5/9 – Krakow city tour

Last day of the tour. How did that happen? These tours are just flying by so fast – it seems like we just got here and began scoping out everyone. LOL. Now we are definitely in our own little cliques and having a blast. Ah well, we won’t dwell on it until we leave tomorrow.

So, today. The city tour. Bus and walk. Sound familiar? On the drive, we pass some great murals – and the ever present Ukrainian support.

Then we are off the bus and start the tour in the Jewish Ghetto area with a quick walk around Szeroka square in the heart of the Ghetto. One of the remaining synagogues is located here, as well as the cool Jan Karski statue (he tried to stop the holocaust and was an emissary to many countries while still living in occupied Poland). Our local guide gives us the history – and as we actually stayed in this area on our first visit, we’re pretty much happy to just walk around and snap photos.

Circling the old town, we end up leaving the bus and walking through the lovely river side park behind the Wawel castle, which is our destination. On the way we pass the heartwarming (or breaking) Black Dog statue which memorializes a black mongrel dog named Dzok who sat at a roundabout for an entire year, waiting for his master to come get him. His master had died there of a heart attack, and Jock just waited. He was fed by the locals, and eventually accepted a new owner who took care of him until she died as well. It is a beautiful reminder – and depiction – of the bond between humans and animals.

Nearing the castle, we also pass by the Dragon of Wawel Hill. The legend goes that a fire breathing dragon was menacing the 13th Century town of Krakow. He was kept appeased with the offering of cows, until final one of the Princes killed the dragon by feeding it sulfur filled cows. The story goes that the dragon lived in a cave under Wawel Hill, thus the fire breathing statue placed here outside his “alleged” cave. And, fire breathing he is! We are actually lucky enough to see him shooting fire from his lungs.

Then it is onto the castle and the long climb up the steps to the top of the hill. This is one place we have not been, so we love exploring the walls and the gorgeous gardens in the center courtyard inside.

Once inside, we visit the Chapel and Cathedral, and wander through the interior courtyards of the royal residence. Then we stop at the little cafe Ieva has recommended for the famous Krakow cake (the name and type of which now totally escapes me) that Ieva and our tour guide say is the best here at the castle. Sharing our piece with Hans and Jane, and we do all agree it is pretty darn good! We get to finish it off as Jane is still snacking on her Obwarzanki from the hotel (Huge bonus! Our hotel has fresh Obwarzanki every day, for free, at reception! And they are far better than those rock hard ones from yesterday!)

Now it is time to head into the old town proper, exiting the Castle past the famous Tadeusz Kosciuszko Monument (a Polish and American hero of independence), walking past Saint Andrew’s Church, then the Baroque Church of St. Peter and St. Paul with all Saints statues sitting atop the stone fence, past the Holy Trinity church with its red brick gothic features and finally into the Rynek Glowny with the Cloth Hall, the Church of St. Wojciech and St. Mary’s Basilica.

Here we are released to our own devices, with Ieva making sure we know how to return to the hotel, and that dinner will be at 7pm. We’re good, mom, really! We’ve arrived at the square a little before noon, and as our favorite restaurant is not open yet, we decide to wait here for the St. Mary’s Trumpet call our guide has told us about. The Trumpeter plays a five note bugle call from the highest part of the St. Mary’s basilica tower, once facing each cardinal direction. The calls were allegedly used to signal the closing of the wall gates around Krakow in the 1300s. It is now a tradition, and is played every hour on the hour. As we wait, we bide our time watching the Ukrainian supports on the square who are performing various Ukrainian folk songs for the crowd.

Noon arrives and the bugler begins. You can hear him here in our videos where we try to figure out exactly where he is located. We never do really see him, but we hear him, for certain!

Ok. Enough fun and history. It is time for lunch. And we know exactly where we are going: Stodala, the restaurant we stumbled upon during our first visit 8 years ago, and that still remains our favorite in Poland – in our memories…and hopefully today as well. We are the first to arrive in the little basement restaurant, and the waitress assures us they are open – in very broken English. More like hand signs!

That’s ok, we’re quite happy. We sit in one of those cool booths underneath the loft area and just reminisce about the first time here, how we had Bigos for the first time and just fell in love. Fortunately? You can go home again! And the second time here is just as good as the first. Bigos again (of course), Pierogis (because, again, of course!), and Zurek for Ed. We are both in heaven.