And now I must tip my hat to Krakow, the former political capital and eternal cultural capital of Poland. You can see the Wawel Castle from our hotel roof top. We could have taken the royal carriage to the front gate, but instead we walked our way up through the gate. Center to the castle is the Cathedral Church of St Stanislaus and Wenceslaus. It was the coronation site of all the kings. The court yard of the castle is built in the Italian style with exterior corridors to move from room to room. Didn't the Italians know about Polish winters? The castle is full of art and furniture going back to the time when Columbus sailed for points unknown. It sits on the Vistula river. Next we come to the Church of Sts Peter and Paul. This is located between the Wawel and the Old Town Square. We happened across a choral concert of sacred music presented by a traveling group from a New Jersey College. On our way to the Old Town Square we buy a "polish bagel" or a small circle of braided bread to nash on. The town square has a central building for small marketers of all types. It has a clock tower and the Church of St Mary. There are street cafes, entertainers of all sorts (here a medieval polish warrior), marching bands, generals of wars gone bye, and veterans marking heroes of the Polish resistance WWII. Next we stroll to the old city gate from Roman times....and find a nice Mexican restaurant. Night is falling on the roof tops of Krackow.
Isn't Wawel magnificent?
ReplyDeleteMy favorite photographs are those that show you (great Krakow hat!) and Doug and Mary. The one at the outdoor cafe in Warsaw of you and Mary is especially terrific.