Day 6 - Krakow

2 Mar 2010

We arrived in Krakow Glowny (pronounced "gvoove-nih") train station at about 6.40 am in the morning. It was a little confusing for us because we exited through the foyer of a huge shopping mall Galleria Krakowska, without a single Zlotty and all the shops (including money changers) were closed.

What we should have done was to exit the mall, turn left and head to the station building (which was not that obvious in the morning in sub-zero temperatures). The staff at McDonald's (the only establishment that was opened at that time) didn't help much either because they speak little English.

I called our hotel was told that a taxi ride from the train station to our hotel would cost about EUR 5. Fortunately, the cabs accepted payment in EUR and the fare was consistent with what the hotel told me. I got my change in Polish Zlotty though.

We stayed at the Aparthotel Spatz, which is a pleasant 3-star hotel located in the Kazimierz area on Miodowa street. The hotel building looked old but we could tell that the hotel had been recently renovated, bathroom facilities were great, the heating was excellent and Internet access was free!

Aparthotel Spatz

After checking-in, we changed some of our EUR to Polish Zlotty (PLN) at a nearby bank (Bureau de Change outlets only opened after 10.00). One EUR buys about 3.8 PLN. Armed with some Zlotty in hand, we started walking towards the Jewish area to look for some food and found a nice cafe just around the corner after the Tourist Information centre. We had some really good cakes and coffee.

The total cost for breakfast for two, was about PLN 22.00 or about SGD11.00, which I thought was reasonable by European standards. It would have costed much more in Paris or Prague.

Nice cakes

After breakfast and getting information the relevant information from the Tourist Information centre, we visited the Corpus Christi church, which was primarily designed in Baroque styles. There were students on a field trip analysing the interior of the church. They could be studying art or architecture.

Inside the Corpus Christi church

One of the main attractions in Krakow is Wawel Castle, which was within walking distance from our hotel. Wawel holds the largest repository of historical artifacts of the Polish people. We visited the crown jewels and armory section, cathedral and also the Pope John Paul II museum.

Wawel Castle

The cathedral is beautiful but unfortunately we were not allowed to take photographs. I went up the Bell Tower to take a look at the Sigismund Bell after traversing a lot of steep steps and narrow passages (certainly not recommended if you have a fear of heights or clautrophobic). The bell was the only object in the cathedral that allowed photography and I forgot to take pictures (sigh!). From memory, I would recall that the Zygmunt Bell was pretty huge and there were more than one bell in that tower. The Zygmunt Bell could easily trap four people underneath it.

Wawel Cathedral

Statue of Pope John Paul II

After Wawel, we headed to the 'Old town' area, which was not too far from the castle. The view of the 'Old Town' was quite similar to Prague with shops selling souvenirs, though the scene in Prague was more happening (no pork knuckles here!).

Entry to 'Old Town' as seen from the foot of Wawel hill

We decided to have an early dinner, which is mainly made of pizza and some Polish soup. The pizza was quite large for two persons and we got the restaurant to pack the leftovers.

Polish sour soup

Pizza

After dinner, we strolled along the main street of the old town and exited via the Florian gate. I went to the railway station and made a reservation for our sleeper berth to Budapest.

Florian gate