Krakov
Krakov was within easy reach of our last stop in the Czech Republic. We found a nice little site (Camping Smok) in the ACSI book and we chose it because it has easy access to the city centre by public transport. It did get quite full when we were there with lots of Germans, a Dutch rally ( the Dutch do like their rallying) and the odd Brit.
We visited the city on a sunny Sunday afternoon when lots of locals were visiting the city too so it was quite crowded but a nice atmosphere. The castle/cathedral complex is huge with a very attractive inner courtyard and the Sigismund Chapel has a particularly striking gold roof.
The pedestrianised streets and the main town square were full of human “Statues” who performed a little jig when a donation was made (elsewhere in Europe they stay as statues). We watched a group of accordion players doing excellent versions of Bach’s organ music.
Under the Cloth Hall is an attractive arcade with traders trying to part tourists from their money with amber, sheepskins, leather, pottery and glassware for sale. As we have a non-souvenir policy on our trips, we were not tempted.
The main square was a hive of activity, as well as a beautiful flower market there was an event involving Paralympics and we watched some blind football for a little while before finding somewhere for lunch where we both tried what were called traditional Polish dishes which were very nice – potatoes, dill and pickles being commonto both dishes. Horse-drawn carriages were doing a good trade in city tours, the carriages were attractive, very large and often white. There were also electric cars and eco-cycles offering tours of the city.
There are lots of attractive buildings, walls and gates to see within the old city – the Barbican and St Florian’s Gate being two very attractive sights apart from the castle/cathedral complex mentioned above.
