Weekend in Kraków

27/7 - We got train tickets for the train at 18.05 from the central train station in Warsaw to Kraków Głowny.  We bought weekend train tickets - they're good for travel anywhere in Poland from Friday afternoon through midnight Sunday.  It's important to keep in mind that in addition to the weekend train ticket you also need to buy seat reservations for the specific train that you want to take.  The train was about 45 minutes late in leaving, but we were on our way to Kraków before 7 p.m.  The countryside we could see from the train was pretty, lots of forest, wheat, barley and corn fields and smaller vegetable fields.

  I noticed a lot of cabbage!  The landscape is very green and pretty and is generally flat.  The train took us directly to Kraków - no stops at all, and our arrival at the Central train station in Kraków was uneventful.  The train station is really close to the center of Kraków and also to Kazimierz (which was the Jewish Ghetto).  We were staying in Kazimierz and it took us about 20 minutes to walk to our place. 

28/7 - In one day we had plenty of time to explore the old section of Krakow, the Wawel Castle, wander along the river, see the cathedral and explore Kazimierz. I will be heading back to Kraków next weekend and will also go on the Dunajec river rafting trip which isn't to far from there and also will go visit the Wieliczka Salt mines which are also supposed to be very interesting and are just a short trip from Kraków.

I can't recommend restaurants at the moment because we had dinner both evenings at a friend's home but I definitely recommend having something to drink at one of the beer gardens on the main market square while watching the people go by!  You may also want to try Oscypek cheese which is made in the mountains around Zakopane and is for sale all over the city.  It's kind of rubbery, salty and smokey...