Kraków & Tarnów

May 29th-June 1st, 2019

About 2 days prior to arriving in Kraków, we were contact by our Airbnb host that the two units we had planned to rent (one above the other) had been devastatingly flooded from their prior renter in the upper unit. Nothing like a little last min shuffle; but, fortunately we found another property within proximity of the area we wanted to be in and the host was helpful with our search. This meant as we got into town, we arrived just steps away from the Wawel Castle, where they have documented people living as early as fifty thousand years ago (Paleolithic Age)! While an art museum today, it was the former residence of kings and is regarded as one of the most historically/culturally important sites in Poland. After a small snack, we headed straight to the castle to take in the magnificent sights and found the outdoor castle grounds to be just as beautiful as the architecture. You could see the city well from the upper level and panoramic overlooks built within the castle layers – this city has a population of 767K over 126 square miles for perspective. As we made our way out of the castle, we found ourselves at the top of the oldest street (Kanonicza) in town, and decided to take that route to explore two beautiful churches – Church of St. Peter and St. Paul & St. Andrew’s Church (one of the best preserved example of Romanesque architecture in Poland). We enjoyed window shopping, musicians on the street and decided a stop into a local bakery was in order to pick up some goodies for later before all regrouping for dinner together. Old Town Restaurant Wine & Bar provided a great meal, in a traditional setting. I discovered how refreshing beet root soup (Barszcs Ukrainian) could be, and had a great lamb chop dinner while Bryan got adventurous and dove into a pork knuckle (seems to be accredited as having one of the best in town). We enjoyed the comfortable walk “home” for the night, and really admire the European parks in each city we’ve visited. It’s really amazing to see how Europeans cherish the outdoor spaces and how a walk through the nicely tailored parks can really clear your head. 

 

The next morning we arose and headed to the train station where we grabbed a quick breakfast at Costa Coffee (Bryan was thrilled to get a GIANT coffee AKA bowl of coffee, complete with a double-handled coffee mug). My brother kindly helped us navigate the rail system, so we could secure tickets to my grandfather’s (Kirk) hometown, Tarnów. When booking our trip, we discovered this was just ~1HR train ride from Karków, and were stoked to learn more about this city in person. Unfortunately, we knew a rainy day was in store; but, we prepared accordingly and the rain really didn’t disrupt our fun. It was also extra cool that Walter’s very first train ride was to his great-grandfather’s home town! He really enjoyed everything about his Polish roots! As we got off the train, it was clear this was a much smaller city (107K population over ~28 square miles). We crossed a small park where we actually spotted two trees growing sideways (insert Polish joke here) and immediately spotted a huge gothic style church ahead that we enjoyed walking through as the rain also slowed down. Beautiful stained glass, including a colorful archway on a side corridor just outside the church. As we worked toward the city center, we decided to pause for a quick refreshment at a modern café, Kawiarnia Sofa. I had an amazing rose infused lemonade (I would have given the pink (beet root) latte a try if I hadn’t already had my caffeine fix for the day) and we shared a morning bread plate with fresh preserves. This was a nice stopping point to let the rain dwindle down to be a little lighter yet before making our way to another beautiful church (check out the mural found just outside the church, as well) and Town Hall. Within the Town Hall Museum we were so kindly welcomed, and Kinga spoke beautiful English and provided a private tour for us – allowing us to try on some of the ancient artifacts from the 17th-19th Century. Very interesting to learn about the city’s history and evolutions that ultimately adopted a full-blown warrior philosophy endorsing horseback riding (check out the photos, my ancestors were essentially bad ass horseman) after it’s original foundation of values based on pacifism. They dressed in heavy armor, one of which resembled cupid’s wings and hearts cut out in the detail of the helmet, to enhance their size while on horseback, and intimidate their opponents. Our tour covered the cities evolution, adoption of fighting by gun and other weaponry, various glass, porcelain, silver, and the most extensive collection of 18th century Sarmatian portraits in the country. To conclude our tour, we walked to the top of the clock tower for a great view of the city and close up view of the branded bell. After this fun adventure, we decided it was time for a more formal meal and struck gold we walked into a small, nearby restaurant, Pyza . As we entered the aroma was pleasant and the tables were full between a group of construction workers and the entire secondary room full of school age children. Most notable, a kind elderly woman stood behind the casual kitchen counter with a fresh ball of dough at her fingertips. I felt like we had just walked into the kitchen of one of our family members. The employees spoke very limited English, but quickly welcomed us and cleared the table from the workers who had just finished their lunch. While the language barrier created some extra laughs, we tried their selections of soup, ordered an array of pierogis (Russian, meat, kraut, blueberry) to sample, and a few meat dishes. The employees thought we were odd ordering this much food at 2PM, but we decided this was THE place to have a big meal for the day. The kitchen quickly got busy, and we were very pleased we stopped in for this meal before winding down our day in Tarnów. After an express train ride back to Kraków, we decided to relax at Market Square and enjoyed some drinks (my warm, mulled wine was the perfect treat to sip on outside on this overcast evening) and dessert (apple cobbler and Polish cheesecake – made using ricotta cheese) before an evening visit to the Warwel Castle’s fire breathing dragon. As we gathered around the statue, it was fun hearing about the legend of this famous dragon in Polish mythology through a young boy who eagerly awaited the fire alongside of us. What a fun sight, and a really creative piece of functioning art!  On our walk back to the rental property we stopped at a local grocery to pick up a few items for Walter, and were excited to also locate two of our favorite vodkas from our tour earlier in the week behind the checkout counter. Nice surprise to add to our collection of souvenirs from this trip! 

 

To start our final day in the city, we walked toMo-ja Café & Bistro for breakfast and had another fabulous meal. I can’t consume enough cappuccino or lattes when abroad 🙂 From here, we had a nice morning wondering through a marketplace just off the main square (I also think I could live off street food in all these cities with amazing vendors). My sister-in-law and I had fun trying on HUGE fur hats, Walter was excited to welcome a little blue Karków Dragon to his collection, and I event spotted “Brittany Soup” being served from one of the vendors! As we made our way into Market Square, we were spotted the trumpeter in the tower of St. Mary’semerge for his hourly bugle call one again! Found this  melody to be quite catchy and the precision of his routine to be fascinating (he plays towards the west, east, south and north) – this was originated to announce the opening and closing of the city gates. We decided to stroll through the beautifully architected shopping hall at the middle of the square (Cloth Hall) that has a unique history – previously restaurant, and home of the National Museum (interrupted for ~5 years during World War II). Bryan was excited to find several vendors in this area selling hand painted eggs that sparked a childhood memory, and enjoyed picking out our own collection for future Easter décor. As we came to the end of the elaborate building, we spotted several outdoor activities set up on the other side of the square (tether ball, tables lined with chessboards, a small fútbol field, etc.). As we passed by a group blowing HUGE bubbles, Walter immediately got excited when we spotted a soccer ball being kicked around, so we immediately had to inquire about letting him get in on the action. The volunteers graciously welcomed him, as we learned this was an event set up for people with disabilities (almost similar to a special Olympics event). In particular, Walter entered into a fútbol field for the blind. We were enlightened by this experience – and, truly appreciate the shared insights and perspective shared. The field was actually comprised of various textures to help identify what part of the field you were on at any given time, and the ball included a rattle to help locate outside of touch. The volunteers kindly expressed they had just as much fun as Walter had with him stopping by for his first kicks of a fútbol. From here, we took a pause for a casual lunch on the square and soaked in the GORGOUS weather (best day of weather of all our travel days together) – blue skies, lovely architecture all around, creating the perfect “final Friday” ambience for last day vacationing all together. I opted for a Greek salad after so many days of carbs, and to save room for a nice dinner together (plus, to be able to indulge in some afternoon gelato) and have to note how much more I enjoyed the Feta cheese sourced abroad. From here, we toured through the stunning St. Mary’s and the interesting Rynek Underground Museum.  We learned about the history of the city’s central location largely contributing to it’s growth as a major trading region, and found the restoration of the city’s original layers for more insight on life in early Kraków (including record of brain surgery from ~700+ years ago). To wind down out amazing adventure all together (part of the group was moving on to Budapest, and some heading home), we decided to explore the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz) and had a wonderful meal on the patio at Szara, near to the Remuh Cemetery, the resting site of many notable Polish Jews (we heard from a tour group passing by that several tombstones had been removed here during the expansion of the city’s roadways during the holocaust; but, was able to be salvaged). Truly a somber period of history, but interesting to learn more and see the preservation of some of these significant artifacts or memorial sights. As we sat down to dinner Walter found the smaller drink menu and instantly assumed it was his own personal sized menu which brought a smile to all our faces. My salmon was excellent (Walt enjoyed chowing down on my asparagus), and my mind is still blown by our extraordinary meringue dessert! Fresh raspberries surrounded with meringue, covered in chocolate. The presentation was completed with a warm dish of toffee, poured over the sophisticated perfect circle of chocolate causing it to explode open – making it perfectly welcoming to dive right into this delicious treat (yea, I’m not normally that excited about sweets…but, woah!). It reminded me of the rectangular, hard raspberry chocolates often found in an assorted box of chocolates (on a much tastier, grander scale).  After some final downtime together, we walked the neighborhood (which includes the Old Synagogue, Heroes Square, Schindler’s Factory & filming sights from Schindler’s list, etc.). We never had the right time to indulge in a Pączki, so on our walk back Bryan decided to grab one to have for our early morning departure – and it didn’t disappoint (he took the recommendation from the bakery to try to the “vodka” one; but, we’re lucky that in Cleveland around Fat Tuesday to have access to equally delicious Pączki from Spudnuts and Becker’s Donuts. 

While a cool city, Kraków was enjoyable and created many new memories for our family…however, it was simply not my favorite explored thus far. Perhaps some more time off the beaten path could sway my perspective from our short time here.