The part that is so fun about reminiscing about my first trip abroad so that I can add the stories to my blog is going back to my travel journal and seeing how 15 year old me wrote. I thought I had personality in my writing now, but young teenage me was something else. For instance about our first stop in Krakow I wrote, “Our first stop was an old Jewish town. I don’t remember much because I was really tired and not really paying attention.” What the heck teenage Emma. That is not very helpful, so I will try my best to write about Krakow with the limited content teenage me wrote. I really wish I could go back and tell myself to pay attention to and write about everything. This is the only way you will remember the details of a trip 10 years later. I am really mad at myself for getting out of that habit while studying abroad in Ireland, but I will always keep a journal from now on! Anyway, here is Krakow, Poland!
While not the capital of the country, Krakow is the second larget and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Our trip to Eastern Europe was heavily focused on World War II and the holocaust. In between Prague and Krakow we stopped at Auschwitz (which I am still trying to figure out how to write about.) Krakow had a significant Jewish population and was the location of a major Jewish ghetto during the holocaust. It is also where the factory from Schindler’s List is located. Because of this Krakow is very significant. There i more to Krakow than just its tough history. It is a beautiful medieval city with kind people and great food. Here is what we did with our day in Krakow.
While we had arrived the night before, we didn’t get to see the city. Our stop at Auschwitz meant that we wouldn’t be having dinner in Krakow, but that is ok. You only really need a day in Krakow. Our hotel here was one of the smallest on the whole trip and the breakfast was a bit limited. Luckily we were able to sleep in a little bit that day, because the trip was really starting to catch up with me. It is exhausting being on the go all the time. We left the hotel at 8:45 am and began at our tour of the city. And yes this is when we went to the Jewish quarter and I was being an overdramatic teenager. In the Jewish quarter we saw the empty chairs memorial. This is a memorial in Jewish Heroes Square to all those that suffered and died in the Jewish ghetto. There are many interpretations of what the chairs mean. To some it resembles that way human lives were disregarded like old furniture. For some the emptiness signifies the empty Jewish population. Either way it is a powerful message.
From here we left the Jewish Ghetto and found our way to the Wawel Castle and Cathedral. First we went into the cathedral and got about 25 minutes to enjoy its beauty. It didn’t feel like an ordinary church though. There were the tombs of saints and other significant figures and we learned all about St. Queen Jadwiga. She was crowned King of Poland 1384, because he father never had a male heir. And yes I mean King, because they used that title so no husband could take the title and birthright away from her. She also had a passion for education and theology, which her dedication to them both led to her canonization as a saint. I thought she was so cool!
Then with our group we made out way to the castle. This was one of my favorite castles on the trip (Budapest may have been the only to beat it.) It makes sense, the architect was Italian and I love Italian architecture. We didn’t actually get to go inside the castle. The exterior was really cool though! I loved the big walls and the tower, but I think what made it so special was the gardens. All the green space made it feel so fairytale like.
As a group we walked over to the Market Square to see St. Mary’s Church. We got to explore more of the smaller streets of Krakow and enjoy the Eastern European architecture. I loved the old buildings in all the places we visited. We made it to the church just in time for the special moment that happens once a day when the doors at the altar open to show a beautiful sculpture.
Then we walked outside to see the bells ring at noon and the trumpet player give us a little tune and a wave. The rest of the afternoon we got to do as we pleased, since we had free time until dinner. We wanted to visit Schindler’s factory, so we headed in that direction and hoped that we would find a lunch spot around there.
We wanted to sit on the patio of a cafe in the typical European way, so we were happy when we found a cute place. I got a smoothie with banana, mango, yogurt, and green tea.
It was good and so was the wrap I had with avocado, eggs, sweet potatoes, lettuce, and oranges. It wasn’t exactly a traditional Polish meal, but it was healthy and refreshing. My mom and grandma also got a cold cucumber soup that looked good too. Right across the street from the cafe was a geography store. Now this was when I was in my geography prime and played all those map games online, so I needed to go. My youngest brother also liked geography so I bought him a postcard with a map and that’s how I learned how to ask whether you can pay with card. A lot of Eastern Europe is cash based, so I asked just how I would in Minnesota, “Do you take card?” The man looked at me so confused until I figured out that you say, “Can I pay with card?” I have never made that mistake since. It’s funny how some of these things stick with you. I have always been a bit shy so this interaction felt like the end of the world to me, but now 8 years later, I have had more awkward interaction abroad that make this one seem like nothing.
Then we went to the factory where we ran into others in our group. We were a little lost and confused so it is good we found them. It is not what I had expected it to be. It was not a factory. I mean it was 80 years ago, but now it is a museum and you hardly would have been able to tell what it once was if it wasn’t for the exhibit explaining it. We had an hour inside and then we were on our way back to the main square. We hitched a ride on one of the those carts touring around the city. It was fun! We decided to check out the market of market square. It was the hall in the center of the square and it was huge!
It was full of the little shops of local artisans. We got my other brother a chess set and I bought myself an amber necklace if that gives you some kind of idea of the stuff that was for sale. I loved that necklace. It was a heart with an amber stone in the middle. Poland is the amber capital of the world, so I thought it made a great souvenir. It was the start of my buying jewelry abroad (jade necklace in Thailand, Claddagh ring in Ireland, pearl necklace in Mallorca, etc.) I haven’t worn that necklace in years though, because one day the amber gem just fell out and disappeared. I couldn’t find it anywhere and I tried to replace it but the gem was too small and super glue looks really ugly. It’s very sad.
We still had a bit of time before dinner so we got some pretzels to share and enjoyed a cold Pepsi (at least I hope I am reading that right because I don’t drink pop and I can not remember the last time I had a Pepsi.) Then we headed to our traditional Polish dinner. I was so excited! This dinner changed my life. I am now a huge fan of Polish and Eastern European food and can’t imagine a time when I didn’t eat this, but there was, so thank goodness for this night. We had a delicious carrot and rice soup to start. I have since made similar soups. Then we had pierogis. I love pierogis! We had eight total; two sauerkraut, two cheese, two pork, and two beef that I gave away because I am not a beef eater.
For dessert we had a fried apple pancake covered in powdered sugar. This was literally the best meal of my life. After dinner we had more freetime, so we decided to do some shopping. There was a nice lotion store that I wanted to go to, but it was closed. Then we were going to check out an amber store we saw earlier, but couldn’t find it again. We also wanted to go inside the little church in the middle of another square, but it was also closed, so we ended up just spending the evening going for a stroll and exploring the city some more. There was a cute homemade cosmetic store we came across and I really liked some of the lotion there. I thought it would make a nice souvenir, because smell always transports you back places, but it was kind of expensive, so I opted not to. On our walk we came across another church that was open and we spent a little time in there, but I have no idea what the name was. It was a bit smaller than the cathedrals and much more peaceful. Our last stop before we had to be back to the bus to be brought back to the hotel was at a chocolate shop. We had some yummy truffles and hung out here the rest of the time.
Krakow was kind of my forgotten stop on this trip. I was really excited about going to Germany, and I thought Prague and Budapest were beautiful with all their grandeur. Krakow was a more simple beautiful. I wish I didn’t treat it as a fill in day, because it is such an interesting and significant place. I hope someday I have the chance to go back to Poland as an adult, because it would be a completely different experience. Everywhere in Eastern Europe has so much history and a complex one at that. I don’t think I really appreciated that at 15, but now I know that I have so much to learn and experience, especially in Poland.
I am slowly but surely adding in the stops from my first trip abroad. It is a great to reflect back on this trip and how far I have come. Stay tuned to read about Auschwitz and Berlin. If you haven’t already check out my posts about our stops in Prague and Budapest on this trip!
The Journal of Wanderlust 