We came here to visit an old friend from University who had been teaching in Krakow for a semester, otherwise I probably would have never gone to Poland, but it was a surprisingly nice experience. (Even though I am still not sure if I have seen the "real" Poland. Maybe I will look into this some more some other time, who knows.)
In medival times Krakow was the capital of Poland and in war it almost had not been destroyed, therefore the historical centre remains almost untouched. You meet at the Rynek Glowny (the main square), where you also find the Koscial Mariacki (St. Mary´s church) and other places of interest, it is a busy, lively area where you can spend a lot of time if you want. (Guys: I do not have a clue about the Polish language and I try my best, but please just ignore my missing accents here and there, I do not know where to put them and I am too lazy to look it up.)
We did a free walking tour, the "food tour", and it was a great experience. Our guide dragged us around in the little streets of Krakow and introduced typically Polish dishes to us. At the end you paid what you felt was right, and I really can recommend this kind of tour. We tasted wonderful food - sausages, pierogi, cakes, soup.... delishious and fun-filled!
Afterwards we needed a break and rested at the "barka" at the river "Wisla" or "Weichsel" in German. We were trying to pull our strength together for a visit to the famous "Schindler´s factory" which is close by in Kazimierz, the jewish quarter right on the other side of the Wisla. Actually "Schindler´s list" has been filmed here, and it is a place full of history. Unfortunately the photos of Kazimierz did not turn out really well, so I have nothing to post here.
There are many things to see and do in Krakow, for example they have a remarkable number of historical and new war monuments. They seem to be scattered everywhere over the city and you find them when you least expect it.
Then of course there is the famous Wawel, the castle and cathedral overlooking the city, the former residency of the Polish kings, where many of the kings and queens have been laid to rest.
And of course we had to visit the university area, which is friendly and newly decorated. It must be great fun to study here!
It definately were a couple of interesting days, special thanks to our tour guide who scheduled the perfect tour for us as if we were VIPs and who (being a historian) had many interesting things to tell!
What also was remarkable that coming from a "Western" country staying in Krakow is wonderfully low-budget even though you eat lovely food and see lovely things. The food you get everywhere is definately high quality and the entrance fees to museums and sights are absolutely affordable. I especially recommend the famous pierogi - we were taken to a tiny little place where they offered more than 50 kinds of pierogi - Heaven for a carb lover!
And of course don´t forget the Zapiekanki, basically the Polish version of a baguette, mostly with a layer of tomatoes and mushrooms and then all other sorts of toppings. They are nice to-go food and will definately fill you up for a while!
Krakow is great fun. If you are in doubt - go anyway, it is worth a trip. Even Benedict Cumberbatch was here, and he cannot be wrong, right? ;-)
