Farewell, Krakow
Today was our last in Krakow, much to our disappointment. We definitely want to return someday – it is truly wonderful. The day began with breakfast at the hostel, eating toast while watching BBC news on the television. The problems of the Mid East are of growing concern to both of us, and I worry where this latest series of bombings will lead.
We spent the day roaming Krakow with Mosbey. Our plan was to begin with the Old Town, however we were sidetracked along the way. Our first stop was St. Andrew’s Apostle Church, which was built in the 11th Century. During the Tartar invasions, it protected the townsfolk as Krakow burned around them. Since the 14th Century, it has been in the hands of the Poor Clares nuns. This was evident from the interior decoration of the church; instead of artwork dominated by male figures, women were prominent in all of the paintings and sculptures.
After walking a bit more, we reached the Old Town. We were excited to see the leaning tower of Krakow, which is actually the City Hall Tower. Purportedly, a strong wind blew it 55cm to one side in 1703. I would hate to be caught in a wind like that! We decided to walk up the stairs of the tower, though we didn’t expect them to be as steep and narrow as they were. However, I was disappointed with the view – I was hoping for a 360-degree panorama, but instead we were only able to look out three small windows.
We practically toppled down the stairs as we descended the tower. I had to hold onto the chains bolted to the wall to keep from falling. Our next stop was the Old Cloth Hall, Poland’s first shopping center, which was built during the 14th century. Housed in a beautiful building, the wares varied from Baltic amber jewelry to carved wooden chess sets. Needless to say, we got quite a bit of shopping done.
After spending lots of money, we walked across the square to St. Mary’s Basilica. The interior reminded me of the Matthias Church in Budapest – every square inch was painted with detailed patterns. We spent a little bit of time wandering around before leaving to find some lunch. Around the corner from the Basilica was a small café called Greenway, which served vegetarian food with an Indian twist. Our meal of curried vegetables, samosas, lentils, rice, and salad was fantastic.
Feeling full, we decided to walk to Wawel Castle to take another look inside the Cathedral. With more time to explore the interior, we were able to visit the Chapel of Bishop Gamrat, which is where it is said a Chakra is buried in the earth. Supposedly, the Chakra provides healing energy… I tried touching the chapel, but didn’t notice any difference in how I felt. We also climbed up the bell tower, making our way up the narrow staircase, passing enormous bells as we crawled through holes in the wooden structure.
Satisfied with our time spend in the Cathedral, we took a long walk to the other side of Krakow in search of the Crypts in the Franciscan Monastery. After walking for over half an hour, we reached our destination, only to find it closed. A grumpy man informed us that the crypts were only open from noon to 12:30 each day, which struck us as a small window of time. Tired from our long walk, we decided to get some cake and cappuccino at a local coffee shop.
We returned to the hostel around 5pm and spent a long time chatting with fellow travelers, including Ralf and John, the Australians who were on our trip to Auschwitz. After talking about everything from politics to illegal immigration, we realized we’d better get dinner before our train ride. We returned to the small café Kendra, Mosbey and I ate at last night, this time bringing Ralf, John, and two Italians they’d met. We had a lovely dinner, with a live jazz band setting a delightful mood. It’s been so wonderful to meet so many people during our travels, and fascinating to learn from them.
