Krakow Christmas Markets

After lunch, we dropped the parents off for nap time and proceeded to wander the streets. We tried to find a store that we had walked by yesterday and it took nearly an hour. Alyssa ended up finding it after we walked up and down the same streets multiple times. Krakow is super pretty though.

We went for a quick glass of wine before going back to the apartment. I had wanted to try polish wine and we stopped in a little bar that was associated with a Michelin star restaurant next door. I thought that might imply decent wines or service. But they only offered about 10 by the glass options, only 3 of them polish, and when we ordered those three wines, they only had one….huh? But whatever we had a drink and moved on. I tired a polish Riesling that was more acidic than my liking but Chris ordered a Chardonnay from Poland that I liked a a lot more.

After a brief break at the apartment and playing some bananagrams, coup, and monopoly deal (because it’s not a family trip without games) we set out to the markets.

The stalls were filled with pierogis, smoked sausages, stuffed cabbage, grilled cheeses, and grilled bread topped with garlic butter, onions, and kielbasa. It smelled wonderful. Johnny decided he wanted McDonald’s….

We started with a grilled cheese each (literally cheese wrapped in meat, pictured below) and then split up to get food. I decided on that grilled bread and a kielbasa. Alyssa found croquettes and pierogis, and aunt mare got a crepe.

I was so full I felt like I was going to explode. We wandered around exploring shops with wooden rolling pins, glass ornaments, iron being forged on a fire right at the stand, woolen mittens from Lithuania, jewelry, socks, touristy items, linens, so much to see.

After the markets, we sent the parents home and we stopped into a little artsy cafe playing live jazz music and serving craft cocktails and ended the long day with a fancy little nightcap.