Spent a restful night in the Hotel Astoria. Went down early for a cup of coffee and a small walk around the area. Krystof took the opportunity to sleep in a bit and give his mommy and daddy a break, which was good as Karel and I had had a bit of a late night at the Singer Bar, and the day before had been a long drive for Adriana.
Around 8:30 everyone was up and we made our way to the breakfast room on the groundfloor. The buffet was decent, with lots of choice. Everything was fresh and there was plenty of it. After we finished we struck out to explore the Old Quarter of Krakow on foot. The Astoria is very well located for exploring the city, so there was no need to get the car out of the parking garage, giving Adriana a break from all the driving she'd been doing, and KK a break from the carseat.
There is an outdoor market right around the corner from the Hotel, and we explored that first. The night before it had been deserted, and KK had run to his hearts content chasing pidgeons, while I bought some peaches.
On our way up Krakowska Street, out of the Jewish district, towards the castle and the Main Market Square:
Over to Stradomska Street:
Wawel Castle
After a good walk through the old town, we reached Wawel Castle. KK was released from the stroller and allowed to run up the hill.
Again with the pidgeons:
Through the gates and into the courtyard:
KEEP OFF!!
Gottcha!
More pidgeons...
As we were walking through the courtyard we saw a band assembled outside the steps of the Cathedral.
Karel hoisted KK on his shoulders so he could watch, and hear them play.
After a few false starts, the band struck up and and an army regiment started exiting the church. Of course KK shouted out Shrek! Shrek! when the soldiers appeared,which probably irritated them quite a bit...
Then a group of medieval Knights emerged in full regalia.
The procession continued out of the Castle and down the street. I still don't know what the occasion was.
There were several other groups of musicians along the route.Main Market Square
We then headed back down to the Town Square to see the world's oldest shopping centre, The Cloth Hall. On the way KK was playing in a doorway and caught the attention of some Japanese tourists who were quite taken with him. They all started taking his picture and shaking his hand. Unfortunately, a number of them had been sitting on an old plank bench along a wall when one large man got up, dumping several of his friends onto the pavement....you can see the bench in the background of the picture below.
One very kind woman whipped up an origami crane for Krystof to play with. The wings flapped when you pulled on the tail.
KK's not really sure what to think, but was polite enough to say "Thank-you" .
On the way we passed a beautiful outdoor cafe, which Karel and I returned to later in the afternoon for a drink while Adriana took an opportunity to have a quick nap:
Grodzka Street:
Now you see it, now you don't........Karel hides an ingenious Polish - Chinese invention.
Krystof charms a Polish Mime:
But has to pay for it:
Finally we emerged into a large square.
The Cloth Hall, oldest mall in the world:
We didn't end up buying anything, but there was quite a mix of vendors within the Hall.
A Polish Rock Band was giving a concert in the Square.But seriously, these musicians were very good. And the Mozart piece they were performing sounded like it was being played by a full orchestra.
Krystof was so deeply moved he put some coins in their jar.
The sheer number of pidgeons in the square was unbelievable. This was way past KK's skill level...We decided to head back to the hotel as it was getting close to KK's nap time. On the way, we stopped in a very nice cafe and had a quick pint. There was a stage at one end of the courtyard, and Krystof couldn't resist getting up and peforming.
After everyone took turns using the restaurant's washroom, except for KK who decided he couldn't wait, (in the deepest, coldest cellar I'd ever seen in a cafe), we walked back to the Hotel Astoria.
From the hotel, Karel and I struck out across the river to Lipowa Street to see if we could find Oscar Schindler's original factory, which was the inspiration for the movie 'Schindlers List'.
Things are different across the river.... The Powstancow bridge is very busy and, once we made it over, we had to use an underpass to get into an area that was the site of the Jewish Ghetto at the time of the 2nd World War.
Halt!
Schindler's Factory, Lipowa Street:
It's a shame that the area is so run down. This should be a memorial to a man who risked his life to save a people ruthlessly persecuted under Nazi rule.
Next door is a prime example of communist era architecture.
After looking around a bit, we headed back to the Jewish District. On the drive to Krakow, Karel had remarked on the number of billboards and advertising sported by businesses and residences alike:
After crossing the bridge, we travelled through an area that was affluent during the time of the Kings:
I hope that the city will eventually be able to resore these residences, as even through their disrepair, you can see how grand they once were.
While I was getting washed up in my room, there was a knock on the door, and Karel and Adriana came in with a bottle of wine to deliver some wonderful news, (top secret), that related to the ingenious polish-chinese invention....
After the good news, we struck out to find a restaurant. On the way KK spotted a small boy, about his age, sweeping the sidewalk in front of his parents business.
The little guy spotted KK at the same time and wanted to come over to shake hands.
This was just too familiar for Krystof.....
Then we ended up at the Pepe Rosso. The restaurant is in the cellar and it has beautiful vaulted brick ceilings. The meal was excellent, and we stayed for awhile to enjoy some coffee. At the same time, the Euro finals were on. Since it was Poland vs Germany, the whole city was glued to the match. Unfortunately, (or fortunately for us and our night's sleep), Poland lost to Germany.
Krystof explores the restaurant:
On the way back to the Astoria, every cafe and patio had a big screen TV tuned to the game, with people getting more and more quiet as the outcome became apparent. Finally we said our goodnights and had one final night's rest at the Hotel.
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