Krakow is Enchanting

Posted by Michele September 29, 2024

Krakow is Enchanting

We found a lovely little cafe off the beaten path for breakfast. I ordered “oatmeal” and received the most amazing bowl of seeds, steel-cut oats, fruit, and nuts. It was the most delicious bowl of oatmeal that I have ever had. We also shared kielbasa, toast, and salad. The kielbasa, horseradish, and mustard were the Bomb!

Sometimes, no, often, my favorite part of being in a new city is the food!

Today we went to St. Mary’s Basilica, built in the 14th century, with its foundations dating back to the 13th century. It is one of the best examples of Polish Gothic architecture and is particularly famous for its wooden altarpiece.

Interesting tidbit from Wikipedia:

On every hour, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, a trumpet signal—called the Hejnał mariacki—is played from the top of the taller of Saint Mary's two towers. The plaintive tune breaks off in mid-stream, to commemorate a famous 13th-century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm before a Mongol attack on the city. The noon-time hejnał is heard across Poland and abroad broadcast live by Polish Radio Jedynka.

After the church, we wandered over to the Wawel Castle. It is HUGE and has enlarged over centuries into many structures around an Italian-styled courtyard. It represents nearly all European architectural styles of the medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

The Wawel Royal Castle and the Wawel Hill constitute the most historically and culturally important sites in Poland; The Castle is now one of the country’s premier art museums. We chose to tour Castle I, which housed a large collection of Oriental art.

After wandering through the castle and streets of Krakow, we realized how hungry and tired we were, so we found a lovely outdoor cafe with live music and had dinner. I chose a salmon dish that was out of this world, and Joe had a breaded pork chop that he found delicious, too. Other than the rib dinner, the food in Krakow has been outstanding.