Kraków (day 5)

Like every day, today also started with breakfast and preparing a packed lunch. After that we walked to the castle on the hill, where there is also a cathedral. We visited this, where you also have access to the bell tower and the catacombs, where composer Chopin and a general from the Second World War are buried.

After having seen this (and having enjoyed the view from the tower and from the hill a bit) we walked back down to the Jewish quarter to wander around a bit. In the Jewish district, we had coffee in a former synagogue that now serves as a hip lunchroom. We continued our way through the Jewish quarter and visited another former synagogue, which now serves as a museum. This synagogue is the oldest synagogue in Poland and one of the oldest in Europe. Just outside the synagogue, on the square, there is a monument. This monument is in memory of 30 Poles who were shot dead on this spot by the Nazis during the war (as we learned later in Oskar Schindler's factory, more about that later). After this we walked out of the Jewish quarter to reach the river Wisła (which runs right through the city), we crossed this river (via a bridge). When we arrived at the other side, we walked down a flight of stairs to sit on a bench along the quay for lunch. After lunch, we walked on to Schindler's enamel factory, which is known from the film Schindler's List. However, this museum was a bit disappointing, you expect the museum to tell the story of the factory, Oskar Schindler and the Jewish forced laborers who worked there (who were later partly saved by Schindler from certain death in Auschwitz). Unfortunately this was hardly the case, the museum was mainly about the cause of the war, the tensions in Poland and more specifically Kraków and what war in Kraków (and camp Płaszów) looked like. After seeing this museum we walked back to the apartment via the Jewish quarter, on the way we did some groceries and bought ingredients for dinner. While the food was being prepared in a pan, I took a quick nap, I was quite tired after a number of intensive days. When I woke up again it was almost dinner time, on the menu today was the Polish sausage (called Kielbasa in Polish) and this was worth repeating! After dinner, we walked into the old town, which has a gigantic square with two large churches, a large market hall and another high / large tower. It was very busy in terms of crowds. On the square there was also a performance by some (drum) band from Croatia (you could tell because they were waving Croatian flags) where people danced in a circle and further on the square there was a photo session of a brides couple, nearby is also the stand for the tourist carriages (which look beautiful by the way and the horses are also nicely decorated). Finally, we walked back to the apartment to end the day. Tomorrow we will visit an old salt mine!

Day 4

Travel overview

Day 6