Something About Zürich...: Krakow, Poland (Part I of II)

Our flight got us into Krakow quite early, so we dropped off our bags and took advantage of some early morning exploring. There is a huge market square in the Old Town portion of Krakow, which is actually the largest medieval square in all of Europe. We found it to be a really fantastic city, because so much of it has survived history- in fact it has been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site for exactly that reason.

After exploring the city a bit we walked to one of the large shopping centers and took advantage of 'normal' prices (aka not Swiss) to stock up on some baby necessities.

For a late snack we went back to the outdoor market and got some super yummy Perogies (what would a trip to Poland be without Perogies?!?)

Then relaxed a bit at a cafe and enjoyed some people watching.

That night we found a fantastic Argentine steak restaurant (I know it sounds lame to have Argentine food in Poland, but a good steak is hard to come by in Switzerland).

The next morning we headed to another area of Krakow called Kazimierz. This was originally a separate town, but was eventually incorporated into Krakow. More notably, this was largely a Jewish neighborhood pre-WWII and eventually became what was known as the 'Jewish Ghetto' under the Nazi regime. Quite sadly before WWII there were over 32,000 Jewish people living in this area, and after the war only 5,000 were left. Despite the awful history of this neighborhood, it seems to have become a hip area and was full of cute and trendy boutiques and restaurants. We had a delicious Polish breakfast then continued on our way to see Oscar Schindler's factory (made famous by the movie Schindler's List) which is nearby.

One of the actual posters stating that Jewish-owned businesses must close.

When the Nazis invaded, they renamed all of the streets to German names. These were the original street signs.

One of the armbands the Nazis forced Jewish citizens to wear.

The museum in Schindler's factory was full of information and personal anecdotes. Despite having read a number of books on the Holocaust and the Nazi regime, we found it even more eye-opening to actually look at evidence of the atrocities that occurred.

After the museum and in an attempt to cheer up a bit, we walked around Kazimierz a bit more. Matt even got his hair cut (yet another 'bargain').

On our walk home, we saw a huge crowd gathering and police (lots of them) in riot gear. We thought maybe there was someone important in town. Then we saw the rainbow flags. It didn't quite have the same flare as the NYC parade, but it was very very safe!

Literally, the most well protected gay pride parade I have ever seen.

Our hotel was quite close to the Wawel Castle. This is the Polish equivalent of Buckingham Palace (except they have no monarchy, figurehead or otherwise). It is nothing short of amazing though- absolutely gigantic.

After going back to the hotel and resting a bit after a LONG day of walking, we went to dinner at Miod Malina, a restaurant that had been recommended to us (thanks Jess!). It was absolutely fantastic. We ate like kings, the food was absolutely amazing, the decor appealing, and best of all, we ate for a fraction of the cost of Switzerland. It was so good we went back a second time before we left!