Krakow, Poland – family trip through Central Europe

Whether you are planning a weekend trip or just to be in Krakow for a day, these are some of the activities and things to consider when you visit this Polish city.

We arrived to Krakow, our train was there at 7am.

We passed part of downtown Kraków to get to our airBnB place

At this time the main square had almost no tourists or locals, which was perfect to make a nice panoramic photo.

Tips: it is easy to use the public transportation system. Just make sure to have coins, you can pay on board the tram your ticket. In Prague it is also pretty easy to move around with da day pass, here you need coins to pay and need to do so before going on board the tram/train/bus

Beware, after 12 am there is no transport

If you have an additional day in Krakow make sure to book one of these tours here.

At 11 am we meet our guide for a 2h guided tour of the Jewish quarter.

In the Jewish education is been introduced

Previously the Jewish quarter was there, but they were sent out

Actual Jewish quarter, mixed with tzcheq Jews

Synagogues had played a very important role in history, for knowledge. Probably the reason for so many Jewish famous people.

The Broadway of the Jewish quarter.

The elements of any Jewish quarter

A praying house

A trading space

A ritual bath house, now a restaurant with classical musical. Here you can meet and listen to 98 year old famous Jewish musician playing klezmta music.

A cemetery

Mesusa according by Jews, that were placed at the entrance, Jewish had to touch it, removed during WWII.

Isaacs synagogue

Old Jewish cemetery, symbols on the graveyards tell different things. An open book is for scholars and teachers.

Symbol of purity, to priests.

Jewish community center

This one has no guards. It is joined by all Jewish and Jewish friendly people. If possible meeting one of the survivors of Aushwits, there are concerts, etc.

Tip: come to taste zapiekanki, places are open until 1 am, at the party quarter (plac nowy)

Place famous for famous Spielber’s movie, Schindlers list, filmed here some 20 years ago.

We go through the Christian side, with large basilica as main sight along the way.

Kashmiris the great in the 50 bill, very tolerant to the Jewish

Pope Jean Paul II the one that United Jewish, Muslims and Christians. First one to enter a synagogue.

Now we cross the lovers bridge

The place where Jewish were moved to, the Jewish ghetto. Later destroyed by nazis.

The place of tragedy.

1941 Jews were taken to this area, And at the moment of the holocaust in 1942 Jews were not allowed to go out. The tram got through but did not stop. So people helped throwing some food, or other things.

Museum of a pharmacy inside the gettho, it was used by his owner to help, located here on purpose, in a secret way.

To Schindler’s factory take tram #3 from outside the shopping center, opposite side. Then get off at stop Pl. Boharterow Getta, and on the same side go downstairs to cross to the other side in the same street to the right, on K street.

Follow the signs from there.

Poland was independent until 1910’s and then again under nazis.

18% Jewish and 10% Christians died in Auschwitz.

1939 in a border town German soldiers dressed as polish soldiers just to provoke them. They got the uniforms from a spy. There is a small suspicion that it was Schindler who made a copy of the uniform and this led to the beginning is the war.

Polanski one of the survivors made the Pianist, a movie worth watching as well as Schindlers list.

Another movie recommended is Jack strong.

Schindlers office. He signed the list made  by 3 Jews.

Exhibition to the liquidation of the ghetto

Not far away there was a concentration camp.

The guide suggested in a map with insiders’ tips to come taste the local dumplings.

(Pierogi) legendary they promised, they were indeed.

We then went back home for a short nap (most of us)

Other dishes are beetroot soup with egg

Zapiekanki

Drinks: kompott

A lovely restaurant in the Jewish quarter

Live klezmer music

Nice traditional food (different flavor herring

Kjell Anders got/ bought an autographed cd

There was a Jewish Festival in town so there were lots of activities that evening.

Street art in the city

The market square in the Jewish area.

Lovely vistas of the city center by night

The old map or original city map

The oldest shopping mall in history is located below this place.

The barbicon was one of the few remainants of the Middle Ages city wall.

At 11 we watch the bell melody and show during our visit to the first church in the city. Students include Copernicus and pope Jean Paul.

Second university in the city, emblems where modified during WWII, all crowns eliminated.

The house of Pope J. Paul II

The bricks are for the people who donated money

At the castle

Main cathedral important as main events as kings marriages were held here. It has been built through out the ages, so it has different styles

The courtyard of the royal residence

Babel dragon, following the legend of the brave one to kill it to save the Kings daughter

After The tour we went to have the last lunch together of the trip.

Golabki –  cabbage rolls

At 2:45 we divided, we took tram number 8 direction the airport and from the last stop bus number 208 which goes only at :49 each hour. This was just a bit tight, we could not find info online of transportation here in Poland, as in. The other countries. Get a tram/metro map and learn how to use it, unfortunately there is no info online in English. We were lucky to get a nice guy help us look for it with his phone.

 

16:00 we wait our flight back to Norway on Board Norwegian

Back in Norway, there is a phenomena called summer holidays to the south “syden” to get some sun, that this is how that side at the airport looks like this summer, plus a map where you could mark your summer destination, and other summer related props and decorations.

Krakow, there is so much to do, and prices are very good. Get ready to enjoy a great destination!