23 Feb
Europe 2010: Pt III
The morning after the faux-engagement session with my SIL, That Husband and I got up early to spend some time in Krakow. We borrowed his mom’s car for the day, and driving into downtown Krakow was quite an adventure. They drive on the right side of the road, so things aren’t completely switched around, but I still had no idea what was happening most of the time as the signs are all in Polish (obviously) and people drive much more aggressively there.
While I waited for TH to finish getting ready that morning I spent some time in my in-law’s backyard playing with the tilt shift lens.
Ohhh, my favorite little garden gnome! I take a picture of him every time I visit 
It was a beautiful day in Krakow and I would have liked to spend more time exploring the square, but I was with a man on a mission (a mission to buy Christmas presents in the marketplace). St. Mary’s Basilica is famous, playing a trumpet signal that breaks off in the middle at the top of every hour to commemorate the 13th century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while warning the city of an impending attack.
This is the market that I’ve visited three times now, and I love it so much that I’ll never get tired of it. It’s called Cloth Hall, and it’s a long corridor lined with booth after booth selling jewelry (most of it made with amber), wooden toys (we are going to give T1 two wooden toys from this market for his 1st birthday!), wooden figurines, chess sets, and a whole lot of random Christmas tchotchkes.
The santa we bought my mom for Christmas! As long as we visit Poland, I’ll be bringing home Christmas gifts from this market for my relatives. There are these really fantastic Jewish figurines that I want to start collecting.
That Husband looking sexy.
Most of the buildings in Poland are very flat and square (I don’t know anything about architecture, I would describe it as a very severe style) but the area around the town square is very different from what all of the buildings in the surrounding towns look like.
TH and I had a little bit of an argument, because I refused to eat at any of these (adorable looking) places since they have English on the menus, and that is a sure sign of a tourist trap. Scroll down a little bit and you’ll see the (gross) food we ended up eating instead. Should have gone with the charming place with the Italian vibe!
I’m pretty sure I went inside this church, The Dominican Church, the first time I visited Krakow. You can take a really awesome 360 degree virtual tour of the interior here!
I think this is another church. You could spend an entire day touring and taking pictures of all the churches in Krakow!
So I rejected earlier dining options, and TH got so hungry that he made me get something from this little fast-food stand right outside the square. It was awful. I was happy to be eating something vegetarian, but I should have asked for dressing on the side. Unfortunately we didn’t really know what we were ordering, since the man behind the counter didn’t really speak English or Polish very well. Lesson learned, feed husband when he is hungry!
TH took this picture. I’m so happy whenever he shows an interest in using my camera!
Our dinner was so blech, that we felt we deserved a little treat. So we ducked into a pastry shop and picked out something sweet. Polish desserts aren’t as sweet as American ones, so I have to get TH to help me pick one that he thinks I will like.
We made it home safely (and TH decided he doesn’t really like driving in Poland), and the next morning we got ready for the train that would take us to Vienna! It’s only my second time riding a train, and so I think it’s really fun (the first time was when my family went to London right after I graduated from high school and we left London to visit some friends in the north).
Before we left that morning I woke up to find TH eating solids! I hadn’t been doing so, but he really enjoyed them, and he was just a few weeks shy of 6 months so I was fine with it. (I mentioned it here.)
CUTE!
It makes me so happy to see how much my in-laws love their grandson. He is very lucky to have such fantastic grandparents!
We’re almost to Vienna! I’m excited to relive our trip as I share the pictures with you.
Also:
I'm a farm-raised almost-crunchy stroller-pushing picture-taking lifestyle-blog-writing gastronomy-obsessed divine-seeking thrift-store-combing cheese-inhaling pavement-pounding laughter-sprinkling lover of individuality and taking chances.
Your photos make me so very excited for my first trip to Europe in September. I have already bought a couple travel guide books and have been researching extensively. I don’t have as great a camera, but hoping to take many fantastic pics anyways.
The city my husband is from, Timisoara Romania, is said to have been styled after Vienna. So I can’t wait to see your photos and then when we visit Romania to compare.
1Is that where you got my nativity?? That was probably my favorite gift this Christmas! I still have it up in my apartment…
You have really great pictures of all the architecture! It’s fun to look at.
Jenna Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:03 am
Yep! I think we’ve purchased like 15 nativities from that market now!
LifeOnMulberry Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 3:55 pm
You have inspired me to look for nativities when we travel now!! I don’t have enough space to keep many, but its on my list of unique souvenirs to search for.
Ah, I *love* train rides. It is a bit depressing though to compare other countries’ trains to our Amtrak system. You have to take a 2 hour train to get to the bus that takes you to Machu Picchu, and the train was gorgeous- hardwood laminate floors, cushy, brand new leather seats, windows in the ceiling, and a free meal and drink included! I compare that to the Amtrak- 1950′s looking blue seats, funky little bathrooms, dingy corners, and I can’t help but think “come on Amtrak, let’s get it together!” haha.
But I still love taking the train, even on the Amtrak. Since you’re in Chicago- a major train hub- you might look into taking the train to a nearby state you want to visit. Even the old funky Amtrak is so much more comfortable than driving or flying. My favorite part is that you meet really interesting people- international backpackers, retirees who only travel by train, families, etc. It’s a unique crowd
I’m really enjoying this re-cap series!
LifeOnMulberry Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
I totally agree, Sophia. When we leave NYC for the West Coast again, I will miss the ability to travel on public transportation so easily. We take a train(or even long-distance buses) at least once every other month. Travel is so much more pleasant when you can look out the window and not trouble yourself with traffic signals or directions!
Love the pictures. I like your blue cardigan. T1 looks cute as always. I am shocked to read you’ve only been on a train twice. Is that the norm in America? How do you get to places?
Always by car? I ride the train every single day to school.
Jenna Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:07 am
As Sophia mentioned above, trains just aren’t the same in the states. They are pretty commonly used in the bigger cities but out west where I grew up I don’t even knowhow you would go about finding a train and where it would take you (in the more populated areas of California they do).
I think that’s actually one thing that President Obama has been addressing lately, is that we need to not be so dependent on cars to get us where we need to go. Unfortunately we are broke so we don’t really have the money to build what he’s like to build
What a lovely trip you must have had. I’m curious as to whether you were a little peeved that T1 experienced his first solids without you. I was so excited when our LO was finally ready for them & to share the experience with him I think I would have been a little upset to have someone else go ahead with it without me…just sayin!
Jenna Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:07 am
I talked about that in the post I linked to in the text of the post!
Oh man - that market is so awesome! I miss European everything, they seem to have so much more style in everyday life than North America. Looks like you guys had a great time in Krakow, and your outfit is super cute - love the cardi/necklace combo!
6The food looks like falalfal or something similar. Certainly the pita and the cucumbers and the sauce on top make me think so. If it was, it couldn’t have been very good falalfel because I love it! It’s so delicious normally.
7Oh, I’ve been to that square!!! The trumpeter of St. Mary’s and the Cloth Hall were my favorites! My sister livedin Torun for 7 years (1 year in high school as an exchange student, and then she moved there after high school), and I went to visit her for 6 weeks when she got married in 1997.
We spent a week and a half in and around Krakow, and it was my favorite part of the trip.
Have you been able to visit the wieliczka Salt Mine yet?
I have loved reading about your trip, and talking with my sister about the parts of your trip that remind me of mine. Thank you for that!
Jenna Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:35 am
I went to the salt mine on my first trip to Poland! That grand hall they have, with all of the saints carved into the walls? Amazing. I kind of wanted to have our wedding in Poland so we could have our reception there.
Amy Tolar Reply:
February 23rd, 2011 at 11:47 am
It’s so beautiful - with all the different places I visited, I have by far, more pictures of the salt mine than any other (other than my sister’s wedding).
I am finding it kind of funny that two Eastern Oregon/Washington girls from po-dunk agricultural towns (which are my favorite kind) have lived such parallel lives and had many of the same experiences.
I think your son looks more and more like your husband. Especially the shape of their heads
9This is making me miss Prague!
Do they have honey cake in Poland? It was called meldovnik dort, in the Czech Republic, I believe. SOOO good.
10I love that black and white picture of you in front of the church, you look so pretty!
11I always get so stressed when I’m driving or have other people drive me around in France. It seems that the roads are smaller and people as you said drive more aggressively. Maybe that’s why I always loved the train so much.
I do miss the architecture and the food.
Oh and talking about food. When Hubby and I went to Mexico (on a cruise with his parents), we borrowed a friend’s Lonely Planet and were able to find some great local restaurants thanks to it. It’s always good to ask recommendations from people who live there if you can find any.
12I’m heading to Poland in August. This just made me incredibly excited for Krakow. =)
13Dear Jenna,
14I really like reading your posts about Poland, as they let me see my country from a completely different persepctive. Sometimes they make me sad, sometimes they make me laugh, and very often they make me think…
Anyway, when you visit Poland next time, you should buy a little guidebook (it’s actually a kind of magazine published every three months) called “Krakow in Your Pocket”. I love eating out and I consider myself a foodie, and I have always found their reviews extremely reliable and informative. I guess the magazine is so reliable cause it is written by foreigners who live in Poland and do not have the patriotic bias Polish people are so famous for. Of course, you can also find the magazine online: http://www.inyourpocket.com/poland.
If you happen to be in Warsaw, I will be more than willing to recommend a few places.
I have only just read the post about your grandmother. Please, accept my condolences.
Take care.
U.
I’ve been through that market in Krakow! When we were there, my Polish cousins had us eat at this AMAZING place in the middle of nowhere. Best pierogi (sp?) ever.
Also…I wonder if the architecture is different because of the War? From what I understand, the Krakow city center was one of the few medieval cities left standing after WWII. It made me so sad to see what had happened to Warsaw.
15Just fyi…you said “TH” had his first solid food, and before I saw the picture I was a little confused.
But the pictures of T1 are ADORABLE. He looks so preciously confused about what that stuff in his mouth is, haha!
16The early intro to solids was totally worth it for these perfect pictures!
17A professor of mine in college was from Poland (I can’t remember if it was near Warsaw or Krakow though I’m pretty sure it was Warsaw) and she always told us how awful it was during the Communist regime. Her parents were college professors but during Communist rule, had to pick strawberries in the summer to make ends meet, and she never got a Barbie doll as a child. Anyway, what made me think of that is when you described the “harsh” buildings- I’m wondering if they weren’t buildings that were erected when Communism was alive and well in Poland since Soviet structures tended to be very utilitarian and plain and industrial looking, and probably stand in stark contrast to the traditional Polish buildings.
Jenna Reply:
February 24th, 2011 at 10:55 am
That would make sense. TH has some very sad stories as well
Just want to say, as non creepily as possible, that photo of TH was indeed sexy. I hope you take that as some form of compliment….just sayin!
19Krakow is probably the best place in Poland to have relatives from:) my Dad’s from there & I try to visit as often as possible, because I too love Rynek & Sukiennice. and your b-w photo of Sukiennice is modt likely the best I’ve seen:)
20Wonderful pictures, they have beautiful churches. I have friends that come from Poland.
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