Medieval, charming Krakow

The large Wawel Castle that sits high up in the heart of Krakow.
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Well, I've made it to Krakow. And, my first day took me on a 1.5 hour bus ride to the city of Oswiecim - where the Auschwitz and Birkenau Concentration Camps are located. Humbling experience to say the least. 1.1 million people were exterminated there. Hard to put that in perspective. But, I wrote a bit more in my entry on the concentration camps themselves.

Krakow itself is fabulous. Everyone says it is the highlight of Poland and it is great. The Christmas markets were amazing and they were located in Europe's largest town square. The square had such a great buzz about it. Food vendors selling mulled wine, sausage, and other delicious foods that made the air smell yummy. And, there were markets were people were selling everything from fuzzy hats, nuts, candy, jewellry, music, and ornaments. The place was packed. And, definitely had a different feel to it at night. Santa was there with a real Reindeer, Christmas lights, and you were in a giant square that was surrounded by great shops and restaurants - what more could you want?

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

Krakow's Old Town is surrounded by a parkway. A shot as we walked in the morning.
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Krakow has a lot of sights - including the home of the giant Wawel Castle that we went and checked out just at sunset one day, gorgeous streets lined with beautiful buildings,  as well as beautiful parks. I met a bunch of really fun Aussies and Swedes from my hostel that I hung around for the majority of my stay. We walked to the Schindler factory and got a peak inside where Oscar Schindler saved 1,100 Jews from extermination by employeeing them in his factory. Also dropped by Pope John Paul II's residence as he was originally from Krakow.  Also had the chance to take in a bit of the Krakow nightlife - and they are crazy - bars stay open 'til 6 in the morning here. I did not last that long and people who did for surely regretted it the next day. And, I can say that Polish men have sooo much dancing enthusiasm - it's like Flashdance Polish style. They just break it out on the dance floor - while I just broke out laughing because it was so entertaining.

A big church close to the main square.
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We took in a Chopin concert where a pianist played 1.5 hours of Chopin music. It was fabulous as we got seats in the front row and I was wowed by the famous Polish musician's talent. Although I am sure he is mad as you would have to be to be that dedicated to your music. The look on his face was priceless as he madly played the music - sometimes scaring people half to death when he slammed his fingers down on the piano.