les and joe's family heritage tour: Krakow

Just outside the city of Krakow, there was farmland, farmhouses, and these greenhouses, which were growing flowers.

We rented an apartment north of the Old Town in the Kleparz neighborhood. It was on the 11th story of a newer apartment building, about a 15 minute march and a 25 minute walk from Rynek Glόwny, the main square. It was super cute.

Rynek Glόwny is the crazy big and beautiful central square, the largest medieval square in Europe (200 x 200 meters). The town hall tower (first photo) stands in one corner, in the opposite corner sits St Mary's Basilica cathedral (second photo). There is a large covered market (Sukiennice) in the center, and the square is lined with cafes. Horse-drawn carriages can take one around the square and do so frequently. We don't have great photos of the square due to weather and timing.

Cheesecake at a cafe. Polish cheesecake is made with farmer's cheese, and is kind of like a New York cheesecake, but not as granular.

We happened to be in town for All Saints Day, November 1st, a major holiday in Poland. In addition to visiting local cemeteries, Poles from throughout the country visit the major cemeteries in large cities where famous people and memorials can be found. In Krakow, Rakowicki Cemetery is literally filled with people until late into the night. People bring lanterns and flowers to leave on graves and at memorials. We've never seen anything like it-thousands of candles stretching city blocks, like a miniature metropolis alight at night. It was beautiful and it was touching. It was an unexpected glimpse into the depth of Polish culture.

There is a 24-hour pierogi place in the center of town, and it is good. Here is their sign. It's a cozy cave-like place, brick walls and large wooden benches. It reminded us of being in Vilnius, with the emphasis on dumplings; the two languages share some similarities as well. A reminder they were once one Grand Duchy. We've enjoyed the patterns that emerge as we travel.

And here are their pirogies, with a Styrofoam coffee cup of barszcz (Lesley's favorite barszcz of the trip). We had a mix of traditional dumplings--farmers cheese and potatoes, meat, and cabbage and mushrooms. The dish on the right is a simple casserole of cabbages and noodles and sausages, and we split a bottle of barley kvas (think bready ginger ale). Hmmm, hearty.

Square at night.

We also were in town for the 53rd annual Krakowskie Zaduszki Jazzowe, the All Souls Jazz festival, Europe's oldest. Caught this cool venue, check out the drum solo.

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Along the Vistula River on a lovely Sunday afternoon.

Wawel sits above the Vistula. Like the main square, it's an awesome hodgepodge of structures, styles and materials.

Legend states that Smok Wawelski, the Wawel dragon, lived in a cave under Wawel Hill before the founding of Krakow. There are multiple stories of his demise (including being slain by Prince Krakus or exploding after eating a sheep stuffed with sulfur and drinking half the river to soothe his aching stomach). Regardless, Wawel and the city of Krakow was founded atop of his lair, and this statue (which breathes fire every few minutes) commemorates this history.