Apart from few churches, we have seen everything in Krakow that we wanted to see. And yet, we got a full day to spend here. That is because we first thought of going to Chestochowa, but finally didn't do so. Luckily, the weather is on our side today, so we can just stroll around a bit and enjoy our last day here.

We start with a walk past the three churches we still wanted to see: the Dominican church, the Saint Franciscan basilica and the Saint Peter and Paul church. Looking back to it now, these were at once the three most beautiful churches I've visited in Krakow.

After that we start to feel hungry. In the Dominikanska street we find a very nice bakery shop with an amazing offer of cakes, pastry and desserts. It takes us ages to choose. In the end, we all pick something and then share, so we can all have a taste of each three cakes. Just how lovely they were!

Then we get back to the Rynek Glowny, only to sit at a terrace and watch people pass by for the rest of the afternoon. But because of the weather has cleared up this is a nice waste of time. There are all kinds of stands at the square today that weren't there before. Most of them sell food :D My parents have something from the BBQ but me, I have some sort of cookie shaped in all kinds of objects. I pick a little house, but not because I want to go home :) It was just so cute!

In the evening, there is a concert going on. I loved it, classical music but it reminds me at the songs we used to sing with the choir in highschool. Those old days... Just such a perfect ending of our stay in Krakow!

This church was the first Baroque and Jesuit church in Krakow and the architecture is based on the Gesu church in Rome. The founder of this building was Piotr Skarga. He has a monument opposite to the church and is also buried inside. Most famous are the statues of the 12 apostles in front of the facade, which is equally impressive.

In my opinion, the Franciscan basilica (or (Bazylika Św. Franciszka) is the most beautiful church in Krakow. I have never seen anything like this place. Same as the Maria basilica, the walls here are amazingly painted with colorful motives. Yet here the drawings look different: more flashy, intense and especially more hippy-like. They are not at all what you'd expect in a church. The atmosphere is quiet and most of all dark. There is very little light inside of the building, which is just perfect to admire the masterpieces of glass-windows. These are, just as the walls, created with extremely intense colors, and fully in Art Nouveau style. That happens to be my favorite design type, so I've been sitting here for a very long time just gazing up to the windows. Truly beautiful! They say this 13th century church has burned down several times, but was rebuild again and again. It became the first brick stone building in the city and is famous for it's decorations. Both walls and windows were designed by the same Polish artist. This is an absolute must-see in Krakow!

The Dominican church is a very beautiful, and rather big one, just a small stroll away from the Rynek Glowny. Seen from the outside it doesn't look very special, although the facade is a bit extraordinary shaped. Yet the inside is very spacious and light, with rather modern paintings, a small dome and a marvelous chapel. This Maria chapel is probably what the church is most famous for, and she has well deserved her fame. The place was so peaceful and quite I didn't even dared to take pictures here. I wasn't sure it's allowed. The whole interior of the chapel is amazingly decorated with wonderful colors, paintings and statues. I do think this is a must-see when in Krakow.

i czas na kawe

Wow I so loved this restaurant. I must say, I wish there was a place like this in my hometown. By far the best Italian restaurant I've ever been too, with more on it's menu than just the regular pasta/pizza dishes. My father never touches any pizza nor pasta but even he found it hard to choose from the list. So you don't have to be a fan of Italian food to find something lovely here. The interior of this restaurant is beautifully decorated. Very cozy and homelike. If you can choose a place downstairs, it is much more peaceful there and it is a no smoking zone. The staff is amazingly friendly. Very warm and helpful, and most of them speak English. The menu has been translated to English as well, which comes in very handy. I twice ate pizza here, both times delicious. Very refined and just perfect taste, perfect combinations, exquisite. You'd think "a pizza is a pizza", but not so. Here the pizza's are the bomb. My father had lamb, which he said was equally great. Same for the wine. Especially the red wine was very good. We just had the house wine, called Salento Rosso, costing 75 PLN for a liter. To end we choose a dessert. I can still smile when thinking of it. I've never had such perfect panna cotta in my life. No words to describe it. You should know, panna cotta is my favorite dessert ever. Give me a whole table full of desserts and ask me to choose just one, there is no doubt. If there is panna cotta on it, I will most certainly go for that (if not, I'll pick the cheesecake :p). So I have tasted a lot of panna cotta in my life and I tell you, this is the real one! I think even in Italy, they don't make it any better than this. Prises were fine. Not as cheap as the more common restaurants, but still much cheaper than in Belgium anyway. And seeing the quality and the service, you really don't pay too much for what you get here. To give an impression: Huge pizza con funghi was 26 PLN (small one 21 PLN) Coca Cola is 5,50 PLN My dads lamb cost 26 PLN My lovely panna cotta 13 PLN Oh and try the antipasto Toscana too, just great! Costs 36 PLN for a two persons dish (I know I'm a freak to keep all this little bills). So here I am, writing the most praising review about an Italian restaurant in Poland. I know it is not national typical cuisine, I'm sorry... It was just SO good :D

My very first, inital reasons to visit Poland and Krakow in particular were to experience Auschwitz as it stands today.  For reasons unknown, the Holocaust is a part of history that I have always been intrigued and moved by, hence my expression of intrest to the most notorious of all Nazi deathcamps.  Of course any keen traveller will rejoice in the excuss to research a inpending foreign destination; I for one love nothing more than spending hours on the internet looking at blogs, photos, videos and any other random documentation of a place I can find.   This was when the love affair with Krakow began. 

I had never even contemplated the city as a popular tourist destination, nor any of the historic beauty that is portrayed in abundance.  I had no knowledge of The Rynek Glowny Square; one of the largest and oldest squares in all of Europe, nor the Wawel Castle thats sits proudly on the Vistula River. 

Dispite my avid researching, I was still somewhat confused by what to expect of Poland, and was figiting in my seat for the entire duration of the flight over.  Once me and my sister had arrived at the airport we hauled down a taxi (after an obligitory fag break) and set off for Kurniki Street to locate our buget accomodation at the Maly-Krakow Apartments.    The first thing I noticed was how Poland simply wasn't what I was expecting, not in a bad way though....I was just surprised to find a kind of landscape subtley different to anything I'd seen before in Europe.   The drive into town took us past industrial area's and places that seemed sad and perhaps some-what poverty stricken (at least compared to the rich parts of Spain and Norway I had seen before) but gradually as the city centre grew closer, the shabby buildings evolved into a very unique architectural style.....  at this point i'm hanging my head out the taxi window like a bloody dog; trying to not miss anything potentially important! 

Now, I had always thought that Amsterdam was possibily the craziest place on the planet -  traffic wise, but krakow sure gives The Dam a run for its money! To say I was a bit distrubed by the erratic driving from the taxi man is a bit of an understatement;  not only do they have lanes for cars, but there is also a tram system running through the city as well as numerous cyclists, all of which seem to merge together seamlessly....magically not hitting one another nor the daring pedestrains.  Anyway, after surviving the short drive we arrived on Kurniki street; I had already noticed the large Kebab shop opposite our hotel, and more importantly as we stepped out the car I was shocked to see perhaps only 50 metres away, an enormous shopping mall - Galleria Krakowska.  Ironically this presinct had opened only a couple of days before our arrival, but as you can imagine it was another fantastic added bonus for me,  and especially my sister (who has with-drawal symptoms every time she doesnt part with her money for more than a few hours!). 

The hotel itself was extremly basic, but perfectly formed and the staff in particular were of out-standingly helpful, friendly and well spoken - something I soon realised was quite the ordinary for Polish people. 

Just round the corner to our hotel was The Barbican, an eye catching building which has stood for some 500 years - certainly worth a look!  Directly behind this attraction beggings a narrow cobbled road - , awash with yet more kebab shops, several night-clubs and many clothes retail outlets, of both designer and street fashion.  This is where you will find the MacDonalds in case you were wondering!!!  Eventually this road will lead you all the way to the Rynek Glowny Square.  It is, in my humble opinion, the best square I have ever been to; my first visit was during the day and with the sun still blazing down on us we decided to sit for a cold drink in one of the many cafes and resturant that line the square.  Its the kind of place where from your cafe of choice, you could sit happily, people watching for hours and hours - something that I like to think the locals take full advantage of!  Myself and my sister did exactly that for some time, sipping on our diet cokes and soaking up the bustling atosphere of the ancient square.  At any time you can find horse-drawn carts carrying paying passengers for tours and performing artists of all kinds - Fire Dancers and Breakdancers were the two forms I was lucky enough to witness, both of which were performed by youths.....perhaps an incite to the young confident talent in the country.  In the very middle stands the famous Cloth Hall, which you can enter from either end; inside you will find rows of stalls selling a selection of items, especially a massive display of amber jewelery.

Later that evening, we returned to the square for dinner; The Polish Zloty goes a long way in Krakow allowing us to eat in a lovely selection of resturants across Rynek.  As we sat on our table (outside in the fresh autumn air) I noticed a middle aged man, who was obviously homeless, winding his way through the tables towards us.  It takes a lot to annoy me, and his presence wasn't a trouble..... until suddenly he was standing beside at our table.  He was talking loudly and directly at me, in Polish and I will never know what it was that he had siad that night; be it religious preaching or drunken mummbling....who knows.....  but he refused to leave our table and actually tried to sit down with us on the empty chair beside me!  Now this touched a nerve! lol  Before I even knew it I was having a conversation with the bloke expressing my need for him to 'BACK THE HELL OFF!'.   His anger seemed to grow with mine,  and our conversation grew into a slanging match, neither of us knowing what the other was saying.  Eventually the patron of the resturant had to come and remove him from the site, letting us return to our meal finally.  Despite the fact that I found the experience extremly intimidating, it was also the only time among all my travels that I have encountered trouble of some sort....so in a strange way I feel quite grateful.  Looking back now, I laugh my ass off about it........ and I still to this day wonder what it was about me that rialed the man to the extent when he had to shout at me over my dinner!!!

Another area of particular interest for me was the Kazimierz district of Krakow, the old Jewish quarter which was in its prime prior to the Nazi invasions in 1939.  Today a lot of the area is gradually being restored (both the jewish and christian heritage) to its former glory.  Though even now is a wonderfully quaint place to wonder the streets, admire the unique buildings, synagogues and churches and if its your thing...visit Oscar Schindlers Museum also.  During our visit to the kamimierz, we decided to continue walking until we hit the Vistula River.  Does this city have it all or what?  There is a cycle and pedestrian path that leads all the way along the river, which led us (after some well deserved lunch on a Boat!) to The Wawel Castle.  The castle is masked with lots of myth and leygend most of which evolves around a Dragon which was supposedly slayed by a Polish Prince who then settled at Wawel as King founded the city of 'Cracow'.  Alongside the Vistula, on the western point of Wawel Hill there is an enourmous metal sculpture of a dragon  which even breathes out gushes of fire from his nose every 5 minutes or so.  Because of his legend you will notice Dragon themed novelties all over the city.

Other than happily wondering the streets for hours on end, the only activity that enticed us greatly was of course...shopping!!!!  The Galeria Krakowska was obviously brand spanking new when we first arrived.....and it showed.  The cafes were absolutely imaculete, the food courts offering an unbelievable selection of foods, and the clothes shopping in particular just blew me away!!!!!!!!!!   Its amazingly cheap compared to London, so anyone with even the slightest bit of cash to blow is going to have a fantastic time at this Mall.  Also there is a definate unique style to the clothes, a little bit different to what else you come across in Europe - this for me was the best point - Krakow does individuality like KFC does chicken.   I absolutely love the place, and would jump at the chance to return any day.  My one and only negative thing to say is that after a few days I decided to try one of these kebabs....and was slightly disturbed to find it covered in cabbage...not lettuce....I mean what the hell is that about!!  ;)

This Hostel is a very nice place located just south of Wawel Hill, and Krakow’s Old Town. It is part of an apartment building complex, but has all the amenities that you would need: common area, free internet, kitchen, clean bathrooms… Also the staff organizes activities everyday and night, some nights they take offer to take you around the city on a tour, the next they have a pub crawl set up for you. I would recommend this hostel for the helpful staff, nice atmosphere, and proximity to main attractions in Krakow.

When world war two started, the Jews that lived in Kazimierz were banned to go and live over the river, in the Podgorze district. Nazi's build a wall around it only to keep them locked in there. From Podgorze, most people were later deported to camps in the neighborhood, like Auschwitz. Quite a horrible history that is attached to this quarter at the other side of Vistula river. Podgorze today doesn't show that much remainders of the times of war. Most known here is probably the square with all the chairs (monument) and the museum Apoteca pod Orlem. A little more to the West, you can also find the Schindler factory, yet as I wrote in my blog, this is being renovated so at the moment there isn't much to see though. Because of Kazimierz popularity with tourists, Podgorze is often forgotten. Yet it is an interesting place to have a walk around at. It can't be said that this district is fancy, modern or beautiful, but these streets hold a very strong history that definitely can't be forgotten.

It is said that Endzior is the best stall on all of Plac Nowy, and probably of all Kazimierz. I say it is the best snack in whole of Krakow. Don't imagine a modern take away here. Endzior is located in the center of Nowy square, in the round building that stands there. You can't enter though. The building has several windows from which vendors sell food. One of those vendors is Endzior. Just walk around the building and you can't miss it. I don't know the name of the food that is sold here. Basically, it is like a large baguette cut in half. So you only get the top of the bottom, not a closed sandwich. Then it is topped with all kinds of things like mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic, sauces, and meat if you want to. It is hard to pick from the menu list as it is only in Polish. But there are some pictures to point at and honestly, just pick one, I'm sure they are all good! We payed about 4 PLN for this huge baguette. My mother and I shared one and even then we were so full afterwards! My father, of course, managed to eat a whole of it. Eating at Endzior just made my day. So cheap, so good, so much! I just couldn't believe it. It was like the perfect starter for our tour through Kazimierz. Unforgettable and simply delicious.

We went to the U Babci Maliny restaurant because one of the girls at our hostel recommended it. We were looking for a place to eat typical Polish food but that also had a nice and comfortable interior. The name "U babci Maliny" means something like "At grandma Maliny's place". At the logo of the place you can see grandma, with funny little glasses, traditional clothing, a heavy belly and blushing cheeks :) Though this restaurant feels pretty touristy there were a lot of locals around when we went to have dinner here. When you enter this place, it feels like you enter in some log cabin. All is very dark, and looks like it is made of wood. Tables are long and instead of chairs, there are benches. This is the "bar" though, the restaurant is downstairs. And what a difference you'll find here! Half way the stares you'll see the balustrades changing from wooden poles to nicely painted, elegant railings. The music will change to live piano sounds and the air will cool down. This area is completely Disneyland. It is decorated in some old Victorian looking style, with rustic armchairs, heavy wooden tables, paintings in large golden frames against the wall,... you name it. At first all this kitsch-like furniture got to my stomach, but I got used to it quickly. It all feels so fake and unreal but at the same time the picture is complete. Very odd really. So what about the food? The menu is translated to English but the staff does only speak Polish. So ordering isn't always that easy. As long as you just pick something from the list you can point at there is no problem, but if you have a question about something nobody can answer you. That isn't a main issue though. We all found something we liked on the menu. The staff wasn't that friendly yet correct, and service was fast. I had ordered pierrogi ruskie pieczone, which is a simple dish that is best compared to stuffed dumplings. You can find them filled with coal, meat, cheese,... The ruskie variant is, if I remember correct, stuffed with goat cheese, onions and potatoes. Sounded vegetarian enough to me :) Normally pierogi is boiled but when you order it "pieczone" you will get them fried. The dish was lovely but very heavy on the stomach. I got 11 pieces of the dumplings but there was no way I could eat them all. My father ordered Goulash and my mother some kind of "hunter's steak". They were very happy with their dishes too. So yes I would certainly recommend this place, if you want to eat some Polish cuisine. The setting is just so original and strange, the food is very good and the price is really cheap. A very nice restaurant.

The Slowaki theater is at the Ducha square, in the North East of Krakow's old town. I don't think one can visit it from the inside, unless you're attending a show, but the outside is worth a view. The building is named after a famous poet and it's construction has been controversial because a church needed to be demolished for it. Yet the architecture is outstanding, and reminds of similar buildings in e.g. Paris. The curtain inside is painted with an image that portrays comedy and drama, and in the old days this opera house used to be the first building in Krakow that was electrically enlightened.

Reformica church is small and easy to miss. I don't know the opening hours either so it is unclear to me if you can visit the place as a tourist. While we walked by there was a service going on, so we had a change to glans in through the glass door. From the outside this place isn't spectacular, but in front of it is a small garden with the stations of the cross, which is nice to pop in for a second.

The Barbakan and Florianus gates are practically all that's left of the old city walls, that used to protect Krakow from it's enemies. What is now the Planty park used to be a moat, and all up in the north is were you will find the last two gates. Barbakan is like a small round fortress, while the Florianus gate is basically a tower. I expected more from these two buildings after what I'd read about them, though when seeing them I didn't think they were very impressive. You can enter and make a walk over the old wall, but we didn't do so. If I remember correctly the price would be somewhat around 6 PLN. But anyway, these remainders are nice to walk past, especially on a sunny day. It is hard to miss them too, as they are on a main crossroad and at the end of the popular Florianska street.

This little church stands next to the Slowaki theater and is in all possible way outran by it. The church is small and from the outside, it isn't nice to watch. The inside can't be visited by tourists, or at least it was closed when we passed by. But we had a look through the window and from what I could see, it wasn't as special as most of the other churches around Krakow. I wouldn't go here again, with all due respect.