Country #67: Krakow, Poland

There is a certain irony that I alluded to back in August. I noted that during this past summer, which was chock full of blog-worthy travels, I had no time to post anything. Well, now I am experiencing the inverse. For most of October I have been home bound, which has given me plenty of time for a frantic game of catch-up on this blog. It is in that spirit that I am now posting the last of the unposted summer adventures. (insert heavy sigh of relief here).

From August 27th-30th, Shawn and I hopped on a cheap-o flight to Krakow, Poland (love, love, love the European cheap-o airlines; they are often cheaper than the trains and the crappy service really is no worse than that on most US carriers). Upon arrival, we checked into the ultra-friendly Mama's hostel, right down the street from Rynek Glowny, which may or may not be the largest square in Europe (Venice's San Marco square provides the only competition and the answer seems to depend on who is doing the measuring).

We spent four days exploring this charming city. And of course, we did the two obligatory day trips, the Wieliczka Salt Mines and the Aushwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. It is so expected that visitors will go to both that a sort of short-hand has developed in the hostel. All around you hear "Are you doing the salt mines or Aushwitz today?", "Can you do the salt mines and Aushwitz in one day?", and "What do you mean you are not going to visit (insert either day trip here)?". I

t is odd that equal weight is given to the site of one of man's greatest atrocities as to a mine where the employees, in a fit of creativity, decided to make statues out of salt. Not surprisingly, the result is that both sites are equally crowded. It feels quite natural to be surrounded by a crowd when gawking at a statue of native son, Pope John Paul II made entirely of salt, or at the remarkable chapel, whose chandeliers are likewise made of NaCl.

It is another thing entirely to be in the same dormitories where people suffered so harshly, or to walk past the remains of the gas chambers and incinerators where so many needlessly perished, with the awareness that there is a multi-lingual mass of people waiting for you to get out of the way. It feels innately wrong to rush through this tragically historic place, but given the time and space constraints, tour guides don't seem to really have a choice. I have no suggestion or insight on how the experience could be "improved", the museum is free and devoted to its mission of making sure no one ever forgets, so limiting admission does not seem appropriate. Maybe the answer just lies in visiting during the off-season.

In contrast to the crowds experienced elsewhere, back in Krakow, Shawn and I were the only ones who showed up for a walking tour of Kazmierz, the Jewish neighborhood. We got to leisurely stroll with our guide through the former centers of Jewish life, see the sites where several of the scenes from Schindler's List were filmed and visit the actual Schindler factory with its makeshift museum.

We also picked up some good tips for the next couple of evenings when we kept returning to Kazmierz, the undisputed center of bohemian night life. It was one funky bar, next to an artsy restaurant, neighboring a klezmer joint on every block. If we had a neighborhood like that in Miami, I really never would be home. Of course, that means I would never catch up on this here blog... But that said, now that I am officially caught up, I will be doing my damndest not to get so behind again, even if that means much shorter posts (wait, was that the heavy sigh of relief of those who have accused me of being too, um, verbose?)

Next up on the adventure agenda...Fantasy Fest in Key West. Expect some NSFW photos from that one. Soon.