Jan
16
Written by:
David Press
1/16/2011 3:11 AM
With our journey in Czech Republic sadly over with, we ventured our way via overnight train (thankfully with a bed this time) into Poland. Krakow (pronounced Krakov) was our destination and having heard so much about the place from friends, we were pretty excited.
The city is one of central/eastern Europe's more beautiful cities, largely due to the fact it was largely untouched from the air raids of WW2. Unfortunately the Soviet Union thought it a great idea to industrialise the city in an attempt to remove the threats of uprisings, however that idea failed. The major downside being that the whopping big steel plant resulted in massive pollution and acid rain which wreaked havoc with the old buildings and health of the city's inhabitants. Thankfully that's all in the past and now Krakow is back to it's old brilliance and is on the up with much of the rest of Poland.
Krakow is infamous for a particular Nazi camp around 60km from the city. We've all heard of the atrocities that were carried out in Auschwitz and Birkenau (Birkenau is actually just part of Auschwitz which was actually three camps all in close proximity to each other), but you haven't really experienced it until you have seen and felt the sheer scale of the sites. I won't dwell on it too much but will say it is an absolute must if you are in the area and feel strongly about human rights and humanity in general.
There is much more to the city than it's horrid past and we did our best to experience it all. With the help of our hostel crew (Greg and Tom's are hands down the best hostels in the area) we experienced some of the night life Krakow has to offer. Our nights started with a free dinner, followed by too many free vodka's and culminating in a pub crawl that often ends at Kitsch Bar/Club, Krakow's premier gay, lesbian and fetish venue. We found this last detail out the day after our visit...it certainly explained the 10 guys dancing with each other on the podium. Not that it bothered any of us, it actually turned out to be one of the funnier nights out we've had.
A trip or two into Krakow's old town centre is an absolute must, especially around Xmas. Food, souvenir and hot wine stands fill the centre square and offer some of the tastiest culinary delights of our trip to date. Perogi is one of Poland's famous dishes and absolutely must be tasted...who'd have thought dumplings could be so tasty!
Shopping is another big positive for any visit to Poland, as not only do they have almost any store and brand you could desire, but also have their own currency and an emerging economy which ensures some bargains are to be had. I couldn't help myself, knowing we had a full ski season ahead of us, I decided to kit myself out in some new skis and the accessories required. My purchases have almost paid for themselves already in ski rental savings. It also made me smile when I saw my very own equipment a full 100% more expensive in Switzerland.
We managed a couple of trips into the Jewish Quarter, which is a hub for small bars and cafes and definitely worth spending a fair bit of time in. Of particular note is Schindler's factory which remains as a monument of one of history's greatest examples of a truly good deed. A visit to Krakow would be best served by watching Spielberg's portrayal of the Oscar Schindler story before visiting.
Having spent some time in Krakow, we were destined to return, but not before heading off to test our skiing abilities in the tatra mountains of Poland's south border. Zakopane was to be our destination and like Krakow, it turned out to be a sensational place to visit for a winter sojourn. I'll leave Zakopane for another time as it deserves its own short story. Till then, stay classy folks.