Good morning Krakow, Poland. This morning I woke up to a rather gloomy sky. As usual, we headed to the hotel's cafeteria to find out what is in store for us for breakfast.....
The buffet spread turned out to be pretty good with much healthier options such as greens and fruits. If you are looking for hot dishes you may be disappointed though as it is generally cold dishes, bread, cheese and fruits. I kind of like it for a change as I had been having quite a lot of bacon and sausages over the last few days.
 |
| my big healthy breakfast.... |
Nevertheless, the environment of the day did set the right mood for the place we are visiting that morning... Auschwitz Concentration Camp.
It is a historical place that one must visit to understand more about the brutality of the Nazis under the leadership of Adolf Hitler. About 1.3b people were deported here and the Nazis tortured and killed about 1.1 million people comprised mostly of Jews. The scary thing here is how they became so efficient in killing people. Right from the selection of people to be executed to sorting out belongings of the dead. Once I enter into the camp area, the sad sombre feeling immediately set in.
I will try not to talk too much about this place with such dark history. Long story cut short... it is definitely a place not to be missed when you are in Poland. We ended the visit with a sombre feeling and adjourned to lunch at a restaurant nearby.
Some how the sombre feeling made us appreciate more of what we already have. Compared to the life of people who had to undergo the torture of Auschwitz Camp, we consider ourselves very blessed. This probably is the reason lunch tasted a bit better that day.
Next destination....Krakow old town. First stop was at Wawel Hill, the old capital of Poland. At the bank of the Vistula River, there was a statue of the Wawel Dragon, which is a Polish myth believed to have lived in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill. Apparently, tourist can sent a sms text to number which can activate the dragon to breath fire. We were unaware of this during the tour. Click here for more info on Wawel Dragon.
The Wavel castle was built in the 14th century which is now a museum of arts. Our tour did not include a visit in the castle / museum. Instead we visited the adjoining Wawel Cathedral which is some sort of a mausoleum where past Kings were buried. Sorry no pictures there because the use of camera was strictly prohibited inside the cathedral.
Next stop was St Mary's Basilica which is located in the old town about 600m away. Walking there is a chsllenge as it was still drizzling and the wet weather made the day even colder.
St Mary's Basilica is a catholic church well known for its wooden carved alterpiece and architectural beauty. The altarpiece is the largest in the world and is considered as national treasure. What is a alterpiece? It is a sculpture depicting several events mentioned in the bible which made it easier for the priest to preach to the illiterates in the olden days. We spent about 20 minutes inside for a short briefing on the church's history (a much needed respite from the coldness outside) and we headed outside again.
As we stepped out of the church, a pleasant surprise greeted us as it started snowing outside. In fact, it was actually snowing and raining at the same time! This is kind of weird to us who have not seen snowfall before. Anyway...my wish has been granted hah hah...
After our visit to St. Mary Basilica, we had about 2 hours of free and easy time to explore Krakow old town. With the cold weather and lack of interest on shopping, wifey and I decided to enjoy a cup of coffee at a nearby Costa Coffee instead.
Some how the sombre feeling made us appreciate more of what we already have. Compared to the life of people who had to undergo the torture of Auschwitz Camp, we consider ourselves very blessed. This probably is the reason lunch tasted a bit better that day.
 |
| Simple lunch but good.... pork cutlet with potatoes and coleslaw. |
Next destination....Krakow old town. First stop was at Wawel Hill, the old capital of Poland. At the bank of the Vistula River, there was a statue of the Wawel Dragon, which is a Polish myth believed to have lived in a cave at the foot of Wawel Hill. Apparently, tourist can sent a sms text to number which can activate the dragon to breath fire. We were unaware of this during the tour. Click here for more info on Wawel Dragon.
 |
| Spot the Wavel dragon at the bank of Vistula River? |
From Wawel Hill we walked towards to nearby Wawel castle. The weather was not good as it was drizzling during winter. The local tour guide said that the weather was peculiar cause it was raining in the midst of winter when it should be actually snowing. Yes...why isn't it snowing? I came all the way to Europe during winter to see snow......:(
 |
| Wavel Castle |
 |
| Wavel Castle Inner Courtyard |
The Wavel castle was built in the 14th century which is now a museum of arts. Our tour did not include a visit in the castle / museum. Instead we visited the adjoining Wawel Cathedral which is some sort of a mausoleum where past Kings were buried. Sorry no pictures there because the use of camera was strictly prohibited inside the cathedral.
Next stop was St Mary's Basilica which is located in the old town about 600m away. Walking there is a chsllenge as it was still drizzling and the wet weather made the day even colder.
St Mary's Basilica is a catholic church well known for its wooden carved alterpiece and architectural beauty. The altarpiece is the largest in the world and is considered as national treasure. What is a alterpiece? It is a sculpture depicting several events mentioned in the bible which made it easier for the priest to preach to the illiterates in the olden days. We spent about 20 minutes inside for a short briefing on the church's history (a much needed respite from the coldness outside) and we headed outside again.
 |
| St. Mary's Basilica |
 |
| Little trace of snow start to accumulate on top of our umbrellas (it was still raining) |
After coffee, we were to assemble at the Cloth Market located at the centre of the old town square. We will be heading to dinner next.
 |
| Snow fall got heavier in the evening. |
While the rest of the tour members were busy window shopping in the cloth market, I was not too interested. Instead I was enjoying the scenery of a serene winter night which I will not see again back home. Anyway, the cloth market is an attraction on its own though I noted that things sold there is not specifically cloth as the name suggests. Nevertheless you can find good local souviners there. I bought my Krakow refrigerator magnet there as well.
 |
| Picture of the old town square and Cloth Market (Source: Google Maps) |
Those who are travelling to Europe for the first time should know one thing. Not all European countries uses Euro as their currency. For example, the local currency in Poland is the sloty and do note that Euro may not be accepted by the traders although some may do. Without the local currency you may not be even to buy yourself mineral water or coffee.
 |
Old Town Square
|
Our dinner place was just located nearby and was within walking distance.
Traditional polish dinner. Beetroot soup and poached pork served with mashed potatoes.
The poached pork tasted similar to the pork that is used as ingredient for Chinese soup. May bland to some people but I have to admit it is healthy.
After dinner, we headed back to our hotel. Looking out from my room window, I said to myself...finally I see snow fall.
That's not the end of my day yet though as I headed to the hotel gym to burn off some calories before going to bed. The gym at Galaxy is small but I guess it is better than nothing. One thing I note is that most of the hotels during my trip will gym, sauna and steam bath facilities. While most will feel comfortable enough to go to the gym, Asians may feel uncomfortable in the sauna or steam bath facilities as users are required to be naked. Sometimes the facilities may be shared by both sex as well. Do check properly before going in....
More to come.....
