I was
invited to Kraków by my school mate, Ela. We met in our French language class.
I have no idea why she was in my class – which was a beginning class. She is
from Poland and speaks Polish, Russian and French. Me? I’m from San Diego and
speak English. We sat next to each other in class and somehow developed a
friendship – mainly through pidgin French (me) and hand gestures. So, she ended
up inviting me to her home in Kraków.
A
little history about Kraków, and places I visited (thanks to Wikipedia):
Kraków
is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the
Vistula River the city dates back to the 7th century. The city has grown from a
Stone Age settlement to Poland's second most important city. It began as a
hamlet on Wawel Hill and was already being reported as a busy trading centre of
Slavonic Europe in 965. With the establishment of new universities and cultural
venues at the emergence of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 and throughout
the 20th century, Kraków reaffirmed its role as a major national academic and
artistic centre.
In
1978, Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Kraków, was elevated to the papacy as Pope
John Paul II — the first Slavic pope ever, and the first non-Italian pope in
455 years. Also that year, UNESCO
approved the first ever sites for its new World Heritage List, including the
entire Old Town in inscribing Cracow's Historic Centre. Cited as one of
Europe's most beautiful cities, its extensive cultural heritage across the
epochs of Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque architecture includes the Wawel
Cathedral and the Royal Castle on the banks of the Vistula River, the St.
Mary's Basilica and the largest medieval market square in Europe, the Rynek
Główny. Kraków is home to Jagiellonian University (established 1364), one of
the oldest universities in the world and traditionally Poland's most reputable
institution of higher learning.
Wawel
(pronounced as Vavel) Hill
Wawel Hill - Castle and Cathedral
The
Gothic Wawel Castle was built at the behest of Casimir III the Great, who
reigned from 1333 to 1370, and consists of a number of structures situated
around the central courtyard.
In the
14th century it was rebuilt by Jogaila and Jadwiga of Poland. Their reign saw
the addition of the tower called the Hen's Foot (Kurza Stopka) and the Danish
Tower. The Jadwiga and Jogaila Chamber, in which the sword Szczerbiec, was used
in coronation ceremonies, is exhibited today and is another remnant of this
period. Other structures were developed on the hill during that time as well,
in order to serve as quarters for the numerous clergy, royal clerks and
craftsmen. Defensive walls and towers such as Jordanka, Lubranka, Sandomierska,
Tęczyńska, Szlachecka, Złodziejska and Panieńska were erected in the same
period.
Rynek
Główny
Main Square - Easter Market
Rynek
Główny (Main Square) in the Old Town of Kraków is the principal urban space
located at the center of the city. It dates back to the 13th century and is one
of the largest medieval town squares in Europe.
The main
square is a rectangular space surrounded by historic townhouses and churches.
The center of the square is dominated by the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice), rebuilt
in 1555 in the Renaissance style, topped by a beautiful attic or Polish parapet
decorated with carved masks. On one side of the cloth hall is the Town Hall
Tower (Wieża ratuszowa), on the other the 10th century Church of St. Adalbert (Kościół św. Wojciecha). Rising above the square are the Gothic towers of St.
Mary's Basilica (Kościół Mariacki) built in the 14th century.
Kopalnia
soli Wieliczka
Salt Mine - the walls are salt
The
Wieliczka Salt Mine is often referred to as "the Underground Salt
Cathedral of Poland." The Salt Mine is located in the town of Wieliczka in
southern Poland. Opened in the 13th century, the mine produced table salt
continuously until 2007, as one of the world's oldest salt mines in operation.
The
mine reaches a depth of 327 metres (1,073 ft) and is over 287 kilometres (178
mi) long. The rock salt is naturally grey in various shades, resembling
unpolished granite rather than the white or crystalline look that many visitors
may expect.
A
3-kilometre (1.9-mile) tour with 800 steps to climb is accessed at the
beginning by a wooden staircase with 378 steps that take tourists to the mine's
64-metre (210-foot) level. The mine features corridors, chapels, statues, and a
lake at 135 metres (443 ft) underground. Even the crystals of the chandeliers
are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a
clear, glass-like appearance. An elevator returns visitors to the surface,
which takes some 30 seconds to make the trip.
Now ….
My trip …..
The
trip started off on the wrong foot – well, let’s just say in the wrong week. My
flight was booked for Friday the 25th of March but on Friday the 18th
I received an email from Ela stating she and her family were waiting at the
airport for me ….. OMG …. This language barrier was really a problem! I had
written in my French notebook the date I had told her I’d come and remembered
her asking me why I couldn’t come earlier and I explained to her that I had my
last week of French lessons that week, ending on the 24th (she had
finished the week earlier) … so I knew she, at one point, knew the date I was
coming. I also remembered that I had sent her a copy of my booked plane flights
(from the airlines website) so that she’d have the date/time and flight numbers
….. but here she was a week earlier, with her family in tow no less, standing
at the airport wondering where I was ……. Ugh!
So I sent her an email stating that it was the next Friday I’d be
arriving as well as attaching again my flight information – what else could I
do, but I did feel horrible …. Her reply to me was one word – “ok”….. It’s kind
of hard to read into what that one word could convey emotion-wise but
unfortunately that’s pretty much how our conversations go anyways …. There is
certainly no superfluous usage of words in our back and forth dialect since we don’t
KNOW the words to use – our language with each other is pretty well limited to
1 to 5 words in a sentence, and there is certainly no multiple sentences used
in our exchanges …. Therefore, I took her at her word and “ok” was just “okay”
and I’d see her the next Friday!
My
flight was at 9:30am, therefore I had to be at the airport at 7:30am …..
remember, I was on an International flight as I was flying from France to
Poland …. So I had to leave my apartment at 5:30am so that I could take two
metro’s to the place where a shuttle bus was leaving at 6:30am for the hour
drive to the airport …. I took a low cost European airlines and it flies out of
the Paris-Beauvais airport. Once at the airport I had to have my flight ticket “stamped”
via a visa check …. Even though Poland is in the EU, and I live in the EU,
because I am an American citizen on a US passport I had to have my passport
checked and receive the “stamp” so that I could enter Poland (and had to do the
same coming back to France) …. The flight was easy, a quick 2 hour hop….. and
when I walked out of Customs, there was Ela waiting for me …. And my time in Kraków
began …
Ela’s (her
real name is Elzbieta) family consists of her, her husband Jacek (Jack) [speaks
a bit of English], and two sons – Lukasz (Luka) 30 years old [speaks English perfectly],
and Mariusz (Mario) 27 years old [speaks English, but I don’t think he likes to]
…. They live in a 2 bedroom apartment on the third floor (no elevator) … each
of the boys has their own bedroom and Jack and Ela sleep in the living room ….
Luka got kicked out of his room for me to use it, so he kicked Mario out of his
room and Mario stayed at his girlfriend’s place while I was there … (thus
started my guilt trip) ….
The
city of Kraków is absolutely beautiful, even though it was occupied by the
Germans during WWII the city was not destroyed and the architecture was
fabulous, and that buildings from so long ago are still standing was utterly
amazing to me ….
Main Square - Town Hall Tower and the Cloth Hall
We
went walking in the “Stare Miasto” (Old Town) two different times (they live
close to the area) where I saw or visited the Rynek Główny (Main Square) which
dates to 1275. We walked through the Cloth Hall, originally built in the 14th
century and renovated in the 1555 after a fire, which houses many, many kiosks
selling everything you can think of (certainly a tourist spot), and saw the
Town Hall tower (a government building originally, with a clock high on the
tower) erected in the 14th century. I saw, but did not go into the
Church of St. Adalbert that was built in the 11th century. I did go
into St. Mary’s Basilica, considered one of Poland’s most important Gothic architectural
monuments. Since the middle ages this church has been used as a city
watchtower.
Wawel Cathedral, Towers and Castle
We
paid a visit to Wawel Hill (Castle and Cathedral) two different times …. Where we
took a tour of the Castle State Rooms…. We walked to different areas of the
Hill including the Dragon’s Den (I haven’t yet figured out the significance of
the dragon to Poland folklore but I know it is) and on the day before Easter we
went to the Cathedral to have the family Easter basket blessed by the Priest.
Of course we spent time looking through the cathedral where the silver coffin
of St. Stanislaus is located.
We walked
down the Kanonicza street one of the most beautiful streets in the Old Town. It
was a part of the so-called Royal Tract – joining Wawel Hill and St. Florian’s
Gate. The houses date back to the 1500’s. Currently the buildings house
scientific and cultural institutions, including the Institute of John Paul II.
"God the Father" stained glass (not painted) in the Franciscan Church
Poland
is a catholic country and there are churches everywhere you look, Kraków is
known as “the city of churches”. There are over 120 currently active catholic
churches in the city. Other than those I’ve already mentioned, I visited the
following:
·
Church
of St. Peter and St. Paul – (built end of the 16th century) in front
of the church as statues of the 12 apostles
·
Church
of St. Andrew – (built end of the 11th century) in 1316 was given to
the Poor Claire religious order (nuns) which is still active
·
The
Franciscan Church – (built 1269) has a beautiful stained glass window “God the
Father”
·
The
Dominican Church – (built 1222) one of the largest churches in Poland
·
The
Church of St. Anne – (built 1709) beautiful, ornate interior
·
Church
of the Holy Virgin Mary of Lourdes – (built 1892) Ela’s home church, we went to
Easter Service there
I saw
the courtyard of the Collegium Maius (Greater College) which is part of the
Jagiellonian University, established in 1364 by King Casimir the Great. In 1490
Nicolaus Copernicus was a student at the University. It was in this courtyard
that the Germans rounded up the University professors and shipped them off to
concentration or extermination camps.
St. Florian's Gate and the Barbican
Originally
there were 8 gates in the defense walls surrounding the medieval city. Only one
still exists, St. Florian’s Gate. The city walls were constructed in the 13th
and 14th century, with St. Florian’s Gate dating back to 1307. Near
the gate is the Barbican, a round brick building with 3 meter thick walls and
it is part of the oldest defenses of the city. It was built in the 15th
century and was surround by a moat – it served as a place from where
approaching enemies might be kept under fire.
The Old Synagogue
We visited
the “Kazimierz” (Jewish quarter) one evening. There I saw the Old Synagogue.
After the fire of 1557 it was reconstructed. When the Germans occupied Kraków
it was greatly destroyed. The Germans used the Jewish quarter as their
headquarters when they occupied Kraków. To do so, they moved all the Jews
across the river (River Vistula) to the “Podgorze” (Jewish ghetto). From the ghetto
the Jews were transferred either to concentration or extermination camps. It is
in the ghetto where the factory is located that was the basis of the movie
Schindler’s List. I didn’t have enough time to visit the ghetto nor to visit Auschwitz
concentration camp (about an hour outside of Kraków). The Jewish quarter was
beautiful. It just “felt” different than the other parts of Kraków I’d seen – I
don’t know how to describe it. We had hot chocolate at a café, which was
originally a house. To get from one room to a different part of the café you
had to open up the doors to large standing cupboard and walk through the
cupboard to access the other room. I don’t know if it was originally that way
(the cupboard being used to hide Jews in the other part of the house) or if it
is there as an example of things done to try to protect the Jews from the Germans
– but it certainly is an impactful representation and reminder of the
atrocities of WWII.
On
Easter Sunday, after attending the church service, we went to Ela’s brother’s
house in a little village, Uście Solne, about an hour drive from Kraków. There
I met her brother (Jacek) [does not speak English], sister-in-law (Kasia) [does
not speak English], and niece (Justyna) [speaks English perfectly]. Oh la la, was this an experience! As soon as
we walked in the house everyone congregated in the kitchen which has a table
that will seat 8 (good thing too, since there were 8 of us). Ela asked me if I
was hungry – I kind of felt “put on the spot” so I wasn’t sure what to say, but
said “sure”. So we started what ended up being hours and hours of eating …..
again, oh la la!!!!!
So …. here
is how it went …..(and during all of this, there was non-stop conversations
going on – everyone participated, well, except for me as it was in Polish) we
started with a large bowl of Polish soup – it was a clear broth of maybe
chicken flavor with pieces of green onion in it (it reminded me of a Chinese soup)
but each serving also had a polish sausage in it. On the table were hard boiled
eggs, cut in half, which each person put into their soup. I thought that
sounded weird, but I did put half an egg in my soup and it was good – overall the
soup was fabulous. After the soup, out
came the desserts. I was all for that!!!!!!! About a half an hour after the
soup and dessert, Ela, her husband and her brother went to the cemetery to
place flowers on the grave of her parents. She asked me if I wanted to go but I
realized the others were staying at the house, so I decided I’d stay too – I thought
it was just too personal of a trip and a stranger wasn’t warranted going too.
During
the time they were gone, the rest of us hung around the table and at that point
Kasia (the sister-in-law) asked me if she could ask me questions. I of course
said she could – ask away, anything you want (I know that Europeans have an
insatiable curiosity about Americans) so with Luka and Justyna translating for
her (and me) I became the focal point for the next hour …. Question after
question – and of course the biggest thing she (as well as most Europeans) had
a hard time understanding is why I would want to live in Europe when “doesn’t
everybody want to live in America?” It was a great hour (I’m smiling just
thinking of it as I type this) – there were times when Luka or Justyna would
roll their eyes and refuse to translate the questions for me, telling me that
the question was dumb….
So,
Ela et. al return. As soon as they walk into the kitchen, Kasia and Ela start
preparing more food for the table …. turkey and two different salads with
various vegetables …. I’m thinking, wait – we just ate an hour ago, we’re going
to eat again?....... and of course the answer was “yes” …. So here we eat again
and once finished, out come a second set of desserts (different from the first
time, after the soup) …. And you know me, can’t say no to dessert – especially if
there is something chocolate (and there was) … After that round of food is
finished people got up from the table and milled round the house a bit – going into
different rooms for a bit or outside to smoke …. I went outside and took
pictures of the house, backyard and the street (they live in a very tiny
village).
About
30 minutes goes by and everyone has meandered back to the kitchen ….. and guess
what …. ANOTHER round of food is dispatched to the table … this time it’s a
plate of sliced ham, bread slices, cheese slices (for sandwiches) and two bowls of cold salads (kind of like
potato or macaroni salads – that consistency) …. And to my surprise, people
start eating ….. I was absolutely full and I really didn’t want to refuse, but
I did because there was no way I could eat anything more …. I even asked
Justyna if they always ate like this (I mean, really we were on round 5 of food)
… she laughed and said only on holidays or when the family gets together …..
for the third time – oh la la! You’ll never guess what happened after that …… a
third round of desserts …………. I tried, honestly I tried, but I did give into
the desserts …… it was an amazing
experience!!!!!!
Jacek, Kasia,Justyna, Luka, Ela, Jacek, Mario
What I
absolutely loved about that afternoon/evening (other than all the food – which was
really, really good) is the fact that because I couldn’t understand what was
being said – every once in a while they’d remember I was there and translate
something for me … or say something like ‘for the last 10 minutes we’ve been talking
politics again’ – I was able to not be concerned about the content of the
conversation or have to think about what I would add to the conversation …. I was
just able to watch the interaction between everyone talking … and EVERYONE was
engaged in all the conversations – I’ve never experienced anything like it …. The
conversations would fly from one topic to the next (I know they went from
politics to vampires – I wonder what THAT segue was) to the next to the next …
non-stop … everyone had an opinion, everyone was heard …. There were
disagreements but that was okay … if someone was passionate about their view
their body language would show it and their voice would get a bit louder (or at
least it was for Luka) but nobody tried to brow beat another into their
opinion, it was okay to not agree …. And then out of nowhere, somebody would
say something (I have no idea what) and everyone would start laughing ….. then
after they all laughed, another discussion would start (maybe the laughter was
the segue??) ….. I kept thinking of most American discussions I’ve witnessed –
where if you don’t agree with somebody’s opinion then people get pissed off
(think Republicans v. Democrats) … everybody thinks that their opinion is the
only one that is right/true/correct – you pick the word …. I’ve witnessed this
over and over – heck, just look at your Facebook feed … it’s incredible …. But in
that kitchen there was none of that (and I’ll say – Europe in general, people
respect you for having a different opinion) ….it was absolutely fabulous to
watch – I was actually really glad that I didn’t speak Polish because if I had,
I think I would have missed all of that ….
Wall salt sculpture - Jesus with cross; Joseph with Mary and Jesus on donkey
My
last day there, the Monday after Easter, we went to the Salt Mines…. For that
trip we (Ela, Jacek and me) picked up Jacek’s cousin (I never learned her name –
very bad of me) and her daughter, Ewa (pronounced Eva) who speaks perfect
English. The Salt Mines are in Wieliczka about a 45 minute drive from Kraków…
once there we met up with a friend of Ewa, a pilot out of Saudi Arabia who
lives in Kraków, Moe…. Now, he’s interesting …. He was born in Cairo, his
father Egyptian and his mother Ukrainian (I think) …. I think he had a Polish
grandmother …. He went to high school in Texas (so obviously he speaks English)
… he’s a pilot for a Saudi Arabian airlines – he works 25 days in a row then
has 25 days off …. And he lives in Kraków and speaks Polish, Arabic and English
…. At the salt mines, you must go on a guided tour so because everyone there
spoke Polish (except me) and only 3 of us spoke English, we took a Polish tour
guide – therefore I have no idea what was said in the tour …. Sometimes Ewa or
Moe would tell me something that was said, but most times Moe would say “it wasn’t
interesting” …. The way the tour is lead, I got the gist of what and how the
salt was mined – it was an interesting place and I was amazed at the
sculptures, all made of salt ….. at the end of the tour there is a café which
is the world’s deepest restaurant ….
On
Tuesday, Ela and I flew back to Paris together ….. I had a wonderful time, two
of the evenings we went to their neighborhood pub, Holba, where “everybody
knows your name” …. The people were just incredibly nice ….. Ela and her family
were wonderful hosts and treated me like a queen …. They love their city and
love to show it off … I could not have asked for a better introduction to Kraków
….
Jusqu'à
la prochaine fois ... a bientôt
