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All posts for the month July, 2013

We took a bus today from Krakow to Zakopane, the heart of Polish ski country in the very southern tip of the country. Think Aspen in Poland. Another one of those “I’m in the Carpathian Mountains?” moments. In the summer it’s a great destination for hiking and breathing cool air; after yesterday’s high 90s, this mid-60s feels really nice. Tomorrow, weather permitting (today has been raining on and off, but tomorrow is supposed to be better), we’re going to hike up into the mountains. It could be fabulous.

Meanwhile, great moments in food. We walked maybe 30 minutes to a highly rated restaurant on Trip Advisor, and it was totally worth it. Among other great items, there was an appetizer sent by the gods if you’re doing the low-carb thing: smoked, fried bacon with smoked, fried cheese. Oh my god.

We’ve had live music with meals recently, too. Intermittently tonight there was traditional Polish music played at loud volumes, and two nights ago there was a wonderful guitar-violin duo playing in our restaurant. The night in between, last night, we went to a concert in a beautiful church in Krakow. Just an hour long, a little Vivaldi, Mozart, and of course (in Poland) Chopin. The orchestra consisted of five people, with a guitar soloist who was pretty impressive.

And lest we forget great moments in cocktails. Last night we decided to try a martini at a nice looking bar. We’ve learned to be specific about what we want. It’s common in this neck of the woods to be very precise about volume – the steak is 250 grams, the shot of vodka is 40 grams. So the martini on the menu was listed as 40 grams of gin, 20 grams of dry vermouth. Well, that 2-1 ratio may be the classic recipe, but we’re more 4-1 types, so we ask for 80 grams of gin to 20 of vermouth. So far so good. I watch him pour, it’s very precise, and he then proceeds to start salting the rim of the martini glass. You gotta watch these people like hawks.

Meanwhile, here are some of my favorite recent pictures. We’ll have more tomorrow from the mountains.

Just outside of Zakopane

Just outside of Zakopane

One cow at a time

One cow at a time

But lots of sheep up here

But lots of sheep up here

Musicians at Polish restaurant

Musicians at Polish restaurant

 

Small concert in a church in Krakow

Small concert in a church in Krakow

 

Musicians at dinner in Krakow

Musicians at dinner in Krakow

How do you stay cool when it’s 95 degrees out all afternoon? Go to an underground salt mine! Once you’ve gone down a zillion steps to tunnels 400 feet under ground, it really is nice and cool.

We spent the morning and early afternoon on a tour of the Wieliczka salt mine outside of Kraków. When it closed in the 1990s it had been in operation for seven centuries. We walked through about 2 km of tunnels, a tiny fraction of the 200 km carved into the near solid rock salt down there. There are also cavernous entertainment spaces, stables, chapels, and even a few lakes down in this bizarre underground world where everything is made of salt.

Yesterday we visited the incredible museum dedicated to the German occupation of Poland in World War II, which is housed in Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory, where he protected hundreds of Jews from the German atrocities most of their neighbors met.

We’ve also spent plenty of time just soaking up the beautiful architecture and lovely green spaces in this amazing city. Kraków is incredibly beautiful, historically fascinating, and buzzing with life even in the heat wave. A few random pics below.

Wawel Cathedral

Wawel Cathedral

Escaping the afternoon heat  at a river bar

Escaping the afternoon heat at a river bar

Cool bike

Musician in the Market Square

Musician in the Market Square

This guy is everywhere in Kraków

We arrived today in Kraków, once the capital of Poland and quite simply one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. So far we’ve just walked around and taken it all in. And taken a few pictures to share.

The view from our hotel room -- Rynek Glówny, the largest medieval square in Europe

The view from our hotel room — Rynek Glówny, the largest medieval square in Europe

Architectural detail from Rynok Glóvny

Architectural detail from Rynok Glóvny

Me and King Casimir III the Great

Me and King Casimir III the Great

Interesting sculpture on the Vistula