Friday, December 13th, 2013
After landing, I take the bus to reach the hotel. The room is not yet ready, so I leave the suitcase and start to walk a bit around the city, starting from the Jewish Quarter, with many synagogues and some churches. I go back at the hotel and then go in the room. Around 4pm it’s already getting dark, the shining sun is gone. When I go out, I go from the hotel to the center: some photos to the Wawel (the castle), walk in Grodzka Street, until I reach the main square, Rynek Glowny.
After looking a bit the Christmas market’s stalls, I walk the florianska up to the walls and the gate, and just beyond it, the barbican, and reach the nearest mall for a quick purchase. At this point, I head to the Teatr Bagatela, where I meet Dorota, a friend of mine who is studying in Krakow and that was a long time that I wanted to meet. We walk a bit in the center, it’s pleasant to spend time with her and after a while we stop to eat something (I’m hungry). We walk briefly and then back to the hotel (and she at her house ), concluding this first beautiful day in Krakow.
Saturday, December 14th, 2013
Even today it’s sunny, and after breakfast, I meet again Dorota. We go to a park nearby, the temperature is pleasant and it is really beautiful. Then we return to the main square, walk a little aimlessly. After a while, we decide to go to a nearby lake, Zakrzowek. It’s fenced and closed, there are some holes in the nets, but it doesn’t seem a good idea to get in, so we just look at it from above.
We are looking for a place nearby to eat, but we don’t find it, so we take the tram and we stop for lunch in the Jewish Quarter. The location is a bit cold, but the place is nice and also the company. After lunch, we go downtown, we walk around the walls and the streets, and we stop for a tea. Then we continue to walk (we walked a lot these days), and at the end of the day we go for a drink together. The evening is really nice, something different from the usual, but really nice. But like all good things, sooner or later it ends. Back to the hotel.
Sunday, December 15th, 2013
We start the day by going to Mass, in the church at Wawel (in Latin and Polish), then we go to the center. Today is cloudy and drizzling, then we go to look at some things at the mall, especially some books. Then we go back to the Jewish Quarter for lunch (in a different place). We say goodbye for a few hours, Dorota has to do some things for the university, so after a short break at the hotel, again to the center, I buy few things, I hear the children singing Christmas carols in the square, and wait to meet again Dorota for dinner together. Also today was a nice day.
Monday, December 16th, 2013
Last day of my trip. Dorota is really sweet and chooses not to follow a lecture at the university, but spend the last hours with me. It’s a beautiful sunny day , we take some pictures and then we are forced to say goodbye. It has been a wonderful trip, memorable in some aspects, and I want to thank Dorota for keeping me company and being so nice to me.
