Krakow? More like Kra-WOW!
I apologize for making you read that. The cheesiness hurts me too. But in all earnesty, Krakow, Poland is a pretty neat place. This past weekend we spent three days learning and exploring, and it was nothing like I envisioned but everything I wanted. Most typically, the only recounts of Poland we hear in America are regarding its involvement in WWII, and as those are all fairly gloomy scenarios, I went into the trip expecting an equally gloomy countenance from the nation itself. However, I was pleasantly surprised.
Grass. That was the first aspect of Polish life that made an impression on me after a long morning of driving out to the Wieliczka Salt Mine in Krakow. We were granted some leisurely free time upon arriving earlier than expected, and thank goodness we did because Krakow has some truly beautiful foliage. Green life is one of the most prominent aspects of Nebraska life that I miss as Olomouc is rather barren in terms of flora, and many of the other cities we've visited seem to follow suit. Laying in the grass and basking in the sun in a random park outside of the salt mines for twenty minutes was an ambient experience after the harshness of stone and steel environments we've grown accustomed to. So that was pleasant surprise number one.
Pleasant surprise number two was the mine itself. Especially after a gratifying sunbathing session, the prospect of heading deep underground into a place of coldness, darkness, and saltiness was not particularly enthralling. Again, though, Krakow went above and beyond. The Wieliczka Salt Mine was more beautifully breaktaking than I ever could have imagined. Not only did we have fun licking the walls and making wishes on coin tosses in underground pools, but admiring the architecture of the caves themselves was enough to keep one occupied for days on end. Between underground chapels, theatres, and so much more, it was like strolling through somewhere out of a book. It is nothing short of phenomenal to consider the endless days and nights of toil that went into digging such a magnificent subterranean wonderland, especially without the advantages of modern technology.
Following our escapades in the mine, we made our way to easily the best restaurant I’ve been to in Europe so far. Not only was the food and wine top-notch, but the service was better than anything I’ve experienced. Our waiter was actually kind to us, talking to us and keeping our wine glasses full, as opposed to literally every other dining experience we’ve had where the waiters literally scoff at us for being American. Plus, even considering we ordered a three course meal with two bottles of wine, it cost just over $20 a person. Krakow is my kind of place. If you’ve never had pierogies, you are sincerely missing out. Did I mention our waiter brought us free shots of a local plum vodka in tiny goblets? He did. He was great. I would come back to Poland just to repeat the joy of that meal.
That’s only the beginning though- our group also embarked on a crazy night of misadventures as we all took part in the Krawl Across Krakow, the largest pub crawl in the city. Between the power hour of free drinks and the crazy foreigners we got to know as we ventured across town, it was a night to remember. Granted, it did make our visit to Wawel Castle the next morning drag a little bit, but it was still a pretty neat medieval relic. As we were admiring the fine skill and dedication committed to each and every piece of weaponry in the museum, our guide made an interesting point about our generation being the one to bring back such artisanship, as much of it was lost with industrialization. It was such a fascinating reflection because we often get so caught up in the end product that we overlook the artsmanship (or modernday lack thereof) that goes into the creation process.
Afterward, a few of us girls had a grand time sitting in the main square and judging what we deemed to be terrible fashion donned by foreign passerbys- it never ceases to amaze me how unorthodox we perceive European fashion to be. I still can’t tell whether they’re trying way too hard or not hard enough… Either way, the end product of clothing combinations is completely inexplicable from an American standpoint.
Considering the lingering fatigue from Friday’s late night escapades, it seemed like a good idea to take it easy for a night, so some of us headed to Krakow’s most popular chocolate bar and it was AMAZING. For anyone who is even moderately acquainted with me, they know that my sweet tooth is out of control, so a thirty page chocolate menu is literally heaven on earth. That, combined with three hours of academic debate on neurolinguistics, psychobiology, cultural relativity, and the nature of the universe in general, made for a hell of a good night in a fashion very different (and vastly superior to) our usually drink and club type fiestas.
Between cheap food, cool people, and some hella cool sights, Krakow was unexpectedly one of my favorite cities so far. Poland: I’ll be back.
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