My onward journey to Kraków was delayed due to a problem with Polski Bus that meant a later start and I must thank my friend Monika who gave me a lift to Katowice and ensured I caught the replacement bus - after a short ride I arrived in Kraków and ensconced at One world hostel which was a 15 minute walk from the bus station and after a short walk around the local area and a bowl of soup I decided to catch up on sleep and get a breakfast in the morning before a tour of the city.
A good nights sleep and a healthy inclusive breakfast saw me up and out with two other occupants of the hostel for the old town tour with the free city tour guide which meets in Krakow Square and the guide we had was great and made the 3 hour tour good fun.
After the tour of Kraków Old Town during which time we Vin ( Asia) Caroline (Sweden) and I met Oscar (U.S.A) and Emily (Australia) and after a Polish lunch we all decided to do the Jewish Ghetto Tour in the afternoon that took in the area where the Jews used to live before the war and where they have returned since the film Schindler List hit the big time and a lot of the tour was regarding Oskar Schindler.
Today after a late night I had a well deserved lay in and a late breakfast at 9.30 after which I went out to replace the iPhone lead that got broken last night and to have a wander around a different part of town and there are a few surprises in the part of town I visited, off the tourist routes
It never ceases to amaze me the way things happen when you are travelling - two days ago I met up with four other people in the hostel and we had a few laughs together and yesterday three of them go on a tour I had already done and when the guy sharing my room returns I heard him saying how he and his three friends (my ex-friends) had plans for their last night - so much for friends.
Left to my own devices I thought about a quiet beer in and an early night but any of you that know me, know that's not going to happen and so - first of all I went for a stroll back to the castle in fact Wawel Royal Castle and to have a better look round and take in what I thought might be a decent sunset (I will let you be the judge of that).
Afterwards I continued my stroll into the Jewish District and after a walk around was drawn to a really good Pierogy (dumplings) shop in Joseph street called Koko Rogarnia.
There I had my plate of dumplings cooked to perfection with a cup of Borche and all for about £2, next was a great bar ridiculous prices showing a local football match where I killed a half litre of the good stuff during the first half and then moved on to The Opium Lounge well recommended, roof terrace, internal garden, comfortable interior and the second half of the game in separate room.
My wanderings then took me to the Jewel in the crown, in a little back street is a Pub Jan which had people of all ages pouring out on to the street and the music coming from inside was great. The four piece band played some good music and the crowd were really pumped up and I stayed there quite a while chatting with the locals.
As it was getting late I decided to head back but to grab a Zapiekanki on the way. So for all you non Polish this is a half a French loaf covered in what you want from the list ( mine was cheese ham pineapple and sweet corn) heated up in an oven and served hot (8.5 zloty = £1.25). While waiting I gave up a seat to allow a really nice couple to sit together to eat their food at the table and after my meal was ready they had saved me a seat and asked me to join them.
It turned out they were married, Ahmad from Lebanon / Palestine and Dominika from Poland and after talking while we ate they invited me to come and have a drink with them. We went to a nearby bar which was a local haunt for actors and celebrities and it had a good atmosphere which resulted to Beer and vodka being shared and me getting back to my hostel at 3.30am in the morning.
What a great couple and I hope to meet up with them again some time and I think I should apologise for keeping them out as I didn't have to get up early this morning but Ahmad who has a masters degree and is working in a restaurant was due to be there at 7am Ouch.
Ok so thank heaven for Advil I have a mother this morning and gotta pack as today I will be leaving Kraków at 9pm and my next stop will be iBudapest in Hungary at 8am tomorrow and another adventure begins.
Last lunch and a recommendation from the walking tour map and it was excellent the meal was a spicy pork knuckle called Golonka in a really nice garden and staff were excellent
I hope you have enjoyed my short visit to Krakow and it helps you in your travels..
staff were excellent
