Time is definitely relative. Hours can feel like days, and months can feel like days.
For this trip I had to get up at the really rude hour of 4:30am on a Saturday to reach the airport on time and I can now confirm that the sky is blue even that early in the morning.
One of the great advantages of working here in Sweden, is that so many places are so close by! I can't understand why so many of the people here don't take advantage of this. Many of the people at work seem to go only where their current project needs them or to their summer house/farm.
Well, they are losing out.
Under an hour and a half since take-off, I stepped out of Krakow airport. A 15 minute train ride later and I found myself in the middle of the city that is the most popular tourist destination in Poland, and one of the oldest: having grown from a stone age settlement.
What intrigued me most, of course, is the legend that it was built on the cave of a dragon, but a bit more on that later.
Old Krakow has typical European architecture and the whole old town is surrounded by a large park, riddled with pathways, benches, statues and fountains.
It was also great to see so much green! Luckily Sweden has caught up as well.
The Barbakan, a 15th century defensive building, was one of the biggest of its kind in Europe and defended the Florian Gate.
If you walk through the Florian Gate, down the streets lined with old buildings converted into tourist traps, you'll eventually reach the Market Square. The biggest medieval town square in Europe at roughly 40,000 square meters. The Polish didn't like doing things small it seems.
The Basilica of St. Mary's towers over the square at one corner. According to legend, the two towers were constructed by two brothers. One, in jealousy at the higher/better tower, murdered his sibling and, in remorse, threw himself to his death from his own tower.
From the highest tower, on the hour, a trumpeter plays a tune that ends abruptly in remembrance of a 13th century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while warning the people of a Mongol attack.
Inside St. Mary's is the world's largest gothic alterpiece and a national treasure of Poland, created around 1480 by Veit Stoss. During 1941, while Germany occupied Poland, it was actually dismantled and sent to Germany, but was recovered in 1946 in Bavaria, hidden in the basement of Nuremburg castle and returned and restored 10 years later.
In the centre of the square squats the great Cloth Hall, filled with small shops on the ground floor selling all kinds of trinkets and clothing. It was here that I bought a small pewter Krakow Dragon, which actually resembles swamp dragons from the Discworld books, giving it even more charm to me.
Next to the cloth hall the leaning Town Hall Tower of Krakow thrusts upward and bit to the side.
Unfortunately, whoever sculpted the lions protecting the tower should have taken some classes from the guys from Budapest.
South from the Main Square, Wawel Hill can be found. Along the way I came across one of my favourite buildings in Krakow: the Church of Sts Peter and Paul.
and one of my favourite walls ever. I really like the stone bookshelf to the left.
On Wawel Hill itself, lies Krakow Castle and Cathedral. Unfortunately, due to time constraints and a long line of tourists, I had to skip a visit to the inside of the Cathedral. The outside, however, was interesting enough.
The castles of eastern Europe are not your typical "fairy tale" medieval castles unfortunately. They more often than not resemble a rectangle with one or two turrets. Krakow's is no different. The Renaissance courtyard reminded me more of a great mansion than a castle.
I was a bit disappointed after all the other "largest in the world/Europe" places/things that the Old Wawel at the castle, where you get to go into the ruins underneath, was only three chambers. Also, no photography was allowed.
Similar "smallness" followed when I visited the "Dragon's Den". Climbing down a turret's horde of stairs, you reach the cave where the Dragon of Krakow supposedly lived before losing against one Prince Krak. Only 80m of the 270m long caverns are open to the public. The underground pools and other areas are unfortunately too unsafe.
At the exit, stands a big, bony, bronze sculpture of the Krakow Dragon, which breathes fire at times.
From the exit, I followed my nose to a street market quite close by.
After grabbing something to eat and wandering the market, I made my way back to the Main Square.
There I visited a medieval restaurant and tried their honey beer (quite good), cherry beer (not so good) and took a photo of their throne.
After a great day rambling through Krakow's old town, I made my way back to the train station to get on the Sleeper train to my next destination, Prague.
Photo's and info on Prague next time, but I'll leave you with some random pictures taken in Krakow.
Njoy!
Wow!! That is awesome! Do you actually do a bit of research about the places before/after your visit or do you pick up all that info while on the journey?
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see the photos of Prague!
All of the above, Sommie.
ReplyDeleteBefore hand I google to find out what I want to see, walking around I stumble upon interesting places that I read up on afterward and sometimes they have nifty information available at the sites themselves.