Continuing with our exploration of Eastern Europe, Krakow seemed like a logical place to visit. Known as the cultural capital of Poland (and its second largest city), it's home to scholars, artists and most famously, Pope John Paul II (lovingly referred to by locals as JP II or JP 2.0). The old town is situated around the largest medieval town square in Europe - it's huge (large enough to contain a covered market and town tower in the middle)! And we scored with yet another great hotel - right on the square and we had a small balcony - great views from the 4th floor!
The old town itself is quite well preserved (we were told everything is "original" and not reproductions, as the city wasn't heavily bombed during WWII). The streets around the main square were full of character, and the old town itself is encircled by a public park (where the old city walls use to be).
As usual, we hit a walking tour after arriving on Saturday, which proved to be both informative and humorous. We found out that "The Pope" (JP2) is still very beloved by the city, with more statues of him than anyone else. In the evening we took a stroll through the old Jewish quarter (now full of restaurants and bars) and then had dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant (think stews, potatoes, meats with sauces). Good, filling food at very reasonable prices (being on the zlotny, prices in Poland are relatively cheap).
On Sunday we took an early morning bus out to Auschwitz (about 1.5 hours outside of town). A more somber experience, the grounds are well preserved and it is hard to imagine what happened at this place ~70 years ago. Auschwitz is made up of two main sites, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau (about 3km apart). Auschwitz I is smaller and houses the main museum exhibits. Auschwitz II-Birkenau is much larger and is mostly ruins. One of our more subdued day trips, but definitely worth a visit from a historical perspective.
Sunday evening was a bit more upbeat, visiting a few of the touristy sights back in Krakow before heading to the Jewish district for drinks and dinner. We even spotted a fire breathing dragon at the base of the castle!
On Monday we took advantage of the bikes provided by our hotel and rode around the park before heading down and across the river to the site of Oskar Schindler's factory. Being Monday it happened to be free entrance, so we locked up the bikes and went inside. While we were expecting a museum on the life of Schindler, the museum provided a history of the city and it's inhabitants, specifically leading up to and following WWII. It was very well done, with different rooms designed like different parts of the city.
Overall we were very impressed with the beautiful city and had a great time!
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