August 10 Krakow

Outside the Golden Triangle

I would venture to say that most Americans who do a Central Euro vacation see Prague, Vienna and Budapest, but not Krakow. But since we are lucky enough to be traveling, and since it got high recs from some friends, we added it to our itinerary. Now how to describe yet another CentralEuro city without repetition. 

Krakow seems smaller and a bit more medieval and less baroque in its old town architecture centered on a huge square with the old cloth market smack in the middle of the square, now full of souvenir stands, and a Basilica with a 11 x 16 meter ( 36 x 52 feet ) wooden carved altar and a very unique carved bas relief of Jesus being circumcised.

The street food is uniquely Polish and although we were mostly, but not fully, recovered from our bout of, what we ascertained was definitely food poisoning, we could not help but try the Ocsypki, little rectangles of delicious, salty fried cheese (we had no idea what we were getting when we handed over our three zloty and stuck up our thumb to indicate  we wanted only '1' - the Euro way to show one. 

We have learned the hard way that if you stick up your pointer finger, they assume you are showing your thumb and pointer and you get two) with cranberry sauce. We couldn't resist tasting four or five kinds of steamed and fried perogies when we stumbled outside the city walls and into The Perogie Festival! Did you know perogies came in mushroom and sauerkraut, meat, or strawberry cheese? 

On the shopping streets there were some lovely local ceramics and lots of amber. There were more churches per block than in Italy and a few unique houses to walk by including the ones where John Paul II and Oscar Schindler lived. 

  

JPII's house

 Schinder's unmarked, unnoticed apartment house 

But Krakow was also the same as everywhere we had been. A big square with people painted silver or gold striking poses for change, busker musicians, though these played accordion instead of violin and tour guides offering city tours, though these were in electric golf carts. A castle complex on a hill with a cathedral, buildings turned into museums and for tourists, a pay as you go for every single thing, including a charge of 3 zloty (about $1.00) to use the shortcut steps to walk down from the Castle Hill- really? You want me to pay to walk down steps? No thanks,  we'll go the long way, really, it's just the point. But there was one very unique free thing at the Castle. 

In the courtyard, it is said that one of the seven most powerful chakras in the world exists in the corner. Chakras are part of Hindu and spiritual beliefs. People who believe, want to walk to the corner and stand and press their forehead against the wall to absorb the energy. But Poland is a religious, Catholic country and they have now roped off the wall and a very stern guard stands there staring you down if you try to get too close. But don't worry, I got as close as I could and pressed my hand hard to the wall and sat as near the corner as I could with my eyes closed and absorbed away sending good energy out to those who need it. 

It was a dreary day but we escaped the predicted rain and the cool temps were a welcome change. We ended the day back at our lovely hotel with some wine, some spa time for facials, sauna and the very unique spa relaxation room followed by a light dinner. 

Tomorrow is Auschwitz, we'll see if we can blog about that, it may be too powerful to share right away but will try.