Krak-ing up for my birthday

Friday the 21^st (my birthday) lined up as a slow day of business for me. As I was working in Edinburgh, Scotland, I decided that I’d take an impromptu birthday trip to Poland.

One $120 Ryanair flight later, I arrived in Krakow, Poland. (Hard to believe that there are direct flights between Krakow and Edinburgh, harder still to believe that there’s TWO different airlines that fly this route.) I dropped my bags in my $28/night 3-star hotel (thanks, www.hotwire.com), and set out to consume as much of  Krakow’s sights, sounds and tastes that I could find room for.

(click on any picture to enlarge).

First stop: some Polish street food. This is an obwarzniaki – a baked treat that is the bastard child of a pretzel and bagel. 

Immediately afterwards, I ran into this character near the Castle (“Piwo gratis” = “free beer.”) It was definitely a sign that I was in the right place.


From a tourist standpoint, Krakow is known most for two things: the “Old Town” that survived World War Two intact, and for being the hometown of Pope John Paul II. I didn’t know much else, but found an excellent guidebook (Rick Steves’.) My first stop was Wawel Castle, Poland’s most visited site.

Wawel Castle from Vistula River

Grounds of Wawel Castle

The castle on the Vistula River was notable for being the home of Poland’s kings for much of the country’s history, but there is one other reason that the castle is visited: apparently (according to my guidebook) some Hindus believe that the castle is one of seven sacred “power points” (chakras) on the globe (along with Rome, Mecca, and a few others.) As a result, some believers come to the castle and hug a certain very powerful part of the castle walls. The castle authorities don’t like this, and have placed signs in front of the wall and have a watchman nearby to shoo people away. Nevertheless, this wall attracts plenty of attention – the dirtiness of the wall is due to visitors hugging it to draw “power.”

(For the record, I hugged the wall. Let me know if you think I am more powerful.)

Wawel's "Power Point." Note the smudges on the wall from hugging believers.

After Wawel Castle, I strolled the Old Town, which was way, way, way better and more interesting that I anticipated. The Old Town – which dates back ~600 years is a mix of medieval streets and a large open square, but also blends in more recent history – Pope John Paul II spent most of his pre-Papal life in Krakow, and it is commemorated, as in this house where he lived as a student.

Pope John Paul II's college room, with the Castle in the background.

While roaming Old Town, I stopped for lunch at a Milk Bar – a type of communist-era cafeteria. The Polish government still subsidizes these cafeterias in order to provide a decent meal at a decent price. I ordered the daily special (did I mention that I don't know any Polish?), but had no idea what I was in fact ordering.  Here’s what I got: a pork cutlet with potatoes, pickled beets, and strawberry drink for ~$3.) The Milk Bar is a uniquely Polish experience.

You know how in some cities there’s a Starbucks on every corner, sometime more than one? Well, it’s like that in Old Krakow, only substitute “Church” for “Starbucks.” That said, the highlight of Old Town is the Market Square. Sure, it’s touristy, but also great for its’ history.

Market Square in Krakow's Old Town

After a few hours of Old Town, I set off for a shopping area and the train station to make plans for the rest of the trip. Near the train station is a local institution that was pointed out in my guidebook: these two surly guys cooking kielbasa on the side of the road.

Kielbasa guys. Note the communal stand-up dining table in the background.

They set-up every night from 8pm to 3am, selling only kielbasa  ($2) and sodas from their old van, apparently with gruff charm.

There’s nothing better than local street food, so I had to try some. I ordered, then took my plate (sausage, mustard, roll) and joined the crowded stand-up table (see behind the van.) My first instinct was to put the kielbasa on the roll, but I watched the locals, and the local way is to eat the kielbasa in slices and occasionally mix in bites of the roll. The kielbasa was very good.

I strolled back to the Market Square - even more impressive after dark.

Old Town at night

Old Krakow's market square.

To wind down the night I walked back towards Wawel Castle only to find that a very large classical concert was playing at the base of the Castle. I was surprised to see the attention to the concert – not just that the audience was large – but that the audience was all ages, and that outside the seating area the concert was more like Lollapalooza, with food, beer, and wine vendors. So, I worked my way in to the free show, grabbed a $2 beer and enjoyed.

I’m not a classical music aficionado, so I don’t know what was played, but my rule is that all music sounds better live, and with the Castle at night as background, I figured that I made the right choice to come to Poland for the weekend, and that I couldn’t have put together a better day.

Recent travels: Germany & Scotland

I just spent four of the last five weeks in Europe on business. The bulk of my time was scattered across Scotland, but I also had side trips to London & Cambridge in the UK, and Dusseldorf & Cologne in Germany. Here's a few highlights (click on any picture for a larger view):

Dusseldorf's "World's Longest Bar" in the Altstadt.

I was pleasantly surprised by Dusseldorf and Cologne. I had been told that these two Rhine cities were very industrial and very impersonal. Instead, I found them both to be very livable cities. They don't have high tourist appeal (they'll never be mistaken for Las Vegas, and Berlin and Munich have many more tourist sights), but I think you would be very happy to live in either city. Both cities are oriented towards the Rhine river, with nice promenades surrounded by bars and restaurants.

Speaking of bars, Dusseldorf has a collection of bars, clubs, and restaurants that they bill as the "World's Longest Bar"in the Altstadt. I had the good fortune of passing through the Old City on a Friday night, and I can say that it really might be true to its' name. 

Cologne's cathedral and bridge

Cologne had the same buzz in two separate areas, one with a view of the Rhine, but the real appeal of Cologne is the combination of the Dom (cathedral) and Hohenzollern Bridge, located next to each other.

Padlocks on the Hohenzollern Bridge, with the Dom and train station in the background

One neat thing about the Hohenzollern Bridge is the local tradition of couples in love placing a padlock on the bridge as a sign of commitment. There are literally thousands of padlocks everywhere you look.

While in Scotland, I had a spare weekend which is decided to split between the town of Pitlochry - a gateway to the Highlands - and Loch Ness.

Queen's View of Loch Tummel in Pitlochry, Scotland

Loch Tummel at sunset

Pitlochry is visually stunning. I rented a bicycle for a day to take in some of the scenery, pedaling among Blair Atholl castle, the Queen's View, and Loch Tummel.

Urquhart Castle on Loch Ness

I generally try to avoid obvious tourist traps, and on the bus ride to Loch Ness I was really kicking myself for making the effort to visit such an obvious tourist trap.

Loch Ness panorama

But once the Loch came in view, you could tell that there was something special. For one, it's a beautiful setting. For another, there is something about the water that really makes you think with each ripple that you might have just seen Nessie. I didn't manage to see him (or her), but it was still a worthwhile visit.

The Ultimate Souvenir

Here's another article about picking up your car in Europe. (European Delivery Programs.)

I'm less than 2 weeks away from picking up a Saab in Sweden, and can confirm the savings represented in the article. (About 14% off sticker, after taxes, so the savings may be understated, and that doesn't include the $2,000 contribution by Saab to the cost of the trip, of which a small amount might stay in my pocket.)

The bonuses are that

-I'll also get to drive my car on the Autobahn, one of the things on my "100 things to do in life" list.
-I ordered a completely custom car - none of the "it's everything you want except the color" conondrums.
-I didn't have to negotiate off of sticker, which you typically have to do for a convertible, and would certainly have to do for a custom convertible.

Link to Saab European Delivery Program