Christmas Shopping in Krakow, Poland

Saturday 15 December

Up at 2.30am and off to Bristol airport – 10 days to Christmas – time for some serious shopping and a look at those Christmas markets. Easyjet flight ok, arrived around 10.30 and everywhere covered in snow! Photo 1 Great….

Meeting Jane & Andrew later in the day, they are arriving from Bournemouth. Staying at the Hotel Atrium which is situated not far from the main old town square. Room small but clean, wandered off for a quick recce around the market square and in need of hot, mulled wine Photo 2 which we duly had, together with a dish of oily veggies for me and a big fat sausage for Doug!!! Photo 3

Snow started falling as we went into St Mary’s Basillica Photo 4 to see the Veit Stross altar. Catholic – amazingly ornate, smelt funny though, couldn’t work out whether it was furniture polish or incense. 4.00pm saw us asleep back at the hotel, well we had been up a long time! J&A finally arrived around 9.00pm, chat eat drink and bed in that order, early start tomorrow.

Sunday 16 December

Up and out by 9.30 to the markets again, wandered around all morning, (Jane shopping like there is no tomorrow- Photo 5 (and me - Photo 5a)more hot wine followed by the best liquid chocolate drink I have ever had (except for one in Tallin last year). Weather again very cold, around –1c, cant quite get used to being so cold, wind making it feel a lot colder than it is and fingers, toes and nose freezing…
After lunch we headed by car to the Salt Mines and Museum in Wielicza. (Photo 6 & Photo 7) Went in a small English-speaking group down 700 steps (??) to view the most amazing carvings in black salt (Photo 7a), the earliest dating hundreds of years ago, to the latest finished this year. Huge chambers – visited the Chapel of St Kinga, which are situated 100 metres under the surface. Also saw salt lakes, endless tunnels and we only went down 2 levels, there were another 5 below us, one containing a health spa where people come from all over the world to take treatments! We bought postcards and sent them from down in the lowest chamber we visited. Be interesting to see when (if??) they turn up. This all took 2 ½ hours and was well worth a visit, when we came back to the surface (by lift this time) it was dark and snowing.

Back to the hotel for a quick shower, then out to dinner at Jerema Restaurant for a typically Polish meal. Food accompanied by a violinist who, after the first 20 minutes, got a little irritating and of course the obligatory CD to buy turned up at the table – needless to say, we resisted the temptation to take one home this time! Food was excellent, vodka great, walked back in –3c temps and slept like a baby….

Monday 17 December

Up and out again by 10.00. Jane & Andrew heading out for a day at Auschweitz Museum – not for me I’m afraid. We spent the day wandering around this beautiful city, crossing and re-crossing the Vistula River ending up at the Royal Palace (closed on Mondays!!) (Photo 8) and the Church (which was open-hurray) Duly bought a ticket and guidebook sold by a nun munching on a bun. Then called to the next booth to be told that the guidebook was rubbish, why not have an audio tour? Told to read the book on the plane home! So, being good tourists we took an audio tour and glad we did, very interesting and spent a couple of hours wandering through the cathedral and crypts where a number of members of the Polish royal family are buried. Managed to get lost climbing up to view Krakow from the top of St Stanislaw’s bell tower (he is the patron saint of Poland) (Photo 9 & Photo 10) but eventually found our way out and back into the freezing weather. Next stop lunch, followed by vodka and hot liquid chocolate (again) in a bar, followed by another bar- you know how it goes?. I was in heaven and Polish vodka is just the best… Managed to buy a bottle of Luskoskowa, my favourite potato vodders to take home for Christmas.(the market at night Photo 11 & Photo 12 & Photo 13)

That evening we went out again to a restaurant called Polskie Jadlo and had another great meal (no violin this time) but , sadly, also not many patrons either.

Tuesday 18 December

Time to go home, far too short a trip really. Didn’t buy much – a couple of Polish Christmas pigs with wings and a one-armed Christmas bear to go on the tree (as you do), there is now one woman in Krakow who thinks I am bonkers as I had a choice of hundreds of Christmas bears but had to have the one with only one arm (as you do…)
Flight back uneventful. Krakow was a great city, small enough to be able to get around easily, Poles very friendly, food and drink great.

Merry Christmas to everyone that knows us...............
Next trip - Costa Rica - Rainforests and Diving -yipee