When in Krakow

I debated with myself whether I should still post photos from our trip to Krakow since it took place awhile back. But I thought that as it was a great trip it was well worth sharing them.

I didn't know much about Krakow before the trip. What I found was a city extremely rich in culture and a beautifully preserved city center. Fortunately for Krakow, it escaped destruction during WWII and all its historic buildings are in their original state. The citizens are justifiably proud of their city.

For centuries, Krakow was the capital of Poland. Nowadays, it is no longer the administrative capital but it maintains its rich cultural tradition. From our hotel window, we could catch a glimpse of Wawel or the royal hill so that's where I started my visit. From its vantage point, one gets a good glimpse of the peaceful flow of the Vistula river. Of the Castle itself, the public is allowed access only to the State Rooms, the Royal Armory and a part of the Royal Apartments. It was impressive to note the number of beautiful Flemish tapestries that decorated their halls. According to the guide, they have a collection of over 300 tapestries, of which only 25 can be shown at a time. The entire collection is shown only every ten years. It must be quite an impressive sight.

After exploring the castle hill, I realized that the tiny street leading away from the hill leads directly towards the Main Square. It is supposed to be one of the, if not the biggest Main Square in Europe. And it is indeed enormous. It is a lively and bustling place with street performers, a number of flower vendors, and an even greater number of cafes where you can order a coffee and watch the world go by. The two oldest structures in the square are St. Mary's Church with its two spires and the Sukiennice or Cloth Hall.

Legend says that the spires of the St. Mary are unequal because of two brothers feud. The brother who built the taller spire was killed by his younger brother who built the lower spire. That's the story but as my guidebook dryly points out, the real reason probably has more to do with a lack of funds to complete both spires. Whatever the reason, it is now one of Krakow's main landmarks.

The Sukiennice on the other hand was always the site of commerce. As its name implies, it was the center for the cloth trade for a very long time. It now houses a part of the National Museum's collection. Unfortunately this part of the Cloth House is currently closed for renovations so I couldn't see the collection. Fortunately for me, a number of stalls selling all manner of souvenir items and amber jewelry were open and I these stalls I happily perused.

I loved the little church of St. Adalbert. It was the site of important archaelogical discoveries and it has a quiet and peaceful atmosphere, which was a welcome respite to the Main Square's hustle and bustle. It reminded me a little of Paris' St. Julien Le Pauvre.

Of the many museums, I loved the Collegium Maius. It is part of Poland's oldest university and houses a magnificent collection of science and astronomy instruments. Their two most famous students were Copernicus and Pope John Paul II. But lest you think there are only academic and science related instruments here, they also have in their collection, an Oscar Award, an Olympic gold medal and the Pulitzer Prize from Polish winners who've donated their awards to the museum. As I may never win any of these awards, seeing them at the Museum is probably the closest I'll ever get to them!

See here is an ancient reading table from the library. You could borrow a number of them and rotate and read as you wish..
All this history and culture is fine and great but I wanted to experience some local color too. And what better way than the Sunday market? Yep, the Queen of Markets strikes again. Literally on our last day, I dragged everyone out to the Sunday market to check things out. Aside from comestibles, the market also had (Eastern European style antiques, second hand DVDs and books, cheap clothing and cheap make-up (go figure).

I scored a great antique bronze mirror from the man selling all sorts of bits and pieces made of metal. Funny, he knew all about the Philippines!
A porcelain collection...
And some great vintage luggage...

P.S. When they say that John Paul II is revered in his homeland, they're not kidding. He is "immortalized" in this building where he used to stay during his visits...