English Idyll: Krakow

For my birthday we took an extended weekend trip to Krakow. It's convenient to get there because Ryan Air flies direct from Stansted to Krakow main airport in a little over two hours.

Krakow is a medieval city and has a lot of amazing things to see: the castle, the old town square, the Jewish quarter, cathedrals, little cobblestone alleys and lovely cafes. We stayed at Ostoya Palace Hotel near the centre of Krakow. Our trip mainly revolved around walking around to see the sights, eating all of the Polish delicacies that I've learned to love through Richard (and particularly his mom's) cooking, and learning about Polish history at the museums and walking tours.

There was a strong decorative theme among the cafes and restaurants, which I might call cosy Grandma style decor-- a lot of rustic dark wood furniture with crocheted doilies and fresh flowers. It might sound kitsch, but because most of the city seems to embrace it, the consistent theme made for a very warm and cosy atmosphere.

Cafe at the market square

Cloth Hall at the centre of the market square

Bagels were reportedly invented in Krakow! They're very similar to those you'd get anywhere, except that the dough is twisted. They also sold what I'd like to think are mini bagel necklaces, but I never saw anyone wearing one.

Garden on castle hill

Vistula River viewed from castle hill

Polish street food - zapiekanki and fries

Mleczarnia beer garden in the Jewish Quarter

Communist style "Milk Bar". Essentially a cafeteria serving simple, inexpensive Polish classics. It's the type of place that most tourists don't go because they don't have English menus and the staff aren't extremely helpful.

Our room at the Ostoya Palace. In the corner of the room is a tiled stove that would have been common in Polish houses in the past-- now I think they've just kept them as decoration.