Sodispar Service Apartments Krakow

One of the main reasons to come to Krakow is to explore my Jewish roots (oh yeah, I am not Jewish). This was a huge Jewish city prior to WWII

Auschwitz and Birkenau were part of the largest concentration camp area during WWII and a must see. Over 1 million people lost their lives here. It is extremely powerful. Many tours will take you for 100 zloty. I go by public bus, take the excellent tour offered by the museum and it is only ...

... this huge old warehouse building that had a few floors of bars. We were waiting on the staircase when the bouncer started punching one of the patrons over and over again the face. It seriously sounded like thunderclaps. Then he tried to throw him down the stairs, but there was so many us that it buffered his fall. Then a couple of the girls that he was with went up the stairs to plead with the bouncer and he backhanded one of them! She didn't have enough of a beating I guess and went ...

The trains in Poland are less than accessible for the wheelchair, so we decided to rent a car from Ostrava, Czech Republic and drive to Krakow, Poland. Leaving Ostrava was no problem whatsoever, but once we crossed the border into Poland, we had some problems. Let's just say, the Poles are not known for their skills in cartography. None of the roads were clearly labeled on the map or on the road itself. A trip that should have taken us 90 ...

... Glowny and its one of the largest and best preserved medieval squares in Europe. It dates back to the 13th century and has remained relatively untouched since then. At the centre of the square is the 'Sukiennice' or cloth hall built in the 14thcentury. I don't know what its original purpose was but it now plays host to a great number of souvenir shops on the lower floor and the national gallery is on the upper floor. Over looking the cloth hall are the twin towers of St.Mary's church ...

... t know what it is about them that make them so delectable but it's probably about my favorite food. The night before the whole program had dinner together and we ate what we think was friend pigeon-it really is a delicacy there, but it tasted like chicken to me. Pirogues are a specialty there too and we had many different kinds that night. A GIF alumnus who now lives in Poland and owns a beer company also met us for dinner and donated two kegs of beer for us ...

... of the wall which are ominously shaped like tombstones. I love this city. It has such a vibe to it as it not only has interesting sites but is also a university town with a great nightlife. I've really got to stop getting up on the speakers and dancing. But come on. How many other places still play Tom Jones' "Sex Bomb" at a dance club? Tonight I head to London. Tomorrow is India. Here we go. Jim

Krakow is a beautiful place and is small enough to amble about on foot, taking in the lovely buildings and endevouring not to turn your ankle on the cobblestones. Never easy when 4-inch wedgies are the fashion shoe of choice. Vital info for any visitor is that loos are carefully coded with symbols designed to cause confusion. Men's are shown with a triangle and women's with a circle. What's that about? Wouldn't any sane person have given ladies the triangle ...

... to stuff different/pleasant things into the same day as Auschwitz, somehow disrespectful to the victims. But at the same time disrespectful to modern day Poland if I didn't try to squeeze out the maximum of present time Poland. I'm quite sure I would have enjoyed beautiful Krakow even more without the very worthwhile visit to Auschwitz before.

Hi Everyone!! If you haven't noticed... we have finally been able to find an internet cafe that allows photo uploading!! We've posted some pictures for each destination on the prior entries. When you have an opportunity, take a look!! After an overnight train from Prague, we are now in Krakow, Poland. We arrived at 6:30am to pouring rain. We were finally allowed to drop off our packs at the hostel a little ...

... to for a reservation and he would arrange a bed. I got myself up to the platform and as soon as the train pulled in I started asking for the conductor. I found him, showed him my ticket and he gestured me onboard where he gave me my reservation and a sleeper cabin. Relieved, but so wound up, I took a moment to congratulate myself on my greatest achievement in my life to date, and then settled down to a fitful sleep before arriving in Prague at 7am the next morning.