Kraków

Again Wendy had booked an hotel in the old city area not far from one of the largest town squares in Europe. 

Kraków Town Square

And the city is quite beautiful.  It avoided being bombed or significantly damaged during the War, although apparently air pollution during the Soviet period was quite severe and damaged stonework and gilding on public edifices.  It doesn't seem to be a problem now, at least not during our time there.

Kraków Town Square at night

As in other European cities it was interesting driving into the older part of town through narrow lanes and the one-way system.  On this occasion it involved some fancy driving across dedicated tram tracks and through what, at first, looked like the entrance to a park. 

The Street outside the hotel is partly one-way.  A public parking area directly opposite is not strictly approachable, without going back around the one-way system, once outside the hotel.  I tried backing-up the required 20 metres but some bloke in a cab moved up close-behind, deliberately preventing me from backing around him. So I did a quick U-turn, going the wrong way alongside him for about two car lengths, to get back to the car park entrance, much to his abuse-screaming displeasure - in Polish and German?  Then I realised, German plates - not everyone loves Germans. 

We had already spent some hours driving across country observing Polish drivers in their natural habitat.  And any idea that Kraków cab drivers are unusual sticklers for obeying the road rules was quickly dispelled once we set out as pedestrians. Here dodgem rules apply, with little tourist trains, horse drawn carriages and other unusual vehicles adding to the chaos. 

Nevertheless it was very pleasant wandering around Kraków and we enjoyed the food in the open markets. 

Around Kraków

We spent a couple of days visiting things we wanted to see outside the city like the Salt Mines, reported below.  

Then just before leaving we visited Wawel Castle and explored the grounds.  But having got there we decided not to go in as we had a long drive to Warsaw and were both pretty well 'castled out'.  This Castle is dauntingly festooned with crosses and statues of Saints and Popes and the prospect of spending precious time gazing at another over-decorated room, tapestry, carved chair or gilded nick-knack, or worse, a heavily ornamented chapel, replete with no longer existent theological celebrities, weighed heavily on us.  But we did like the view.

Wawel Castle in Kraków