Brian and Toni Vacation in Krakow

I have returned to Krakow and it is good to be home. I am writing this at the end of a 6 day vacation and the beginning of a two week work assignment.

Toni and I arrived here on the 6th after travelling 21 hours. Luckily, all of our connections went well and our luggage arrived with us. After exiting the airport terminal the first change we noticed was that the taxis had been relocated because of the new multi-story parking garage built in the main parking lot. So, getting to the taxi was actually easier.

Riding in the Mercedes-Benz taxi at 140, k.p.h. that is, is always thrilling. (That’s 87 m.p.h.) After arriving we settled into our room, took a shower, a short nap and out we went to walk and have dinner. But first I had to go to my favorite café, in all of Europe, Café Zakopianka. There I was recognized by Marek the owner who asked how long it had been since I was last there. (His female friend translated for me.) After ordering two of his finest piwo (beers) we settled in with two large Okocims, my favorite Pilsner beer.

Marek had extensively refurbished the main room since I was last here. All of the tables and chairs have been replaced. There are new drapes, a new piano and he uses new plates and cups. He also de-cluttered the place of a few items and no longer has art for sale. In effect, it looks more upscale than it was. And he has raised his prices to boot. A large piwa (17 oz.) is now 12 zloty. ($4.44) That’s almost twice as much as a special I saw on the Main Square. But it is worth it. As of Sunday Toni and I had been there 6 times.

What makes this café so special to me are numerous things. It is one of only three cafes along The Planty. (The park that rings the old defensive walls of the city.) Inside is an intimate setting that recreates cafes of old. There is nice French or jazz music playing, candles on each table, an old espresso machine on the counter, old and new art on the walls, newspapers hanging from the typical rack, and two large windows to people-watch from. And in the nicer weather one can sit under umbrellas on the patio and be even closer to the people and dogs frolicking about. (We were able to do that one afternoon after we circumnavigated the entire two kilometer Planty.) There were several items that remained unchanged. The wood burning stove is still in the corner. One German shepherd is still lounging around although walking more slowly than last time. And the newspaper stand is still there. Oh yeah, and the bike rental place. This Marek knows how to make money.

As Toni and I sat there Wednesday evening we were ensconced in what is so special about Krakow. Magical is how Toni puts it. Here we were thousands of miles from home, in a lovely old café, sipping my favorite piwa while watching people walk by. At one point someone was pulling a suitcase from the direction of the train station and Toni recalled us doing the same when we returned from Vienna in August of 2006. What fond memories. So, now you know why we made it to this café each day.

Toni and I did more than just sit and drink. We did eat some, well, a lot. For Wednesday dinner I wanted to take Toni to a favorite Polish restaurant called Klasyka Polska. Wasn’t I surprised when I could not find it on ul. Tomasza. We walked right past the entrance because the place had changed names. This place made it to the top of my list of Polish restaurants after my colleague and friend Cary and I had dinner there one night in 2008. We started with blini with an assortment of caviar. Now, before you ask about the cost of such a dish let me tell you that the appetizer was about seven dollars. After that night that place became the start of our Polish progressive dinner later in our stay.

So, Toni and I walked into the now named Restauracja w Starej Kuchni. Besides the name the menu had changed and the rooms were decorated in a different way. Toni and I perused the menu and ordered some bigos (a “hunters’ stew” made from cabbage, sauerkraut, juniper berries and several meats) and pierogi (stuffed dumplings that are pan-roasted.) The meal was also served with some tasty bread and an herb butter spread. The food was excellent. The tab, which included two piwo, was the equivalent of eighteen dollars. What a bargain.

By 8 p.m. we were nodding off at the table so we left the restaurant and headed back to the hotel where we collapsed in bed by 8:30. That’s the end of day one.

On Thursday we set out to see what was new and a lot was. We began at the National Museum in the Sukiennice which is the museum in the top of The Cloth Hall. (c. 1555) In 2006 the museum had closed for a complete renovation. The artwork was moved to other locations and the galleries were redone as part of a nine million Euro restoration. And it needed it. What is now available is a top-notch museum with bright galleries, audio guides, video displays and the ability to use your iPod to get info on selected pieces. The museum chronicles Polish art through the centuries and has some impressive artwork. Toni was enamored with several items so much so that she purchased a book with all of the works of art in it.

Added to the Sukiennice is a terrace café that overlooks the Basilica of the Holy Virgin Mary, aka St. Mary’s. This is a must-visit café for the view. This whole package is another example of EU money being put to good use. Well, Norway, Spain and Germany may not think so but I do.

Later that evening we attended a classical music concert in St. Adalbert’s church. (c. 1618.) which is our favorite church as it is one of the oldest in Krakow. Although the current building is from the 17th c. it is built on top of two others dating back to the 10th c. It may also be the smallest church in town as it fits about 40 people.

The music was presented by a quartet of former Academy of Music students and was comprised of three to 5 minute selections from famous composers. We heard pieces from Brahms, Beethoven, Bizet, Chopin and even Frank Lloyd Webber, John Williams, George Gershwin and Glenn Miller! The latter sure could have used a clarinet. All in all a great set of 15 pieces performed in a very intimate and acoustically sound venue. I recommend it.

On Friday we visited the new Rynek Underground archeological exhibit beneath the Rynek Glowny (Main Market). (www.PodziemiaRynku.com) For four dollars we spent 3 hours in this brand new museum. When I first arrived here in 2005 they had just started an archeological dig under the Cloth Hall and the Market Square. For a year I watched them peel back the bricks of the square and expose the original stalls of the earlier Cloth Hall. I watched with great interest as I love archeology and I had heard that they intended to make a museum out of this history. Each time I returned to Krakow I learned more about the impending museum and dreamed to one day visit it. And this time I received my wish.

In its early days Krakow was a trading center as roads to all of the major cities pass through here. Polish merchants would travel afar to purchase cloth which they would then sell in Krakow. Hence the name, Cloth Hall. But also sold here were metals, spices, food, armament, leather items, candles, etc. Each guild was located in its own building or stall.

And what a job they had done. The museum is entirely underground and covers the area beneath the Cloth Hall and a large swath of the Market Square. (The present Market Square is about 10 feet higher today than a millennia ago.) The first thing you encounter is a movie projected onto a screen composed of water vapor. After that the trail leads you in a chronological history of the previous market squares. At each stop there are English and Polish descriptions. But at others there are touch screens that allow you to page through info in 8 languages. But the real thrill was seeing history. During the dig they had uncovered the original cobblestone paths that crisscrossed the square. Sometimes it was not cobblestones but just rubble that made the path. But these early Poles were engineers too as there were wooden curbs, culverts, fresh water pipes and sewage gutters. Also on display were the burned remains of some of the original wooden buildings. One could see the charred embers that formed the foundations. In another area were the skeletal remains of a burial site. In fact, they had uncovered many cemeteries around the Square. (Each church had its own.) But the best part was the raised walkway over the stalls that formed the largest of the markets prior to the present Cloth Hall. These were the same stalls that I had seen in person as they performed the dig in 2005-06.

The walkway, made of a thick glass floor, was suspended on the thick stone walls that had separated the stalls. Every 20 feet there was a craft-specific station that displayed a multitude of items uncovered during the dig. A very interesting way to display artifacts.

As I left the museum I felt that it was the best one I had seen in all of my years here. The fact that I had seen them uncover this find made the museum far more enjoyable for me. Little did I know back in 2005 that I would be back in 6 years to see the fruits of the archeologists’ labor.

That ends our third day in Krakow. More to come.