Beautiful Kraków

After a good night’s sleep, we had breakfast in our very nice flat before the 10 minute walk to the middle of Old Town Kraków. It was a beautiful morning (leading to a beautiful day) and we met our free tour guide at St. Mary’s Basilica. We joined a group of about 20 and were led around Old Town by a local. We learned about Kraków’s history and enjoyed walking around its streets. We ended at the Wawel Castle and then left via the Dragon’s Den, an underground cave right underneath the castle to find the flame throwing dragon statue at the end. Legend has that a dragon used to haunt the castle but was outsmarted and killed by a shoemaker after all the knights failed. Dragons are sold everywhere in Kraków and, as the former capital, are an important part of Poland’s folklore. After some pics with the dragon and Vistula River, we found some shade before planning our lunch at a milk bar. Unfortunately, we picked a popular one that had a very long line when we arrived so picked a polish place recommended by our guide and had a delicious lunch of soups and kielbasa. We made our way back to the historical large market by the basilica and did some window shopping. We then got tickets to go inside the Basilica. Very colorful inside, it was unique compared to the many churches we have visited. We also enjoyed sitting down and taking a break after a full day. From the basilica, we decided to take the metro to Krakus Mound. The legendary burial place of mythical King Krakus (that founded Krakow), it was essentially a giant hill 6km outside of old town that overlooked the entire city. It was a beautiful view and we were surprised to see that over a 100 people joined us as sunset approached. As the day wore down, Jocelyn found a nearby pizza place (though it was in quite a sketchy area next to the train tracks) and we made our way home for a delicious dinner while watching Clarkson’s Farm on Prime Video (an absolute favorite of the kids). A full and beautiful day in a beautiful city. Tomorrow will be a little more somber.Baca lagi