Not-so-random thoughts on random topics: European Excursion

Overnight train from Praha to Krakow
9+ hours journey in a 2-person sleeper car.
Katie got the top bunk.

Looking hopeful for a night of some sleep.

Unfortunately, it became a night
of no sleep for me

At first glance it reads like "24 hour A-Hole"...

For all you Fashionistas out there...

Pimiento, the fancy Argentinian Grill
where we enjoyed a delicious lunch

I never met a caper I didn't like, especially
these huge, delicious ones with a stem.
Tried looking for them to no avail. :-(

The ice-cream shops put Baskin Robbins
to complete shame

Click Clop Click Clop Click Clop...

The fabulous Rynek Główny Market Square, smacked right in the middle of Old Town Krakow.
Rynek Glowny is the largest city square in Europe, measured 200m X 200m.
Majestic buildings dot the Square. Old Town is enriched by
the Planty, a narrow parkland that was once the moat.

Looking down from the Mariacka Steeple.
The tower is the Town Hall Tower.

Another view of the Twin Steeples

Gothic towers of St. Mary's Basilica,
landmark of the Rynek Glowny.
The Basilica boasts stained glass windows by Stanislaw,
Wyspianski, and Josef Mehoffer;
the gilded wooden alterpiece was carved by Wit Stwosz.

The taller of the Twin Mariacka Steeples stands 80 meters (262 ft) tall.
The Trumpeter of Krakow plays a melody
(called the Hejnal mariacki) from this steeple
every hour on the hour.
It is played four times once in each direction, for 24 hours.

239 steps to the high tower

A team of 7 trumpeters is responsible
for playing the hejnal
around the clock

The hejnal is a simple 5-note melody.
It was likely a signal of the opening and closing of the city gates. The tune ends oddly and abruptly but nobody knows why. Legend had it that the bugler played the hejnal to warn of an attack from the marauding Mongols back in the 13th Century. As the bugler sounded the alarm, he was shot by an arrow;
thus his warning cut short.

Our trumpeter playing the tune at 2 o'clock.
He first struck the bell at the tower before
playing the hejnal.

Katie climbing the stairs up the tower

Not exactly a safe place to visit...

City Hostel, a clean and inexpensive
hostel to rest our heads for three nights
while in Krakow.
Highly recommended.

It's not fancy, but got everything we needed.
Clean beds, linen, towels, clean shared bathroom
(but we ended up being the only ones using it so
it is a private bath)...

...and FREE WiFi all the way
in our room!

We would typically purchase fresh fruit
and breakfast items from the local markets.
As seen on TV...musli, organic soy milk, bread,
fruit, etc. Please notice the Starbucks
VIA Ready Brew in the corner...
It kept me sane for two weeks.

City Hostel also provides a generous breakfast buffet every morning.
A typical spread of breakfast includes
cereal with milk, various kinds of deli meat, cheeses,
bread, butter and preserves, sliced fresh tomatoes and
cucumbers, and coffee and tea.

The common area is open 24/7 with a television
and WiFi access. There is drinking water,
hot water, a refrigerator, and a sink.

A washing machine is available for guests'
laundry. Supply your own detergent.
We took advantage of this service
and washed our one-week worth
of dirty laundry.

Chimera salad bar inspired by the milk bar (bar mleczny) concept
(but not the Australian Milk Bar). It's a Polish form
of no frills eatery/cafeteria. The original Milk Bar was subsidized
by the state during the communist era to provide simple
and wholesome meals to the poor. The large part of the
menu was based on dairy, hence, Milk Bar.

This was a small plate - select four items
from the salad bar. Costs 12 pln (about $4) for
a portion enough for us to share.

Pierogi filled with peaches and berries.
20 pln for ten pierogies. Tasted OK, but
not great.

Katie just had to reign in the cheetah...

Attended a concert at the St. Something Church;
its name escaped me...

Performed by the Krakow Chamber Music.
The caliber was passible, but not stellar.
Frankly, it is what you would expect for a
$20 concert aimed for tourists

Night scene at Krakow

Street performers playing with
fire at Rynek Glowny!

The magnificent Wawel Royal Castle

Back of the Wawel Castle

My tourist shot at the Castle..

Katie and the Wawel Dragon
a famous dragon in Polish folklore

A farmers market in Krakow Kazimierz
(Jewish Quarter)

The New Jewish Cemetery
Established in 1880 and destroyed during WWII.
Tidied up in 1957. A resting place of recognized
members of the Jewish community.
Monument to the victims of the Holocaust.

Traditional Polish food at Polskie Smaki, near Old Town.
Pork cutlet, stuffed cabbage, salad, and
apple pancakes.

Watching the sunrise from the bedroom window
of the hostel. The trumpeter sounding
its melody from afar.

My friend Kevin's recommendation: Lunch at
U Pani Stasi, so we had to try.

I had zupa rosół (beef broth with noodles), Katie had cauliflower soup.

These are the tastiest pierogi z mięsem
(pierogi with meat). We also had a small beet salad.
The total damage?
All under 21 PLN - that's about $7 for two people!