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Published: September 7th 2007
Taking A Crack At Krakow
What do you think of when you think of Poland? For the most part the average westerner thinks of WWII and all of the hairiness that ensued in this part of the world. It’s sad in many ways to only know a country because of the many horrible deeds that happened here over fifty years ago. Yes, it is good to remember the bad, and I will comment more on that in our next installment but for now let’s concern ourselves with the good.
Poland has much to offer the traveler and in many ways should probably be on a “Best of…” list for Europe. Often overshadowed by its richer and more elegant neighbors to the west, Poland can stand up next to these countries and shine if only given the chance.
We started with a brief overnight stay in Warsaw which isn’t a major destination for sight seers. It does have a recreated old town which has been rebuilt after it was almost totally destroyed in WWII. But, for the most part Warsaw isn’t a major player in the tourist attraction arena. We did have fun hanging our in a
sports bar during our one afternoon here though. Sundays are always a good day to eat fatty foods, watch some sports and generally have a good time. My only complaint is that the normal bar-fatty foods that I like at home are always different when had abroad. It doesn’t matter who runs the bar or what part of the world the bar is in, it never quite tastes like home.
After our brief foray into Warsaw, we caught a train to Krakow. Trains in Poland, specially the high speed one we caught, seem very nice. Not all trains outside of Western Europe are worth taking, but I would highly recommend the close to three hour ride between Warsaw and Krakow. The train, while quick, doesn’t move at the hyper rail pace of high speed trains in Germany or France which gives the spectator a chance to see some of the countryside and relax.
Happy 5th Anniversary to Us! I’m sure when people get married throughout the world they say to themselves, “When we hit our five year mark, I think we should spend our anniversary in Krakow, Poland. Its just such a romantic place to
be…” Or not. Well, sometimes you just have to say “Oh Well,” and take one for the team. Sure it would have been nice to be Italy or Greece for our fifth year shindig, but Krakow had to do because that’s the way our trip planning worked.
We did try checking into a nicer hotel for our anniversary figuring that a splurge was in the cards. Our hotel, which was within a short walk of the train station, was prepared and knew it was our anniversary. Being a new hotel, I think they were really excited to have a chance to show their stuff when it came to romance. We checked in to the grins of the front desk clerk who said we should be VERY pleased with our room…wink, wink!
After all of the hullabaloo I expected the best room I had ever seen. I was impressed with some aspects of their decorating scheme but, as often happens when something is too hyped, I was a bit let down by the size of the room. The hotel staff had gone to great lengths to make a heart out of rose petals on the bed, which created a
semi-romantic feel for our small European closet sized bed room. For the amount we were paying, Kel and I weren’t really sure what to do. The room was small enough that we couldn’t both be moving around the room at the same time or else we’d run into each other. Now, I normally don’t complain about this sort of thing, but normally I’m not paying a ton of money when I stay in a closet.
After a pretty decent Polish dinner and a few drinks we drifted off to sleep as best we could. The next morning Kel was the one to make the call. “That’s it, we’re out of here.” Just down the road was a tried and true five star hotel which was only ten Euros more a night that what we were paying to stay in our small, cramped and hot closet. We checked out and moved on. The per square foot cost for our upgrade must have been something like 50 cents a square floor as our new room could easily fit three or four of our old room in it. These are the breaks when you book so many hotels in one year, they
can’t all be fabulous. Oh well!
Castles, Churches and Ambience, Krakow’s Got It All As I was saying above, Krakow really should be considered a big hitter in the European sight seeing arena. Similar in a way to Prague, Krakow has a lot of good sights to see in a pretty small space, but unlike Prague the crowds are much more manageable. Unlike a night on the Charles Bridge shoulder to shoulder with thousands of your closest friends, you can walk through Krakow without having to fight for breathing space.
The star of the Krakow show is its Market Square. When we arrived there was a folk festival going on directly behind the Cloth Market, right by the old Town Hall Tower. Due to the dancing and festivities it was a little bit more crowded than usual but still a delightful place to people watch. Sitting and getting lunch in one of the cafes which ring the square is a feast of people watching joy. There is nothing better than seeing all of the craziness around you while you sit back and relax.
On the day of our anniversary we explored the town a
bit but mostly just relaxed and watched the world. After dinner we did take a carriage ride, which are pretty cheap here compared with some places in Europe. Kel loves the romantic carriage ride and a nighttime trip through the Old Town was enough to make her feel like a princess.
It wasn’t until our second day that we got a chance to really explore all that Krakow had to offer. My three favorite sights in town are St Mary’s Cathedral, St. Francis Basilica and Wawel Hill. St Mary’s has a really unique interior which is unlike any church we’ve been through on the trip. It’s ornate, yet small, interior is well worth a stop despite having to pay to get inside (always a pet-peeve of mine, you should never have to pay for a church).
St. Francis is the church that John Paul II used to be head of before becoming the Pope. Its stained glass, Art Nouveau windows are incredibly beautiful along with the silver plaque that marks John Paul’s favorite prayer spot. John Paul II, who many consider one of the greatest Popes of the modern era, came from a small town in Poland
and was/is still revered by everyone in Poland, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. He stayed at the Archbishops Palace across the street from St. Francis when he came to Poland and would sit up for long hours into the night talking with anyone who wished to talk to him from the street below his second story window. People were so devastated by his sickness and subsequent death, that they came and prayed for him outside of his Polish “home away from Rome.” Thousands of people gathered outside the Archbishops Palace and waited there for almost a week after his death hoping to catch one last glimpse of the man they loved so much. While not a Catholic, I find the Polish people’s love of John Paul II a source of inspiration. I think the whole story shows a small glimpse into the hearts of the Poles, who on the outside can seem very stolid but have warm hearts on the inside.
My final favorite in town is Wawel hill with its church and castle. We didn’t actually pay to go inside the castle or church but I just love the exterior of the building. Wawel church is an incredibly photogenic
Kel's Gotten a Big Head
They Say Arrogance Leads to a Big Head...hmmm??? :)hodge-podge of design that was built up over hundreds of years. Check the pictures out, I think they speak for themselves.
Well, enough from this part of Krakow, our next entry will be about Auschwitz and the rest of our time in Krakow. Hope everyone back home is doing well. We miss you all, thanks for reading!
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Gunga
Carolyn Taylor
Chicken and Orange juice
Sorry you didn't make it inside Wawel Castle- it is an incredible space and one that fully emphasizes the artistic skills of the Polish people. I was there over 10 years ago and still recall being awed by the ceiling carved with face masks as well as by the intricate parquet floors. Be sure and find the restaurant that sells only roasted chicken ( by weight), great french fries and, FRESH squeezed orange juice. Carolyn ( Blogger name 'gunga')