Pierogis and Paczkis in Poland ... oh my!
It's been a couple of weeks since my last post. I've been a wee bit lazy... Oops. Happens to the best of us though, right? To be honest, I've been enjoying laying a little bit low. The month of September really was the BEST.MONTH.EVER. We saw friends, family & so many new places. It was busy in the very best sense of the word. I felt rejuvenated & exhausted all at once. It's funny how sometimes you don't even realize you needed or missed something until you look around, sigh a big, relaxed breath and see it all around you. Thats totally how it felt to have family & friends at our little Deutsch home. I actually have some really lovey-love pics of all that and I promise I'll get around to posting them one of these days...So, yeah thanks September. I totally needed you.
But because Italy & Munich just weren't enough adventure, a few days after we returned from Oktoberfest, we packed up (again) and spent a weekend in Krakow, Poland!
When we first moved to Deutschland, J and I each came up with our European travel bucket lists. We compared notes, and actually agreed on most of our MUST-SEES...the major ones (like London) & the gorgeous vacay destinations (like Croatia) and the ones that are full of history (like Normandy). We still have LOTS to check off that list, but one of my priorities while living here is to also see cities that might not make it to the top of our travel list when we're no longer expats. When our Euro Trips are more expensive and spaced apart and jet lagged. So when Jason asked if I wanted to tag along on one of his work trips to Poland, I jumped at the chance even though we'd be coming off of a super busy couple of weeks. I really had ZERO preconceived notions regarding Poland. Aside from books I have read about WWII history, I really knew nothing current about the country or its major cities. So I was really looking forward to seeing and learning for myself. Luckily for us, the weekend was planned by Jason's awesome coworker, Janusz, a native to Poland and expert in all things (especially all food things) Polish!
So, what did we think? You guys. We were blown away. Krakow is a really beautiful city. It's clean and really has a lot to offer! Shopping, history, food, museums, monuments, photo opps. It has it all and is very walkable & easy to do with a family. We had kids of ALL ages with us 16 months, 7 yrs, tweenagers, teenagers & all were able to find the fun in the activities that were planned. We started the trip off with a walking tour of the city. Stopping at the major sites, eating all of the major bites and learning a lot about the city and its rich history along the way.
If I had to compare Krakow to another European city that we've seen, I'd say it shares some similarities with Prague. As far as the general feel & size of the cities, they are comparable. But you can 'Czech' out my Prague posts to see for yourself. At night the center of the city, the old town area, GLOWS. It was beautiful. We dined outside one evening - even though it was chilly - just to be surrounded by the luminous scenery.
The symbol of Krakow is the dragon. There are many legends behind the Wawel Dragon, including that the city's mythical founder King Krakus killed the dragon that inhabited the area and then built the city atop the slain dragon's cave. There is a statue right at the base of the Vistula river that actually shoots fire at certain times throughout the day! It was a pretty cool sculpture & definitely a crowd favorite attraction.
And... I couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a 'mother of dragons' inspired photo. #GOT
The dudes got to play Katniss & shoot some arrows in the middle of the city. So random & so fun.
Because we are living in Europe, the history and gravity of what WWII was really like has taken a greater hold on my heart. It is hard to believe the atrocities that occurred & that these countries have been able to recover so dramatically - in what is, in the grand scheme of time, a relatively short period. Jason & I feel that it is incredibly important to pay homage & honor to the people and places most affected and most importantly learn from the past. We visited the Kazimierz (the former Jewish Quarter), the area in Krakow where a rich, cultural life was centered for a great many Jews prior to WWII. From their homes in the Kazimierz, they were hearded into the ghetto - Podgórze - across the river. A small percentage would be saved by Oskar Schindler and his factory while others would be transported to concentration camps. We visited a restaurant that houses one of the original entry ways to a Jewish ritual bath house. The restaurant was frequented by Steven Spielberg during the filming of Schindler's List.
We also visited St. Mary's Basilica, a gothic style cathedral built in the 14th Century. We've seen many cathedrals on our recent travels, but this one was something truly special. It was gold & gorgeous. It is probably the most colorful, intricate and royal-looking cathedral that I have seen. All of the gold gilding was was RIGHT up my alley.
In addition to the beauty of the city, I was totally surprised by how much I enjoyed Polish food! We seriously never had a bad bite! Everything was so tasty. Rich, but very tasty. We ate some traditional Jewish food and all the hearty Polish delicacies. Jason had previously told me how delicious Polish soups were so we tried a sampling of those, Paczkis (polish donuts filled with flavorful jams), hot wine (bc, its fall y'all), and of course: Pierogis!
Me saying..."YOU GUYS...YUM" with a mouth full of Paczki .
Our travel buddies: the Pearsons! Rainbows just follow them wherever they go :)
And my new friends, Janusz and his wife Iwona and their daughter Dominika. They were such fantastic hosts & I really really enjoyed getting to know them! Thanks to Dominika for trying to teach me some Polish words!
Janusz took us to an authentic restaurant outside of Krakow on day 2 (more of those day 2 details to come) and it was safe to say we all enjoyed every moment & each and every taste!
We loved our time in Poland and I really hope we have the opportunity to go back. Many thanks to Asher's new favorite Uncle Janusz for planning such a wonderful trip.
Embrace the Wilde,
lindsey
Post Script: There will be a follow-up to this post regarding our second day in Poland, our visit to the Auschwitz-Berkenau Memorial & Museum. It was an emotional experience that I hope I can do justice in describing.
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