Krakow, Zakopane and Swinica in 3 days

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At the end of August/start of September, we took a 10 day trip to Poland and Slovakia. The first 3 and a bit days were spent in Southern Poland (covered by this blog) and the rest were in Northern and Eastern Slovakia before a dash over to the West and Bratislava (next blog).

I had never been to Poland before but still had an idea of what to expect - beer, dumplings, lots of history, friendly people. And that is pretty much what I found! Of course we only had a short time there and I hope to come back one day to discover other parts...

Day 1

So, our visit started off with a very early flight into Krakow. We arrived mid-morning and decided to get to our hostel (the 'Goodbye Lenin') straight away so that we could get rid of our bags, etc. The girl there was really helpful and friendly, and despite our room not being ready we were happy to leave our bags and head out to do some sight-seeing.

Our first proper tourist sight was the Wawel. This hill-top complex is apparently a Polish national symbol and is where the Polish monarchy was housed for over 400 years. The city's main Cathedral is found there, which has been the location for many state marriages and funerals. Included in the 10 zloty entrance price was a climb up the Zygmund Tower to see the famous Zygmund bell. This is basically a very big church bell, but nonetheless impressive. The best part was actually the climb up and down as there were lots of fun windy stairs, low bits and places to bang heads on wooden beams. Ouch! Whilst at the Wawel many people also go to see the state rooms and apartments. Due to a time and money saving move we decided to skip this. And so we headed down the hill to the North of the Wawel and into the Stare Mesto (Old Town). We were feeling a bit sleepy by this point and so decided to get a well-deserved coffee break, whilst reading up on what we could do for the afternoon.

We wandered into the Stare Mesto, enjoying the many churches and old streets that grace this area. We finally arrived at the main square "The Rynek". This is a huge 200m by 200m square with many impressive buildings in and around it. We decided to climb the Town Hall Tower which was a bit of a disappointment as at the top we weren't allowed to go out and take in the full view (safety reasons I guess). But still we were able to make out the main sights on the skyline. After out strenuous climb we wandered around the square a little more, enjoying the local outdoor market and performance of traditional folk music. We also walked through the cloth market which stands in the middle of the square. This is a gorgeous building from the outside, but inside is little more than a one-street market. We also went to see the incredible St Mary Church at the corner of the square. We managed to get in for free by going in through the entrance for locals rather than tourists and were greeted by an amazing sight. The church is very sumptuous inside (more impressive than the Cathedral), with a particular emphasis on deep blues.

After St Mary's we walked out along the very attractive Florianska Street. It has a number of attractive buildings, and also seems a popular place for weddings. At the end of the street, we reached one of the old city gates with the Barbican just behind it. The Barbican was particularly nice with almost cute proportions, looking like it was built for the 7 dwarfs, rather than the inhabitants of Krakow! A further wander through various streets brought us to a realisation that we were starving (it was about 5pm by then and our body clocks were a bit confused) so we decided to get some dinner.

We went back to the street we had been in previously and dropped in to this great little Georgian Restaurant. I don't think I've ever eaten Georgian food before but I wasn't disappointed. Lots of bread, cheeses, meat and spicy sauces. Yum! It was all washed down with a very tasty Polish beer called "Oswice". I didn't manage to finish my meal but was well and truly full by the end and happy that the bill came to less than GBP10 for both of us in total (and this is a bit pricey compared to some of the other stuff you can get in Poland). After our dinner we wandered back to the main square and then west into the University district. It was time to get some more Czech beer and we found a funky little bar serving good value Zywiec beer, with soul playing and dimmed lighting. After a relaxed pint here we wandered back up to street level and took a stroll through the University district.

We found a fun statue of Copernicus (he was Polish, which I hadn't known before) and St Anne's Church. We walked past the Wawel and towards our hostel. On the way, however, we decided to take a detour to the excellent Propaganda Pub. Located just outside the Tempel synagogue in the Kazmierz area of town, this place is kitted out with old Communist memorabilia, including pictures of Lenin, old radios and plenty of old propaganda posters. After a while we found ourselves a very comfy sofa and enjoyed a few more Polish beers. As we were in Poland I also felt that it was only right to order a vodka. However, when I went to the bar and said "vodka" I was greeted with a torrent of suggestions. I din't have a clue which to order and so suggested that the barmaid should just choose for me. She decided on a very tasty honey vodka (and I am not a fan of honey) served over ice. After the vodka, we decided we had had enough for the evening (as we had originally been planning on having an early night!) and so made it back to the hostel without any more detours.

However, when we got there, a free barbecue was in full swing and we decided it would just be rude not to join in. So we enjoyed another beer (ugh) with some lovely Polish sausage and salad. After this we were well and truly done for and so just about made it up the stairs before collapsing into bed.

Day 2

The following morning we realised we had lots of sight seeing left to do and so - despite the slightly sore heads - we got up, packed our bags, and went to explore the Kazimierz area of Krakow. This had long been the Jewish area and, in various forms, had lived relatively peacefully along with the rest of the city until the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. After this, things changed and as most people know a number of laws were introduced to restrict the activities of Polish Jews before eventaully they were all moved to a Ghetto south of the river. This area however has recently been revived and now houses some very interesting museums on the Jewish community in Poland, its struggles during WW2, etc.

To start the day, we were able to visit the New Jewish Cemetery (which has actually been in use since the 19th century). This has some very interesting gravestones and in particular shows the Nazi-ruined gravestones from the 1930s and 40s as well as a memorial to victims of the holocaust. We were the only visitors and despite it being day time, the place still had an eerie feel (in a graveyard way). Next up we wandered along to the Szeroka, which is basically a long square with a number of interesting museums lining it as well as a memorial to Jewish victims of Nazism.

We visited the "Old Synagogue" which now houses an interesting museum on Jewish life (very similar to ones found in the Jewish area of Prague). It makes you remember that Jewish people - like all others - are as different as they are similar to each other. After a nice break for coffee/tea, we headed over to the market on Pl Nowy and then to the Isaac synagogue. This holds a collection of film reels from both the BBC and the German Nazi Government and makes for some interesting lessons in the use of propaganda. There were also a number of photographs charting the horror of life as a Jew in Krakow during the 1940s.

After our visit to the museum we went back into the sunshine to find somewhere for lunch. On our way we stumbled across a courtyard which according to our guidebook gave a good idea of how life was in the Jewish quarter at the turn of the last century and was also used in the filming of Schindler's List (which was based in Krakow). For lunch we decided on a simpe bagel place and soon enough we were on our way again. We dropped into the hostel to collect our bags and walked up the 15 minuteas to the bus sation. Here we caught the 2:30 bus to Zakopane, a town on the South of Poland very close to the border with Slovakia.

On arrival in Zakopane we were lucky enough to find a hotel straight away, which was very quiet and in a great location close to the train and bus stations but also only a 5 minute walk to the centre of town. After dumping our bags and getting our bearings we left to explore the town. We wandered the main street with its many fast food shops and tourist stalls and also passed a Church with plenty of people attending sunday mass (religion is a big thing here!). Eventually we made it to the popular Zakopane funicular and we took the funicular up to the top of 'Gubalowka Hill'.

The views from the top of Gubalowka are very impressive as you can see over to the High Tatra mountains opposite and down into the town of Zakopane and the valley below. We enjoyed a walk around the top of the hill and a coffee/hot chocolate with some crsips - slightly strange combination but we were peckish! We then did the easy enough hike down to the bottom of the hill instead of taking the funicular. Just as it was getting dark we got to the main street and looked for a place to eat. Following our guidebook reccommendation we went to a "Traditional Polish" place and enjoyed plenty of meat and potatoes! One beer was enough for us though and soon we were back in our hotel to get ready for the next day.

Day 3

And so on our 3rd day in Poland we woke up very early to get to breakfast by 7:55 and out of the hotel not long after. We walked through town, picked up food supplies in the local supermarket, and started our walk towards Kuznice (we cheated and got a bus for the last 2 kms to get there!). Once we got to Kuznice we went straight to get tickets and after a 40 minute wait we were taking the cable car up into the High Tatra mountains. The cable car went in 2 stages, and at the end of the first stage we already thought that we had gone high enough but the 2nd car took us right up into the mountains and, more worrying, into the clouds! And from this a whole day of hiking ensued.

We started out from the top cable car station at 11am and basically did not stop until 6:45pm! The weather was incrediby variable in the Tatras changing from beautifully sunny to hailing - often within a few minutes. The first part of the walk was flat and fairly easy but after a while the trail took a sudden turn upwards and we found ourselves scrambling over rocks. At various stages this walk was so tough that we had to use the chains which were attached to the side of the mountain to be able to get up various slopes and along narrow ridges. Add to this the fact that we were often trying to hike in pouring rain and needless to say it was a tough experience!

However, after a 2 and a half hour walk/climb we made it to the peak of Swinica which stands at 2301 metres above sea level (I'm pretty sure this is the highest I've ever climbed). Unfortunately our triumph was lost a bit in the rain and cloud that was swirling around us, but it still felt good to make it there! However, things did not get any easier after that as we headed down the other side of the mountain (using more chains and even some ladders built into the mountain) and stopped for lunch. At this point it started hailing very heavily and we were lucky to be able to make our cheese and ham rolls without them getting washed away in the flood! From our vantage point we had some spectacular views of the various lakes that dot this region and we continued on our walk down to the valley below.

This walk went on for another 2 hours or so and at the end of one of the lakes we eventually hit a crossroasds. We had been hoping to continue onwards to a lake called Morskie Oko. However, with the weather and light as a worry we decided to take what we hoped would be a slightly easier route out of the mountains. Another long stretch of walking (so much hard work!) took us along the Roztoki valley. This gave us some stunning views of the river as we followed its path and of the surrounding mountains. By this time the rain had stopped for good but we were well and truly exhausted. Also, we were still having to climb over some fairly awkward rocks and river banks. All we wanted was a hot shower! Eventually after our 2 hour walk we hit the road and were happy to be back in civialization (with porta-loos and everything!). Another 40 minute walk took us down a straight and easy to walk (unlike anything we had had all day) road to the bus station where we were able to get a bus back to Zakopane.

We got back to our hotel and I cannot describe how nice it was to be able to take off my shoes! Both of my socks were soaked through along with every layer of clothing I was wearing - and I was wearing 4 layers!! We both enjoyed hot showers and got dressed (struggling to find appropriate dry clothes) to head out for dinner. By this point we were very hungry and happy to settle for anything. We went into the first place we saw, only a few minutes away from our hotel, serving Polish food. We enjoyed an excellent meal with some well-earned beer and after that could do little more than stock up on some basics from the 24-hour supermarket and head back to the hotel. After some relaxation and diary writing we were happy to hit the hay with our sore muscles. The hiking had been amazing and we were very proud of having done such a walk, but were were happy to agree that it was not something we could do every day...!

Day 4

The next day we had a bit of a lie-in and after a nice breakfast went straight to the bus station. We had been planning on doing a bit more Zakopane exploring but the weather was a bit rubbish again and we were keen to cross the border into Slovakia. After numerous conversastions with the helpful lady at the information office we decided to get a bus at 1pm, which left us with time to stock up on lunch and munchies at the local Tesco and use up the last of our Polish zloty. Our bus ride (well, mini bus really) was uneventful and after enjoying our ham and cheese sandwiches (we had a lot of these on our holiday) on the journey we went through the Polish-Slovakia border (having to show our passports on the way). The rest of the trip is now in my Slovakia blog...!

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Photos

A typical house in Krakow's Old Town
Simple but attractive architecture

Church and statue
in Krakow's Old Town

Statue in Krakow
Outside St Marys Church

Enjoying Georgian food
with a local beer of course

The Propaganda Pub
Great drinks, great decoration, great pub!

The Teacher
Tablet in Jewish museum in Krakow

Broken graves
at the eerie Jewish cemetary, Krakow

Me and Lenin!
at our hostel in Krakow

Overlooking Zakopane
with the High Tatras in the background

In the clouds!!!
at the start of our Tatra hike

Lake and Barry
on the way towards Swinica

Climbing the Tatras
using the chains attached to the rocks!

Two of us taking a break
this hiking lark is tough!

I made it!!
Me at the summit of Swinica (2301 metres above sea level)