Krakow holds many memories for me. Way back in 1998, I spent a few months studying Polish at the Jagellonian University. I fell in love with this beautiful medieval town and I have been dreaming of returning ever since. I did in fact return in 2004 for a couple of nights and was once again charmed by this magic place.
Krakow used to be the capital of Poland. As a testament to this, Wawel Castle stands proudly above the main square on a hill with its legendary dragon, the fire breathing smok, guarding the city from his dark cave.
Much has changed since my last visit 10 years ago. The price of an obwarzanek, a bagel like snack, has gone up threefold and facilities for tourists have improved. What hasn’t changed is the majesty of the old town square and it’s Crown Jewels – St Mary’s Basilica and the Sukkienice (the Cloth Hall). I could just sit in this square for hours just looking at the old buildings and soaking in the atmosphere. This is exactly what we did on this trip with every lazy hour was marked by the famous hejnal blaring forth from the top spire of the Basilica.
There was so much I wanted to see and do (museums, galleries, revisiting old haunts) but I was just so travel weary that alot of time was spent enjoying the sights from a cafe. It wasn’t all just drinking Żywiec and eating pierogi on the Square, we did manage to get out and about.
You’ve already heard about our trip to Aushwitz. We also did a tour of the Jewish Quarter, Kazimeirz, on Segways. Riding the Segways was heaps of fun. We covered a lot of ground in a short time. It was great for me to learn a bit about Kazimierz and it’s history as I only remember going to great bar there (Singer) from my wild student days.
We also did a Free Walking Tour of “Macabre Krakow” one evening. That too was loads of fun. Usually tours focus on the “nice” things about a city, this tour did the opposite and gave you an insight into its gritty underbelly. We learned about Krakow’s serial killers, vampires, witches and medieval mayhem. It was a great tour and I was fascinated by what I learned. I particularly liked the story of King Kazimierz the Great and his forbidden love for a Jewish woman called Esther. To this day her ghost haunts the Jewish quarter…apparently.
Wieliczka Salt Mine just outside Krakow was another highlight of our visit. I was last there in 1998 and the experience has changed for the better. Our guide, Maciek, was fantastic! His English was great, he had a sense of humour and really seemed to care. The facilities have been upgraded and the audio equipment worked really well. The salt mine is special not only for its importance in Polish medieval politics and economics but also for the unique art it houses. Miners carved impressive sculptures from the crystal salt . The most impressive works can be found in the underground chapel which still holds mass every Sunday. The caverns, tunnels and vast underground lakes make it an eerie yet scenic tour.
One of the absolute highlights of my trip to Krakow has to be going inside St Mary’s Basilica and seeing the medieval high altar. The altar is a masterpiece of its time and was carved from wood by Wit Stwosz. The whole church was impressive and it is great to see that this church dating back from the 12th century is so well taken care of. I wasn’t able to see the altar the last couple of times I visited Krakow there due to refurbishments. I’m glad I didn’t miss out this time.
While I may not have retraced all of my steps, I have certainly made new ones and I am even more in love with magical Krakow then ever before. It’s always hard for me to leave this city. I went for a run the morning we left to go to Zakopane and said goodbye to the square and the smok on Wawel Hill. I got to say goodbye again as we drove past the castle on our way to to the station to catch the train to Prague. I was a bit sad as we pulled out of the station. I’m not sure when I’ll return to Krakow but I know that I will. Until then I will keep my memories of this place close to my heart.
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