When making plans for our road trip adventure this year, making it to Poland, not only to see Auschwitz, but to enjoy the brighter side of things seemed important. I knew very little about Poland, and felt that Warsaw was really the only the only city I knew much about, and all of that had to do with World War II. But Krakow made more sense geographically, and after hearing Rick Steves describe the city as "simply charming," well, we couldn't resist. It seemed, after that, that anytime I mentioned the city, people immediately laid praises on it. It didn't take long to see why.
Although the sprawling city boasts a population of nearly one million, the heart of the city, the old town is incredibly walkable, making you feel like part of an old village where you walked to particular markets to purchase your necessities as you dodged horses pulling carts. For hundreds of years, this heart of the city was surrounded by a city wall and moat to protect the residents. In the 19th century, with no more need for such protection, the moat was filled in and turned into the Planty (Polish word for flat, not having to do with plants!), a small circular park encompassing the Old Town. With such surroundings, it was easy to orient oneself for if you wandered into green space, you knew you had stepped outside the heart of the city.
We walked, what seemed like the entire city, multiple times (in particular one time when looking for the perfect ice cream), and that is what we enjoyed most. Sure, we completed many things on our Krakow "to do" list, but what I enjoyed most was being in the city and enjoying the romance of such a colorful, clean city, rich with history and charm. There are several stunning cathedrals in town, an underground museum that takes on the history of the city while looking at the ancient ruins and markets galore. Two main markets took up a lot of our time. The Cloth Hall in the middle of the expansive central square has been home to cloth merchants since the middle ages, give or take a remodeling or two. It is now lined with stalls with all sorts of tacky tourist finds, amber jewelry and local craftsmen. Our first night, we happened upon another, apparently seasonal, market just two blocks from our apartment. I don't think we missed visiting this market on a single day of our time there. Sure, it may have been the grilled sheep cheese wrapped in bacon that brought me back each time, but the stalls here seemed more artisan and less touristy.
There is a castle just outside of the Old Town overlooking the river. Now, like most of us who enjoy a good fairy tale, I love castles. While in the UK, I visited just about as many as physically possible. But just like in Prague (another city I love), I was disappointed by the castle at the heart of town. Sure, it was on a bit of a hill, had a lovely view of the city on one side and the river on the other, but it is not a castle in the sense of the word that I picture. I imagine one expansive building with a gate and turrets complete with a great hall, spiral staircases and a dungeon. Nope. Instead, imagine a fortress with all the complexes that a royal might need and never have to leave the castle grounds. There are public state rooms, museums, a cathedral and even a central grassy field. It was all lovely, but not the kind of castle that allows for discovery of hidden nooks and crannies. That is of course aside from the Dragon's Cave. And well, if you aren't going to have turrets, having a dragon's cave seems to make up for it! Legend has it that a dragon once lived in the cave below the castle. The townspeople kept him at bay for years by sacrificing many of its livestock. But of course they were still fearful, and obviously missed the livestock. A young boy devised a plan! He stuffed a sheep skin with sulphur and left it by the dragon's cave. One would think that would do the trick, right? No, the Polish story is much more entertaining. The dragon quickly devoured the sheep imposter and became so thirsty that he began emptying the river of its contents. He drank so much in fact that he blew up (the illustration in the children's books is priceless). Now, you can climb down a spiral staircase from the castle grounds into what seems like a perfect hideaway for a dragon. Near the exit sits a giant metal recreation of the dragon, who, once every four minutes, breaths fire to the eagerly expecting crowd.
One of the biggest attractions to the city is a short train ride away. The Salt Mines were a cheesy, fascinating way to spend a few hours hiding from the sun. The Wieliczka Salt Mine has been in production since the 13th century. In fact, in the 14th century, nearly one third of the wealth in Poland came from mining salt. The miners, who spent a majority of their lives underground, took great pride in the mines, and in their work. What would you expect to see when visiting a salt mine? Yes, I heard your sarcastic reply of "salt," very funny. Yes, of course, but what else? Myself, I expected tunnels and carts, tools and underground mazes. What about chapels? Statues? Chandeliers? Sound impressive? Now, picture them all carved out of salt. Yep, every single last one was carved by the miners, with no artistic training. They created masterful works of art out of the material they surrounded themselves by all day every day. Room after room of underground splendor surprised us, and we barely saw a fraction of all that the mines currently encompass.
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| When you're in a salt mine, you lick the walls. And yes, they taste like salt. |
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| Carved out of salt! |
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| Entire cathedral made of salt |
Kazimierz, or the Jewish Quarter, is also a highly popular destination. Now, it is the popular place to live, the up and coming neighborhood where the young are revitalizing the area. In the 14th century, the king of Poland welcomed the Jews who were fleeing other nations to come and settle in Krakow. While Krakow did have a totally separate part of the city for the Jews to live in, it was still much more welcoming than other parts of Europe. The Jewish community flourished here and soon became an integrated part of the community. That is until the horrors of World War
II. At one point, nearly sixty-five thousand Jews lived here; today, only a couple hundred remain. While this part of town does seem hipper, with eclectic market stands and food vendors, it lacks the old charm that the Old Town has in droves.
In the main square, next to St. Mary's Church is a watchtower owned by the city. Every hour, on the hour, a fireman on a 24-hour shift, opens a window near the top of the tower and plays a haunting piece that seems to end abruptly. Legend says that during the invasion in the 13th century, a watchman was alerting his fellow citizens when an arrow pierced his throat. Now, in his honor, the song played ceases suddenly. We could hear it from our apartment, and paused every time we heard the melody.
I'm not sure there are enough flowery words of support for Krakow. A city rich in history, pride and charm, full of life, color, legends and energy. Make sure to add Krakow to your list, and while there, make sure to try the many local flavors of wodka! :)
