Rollin' On The River... Poland: Krakow's Vistula!
Witamy! That's 'Welcome' in Polish. I'm a sucker for a short break, so back in February of 2010 it was time to fly east to Krakow, Poland. I would like to say that Poland has a family connection so I wanted to get closer to this notion. I loved Krakow because this city served realness, no false pretences about this Polish hot-spot! Nalej mi kieliszek Wiśniówka teraz! I'd go back to Poland!
I was ready for Poland! The weather in February was bone-chillingly cold, that added to the overall experience. Captured to the right is Grodzka, a beautiful and historical area of Krakow's city centre. I stayed in Grodzka Apartments for three three days and two nights, check this accommodation out! Anyway, if you look closely at the photo to the left you can see 'St.Mary's Basilica'. I was blown away by the stillness of the cathedral, it was sobering! Now if you would like a brief history lesson the basilica was used in movie epic 'Schindler's List'. Krakow's Grodzka quarter didn't serve 21st century Realness, I appreciated the rich architecture that spoke louder than words! Mixed with the historical buildings, it was fascinating to see the soviet style concrete vibe, I was getting all up into that Polish city experience! As the E.U has widened the Polish contingent in the UK, we had to see what the fuss was about!
Krakow's main square stood triumphant before us, exuding a bold statement with its grand buildings and vast array of outdoor restaurants and bars. Tell me Krakow, what else can I do and see? Mixing things up we thought it would be good idea to walk into a part of the city that we didn't know to find the factory of Oscar Schindler. It was great to do some exploring away from Grodzka. We were on the lookout for Oscar Schindler's former factory, my mum had read that the former factory had been transformed into a museum. Oscar Schindler saved many Jews with his subtle yet cunning skills during the Nazi German occupation. Unfortunately, the museum hadn't been completed but it was interesting to see it from the outside nonetheless. We were able to walk back through some parts of the city that we hadn't planned to. We had accomplished something worthwhile since our Ryanair flight touched down from East Midlands Airport. Auschwitz was the reason for our visit! Yes, PL!
Krakow's main square stood triumphant before us, exuding a bold statement with its grand buildings and vast array of outdoor restaurants and bars. Tell me Krakow, what else can I do and see? Mixing things up we thought it would be good idea to walk into a part of the city that we didn't know to find the factory of Oscar Schindler. It was great to do some exploring away from Grodzka. We were on the lookout for Oscar Schindler's former factory, my mum had read that the former factory had been transformed into a museum. Oscar Schindler saved many Jews with his subtle yet cunning skills during the Nazi German occupation. Unfortunately, the museum hadn't been completed but it was interesting to see it from the outside nonetheless. We were able to walk back through some parts of the city that we hadn't planned to. We had accomplished something worthwhile since our Ryanair flight touched down from East Midlands Airport. Auschwitz was the reason for our visit! Yes, PL!
From the 'Wawel Royal Castle' and 'St.Mary's Basilica' this Polish powerhouse has the future covered! Poland is no longer a communist country, throughout my short time spent in Krakow, Poland I saw a lot of new developments that sat alongside a barrage of concrete avenues. The weather made everything look much more wintry, the snow tucked Krakow in each night with its white blanket but it looked so good! Casting my mind back to our arrival into Krakow's John Paul II International Airport it would have been a near impossibility for any UK airport to handle the adverse weather conditions that faced our approaching Ryanair flight. Krakow was cool in many respects but I was all about the Wiśniówka! I loved that Cherry Vodka, taking a few shots was just enough for me because that sauce was lethal! Polish lager is so much stronger than the stuff I can buy in the United Kingdom, was I complaining? No! Daj mi więcej Wiśniówka i Piwo! Sorry Goulash, I really wanted some KFC!
The 'Galeria Krakowska' is located a few steps from Krakow railway station, so I know for next time I could take the train to somewhere else in Poland. But my weekend in Krakow wasn't all department stores and castles because this trip took a thought-provoking avenue. We traded the historic and charming streets of Krakow's showcase city centre for a more sobering outing to the nearby town of Oświęcim so we could visit the former Auschwitz Concentration Camp that was used to exterminate the Jewish population under Adolf Hitlers Nazi rule. After speaking to family members I'm sure that my distant paternal relatives suffered at the hand of the Death Camps. I tell you from my heart that returning to Krakow was a relief because when you visit such a place like Auschwitz, it touches you in the most raw way. Poland is a country that's rising, I'm looking to revisit this city and I definitely want to see more of this post-communist county! Polska jest głównym! Chodźmy!
Dzięki Kraków!
Joseph Harrison
Awesome post! Poland looks so nice!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
MagicandBliss | https://magicandbliss.com/
Thank you very much!
DeletePoland looked lovely!
Joseph X
The whole time I was reading, I was thinking about how one can have the strength to travel to locations so emotionally charged, but your conclusion answered that for me💕 It touches you in the most raw way🥺
ReplyDeleteKrakow was all about Auschwitz-Birkenau... I was deeply moved and disturbed by the trip because I had been told as a child that my great grandparents had made a journey to the UK. Changed their names and even my grandpa had to be confirmed as catholic in prep school ... humanity is fucked!
DeleteJoseph