Krakow, May 26 -- 31

It reads, "Recommended the best tiramisu"



It's a beautiful city, Krakow, with flowers everywhere in pots, in hanging baskets on fences, along roadsides and sidewalks, and just about everywhere else imaginable. The results are a colorful city with a ring of forested park completely around it where a medieval moat used to be. We have an apartment in the old city, close to the town square, with all the accoutrements. It's close to almost every old tourist site, and noisy, busy, and in the middle of the action. We managed to stuff into 6 days about 2 weeks' worth of sights, and our legs paid for it.



Beer is better when surrounded by flowers

 Of course, we stopped when necessary and partook of what was good in Krakow, namely the food and drink.

Outdoor restaurants everywhere

 



Always time for coffee

Our day usually began with coffee and then it was off to see something beautiful.  The architecture was breathtaking, especially the churches, of which there are 150 in Krakow.  Some of them are very, very tiny and some are quite large.  Most of them are ornate, but I think the most spectacular of them was Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady which was about a three minute walk from our apartment.  The ceiling was painted a delicate blue with small white dots that made it look like the early evening sky.  Heavenly!

Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady

Sts. Peter and Paul Church

Another church we saw was Sts. Peter and Paul Church where we also attended a concert.  What a fantastic repertoire the ensemble had!  We heard Brahms, Beethoven, and Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" in such a setting that I blinked back tears to be surrounded by such visual splendor and auditory beauty.  Just two evenings earlier we had attended a Fredrick Chopin piano concert in the Bornonowski Palace.  The music brought back many memories for Mom and me; I had played several of the pieces in my own piano lessons.  I'm actually surprised she recognized them because I'm sure they didn't sound remotely like what we were hearing! 




 

Florian Gate, built in 1300's

Remaining wall of Kazimierz, the Jewish section of Krakow

Other types of architecture included parts of the city's walls built in the 14th and 15th centuries and the wall of another part of town, the Jewish section of Kazimierz, built in the 12th century.  And, of course, the Wawel Castle dominates the skyline. It is the most visited site in Poland and what magnificent structures!

Wawel Cathedral

Besides strolling around the city, looking at interesting museums, listening to wonderful music, drinking coffee and eating delicious food, we had the interesting experience of descending 400 feet (800 steps) into a salt mine,  

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Ethnographic museum

Home baked bread to be blessed by the priest at Easter, just like my grandmother used to make

spending time at the Ethnographic Museum, and going through Oscar Schindler's enamelware factory, probably one of the most extensive museums we've ever seen.  One interesting thing happened completely by surprise, and that was the Polish soccer championships won by the club in Krakow.  Oh my goodness!  Did they ever have a celebration---like no other we've seen.  And it was LOUD!

Celebrating Krakow's win over Warsaw in Polish soccer championship with fires in the main square

And, of course, there was shopping to be done, and Mom was all too happy to comply.  She was like a kid in a candy store!

Cloth Hall and its many shopping stands

Assumption of Our Lady Basilica

We all were sad to leave this beautiful city, and very early in the morning of the day we left, we went up to get our coffee as we usually did.  But this time we caught the bugler sounding the hourly hejnal that was in medieval times a warning call.  We had heard it before and speculated that it was undoubtedly a recording since it is done every hour of the day and night.  But, as I was standing alone, below the highest tower of the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady and looking up, I caught a glimpse of gold flash in one of the tower windows.  Then a hand reached out and waved to me.  I took it as a gesture of friendship--an invitation back to that magnificent city.