May 29 - 30, 2013 - Krakow, Poland
It was only a 3 hour bus ride from Wroclaw to Krakow. I arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon to a very rainy day. So, instead of trying to figure out the tram/metro system I just opted to hop in a cab and have him figure out where I was to live for the next 4 days.
Luckily he found it quite quickly and cheaply and I checked into the B Movie Hostel. The place is being renovated but each room had a different movie theme. Cute. I was in the Corleone room and inside was a Godfather mural. Pretty cool. I tried to wait out the rain but it won and I just spent the evening indoors.
May 29:
I woke early and had the free hostel breakfast. There I met another Jordan and we went to the Free Walking Tour of the old town together. I'm loving these things. Of course its not exactly free because these people live off the tips but it is a tour at a significant discount. And I like significant discounts. She walked us on a 3 hour tour of the old part of the city and told us lots of history and folklore about the city.
This guy toots the horn every hour from the church tower.
The castle.
Other Jordan and I had a lunch of Pierogi and found a beer to kill some time. Then went on the Free Tour of the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. There are very few Jews left living here due to the WWII. But its still called the Jewish Quarter and still maintains a lot of the history. Parts of the area were used as a concentration camp during WWII. They were not allowed to leave the area and the train did not stop on it way through the area. If people were caught throwing food from the passing train, they and everyone else in that rail car would be killed for helping the Jews. Crazy.
We also go to see where they filmed part of the movie Schindler's List and the old Schindler factory that is now a museum.
I signed up to do the tour of the underground that night as well. So I said goodbye to Jordan and headed back towards the main market square. There I met the tour guide and the 3 other people on the tour. This was a tour of the remains of the previous market square from centuries ago. Apparently, when the grounds got too muddy they would simply add more dirt and straw to soak up the moisture. After hundreds of years of doing this the original square got covered with more than 2.5m of earth. In 2005 they began digging up these ruins. What they thought would take 6 months took almost 7 years. The findings were astonishing. Old jewelry, tools, shoes, clothing, raw metal, keys and locks and even a burial ground.
Looking up from below the main square.
And after all that, as you can imagine, my feet were done. I headed back to the hostel and grabbed a kebab along the way. Why don't we have these so readily available in The States? Yummy and convenient.
May 30:
I went, AGAIN, on the free walking tour of the communist part of town. It was the soviet union that freed Poland from German occupation in the 40's. For 40 years Poland was ruled by the communist from Russia. They built communities the way they saw fit. And interestingly enough it was the church that helped free Poland. The very first uprising against the "commies" was due to the fact that the people were not allowed to build a church. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it poured rain during a lot of the tour and most information was given at a cafe while having a beer. :-)
That night Jordan, Piere (a swede from my room) and two other Americas went for dinner and a night out in the Jewish Quarter. Dinner was Zapiekanka. A baguette with mushrooms and cheese and any other topping you would like. I had it with salami, chives, pickles, and ketchup. This is a local food that proved to be tasty and filling. From there we visited 2 bars. The second of which is famous for having old singer sewing machines for tables.
What I learned: Krakow used to be a trading mecca way back in the day. It has one of the largest market squares in all of Europe.
There used to be 68,000 Jews living in Krakow before WWII. Now there are only about 200.
Before WWII Poland housed almost 70% of the worlds Jewish population.
Pope John Paul was from Poland
It was only a 3 hour bus ride from Wroclaw to Krakow. I arrived around 2:30 in the afternoon to a very rainy day. So, instead of trying to figure out the tram/metro system I just opted to hop in a cab and have him figure out where I was to live for the next 4 days.
Luckily he found it quite quickly and cheaply and I checked into the B Movie Hostel. The place is being renovated but each room had a different movie theme. Cute. I was in the Corleone room and inside was a Godfather mural. Pretty cool. I tried to wait out the rain but it won and I just spent the evening indoors.
May 29:
I woke early and had the free hostel breakfast. There I met another Jordan and we went to the Free Walking Tour of the old town together. I'm loving these things. Of course its not exactly free because these people live off the tips but it is a tour at a significant discount. And I like significant discounts. She walked us on a 3 hour tour of the old part of the city and told us lots of history and folklore about the city.
This guy toots the horn every hour from the church tower.
The castle.
Other Jordan and I had a lunch of Pierogi and found a beer to kill some time. Then went on the Free Tour of the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. There are very few Jews left living here due to the WWII. But its still called the Jewish Quarter and still maintains a lot of the history. Parts of the area were used as a concentration camp during WWII. They were not allowed to leave the area and the train did not stop on it way through the area. If people were caught throwing food from the passing train, they and everyone else in that rail car would be killed for helping the Jews. Crazy.
We also go to see where they filmed part of the movie Schindler's List and the old Schindler factory that is now a museum.
I signed up to do the tour of the underground that night as well. So I said goodbye to Jordan and headed back towards the main market square. There I met the tour guide and the 3 other people on the tour. This was a tour of the remains of the previous market square from centuries ago. Apparently, when the grounds got too muddy they would simply add more dirt and straw to soak up the moisture. After hundreds of years of doing this the original square got covered with more than 2.5m of earth. In 2005 they began digging up these ruins. What they thought would take 6 months took almost 7 years. The findings were astonishing. Old jewelry, tools, shoes, clothing, raw metal, keys and locks and even a burial ground.
Looking up from below the main square.
And after all that, as you can imagine, my feet were done. I headed back to the hostel and grabbed a kebab along the way. Why don't we have these so readily available in The States? Yummy and convenient.
May 30:
I went, AGAIN, on the free walking tour of the communist part of town. It was the soviet union that freed Poland from German occupation in the 40's. For 40 years Poland was ruled by the communist from Russia. They built communities the way they saw fit. And interestingly enough it was the church that helped free Poland. The very first uprising against the "commies" was due to the fact that the people were not allowed to build a church. Unfortunately (or fortunately), it poured rain during a lot of the tour and most information was given at a cafe while having a beer. :-)
That night Jordan, Piere (a swede from my room) and two other Americas went for dinner and a night out in the Jewish Quarter. Dinner was Zapiekanka. A baguette with mushrooms and cheese and any other topping you would like. I had it with salami, chives, pickles, and ketchup. This is a local food that proved to be tasty and filling. From there we visited 2 bars. The second of which is famous for having old singer sewing machines for tables.
What I learned: Krakow used to be a trading mecca way back in the day. It has one of the largest market squares in all of Europe.
There used to be 68,000 Jews living in Krakow before WWII. Now there are only about 200.
Before WWII Poland housed almost 70% of the worlds Jewish population.
Pope John Paul was from Poland
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