Krakow

Krakow is the second largest city in Poland, and is in the southern half of the country.  It is the country’s second most populace city, and was its capital until the mid 16th century.  Today, it is best known for its beautiful old town (a UNESCO world heritage site), its vibrant Jewish quarter (full of restaurants, bars, and cafes), and its proximity to the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.

I began my trip in Krakow with some food and some relaxing in the hostel.  I made some amazing friends (one of whom is French, speaks four languages fluently, and worked as an aid at the Obama White House) and ate Perogi.

The next day, I teamed up with roommate Ben to take a walk around the city.  We walked past many of the Old Town’s prettiest buildings, and toured the city’s castle.  We then went to a hummus restaurant for lunch and a trendy bar in the Jewish Quarter for a mid-day beer.

Afterwards, we joined up with hostel-mates Ming and Adam for a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.  These mines once produced one of Poland’s main products: rock salt.  Cavernous chambers were built during the mine’s use, including a beautiful Catholic Church.  Since then, the mine ceased to be used as a mining business, but is now available for tours.

After the mine, we went out for dinner and then Ben, Adam, and I went to a craft beer bar to try some local brews.  I had an excellent Gosé (a type of sour beer), but it was unfortunately the only one I’d have that evening, as the bar closed at 10pm.  Rather than move on to other nightlife, we took this as a sign and went back to the hostel.

After bidding Adam farewell the next morning, Ben and I went out for brunch in the old town.  Feeling like a splurge, we accompanied our meal with wine.  This trend continued into a bar after lunch, and culminated with us joining a free walking tour for a few minutes before deciding it was too boring.  Rather than slog onward, we went off to get more drinks.  We stopped at a fancy vodka bar to try various exotic vodkas, including an earl grey flavor that was quite delicious.

After some resting time back at the hostel, we met up with Ming for dinner.  We decided to try a highly rated sushi spot, which did not disappoint.  We enjoyed a 7 course tasting menu before stopping in the main square of the Jewish quarter for ice cream.

The next morning I took a bus out to Auschwitz.  This was heartbreaking, as one might expect.  While I’d been to a holocaust museum before, a museum cannot convey the size of Birkenau (the main death camp of the camps at Auschwitz), which provides a view of the magnitude of the horror that was the holocaust.  Also, my father let me know that our family was from a part of Poland (then Germany) called Wroclaw (then Breslau).  The Jews from this area would have been moved to and murdered at Auschwitz.  

After visiting the camp, I went back to the hostel to grab my backpack.  I then went out for dinner with another traveler before boarding my overnight bus.

Next stop, Budapest!