Brian Takes Krakow by Segway

When I left Krakow last December there were no plans for me to return but since I never say never, I hoped that the opportunity would come along again. So when I was asked to conduct 9 training sessions there I looked at it as an opportunity to get reacquainted with the city I grew to know and love. So last month Toni and I made the long voyage “over the pond” and arrived in Krakow on a Sunday morning.

We chose the MEM to ORD to KRK itinerary on Polish Lot which had us land at 9:15 a.m.. The nice part about this itinerary is that there is one less connection and the elapsed time from leaving home to the hotel is 15 hours. So after freshening up and taking a power nap, we headed out to the Main Market Square for something to eat. After a kabob at the best kabob place in town, we walked around looking for signs of things that were new. After a light supper we returned to the hotel as our earlier naps only delayed our bodies’ need for sleep.

Monday was a vacation day so after a late start we ventured out again to see what museums we had yet to tour. One that we did visit was called the Burgher House and is located across from St. Mary’s at pl. Mariacki 3. The house dates from before the 16th c. and represents the typical Polish bourgeois houses from the 17th to early 20th centuries. It is well done and worth the 6 zloty.

For the remainder of the week my training sessions began at 2 p.m. which afforded us the luxury of sipping kawa and enjoying a fresh pastry along the Planty. Our ritual was to purchase the pasties at a bakery on ul. Florianska and then head over to Café Zakopianka a.k.a. the Planty bar. A little later we would stop for a light lunch and then it was off to work for me and Toni would head out to walk around Krakow. After my day of training ended I would text Toni and we would meet in a café before heading out to dinner.

And this is how it unfolded for the four days that I worked in Krakow. Over the course of the week we ate at 4 new restaurants and revisited some of our favorites.

On Saturday we had a full day so we were out early to do those final few things we wanted to accomplish before returning to The States on Sunday. One of the things is shown in the photo to the left. While out on the square on the first Sunday we saw two Segways roaming around advertising their rental. We did not give it much thought then but later that week we went searching for the business. Even after inquiring w/ the hotel concierge, two tourist information centers and a search of the Internet we were no closer to finding the place. Then on Saturday we were in the square again and there was the same guy passing out flyers. This time we spoke w/ him and he directed us to the Krakow Hostel where the business was housed. So off we went to rent the conveyances for a short ride. But you just couldn’t give them your passport and be off. No, the rental included a guide who went with us just in case we had any problems. (Like wanting to steal them as they cost around $3000.00.) So after a 10 minute training session we headed off with Alberto to a jaunt around the Planty.

For the uninitiated, the Segway is a two-wheeled electric vehicle that balances the rider via a set of gyroscopes and a computer. To go forward you lean forward, to stop you stand upright. Leaning back allows it to go in reverse and turning is facilitated by rotating your wrist on the handlebar, much like a motorcyclist applies the throttle. So, eventually we gained the hang of it and we headed off to the Planty. But the most interesting part of the trip were the many, many stares we received as we rolled along. In fact, I am smiling about it as I type. And if people were not staring at us they were running us down to ask about them to which Alberto had a brochure to dispense. The most unnerving part was when we returned to the square and had to maneuver around the people and cars that were clogging the streets. But alas our fun had ended and we returned to the hostel to settle our bill. It was well worth it as it truly was fun and so very different from anything else we had ridden.

Later that evening we met up with my friend Kinga and her boyfriend Wojtek for dinner at Miod Malina. Being it was warm that evening I made reservations for a table in the courtyard where we had a very nice meal. It was fun to catch up with Kinga and meet Wojtek who is now employed by International Paper in Krakow. After dinner we strolled over to the Hotel Stary where we went to the rooftop bar for one final drink in Krakow. The Stary is a boutique hotel and was listed in Conde Nast’s Traveler magazine as one of the top new hotels in the world. The view from the roof is of the Main Market Square looking toward St. Mary’s so it was a fine way to spend our final evening in town. All in all it was a great night made better by meeting old and new friends.

But alas, our trip came to an end as we headed to John Paul II International Airport. But when we arrived it was a zoo. We were there 2 hours and 10 minutes prior to our flight and we made it to the gate at the posted take-off time. Luckily, or so we thought at the time, they had not started the boarding process yet. When we did get on the plane we discovered that we were in the first of 3 busses worth of people. So while we thought we were late, two thirds of the plane was later than us. So by the time the plane lifted off we were an hour late. And with a tight 90 minute connection at O’Hare, we knew that we would miss our flight; which we did. So instead of departing ORD at 4:40 p.m. we were on the 9:30 p.m. flight. By the time we made it to our house it was 11:45 p.m. and we had been awake over 24 hours straight with nary a nap. A tough way to end a trip but the memories of the trip made up for it.

So what did I think about being back there again? It did feel different returning as a tourist. I had a conversation w/ my co-workers Irena and Will this winter when they were in Memphis. They commented how they liked Krakow in the winter after the tourists had left. And I laughed and said that I had felt the same way when I lived there. The city has a completely different feel to it when it’s just the locals milling about. Now I know how the locals in The Hamptons feel when the jet-setters return to their New York City mansions after Labor Day. So as I walked about w/ Toni zigging and zagging around the tourists, I longed for those winter days when it was just the pigeons and a few of us hardy souls.

As I put this week of my return trip behind me I would have to agree w/ Tom Wolfe that “you can’t go home again”.