Krakow's Pods

Our trip to Poland was our first real experience behind what was the Iron Curtain. Poland is absolutely huge, but our trip was limited to its cultural and historical center, Krakow in the Southeast region of the country. Greater Krakow is quite large, but the tourist's Krakow is relatively small. We arrived in Krakow, via a night train, early on a Saturday morning in early October. As we walked through the train station we immediately felt like we were in "Eastern" Europe. It was much cooler, it was much less clean, much more chaotic, and the language was one that I had never heard before. The walk from the train station to the town square took about 15 minutes. We walked right into the town square just as Krakow was waking up. Vendors were preparing for a busy weekend, outdoor cafes were serving morning espressos, and for some reason a large stage was being constructed. We were too early to check in but we stopped by our hotel, www.bblafontaine.com, to drop off our bags and explore the town. The entire Old Town revolves around the main town square which is as grand of a town square as there is in all of Europe. The square is a medieval cobblestoned wonderland full of cafes, bars, shops, and horses & buggies. Unlike many of the other European cities, Krakow was largely unaffected by the the wars of the 20th century. It is hard to recommend "sights" within Krakow because there really aren't many. The most famous sight, Auschwitz, isn't even in Krakow but is about an hour away, although we did not make the trek. Krakow is a town meant for relaxing and strolling. Take your time and explore. The old lanes branch off of the main square into all different directions and there are little side streets around every corner. Although it is an absolute must to walk the streets of Krakow, you would never know that the real excitement is underneath your feet. Almost every cafe or restaurant has the word "pod" in its name. We thought "pod" meant Pub in Polish, but we were wrong. "Pod" actually means under, as in underneath the ground. Very rarely will I recommend to spend your time in Europe inside, but in Krakow you have to. Walk into any of the cafes or restaurants and there will be a stairway leading into these cavernous basements, sometimes 3 flights down, where you will find elaborate pubs to enjoy food, drink or to just think that you are in a cellar older than the United States. Our hotel was a privately run B & B which had its own cellar restaurant, although our room was in the attic. But, I must say the best thing about Krakow is the the prices. Although we tried it was hard to spend money in this town. One night we went to what was one of the nicest restaurants in town, Die Pietro, on the town square, although we about 100 feet below ground. We both had drinks, an appetizer and big bowls of fancy pasta. With tax and tip, we spent the equivalent of $25. 2 people can't go to Perkins and eat that cheap. Overall, I would say Krakow is a great experience. I would have liked to have had more time to explore the rest of Poland, but with a country this big, I at least know that I can come back and explore many of the other cities.