Those Polish Peepers
Trip Start
Nov 03, 2008
1
2
24
Trip End
Jan 10, 2009
Krakow, Southern Poland, Poland
Saturday, November 15, 2008
My second attempt was a success and I finally made it out of Berlin. I booked a three person sleeper car on the overnight train to Krakow and was lucky enough to get it all to myself. When I got to the train station I asked the lady at the tourist info booth for a city map and a hotel recommendation. She found me a nice hotel in the old Jewish Quarter that she said was about a ten minute walk.
After lugging my suitcase for at least thirty minutes through gravel sidewalks that were dug up due to construction, I finally made it to the hotel. If I had to do it all over again I would have checked my luggage at the train station and found my own hotel
Moon over Market Square
. I later learned that there were tons of cheap hotels in way better locations.I booked tours to see the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau the next morning and the Old Salt Mines in the evening. Some of you have probably already seen the videos I posted on my You Tube Channel. The Nazi camps were as depressing as the Salt Mine was beautiful.
I spent the first night walking around in the old city. I had no idea Krakow was so beautiful. I walked through this old medieval wall and it felt like I stepped back in time. Many of the roads were for pedestrians only and were lined with old buildings filled with cafes and shops. As it began to get dark the old town really came alive. All the lights went on illuminating all the monuments and buildings creating the most romantic ambiance. Couples strolled hand in hand down the cobblestone roads admiring the beautiful architecture and sneaking the occasional kiss while groups of young adults filled the restaurants and pubs preparing for an evening of fun. Meanwhile, I walked around taking pictures trying to capture that one picture that defines the uniqueness of Krakow, thinking maybe I could enter it into a photo contest one day. When it became apparent to me that the most beautiful pictures were the ones at night, I realized that I needed to buy a tripod in order to get the clear shots that I wanted. I walked along the narrow streets until I finally came upon a Kodak store and managed to find a tripod for around $40.
I hurried back to the main square, set up my tripod, turned off my camera flash and chose a slow shutter speed so that I could capture a crisp image. After pushing the button I moved back from the camera making sure it was perfectly still because if it moved, the image would turn out fuzzy
Saint Mary's Bascilica
. I am not sure why, but many passer-byes found what I was doing to be absolutely fascinating. In fact one drunken guy lingered around for the longest time babbling something in Polish as I completely ignored him. Another couple interrupted their romantic stroll to stare at me as though I were a street performer but never bothered to give me a tip. Everyone and their dog was armed with a camera taking pictures of the buildings so why was every Polish peeping Tom, Tim and Tina stopping to bug me? Well despite being a road side attraction, I did manage to get some fantastic shots that I thought I would share with you.Take Care
Teresa
