• Home
  • About
    • Work with Me
  • Destinations
    • England
    • France
    • Italy
    • Scotland
    • United States
    • Wales
  • Mental Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Life Well Wandered

Life Well Wandered

31 August 2015 · 1 Comment

Krakow

Destinations· Poland

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email

Of all the places I’ve visited, Krakow felt the most surreally historical. It was also a place I would love to live in for a couple of months and just explore.

We arrived in Krakow at about 4:45am Easter Monday and had a lovely time waiting in the train station for something to open up (unlikely since it was a holiday), and then headed over to Schindler’s Factory, one of the few things open that day. I’m really interested in World War II History, so visiting this important site was a must.

The day we visited, tickets were free so naturally, there was a huge queue out the door. Be warned as well that they close the doors well before the displayed closing time (I think they had a quota system), so get there early! The museum itself focuses more on Krakow during World War II rather than Schindler himself, but it was still fascinating.

The designers of the museum did an incredible job showcasing life under the Nazi regime in Krakow and just how oppressive it was. I won’t go into details here, but it is a must-visit while in Krakow.

schindlers factory krakow poland image

The original gates to the factory

schindlers factory krakow poland image

German became the official language

schindlers factory krakow poland image

Even children’s toys were full of propaganda

room of choices michal urban schindlers factory krakow poland image

The Room of Choices by Michal Urban

auschwitz krakow poland

This tunnel is highly affected by the angle of the sun. When we got there, the letter reflection was not there. On our way back, we saw ‘Auschwitz’ appear

When we finished at Schindler’s Factory, we grabbed a quick bite at the only open restaurant we could find before heading over to the Jewish District of Krakow to visit the Galicia Jewish Museum. It exists to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and to celebrate the Jewish culture of Polish Galicia and houses internationally claimed photography exhibitions. The photos were very emotional and stirring and definitely gave us a better idea of Jewish life before, during, and after the war.

See also  12 Hours in Edinburgh: How to Spend a Day in Scotland's Capital

galicia jewish museum krakow poland image

We then spent a little more time walking around the Jewish Quarter and came across this really cool mural.

jewish quarter mural street art krakow image…And found a beautiful church (I can’t for the life of me find the name!)

krakow poland image church
And then headed back to the train station to get our bags and head to our Airbnb. Our host was very nice and our room was very cute. We relaxed for a little, connected with the outside world, and then wandered to the centre of town to find some dinner by picking a random restaurant in Stare Miasto (Old Town). I had, of course, some goulash soup and then some thin potato pancakes. Thanks to the conversion rate, we could eat like queens!

Despite the unusually cold weather and the sleet we got earlier in the morning, the sky was doing beautiful things at night, so we walked around a little more before heading to bed for our early morning. We visited Auschwitz the next day (which I will write on in a separate post), so the following day we got to see the rest of the stuff on our list before heading out on a night train.

krakow poland image stare miasto church old town

St. Mary’s Basilica – Stare Miasto

We started off the day by wandering around the Old Town a little more. The colourful buildings and cobblestone streets really felt like a step back in time. It might have been the time of year, or the fact that it was the beginning of a week after a holiday, but Krakow was virtually free of tourists. It was a nice change of pace from most of the places I’ve visited (and lived in).

 

IMG_5579

IMG_5601

 

krakow poland old town stare miasto image sculpture

Igor Mitorai – Eros Bendato 1999

IMG_5608

IMG_5612We then headed back out to Wawel Royal Castle after a lunch of pierogi and barley soup. You can’t leave Poland without pierogi!

krakow poland food

What I liked about Krakow was that the Old Town was surrounded by a park. So we strolled through that, found a funky sculpture, and then proceeded to Wawel Castle to get frustrated with the ticket lady when she didn’t believe I was a student (even with my student ID and student visa….). She was also slightly angry that we spoke English and not Polish because that meant she had to add two people to a tour of the interior instead of just sticking us into the Polish version (which we offered to do). I also definitely gave the ticket lady my Davidson student ID and she never gave it back. Fun stuff!

IMG_5600

We got to see Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” which was definitely more impressive than The Mona Lisa. Maybe because there weren’t hoards of people trying to snap a selfie with it…

See also  Vatican City AKA the Artwork of my Dreams

We then took a tour with an English guide and some slightly quirky people and learnt that the castle itself was actually modelled after Italian castles. We also learnt more about Poland’s complex and long history. I snapped a picture of the throne room :)
IMG_3282

IMG_5628

IMG_5630

IMG_5632More than 80% of Poles are Catholic and more than half of those Catholics are practicing. Contrast that with countries like France, which are largely non-religious, and you’re in for a shock when you try to enter churches and find out that they’re packed with people of all ages (not just elderly women) getting mass on Wednesday. That made my church visiting much harder, so we settled for St. Mary’s Basilica (exterior pictured earlier). It was beautiful inside (despite the loud pre-teen students who were “too cool” to respect the grandeur of the house of worship), slightly gaudy and full of gold, but mesmerising nonetheless. The ceiling, a deep blue painted with gold stars, captured my attention for far too long. Unfortunately, my pictures are blurry, but I’m still posting them just because it was so beautiful! It reminded me a bit of the church we saw in Budapest.

IMG_3287

IMG_3302

St. Mary’s Basilica marked the end of our stay in Krakow. We said goodbye to our Airbnb host and headed back to the train station/mall to walk around a bit, grab some dinner, and wait for our last night train of the trip!

You may also like

Share this post:

Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Pinterest Share on LinkedIn Share on Email
Previous Post: « Back to School
Next Post: US vs. UK Academics »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Julius @ Traveltipy says

    18 September 2015 at 02:19

    Krakow is the most beautiful city in Poland, thanks for sharing your pictures even from those not common places!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Welcome to Life Well Wandered

alex life well wandered

Welcome to my corner of the internet! Life Well Wandered is a travel blog where you'll find a little bit of everything. I love sharing itineraries from past trips, secret spots I've discovered on my travels, histories of places I find fascinating, and stories about my mental health.

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
Life Well Wandered

Search

What’s New

  • A Guide to Stow-on-the-Wold in the Cotswolds
  • The Real-Life Inspiration for Moria? Exploring St. Edward’s Church in Stow-on-the-Wold
  • A Lord of the Rings Guide to the Cotswolds: Places That Inspired Tolkien’s World
  • Day Trips from London: Stonehenge & Salisbury
  • Visiting Upper Slaughter in the Cotswolds: A Guide
Follow
college tourist

Note: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Please check our disclosure page for more information.

lifewellwandered

Alex | Travel Blogger/Wanderer
One of my favorite things about traveling in Franc One of my favorite things about traveling in France is the constant reminder to slow down. ✨ On a spontaneous stop in Tours after a busy morning of castle-visiting, we visited the cathedral (more on that soon) and wandered over to Place Plumereau. My former self would have wanted to maximize sightseeing, making a quick stop and moving on. 💥 However, the groups of people enjoying the beautiful weather with wine and cheese made it impossible to refuse a snack and break myself. 🍷🧀 Sitting on a terrace surrounded by others just ~being~ was a great reminder to slow down and soak up the moment 😌 #lifewellwandered #mindfultravel
What's one thing you always notice when you visit What's one thing you always notice when you visit a historical building? 🤓 I always notice floors and staircases, constantly imagining who used them and the history they've witnessed. ✨ The staircases in the châteaux in the Loire Valley did not disappoint 😍 #lifewellwandered
Château de Châteaudun has one of the largest and Château de Châteaudun has one of the largest and best preserved keeps in France, dating from the 12th century 🤓 at 102 ft (31m) tall, it dominates your view when you visit. SWIPE to see more shots from the château, including centuries-old graffiti from the castle's prisons 😯 #lifewellwandered
This view was not something I expected when I visi This view was not something I expected when I visited Chartres 😍 I would love to sit in that sun room with a good book 🤓 Wishing everyone a lovely weekend (hopefully with pleasant weather) ☀️ #lifewellwandered
Do you prefer French or English gardens? 🌸 Some Do you prefer French or English gardens? 🌸 Something about the symmetry of French gardens (pictured here) is very pleasing to me, but I really dislike the rules that come along — no walking on grass, no random meandering from one spot to another, limited to the confines of your current trajectory. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I enjoy the freedom and wildness (is that a real word?) of English gardens much more! #lifewellwandered
Which half-timbered building would you live in? 🤔 Whenever I'm in Europe, I always find myself drawn to these quirky, wonky buildings, each with a unique history. 🤓 Drop me in any one and I would be content 😍 #lifewellwandered
Weekend plans: hiding from the heatwave in DC whil Weekend plans: hiding from the heatwave in DC while wishing I was in France 😫 🏰 #lifewellwandered
Take me back to beautiful French châteaux 😍 Ch Take me back to beautiful French châteaux 😍 Château d'Azay-le-Rideau is one of the most picturesque castles I have ever visited—it was built in the early 16th century and seemingly rises straight from the river Indre 🏰
Me every 5 seconds walking around a medieval town Me every 5 seconds walking around a medieval town 📷
Load More... Follow on Instagram
  • Home
  • About
  • Destinations
  • Mental Health
  • Lifestyle

Copyright © 2023 · beloved theme by Restored 316