groups was very special! What a way to end a wonderful couple of days in Krakow - go and visit it whilst not on a stag or hen do!



Tink (and Laura)

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