The day before our first morning in Krakow, Bill and I filled out a form that indicated our menu choices for breakfast. We opted to have breakfast in the apartment, since there was a table and chairs set up there. Eating breakfast in the apartment meant I could put off wearing a bra that much longer.

Breakfast is served from 9-11. I would have preferred it slightly earlier, since Bill and I are early risers. But having it at nine gave us an incentive to sleep in, and God knows Bill needs to do more of that. Also, the bed in the Prince Suite is surprisingly comfortable, so sleeping in wasn’t difficult. If we couldn’t have slept in, we could have watched television. There are THREE TVs in the apartment, including one in the bathroom!

After a leisurely breakfast, Bill and I ventured out into the city. The weather was sunny and somewhat warm, which was nice, since I forgot to bring my jacket with me. The first thing we saw, once we started walking on Kanonicza Street, was Pope John Paul II’s former residence, which is now the Archdiocesan Museum.

We probably should have taken a look at it, since it was so close, but I had heard so much about how beautiful Krakow is that I wanted to keep walking. The museum is literally across the street from Kanonicza 22, though, and if you’re Catholic, or interested in things that are Catholic, it’s probably a must see. I am not Catholic, so it was of less interest to me.

We did stop by the Church of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul, a nearby, historic, Catholic church that is iconic in Krakow. This church was built between 1597 and 1635, and is known for being the city’s first Baroque structure. The front of the church is notable for having statues of the twelve apostles.

When we visited the church, a man was speaking to a small group of people as a pendulum moved in front of him. I was curious about the pendulum, but couldn’t understand what the man was saying, even if I could have heard him clearly. But we did get some photos, at least… And Bill lit a candle for his late father, who was a Catholic. Although we didn’t attend any concerts at this church, I understand that they are offered daily at around 8:00 PM and cost about 60 zloty per ticket (about $15.50).

From the church, we headed down the street to the big market square, Rynek Główny. The crowded street was bustling with modern stores, restaurants, and tour guides trying to sell tours. There were plenty of people in Krakow, but somehow the guides knew which people were tourists and which were locals.

This was where I saw the first of many horse drawn carriages. I was delighted to see a team of Appaloosas, since my beloved Rusty was an Appaloosa. I explained to Bill the difference between the American Appaloosa breed, and the Danish Knabstrupper breed. Both are known for their spots, but are different types of horses. I’m pretty sure we were seeing Appaloosas, since they aren’t as rare as Knabstruppers. But I could be wrong, of course. The carriages in Krakow were pretty much all pulled by two horses, all of whom appeared to be well cared for. They kept their routes close to the pedestrian areas.

We walked to the center of the market square and sat for a bit, just taking in the scene. The square is constantly teeming with people and activity, with lots of restaurants, shops, and live performers. While we were sitting in the middle of the square, we noticed that we were surrounded by a lot of very young, beautiful women, who all appeared to be styled in similar ways. I wondered if they were training to be models or… perhaps tour guides? I don’t know, but something was going on with them.

You can’t go to the market square in Krakow without seeing St. Mary’s Basilica, although if you notice my photos below, you’ll see that they actually ask people NOT to visit. I understand you can go into the basilica for free if you are appropriately dressed and have religious business there. You can also purchase a ticket to see parts of the church that are intended for tourists. Again, you are expected to be appropriately dressed for the occasion.

There is a tower there, where tourists can usually pay an extra fee to get panoramic views of the city, but I’m not sure if it was open to the public while we were visiting. I read that it was undergoing renovations. If it had been open, I think Bill and I would have skipped it. As I get older, climbing steep church towers is less appealing than it used to be. Every hour, there is a trumpet call from the taller of the two towers. It’s a tradition that dates from the Middle Ages, and the call is played in each direction.

After we visited the market square, we continued down another street and a sign caught my eye. Then I heard music, noticed quirky art, and found myself in a brewpub called Bania Luka. I later discovered that this pub has several locations, making it a chain. No matter… I was in the mood for a little day drinking. They were playing awesome Generation X music! I didn’t really care for the stools, which weren’t that easy to sit on, but they had good beer, light food, and plenty of vodka. They also had a toilet! We enjoyed a round or two while I admired the artwork.

Then it was time for lunch… so we turned right and walked a little further. I noticed a couple of dark passageways and stopped in one that advertised a traditional Polish restaurant called Stodola 47. This appeared to be a very tourist friendly place. Indeed, there was a large group of Americans there. They were with an outfit called Catholic Journeys. I know this, because they had signs on the tables that were reserved for them.

There was also an Asian Catholic priest with them, complete with collar. I see from Googling that this tour operator is in New Orleans, Louisiana, and offers pilgrimages to different places of interest to Catholics. Again, I’m not Catholic, so I don’t know. I do wonder, though, if they visit Lithuania, a place that seems as religious as Poland is.

Bill and I got the last available table, which was right next to the toilets, and enjoyed a nice heavy lunch, washed down with more beer… Zywiec is a mass produced Polish beer that is very light and refreshing. It’s a lot like water, actually!

Right next door to Stodola 47 is a very inviting underground pub called Dorby Kumpel. So, although I hadn’t planned on the day turning into a pub crawl, that is exactly what it turned into, as we went down to check out the underground bar that was also playing some great Generation X style music! There were a bunch of Brits down there, too, so we didn’t feel out of place. Maybe I should have felt guilty for pub crawling, but our main goal was to relax and enjoy ourselves. We definitely managed to do that in Krakow.

When we emerged from the underground bar, we were confronted by rain showers. So we turned back toward the market square and started heading back the way we came… But then I noticed another inviting pub called Baza. And yes, we stopped in for a bit…

Baza Pub was probably my least favorite of our three stops, mainly because of an annoying guy who happened to be there at the same time we were. The bartender was not the friendliest guy, either. He seemed rather bored with his job. Most of the patrons were sitting outside under umbrellas, probably because they could smoke. The door was left often, though, so the smoke wafted inside the bar. The barkeep would close it, and the annoying guy I referenced would open the door again. That was annoying, but it wasn’t the MOST annoying thing… I did enjoy the artwork.

At one point, I got up to use the toilet, which was unisex. There was one stall, but it hid everything, so it wasn’t a big deal that there weren’t separate rooms for men and women. The annoying man-bunned guy, who had been fouling the air with his chain smoking, came into the bathroom while I was peeing and waited for me to exit the stall. In doing so, he trapped me as I tried to maneuver past the narrow space between the sink and the stall door.

He said, “It’s a very tiny space.” as I worked out what to do.

No shit, guy. Why not wait outside so I can wash my hands in peace? It’s not like there’s a line. 🙄 The guy struck me as a bit of a weirdo. I think the bartender thought so, too.

It was still a bit damp when we left the Baza Bar, but we were still in for a treat. Stevie Wonder was playing and people were kind of dancing along… and then we ran into a group of very talented male breakdancers who entertained us with a fabulous show. I got a video of that.

I had wanted to go looking for artwork, but it was getting late, and was a bit dark and cold. So we kept walking back to the apartment, where we spent the rest of the evening digesting lunch and lots of Polish beer…

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped into another church for a few minutes. It turned out to be the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which definitely should have gotten more of our time. We had to keep it short, because Bill really had to pee! What a beautiful church, though… and just outside, we were confronted by Pope John Paul II again.

Bill turned in our breakfast choices for the next morning while I enjoyed the shower. The most notable thing about the shower in the apartment were the toiletries. They were called Oliva del Mediterraneo, and they smelled lovely. I’ve already started looking to see if I can find a full sized bottle for home!

Stay tuned for my next post about our second day in Krakow!