A casual meander in Krakow might be a seductively chilled out and interesting possibility, but as my train pulled into the Kakow Glowny train station I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Being a bit of a chocoholic, I was more than a little excited to find out that ‘Pijalnia Czekolady E. Wedel’ , one of Poland’s most renowned chocolatiers, was but a few streets away from the station. On arriving I made tracks, stopping only to take in the pretty facade of the station and the strangely massive, empty square that surrounds it (an odd feature of Polish towns).
After a few minutes of orienteering and failing to pronounce ‘czekolady’ for confused locals I was directed to a shop in the middle of the old town that was small but larger than life in style. I looked around still confused but oddly at home in a place where I half expected Willy Wonka to come tumbling out of the display. The chocolates too were just as jauntily freaky as in Roald Dahl’s spectacle – white chocolate covered prawns are the speciality! These treats burned through the few Zloty in my wallet a little but anyone familiar with English or French chocolatiers will appreciate the relative cheapness of these little bits of heaven….and yes I did try the prawns!
My hunt for chocolate heaven had left me on the edge of the Rynek Glówny; Krakow’s main market square, the centre-point of the old town and the home of a ridiculous number of unique, unmatched historical buildings. My pre-trip info gathering at MyDestination.com/Krakow, as well as my touristic instinct told me this was the place to be. On seeing the darkly divine crowns of iron thorns that make up the gothic spires of St Mary’s Basilica I had to agree and I was drawn like a moth to a flame. Whilst the basilica’s outside spoke of darkness, the inside was all light, beauty and colour, if heaven ever needs re-decorating I would tell god to have a look in St Mary’s for inspiration.
After nourishing my starved spiritual side I opted for a bit of materialism at the ‘Sukiennice’ or Cloth Hall – apparently the oldest shopping mall in the world. It is every bit as grandiose and intriguing outside and in as the Basilica it sits next to. Many of the shops in this central location are classy, expensive boutiques but I did get hold of a few postcards. At this point the rumbling in my tummy made itself known and I headed out and down the main thoroughfare to the south of the square passing by the famed Wawel cathedral-castle into Kazimierz, the old Jewish district of Krakow. I would say if you want to visit one of the cheaper, better value Krakow bars or cafes, do it in Kazimierz as it has all of the historical charm of the old town without the tourist-hotspot prices. Cafe Mlyenk, a lovely vegetarian place serving tasty grilled camembert was where I rounded off my day in what must be one of Poland’s most unique and cosmopolitan cities.
Author Bio: Jamie Smith
Jamie Smith is a graduate of 24. He loves writing in a variety of different forms and writes travel articles as well as short stories of his encounters. He likes to immerse himself in the culture of the places he visits and this usually involves quenching his on-going thirst for music of all types. Living in the north of England frequently visits to his beloved Cornwall and London whenever he wants a taste of the big surf or the big city.
Editor’s Note: This is a guest post. All pics and text provided by the author.
