Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Day 3 Krakow, Poland. I was not sure what to expect from this city. The station was renovated next huge modern shopping centre. It was just like any other modern city. However, the style of the buildings dramatically changed as we wandered into the old town.
This was not quite Jesse’s heritage but technically/physically, he was in Poland. He was almost Polish. This might explain his preparation for this leg of the trip was selectively detailed. He only knew how to order meat but he was a ‘vegetarian who eats fish’. Fish had no feelings. Other useful Polish phrases included an ability to ask for postcards and stamps in any Polish conversation. He made more effort than me thus he lead the expedition in this city.
The city square was very classical like it should be viewed in black and white film. Hence I had to put my sunglasses on. It hardly changed over the years. The character was old and medieval like. The old city square and castle were the main city attractions. The castle was beautifully maintained and stood proudly overlooking the river. Slightly away from the city centre was Schindler’s factory which was fascinating as the movie stemmed from this location. Further away was Auschwitz, the termination camp. A day trip was required but we did not have enough time. There was also a salt mine which was another popular tourist destination.
Krakow had the culture without not the premium price of a capital city like Budapest. I would definitely recommend this place. The city was smaller and more compact. A couple of days would be sufficient to explore this place.
At night the mood in the market place transformed further back in time. A time when there were no Gucci or Prada but tourist junk was still widely available. There were some beautiful jewellery on display. However, since my budget was strictly to survive and beer, I bought nothing that was not edible or drinkable.
Harris Piano Jazz Bar was definitely one of the highlight in Krakow. It was a basement bar situated in the main city square. The music was good and chilled out. Other highlights was a trombone player with tremendous skills, it being a jam, various individuals brought their own character to the music. The standard of the music and english were eye opening.
Adventures of Delboy 