Krakow Explorers Walking Tour
Dzien Dobry from Krakow!
Despite the tough walk in Budapest, the family was all in for the walking tour through Krakow. I like these tours because the guides are typically from the city and passionate about their country and history. This tour guide, Chris, was no different. He started the company with his friend and he has a doctorate in archaeology.
He took us around the old town and gave us the history of Krakow and how it changed in all the wars and kingdoms and of course most recently is world war 2 and communism which still looms in the background as a not so distant past. Krakow is a very charming city, not just in its old town but even in the areas surrounding the old town. Budapest was a lot more grungy and sad looking in comparison.
At the end of the tour, the guide announced that he would also be conducting a tour at 3pm of the Jewish Quarter of the city. We were all interested but felt it might be too cold at night and too much walking. For now, we had to find a place to eat since it had been nearly 3 hours since breakfast!
I suggested a “milk bar” which are basically like cafeterias that are very straightforward and cheap, popular during the communist era. It was a bit of a walk so Alyssa and I stayed ahead so we couldn’t hear the complaints behind us. The menu is posted on the wall like a gigantic poster, you line up, tell the lunch ladies what you want, and truly the food magically appeared in seconds onto the tray in front of us. We had so much to order: 2 tomato soup, 2 borscht, 2 mushroom croquette, eggs, blintzes, chicken cutlet, 2 pork cutlet, mushroom sauce, 2 coffee, soda, juice…and she just kept pushing us along while Alyssa took tray after tray back to the table. All of that food was only 50 usd and it was absolutely amazing. I would eat there everyday.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture because they forgot Johnnys eggs and I had to wait at the counter for a minute while everyone started eating. That and I was super hungry. Thankfully Alyssa took one!
After lunch, Alyssa, Chris and I attended the second tour while the parents had nap time. We had to walk them back to the apartment and temporarily lost Johnny. We took aunt mare back, then had to go back to the market to find Johnny and return him to the apartment.
We added to our layers doubling up on socks and pants which really did help to shield the cold! As we left, we locked the parents in so they would be safe.
The second tour was much more walking and also much more somber. It’s inconceivable to hear about the atrocities committed by the Nazis and walking the streets where it happened put us all deep in though. The cold wasn’t too bad at first but it started flurrying a bit during the end of the tour and we were desperate to warm up when it was over.
We headed back to the apartment via Bolt and then planned for dinner at Ribs on Fire. It wasn’t as good as I remembered it last time, but we definitely destroyed 2.5kg of ribs!
