This morning we left for Kraków! Our train left from the main train station (Warszawa Centralna) which is right next to a new, big shopping center called Złote Tarasy (Golden Terraces) where we had breakfast. The whole mall is beneath a large wavy glass roof that looks as cool from the inside as it does from the street.
Following a series of rainy days in Warsaw, it was finally sunny and warm. The train ride took us through the beautiful
After about 3 hours, we arrived in Kraków to find the weather as nice as we left it in Warsaw. Here we are in front of the main train station.
Behind us you can see the Planty Park that surrounds the old town. This used to be a moat but when the majority of old city fortifications were demolished at the beginning of the 19th century, it was filled in and turned into a park.
Isabel was very pleased to find a chain of vegetarian restaurants called Green Way which is where we ate our first dinner.
After dinner we walked towards the old town square, passing beside St. Mary's Basilica where, every hour, a bugler plays the Hejnał Mariacki. The exact origins of this tradition are not clear, but it is a popular tale that during an invasion, a sentry on the tower sounded the alarm with a trumpet call but was cut-off by an arrow to the throat (hence why the song ends abruptly).
The main feature of the old town square is a large renaissance building called Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) in which travelling merchants from distant places would meet to trade their goods. Unlike Warsaw, most of Kraków avoided destruction during WWII, and as such the current architectural plan dates back to the 13th century with most of the historic buildings in their original form. In 1978, Kraków was added to the list of UNESCO world heritage sites.
Nowadays, the Cloth Hall is lined with shops selling local crafts. Most of the stalls have Baltic amber jewelry for sale, as well as wood carvings, cut glass, and other souvenirs.
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