Krakow over Thanksgiving

Many of you will know ms Janoski, who works in Student Health. She is not only a friend of mine, but she also travels a lot. When I learned that she was heading to Krakow over Thanksgiving break, I asked whether she would write about it for my site. She agreed and also supplied some of her pics. Here is her story and wonderful pictures. Thanks Kathleen.

I had mentioned to a friend of mine that I was going to Poland for the Thanksgiving holiday. My plans were met with incredulity as to why would anyone want to go to Poland for a vacation. At that point, I realized that this individual must not travel outside of the United States.

It is difficult to deal with such narrow mindedness. I assume that folks like that are just not students of history, nor do they want to go out of their comfort zones and experience other cultures. Too bad – just don’t end up like that yourselves. Poland has always held my interest because my dad’s family emigrated from Poland in the early 1900s. In their desire to become Americanized, the Polish language was replaced with English at all times. Unfortunately, my knowledge of the Polish language is non-existent. However, every Pole I encountered spoke excellent English.

To me, the city of Krakow represents Poland at its best. The city was largely undamaged during the Second World War. As I walk along the cobblestone streets, I can image how the city appeared a hundred years ago. But it is hard to image this city under Nazi occupation and Soviet domination. There is still some of the Soviet grime on many of the buildings. Many Poles I spoke to complained that the Soviets never fixed anything and many magnificent building fell into disrepair. But on this last trip, I saw scaffolding and renovations being performed on many more buildings. I think of Prague, Czech Republic, as the pretty girl and I think of Krakow as the plain girl with the good personality. Krakow is an extremely easy city to navigate. The terrain is flat and the majority of sites are within a very compact area. I probably walked several miles each day. There is a park surrounding the Old Town which is called the Planty. At one time this park was the original medieval walls to the city.

No trip to Krakow can be complete without a visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. The atrocities that the Nazis perpetrated occurred less than 70 years ago. Not ancient history by a long shot. And it wasn’t just the Jews that were targeted. Non-Jewish Poles, intellectuals, communists, homosexual and gypsies all were killed by the Nazis in the concentration camps.

I tell people that the shopping is good in Poland. Of course, they look at me like I have “stupid” written on my head. Some think that the women walk around with babushkas on their head and are still wearing badly made clothing from the Soviet era. Nothing could be further from the truth. The women of Krakow are very fashionable and the shopping is outstanding. The Poles have gotten this shopping mall thing down pat. There is a huge shopping mall attached to the main train station that would give any mall in the United States a run for the money. Once again, I had to buy another suitcase to bring all my purchases home. I bought lovely Polish pottery and art glass that is less expensive than you can find in the States.

Practical information:
Most flights to Krakow require a plane change – normally in Munich, Frankfurt or London. I flew from Washington Dulles into Munich and then on to Krakow. The roundtrip price was $740.00 when I purchased my ticket five months earlier. Prices are much higher in the summer months. Arriving at the city center is easy. As you exit the airport, you will see a shuttle bus out front. The shuttle bus will take you to the nearest train station. There is a direct train into the main train station in Krakow. The cost is 8 zlotys or about $2.90. Try to have small bills – please don’t torture the conductor by giving him a 100 zloty note.

I normally stay at hotels that cost less than $100 per night including breakfast and all taxes. Staying at a hostel can be much cheaper – normally in the $25 to $35 range per night. There are plenty of hotels and hostels located in Old Town and the immediate surrounding areas. Try to find a hotel or hostel that includes breakfast in the price. Normally this is a great way to start the morning without an outlay of cash. Breakfast at my hotel included meats, cheeses, fresh fruit, yogurt and delicious Polish pancakes. I was able to fill up at breakfast and did not have to eat again until late afternoon. The most expensive dinner I had was $19 USD. I picked a restaurant looking onto the Old Town Square. Dinner consisted of pierogies, salad, dessert, hot tea and the price included the tip. You can find less expensive restaurants very easily. Most restaurants post their menus out front of the restaurant. A good part of the time menus will be in Polish and English.

ATM’s seem to be on every corner. You will get the best exchange rate by using an ATM. I always e-mail my bank to let them know that I will be in a foreign city so my transactions are not denied. Movies to watch before your trip to Krakow: “Schindler’s List” and “Katyn.”