Kraków, Poland

St. Mary's Church, Market Square

The original schedule of our train from Budapest to Kraków had us leaving in the morning and arriving in the afternoon, giving us splendid views of the Slovakian countryside; however, the schedule changed to an overnight train leaving us an extra full day in Budapest and two full days in Kraków. It was our first overnight train in the sleeping compartment and proved much nicer than the ones in China. We arrived early the next morning, greeted by frost-covered Polish fields and deep blue skies. Jack Frost nipped us really good as we disembarked, and he wouldn't leave us alone the rest of the day. Thankfully we were able to leave our bags at the hotel, but being exhausted and incredibly early (7:15 am), our emotions were overcome when told we weren't allowed to check in. I could tell it was going to be a long, long day. 

The hotel was located adjacent to the train station, and a short walk from Old Town Kraków. We walked down Pawia Street to the Planty, a park that when viewed from above looks like a green belt tightly wrapped around the old fortified city. Originally a moat surrounding the city wall, it has since been filled in and today is a wonderful park. The city was very quiet this early, which for us meant perfect photo opportunities and quaint strolling through the narrow streets. I had arranged for us to join a free walking tour, however, it didn't begin until 10:00 am, so we had some time to kill. We proceeded down the Royal Road, passed through Market Square and St. Mary's Church, continuing on to the southern tip until reaching Wawel Hill - the seat of Polish Royalty and the Archbishop of Krakow. 

Old Hospital, Wawel 

The grounds were completely empty of tourists. For once, we were greeted by crowds of beautiful flowers, dew covered grass, and manicured gardens all resting peacefully under the sun's warm gaze. It was very quaint. Wawel is home to a castle and a cathedral, along with other administrative buildings. Nothing was open at this point, but I had a funny feeling - this being the #1 tourist attraction in Poland - we would be making a stop here later on during the tour. Until then, we enjoyed our promenade through the grounds and along the wall overlooking the Vistula River. When we got back to town, a few coffee shops were now open; one of which was across the street from Saints Peter and Paul Church, its Polish baroque facade distinguished from the surrounding buildings. We peeked inside and found a beautiful nave with a magnificent high alter at the head. The warm coffee shop was a fine relief as we munched on reasonably-priced freshly baked pastries and hot coffee.

Cloth Hall

About quarter to ten we were back in front of St. Mary's waiting to rendezvous with our tour group. It had warmed up a bit, but not much; Maciek, our guide, claimed that weather like this isn't chilly or cold, rather in Poland it is considered "fresh." How right he was! Before departing for our 3 hour walk, our attention was drawn to the sound of a trumpeter. Every hour in the tower (say that 5x fast) of St. Mary's Church, a trumpeter plays a tune 4 times - once in each direction - to notify the citizens that "all is well" (this happens even in the middle of the night). Maciek then politely described the difference between his tour and the other free walking tours lead by foreigners. For example, the guides with his company are all natives of Kraków, speak fluent Polish, and have to take a rigorous test to get a tour guide license in Poland, which requires a minimum of two years studying. I dare say his knowledge combined with wit and storytelling proved most profitable for him and advantageous for us since his tour was beyond a doubt the best of the whole trip.

The tour began in Market Square. At 430,000 sq. ft., it was the largest square in Medieval Europe - and remains one of the largest in present-day Europe as well. There are several "guidelines" regarding the definition of a 'square' and Kraków seems to violate at least a few. One such example: St. Mary's church is cadi-cornered instead of complying with a perfect right angle. Another is Grodzka Street, which instead of continuing in a straight line off the southeast corner, shoots off on at a 50 degree angle towards the Wawel. Aside from this, the square has a long and storied history. The current square actually sits about 15 ft higher than the original which can be seen in the basements of the many shops, restaurants, and bars surrounding it. In the center is the famous Cloth Hall, an ornate arcade where cloth merchants set up shop and others manifested business around it. Today, it has plenty of souvenirs akin to every visitor's liking. 

The Barbican

Proceeding out of the square, we followed the Royal Road north towards St. Florian's Church - the patron saint of Poland - where Polish Kings were crowned. En route, we came to the remnants of the City Wall and passed through St. Florian's Gate to the Barbican, a fortified outpost that is one of three still standing in Europe, and the best preserved. It originally connected to the city wall; the cylindrical shaped fortress with its 10 ft. thick walls had an entrance on the side, the purpose being to protect the city gate from invaders. If unwanted guests were to try and enter the city, first they would have to enter on the side and then make a sharp turn to line up with the main gate. Archers would trap them inside and the guests would be mowed down quickly. In case they survived, the barbican's sharp turn inside still prevented anything large enough to break down the gate from entering. Pure genius. 

Musicians serenading passers-by
in St. Florian's Gate

From St. Florian's we walked back into Old Town and around to the western side of the city to visit the Collegium Maius, the oldest building of the Jagiellonian University (Kraków University) which dates back to the 14th century. The university also has a long and storied history; its most famous graduates were Nicolaus Copernicus and Karoly Wojtyła (Pope John Paul II). Perhaps the darkest moment in its history was on November 6, 1939, when 184 professors were arrested by the Nazis in the very courtyard we were standing and deported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The leader of the Gestapo, Bruno Müller, directed the university rector to assemble all the professors for a lecture on the future of Polish education under the Germans. Once everyone was gathered, he told them the university would not reopen the following semester, and signaled for armed soldiers to immediately arrest all of them. The university remained closed throughout WWII, and continued to be suppressed by the communists even after it reopened. 

Jogiellonian University

Strolling through the gorgeous urban campus, we found ourselves back on the green belt and heading south along the western edge of town towards Wawel. On the way we passed the Archbishop's Palace, where John Paul II stayed when visiting Kraków on numerous occasions. It was from his bedroom window here that he would address large crowds of students. During his first visit, the students stayed below his window throughout the night chanting for him to come back. Agitated, he finally came back to the window and beckoned them to go home and allow him to get some sleep - to no avail. Subsequently, he continued to stay here each visit and each time would stay up late into the night talking with his fellow Poles - who continued to ignore his pleas for sleep. Today, a picture of the late pope hangs in the window where he stood. 

Please, let me sleep!

The peaceful serenity of Wawel had transitioned to a sprawling mecca of visitors (noticeably a large group of Filipinos) teeming with a lively energy. The most striking landmark in Wawel is the cathedral with its many chapels in various architectural styles lining the sides. The cathedral is more than 900 years old, however the current structure is the third to be located on the site and was started in the 14th century. Inside is truly awe-inspiring, though admittedly it likens more that a royal mausoleum than a church. Turns out that statement is more right than I care to admit. According to our guide, it remains the most important burial place for Poles, reserved only for those great contributors to Poland - and of course this includes a plethora of royals and archbishops. Surrounding the main church building are numerous chapels, so many in fact that it is hard to see the original sides of the church; even the entrance is flanked on both sides by chapels, leaving visitors and pilgrims alike only a narrow entrance.  One of the chapels, Sigismund's Chapel, is considered by experts to be one of the purest examples of Renaissance architecture found outside of Italy. 

Wawel Cathedral; Sigismund's Chapel has the gold dome

Adjacent to the Cathedral is Wawal Castle, first built in the 14th century by Casimir III the Great. By the 16th Century, King Sigismund I the Old (chapel namesake) and his wife redesigned the castle in the Renaissance style evident by the inner courtyard displayed today. The outside blends in perfectly with surrounding polish styles, but the inner courtyard is Italian with open-aired balconies (much like VMI Barracks) round arches and tall pillars holding up the roof. Although the palace deteriorated after the capital was moved to Warsaw, it was refurbished after WWI and declared to be the seat of government, and the home of the president. It was short lived thinking; after WWII, the palace was transformed into a national museum and today houses a fine art collection. 

Inner Courtyard, Wawel Castle

Our last stop on the tour was to see the famous Dragon's Den located at the bottom of Wawel Hill along the banks of the Vistula River. Exiting via Bernardine Gate, we walked down and around passing several joggers, families looking for a place to picnic, and a few local vendors selling a local Polish cheese similar to smoked gouda from their bicycle stands. The cheeses came in different shapes (like cookies) and traditionally were eaten by shepherds. The smokey flavor was good, but proved very dry without a glass of vino to wash it down. Some of Poland's most famous sons and daughters would likely disagree. I was surprised to learn a few of their identities: Max Factor, Sr. of the cosmetics industry, English writer Joseph Conrad (Heart of Darkness), Nicolaus Copernicus - who openly challenged the Catholic Church's teaching that Earth was the center of the universe, and of course classical music composer Frederick Chopin.

Wawel Dragon

The Dragon's Den is a cave located under Wawel Hill with an entrance on the bank of the river. Beneath the cave lived the Wawel Dragon, a famous character in Polish folklore. The story goes that this dragon with seven heads would tear through the countryside everyday killing civilians and looking for food. The king and his knights were unable to stop him, and after all the young virgins had sacrificed themselves to the dragon to no avail, the king offered his only daughter's hand in marriage to anyone who could slay it. Knights came from all over Europe, but none was able to survive the dragon's fiery breath. Finally, a poor cobbler's apprentice dared to challenge the dragon. He stuffed a sheep full of sulphur, and set it outside the cave's entrance. When the dragon ate the sheep, its stomach became very sore and he went to the river to quench his thirst; however, no amount of water could rid him of the pain in his stomach, and in the end, with his belly full of water, he exploded. The apprentice, named Skuba, married the king's daughter as promised. Today, a bronze statue of the dragon sits at the entrance to the cave, and even "breathes" fire. 

The tour concluded just in time for a good Polish lunch in the Kazimierz (Jewish Quarter). We agreed upon a small restaurant called Kuchina u Doroty (Dorthia-woman was inside) which served reasonably priced local foods that were very enjoyable, and by reasonably priced for Poland it was downright a steal compared to our other previous stops. Afterwards, we went around the corner to  the empty Corpus Christi Basilica, also built by Casimir III and designated a monastery-church. The interiors were stunning, a mix of Polish gothic and Polish baroque; located past the courtyard, in the crypt, was a small cafe. Back outside, we saw the Skałka (Church of St. Michael the Archangel) and desperately searched for the entrance. Unfortunately for us, we were unable to find our way in and thus missed out. 

Inside the Jewish Ghetto

Kazimierz is full of nooks and crannies, and of course, the free Jewish Quarter walking tour. Szeroka is a small square opposite the Old Synagogue and represents the heart of the Jewish Quarter. Alex left me here to go back to the hotel for a rest, and I waited for the tour to rendezvous. It arrived right on schedule and I hopped in to walk the winding streets listening to facts about the various filming locations of Shindler's List, the undesirables that were moved into the neighborhood, and the resurgence of Jews in Krakow today. Across the river, we came to Podgórze (Jewish Ghetto) where the memorial sits honoring the Jews who were forced into the ghetto and exploited, terrorized, eventually purged to labor or death camps. Movie director Roman Polanski was one of the survivors. 

On our way to Schindler's factory, we transited a small street where the last remaining section of the Nazi-built wall surrounding the ghetto stands ideally. A small plaque memorializes the wall (a memorial itself), one of many that can be found throughout Poland. The walk to Schindler's factory took us through still industrial areas that were sparse of people and nothing more than a few unmaintained roads, some of them only dirt. It was dusk by time we arrived, and I was honestly too exhausted to tour the museum. Instead, I hopped on the trolley and returned to the hotel for a nap. Alex and I gathered our last remaining strength and ventured back into town for dinner and to stroll around the market square marveling at the world's largest concentrations of pubs/bars. Just inside town, the renowned Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, which bears a striking resemblance to the Palais Garnier in Paris,  lit up the cityscape like a shiny jewel. 

Last segment of ghetto wall

We were too tired to fully embrace the nightlife knowing we had an early start the following morning. We joined a tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau, which is in another post, followed by a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This was a fun place to see, especially after visiting a place as heartbreaking as the concentration camps. We didn't pay to take photos inside, but you can find some online that show the places we visited, including a massive church that is frequently rented out for weddings. The mine itself was single-handedly the most important contributor to the regional economy for hundreds of years; it was amazing to see how the techniques for mining salt evolved over time, from workers carrying large blocks on their backs up to the surface to diluting it in water and pumping it up through a network of pipes. 

We made it back to Kraków in time to enjoy the last bits of daylight and meandered one last time through Old Town. We perused the merchant stalls of the Cloth Hall in Market Square before sitting down to a quiet meal. Just outside was a street performer who was obnoxiously hilarious; he would juggle three pins and as a child passed by he would drop them, to which the child (and sometimes adults) would try to hand them back. He, however, would drop another one as he was taking it from them. Sadly for him, the participants' annoyance guaranteed he received no tips, but lucky for us it was quite entertaining to watch. Nearby was an infamous hotel named the Bonerowski Palace; it was started by a German family with the name Boner, and was named such originally. It wasn't until English tourists arrived that it received its notoriety as "The Boner Palace" that the family changed the name to Bonerowski. 

Exhausted, we managed to get back to the hotel, collect our bags, and made it on time for our train to Prague. I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow, and happily awoke the next day in Prague.