Wirral Life November 2018 | Page 84

W TRAVEL L A WEEKEND BREAK IN... KRAKOW! BY NEIL BATHO With an abundance of budget flights from the UK, moving history and a modern buzz, Krakow in Poland makes for an interesting city break. We visited in early November for a two night visit and were blessed with amazing weather and fabulous company. So, to get around this fabulous city, if you don’t fancy walking, it isn’t difficult as there are buses, taxis and the public tram system. There are stunning horse-drawn carriages that will take you on various sight-seeing tours, which start and stop in the Main Square. Prices vary, but a truly lovely experience. Flying from Liverpool airport, the flight is a mere 2 hours 10 minutes and the transfer from Krakow Airport to our hotel (Holiday Inn Krakow, situated 5 minutes from the Main Town Square) a 30-minute taxi journey which gave us the opportunity to sit back and enjoy the extreme contrasts of the city. As we were on a tight time schedule, we opted to visit Auschwitz which is a 1 ½ hour journey from Krakow. The infamous ‘Auschwitz’ is made up of several camps that served different purposes. The camps that are most well-known, and the ones our visit took in, were Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II – Birkenau. Originally used for the internment of political prisoners it later served as a place where the Nazis developed the means to commit some of the worst atrocities in human history. The camp is now a museum charting the history of the camps and housing exhibits that visually illustrate the sheer scale of the atrocities committed. An emotional day for us all. During the Second World War much of Krakow was destroyed by bombing from both sides. The initial impression is of any other modern city. As you approach The Vistula River, which runs through Krakow, you notice the architecture beginning to change. The first building you see that truly gives you a hint of what to expect as you enter the old part of the city, is Wawel Castle. Originally built during the 13th century it has been added too over the proceeding centuries, providing a mixture of gothic, baroque and renaissance architecture is breath-taking. Crossing the bridge into the old town the mixture of Gothic and Baroque buildings. Fortunately, much of the old town was left untouched by the Second World War and any new buildings have been constructed to blend in with the old. The Main Grand Square (Rynek Glowny) is one of the largest in Europe and is stunning with the Cloth Hall dominating the main market square. In one corner of the square is the Old Town Hall clock tower which on the strike of the hour, a bugle call can be heard from all corners, playing a signal trumpet melody - known and dear to every Pole. A short walk from the square is the Barbican, close to one of the gates into the city it was built to house the soldiers responsible for guarding the entrance to the city. Overhanging the road is a large wooden balcony, it wasn’t hard to imagine soldiers stood along it watching everyone entering and leaving the city. Other places in the city, that we unfortunately did not have the time to see, include the Jewish Ghetto, Schindler’s Factory and the gorgeous Wawel Castle which all come highly recommended. 38 84 wirrallife.com Amidst the stunning architecture, deeply steeped history there is also an abundance of places to eat and drink in Krakow and whatever you taste in food and drink it is all well catered for. Our first evening with our party of eleven dined at the lovely ‘Corse’ (located in the Old Town and on the Michelin Food Guide), predominantly French but with a Polish influence, eclectic and fabulous. The level of service and the quality of food was excellent. Wine, however isn’t cheap. Local beer is very reasonably priced and there are plenty of different varieties of Vodka or ‘Wodka’ as they say in ‘Polska’ to sample… but beware it is pretty strong! Our other dining recommendations are Corleone (Old Town) and the fabulous ‘Bonerowska’ (located on the Main Square) where we spent our final afternoon soaking up the atmosphere of Krakow and all it has to offer. If you are looking for a short getaway, stunning architecture and a friendly laid back feel then Krakow is an ideal place to visit. Be quick though!…prices are starting to creep up but the city itself remains good value for the UK tourist and it is truly beautiful and also notably one of the cleanest places we have visited in Europe!