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Published: November 23rd 2014
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A Head
Interesting sculpture in the middle of the sqauare. Tuesday- Walking tour of Old Town Krakow
great breakfast – boiled egg
-with assortment of awesome breads & croissant
-with raspberry jam almost as good as grandma’s
-coffee and steamed milk
Ahhhh!
Near miss with a crooked money changer
he handed me nearly half what I was expecting
I said no and he yelled at me to read!
He gave my money back and I sighed with relief
I did read more careful next time
– and only choose English signs
Walking tour of Old Town Krakow – highlights
Used Rick Steves’ guidebook
Made it just in time to watch the opening of
St. Mary’s church alterpiece – 11:50am
vast, beautiful gothic carvings revealed each morning
put to rest each night
St. Francis church has amazing Polish art neveau
-walls painted with familiar flowers: pansies, cornflowers…
-stained glass that takes your breath away
Lunch at milkbar (Mieczny), a local tradition
-cafeteria style, pork goulash over potato pancakes, pirougies
English bookstore! bought some children’s books and
-pumpkin pie
St Francis Church
Art Neveau Stained Glass - God the Father Let It Be
by Stanislaw Wyspianski
Pope John Paul II's home church with whipped cream! hmm!
Travel for food!
beer on the square – again.
Tough, but someone has to do it.
Wednesday – Lousy breakfast.
Local bus to Auswich
largest German concentration/extermination camp
> 1 million people
museum designed to ‘shock and awe’
It left us with feelings of disgust
at what people can do to each other
We had expected a different emotion.
The message: stand up to prejudice, bigotry, intolerance
of others before it gets into mainstream consciousness
Met a gregarious man from Mexico
married to a Pole
Wait for the bus back to Krakow was fun
-talking with two German ladies
They shared chocolate – ‘I needed strength’
because I was standing-I had given up my seat to a local
The Auswich experience made me feel compassionate
At the Krakow bus station, the German ladies (art tour guides)
decided to look for the local cemetery I had found on the map
We were still searching for All Saints lights
We finally found it, but
it closed at 6pm
even interesting through the locked gates
-flowers, some lights, many mausoleums
beer on the square – yes, again.
warm with radiant heaters under umbrellas
break dance street performers
dinner of carrot ginger soup, goat cheese salad,
buckwheat pasta with sundried tomatoes
bison grass vodka and apple juice cocktails
home to bed – exhausted
Thursday – back to good breakfast place
Wieliczka Salt Mine
Met Michal (a tour guide) at bus stop
he helped us buy bus tickets to the mine
nice conversation about traveling
he highly recommends Macedonia
-cheap and beautiful lake for swimming
-Prague is even nicer that Krakow
We have been conversing via email
-he might come visit in Minsk
-we would like to see more of Poland
Salt mine is amazing
-clean (for a mine), interesting salt carvings
-beautiful chapel
-dry-humor guide
old wooden mine technology,
ingenious water pumps,
horse and human powered winches
stunning cribbing arrangements to support the vaults
Google ‘Wieliczka Salt Mine’ for
images
carvings don’t photograph well
Late lunch at Bagel Mama
first bagels in a long while
Then walk to ethnographic museum
great displays of homes, mills (flax oil), regional costumes,
folk art, toys, nativity, caroling (strange beginnings), Easter eggs, weaving,
wood cut religious art.
tram back to Old Town – where to buy tickets?
-at the newspaper stand… of course.
dinner – beer on the square (I know, I know) and dessert
Friday
pack, pay for room, eat at favorite breakfast spot
- you have to go more than once to have a favorite.
nice walk to the bus station – rain threatening
figure out where main part of bus station is
2
nd class platform 5, wagon 7, seats 81,82
free kava (coffee) served
Train pros and cons
Ah! train ride
-arrive minutes before
-buy tickets at the station
-no security - keep your shoes on
-walk around at your leisure
-big windows
-fresh air
-no pressurized ears
-more leg room
-interesting
Dragon Drain Spout
Wawel Cathedral - Be very afraid scenery
-hop on in the center of town
-keep your luggage with you
Oh! train ride
-longer time (sometimes)
-smokers in between cars
-they take your passports for lengthy periods (in Belarus)
A long walk from Warsaw central train station
to bed and breakfast
Rain
The National Museum
-stunning life sized battle scene by Jan Matejko
Brewpub to quench our thirst and nourish our souls
Friday-
We have the day to kill
-our overnight train to Minsk leaves at 9:30pm
hot chocolate at E. Wedel
-literally warm, thick chocolate
-rich and delicious
visit the Royal Castle
-more work by Jan Matejko
-each covering an entire wall
ponchki (jelly-filled doughnuts) at A. Blikle
lunch at the brewpub
cold and wet day
-not the best for killing time
-it drug on
Finally picked up our bags at the B&B
headed for the train station and
home.
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Judy Leuck
non-member comment
Hi George and Kevin, I love following you on your travels. The commentary is descriptive but not flowery and the pictures sharp. All that is missing is Flat Stanley or the gnome in the pictures. Knowing your adventurous side, George, I am not surprised that you are using the opportunities to explore to the fullest. Enjoy and thanks for sharing. Judy