Poland: TO Krakow 2
Note: Still updatingKrakow is a beautiful city that is the opposite of Warsaw. Krakow was fortunate not to have been razed to the ground by the retreating Nazis. Apparently the Nazi general in charge had a great affection for the city and refused an order to dynamite the city. Unlike the general in Warsaw who had every building dynamited which explains why much of the city has brutal Communist architecture and the avenues are so long and straight. If you ever go to the old town in Warsaw keep in mind that it was completely rebuilt following World War II from remaining drawings and paintings of the city. Everything there is more or less from 1952 when reconstruction happened.
Unlike Warsaw, Krakow is almost all completely original and very European. I hadn't been there since I was 9 years old and rediscover why Poles call it their most beautiful city and their cultural capital as well. Krakow was the capital of Poland before it was moved to Warsaw.
To do this we rented bikes once more but with a twist. We took a bike tour from a Canadian of Polish descent who decided to start a bike tour company in Krakow during the spring, summer and autumn months. I would highly recommend the tour and the company is called Cruising Krakow. We saw all the sites, from the dragon, to the castle, to Oscar Schindler's factory. Well worth the time and little money that it cost.
We got a real sense of why a lot of tour books have started to call Krakow the new Prague. Go before it gets ruined by drunk Stag and Hen nights from Britain.
Also on the outskirts of the city is the deep salt mines of Wieliczka. Definitely worth a day trip.
posted by NV @ 8:43 pm
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