Once again we heading off travelling, this time to Krakow in Poland. I've never been to Poland before but I've heard nothing but good stories and was eagerly looking forward to the trip.
I decided to pack light and only took 2 lenses; my Tamron 24-70mm f2.8 lens for general 'walking-around' and my Irix 15mm f2.4 lens, which is slowly becoming one of my favourite lenses.
We had a list of places we wanted to see and only 3 full days to get things in so it was important that we planned things out. We decided to:-
- Explore Krakow
- Visit Auschwitz
- Visit the Salt Mine
Each of those took up each of the full days, however we arrived at our hotel in the early evening so made the most of the rest of the day and went for a walk into the Old Town of Krakow. We were NOT disappointed and it really fired me up for the rest of our trip.
The Old Town, Krakow
In the centre of Krakow's historic Old Town lies the market square, lots of cobbled roads, the old Cloth Hall, St Mary's Basilica and so much more which we will explore tomorrow in daylight, but the square looked so amazing at night I just HAD to take my camera.
Horse and carts
All along one side of the square are a line of horse and carts all brightly lit. They offer to take you on a ride around the local sightseeing spots. This went on the list of things to do in the daylight of the next day.
Inside the Cloth Hall
Inside the impressive Cloth Hall building are lots of vendors each with a small store selling things like amber jewellery, hats and scarves and lots of other little trinkets, much to the pleasure of my wife who visited each stall. This was perfect for me as it gave me time to explore the square more with my camera!
The Town Hall Tower
The Town Hall Tower, a massive Gothic building, was one of the first sights we saw as we walked onto the square from our hotel. Standing at 70 metres tall I was excited to learn that there was a viewing area at the top for visitors... or at least there would be if we were there at the right time of year! Oh well, nevermind.
St. Mary's Basilica
Wow! Now this is an impressive building.
A brick built, Gothic style church that sits in the corner of the square.
In the image above, you'll notice 2 doorways at the top of this tower. These doors are on each of the 4 sides of the tower, of which the top doorway is where a trumpet signal is played from on the hour, every hour.
The story behind this signal, named the Hejnał Mariacki in Polish, is to commemorate an event that happened during the Mongol invasions of the 13th Century. One night, a sentry on the tower sounded the alarm that the enemies were near, but during the call he was shot in the throat and didn't finish the signal. This is why, when the signal is played now, the trumpeter plays the song with a noticeable and sudden stop mid-melody.
The walk back to the hotel
There is one thing I can say with certainty about Krakow. It's a lively, friendly city with lots going on even in Winter.
I couldn't wait for more exploring! Bring on Day Two!
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