Why seven? Because
it's a magical number (didn't you know? Ahhh, read Harry Potter...) and it's
more than boring five and less than big number ten. All posts in that serie
will have 7 points about different things, so brace yourself. The serie is made
for YOU and because blogging it's my task for Digital Media subject in my
Erasmus university <sohardbloggingformarks>.
Doesn't matter if you
want to visit Kraków for one day or spend there all semestre for Erasmus
(recommended option, seriously!), I would like to show you Kraków which I love
and hate. Which I admire and by which I'm bored. Which is well-known for me and
still undiscovered. Which is so Polish and totally international. My Kraków.
First of all - I AM
NOT from Kraków. I'm not "Krakus", as we call people born and raised
in that city. Nah. I came to Kraków two years ago for studies. Before it was a
city, which I remember from trip with parents as a child, stop during
visit in Auschwitz, place for shopping with my mum and her friend, meeting
point with my boyfriend (I took my first alone taxi ride there... because I got
lost).
So I don't know
everything and all posts will be conclusion of my observations, experiences,
thoughts. Moreover I'm not right now in Kraków, because I left it to spend a
year on Erasmus in Lisbon (miss you Kraków!). If you want to see Lisbon, go to
my Instagram @angie_alltime :)
I'am not also fluent
in English, so sorry for my mistakes. I don't care basically, but if it hurts
your eyes, sorry.
For good beginning - 7
things I love in Kraków.
Rynek Główny - Main Market Square. The heart of Kraków, place where you go
first and where is A LOT PEOPLE. Mostly tourists. So sometimes, if you live in
Kraków, you are not visiting it a long time. But for me it is a place, where I
relax by walking through it. Maybe I'm just weird, but I don't care that mob on
Rynek. I go slowly, watch buildings which I saw thousands times before, I
breathe deeply and suddenly - problems have solutions, worryings are not
important and life is better.
Besides it's a place
to meet for drinking. If you and your friends don't know where to go to have
party, first meet at Rynek near "Adaś" monument.
2. Street art
Maybe you won't find
it at Old Town - but go further into the city you'll find everytihng - from
masterpieces to little drawings that make you smile. I'm an amatour fan of
street art and murals - I love them, I get excited because of them, I never
rembember where I saw them. The biggest amount of street art paintings is at
Kazimierz - Jewish Quarter. If you want to know more about Kraków's street art read this.
3. Bars and beer
Who doesn't like beer, raise your hand. Nobody? Good, so I can go on. For me in Kraków there is always an occasion to drink beer with friends. I have few places that mostly I'm heading to and I will show you them in next few posts. But for beginning - cheap drink&food bar, pub with beer from all around the world, bar at the gate that you don't know if it really exists, ruin or themed bar, hipster place near Wisła river, open air grill area at Student City, bar with every week pub quiz - you have a lot of choices.
4. Wawel Castle
But not this one which
you see, when you go from Old Town, nah. I mean that one, which you passed
every time when you cross a Wisła river in crowded bus. Or that one which you
greet when you're changing bus at stop Centrum Kongresowe. That one which you
see for one second before you stuck in morning traffic jam. That distant one,
for which you have great view from Grunwaldzki and Dębnicki bridge. Wawel
Castle, which you know that it will be always there, no matter where you are
and what is happening in your life <sentimentaltalk>.
5. Because
you can always escape from it
You have enough smog,
cars, late buses and you're basically tired of Kraków? It's no problem, because
you can always escape. Go totally out of the city or find a place inside, that
doesn't look like Kraków at all. You can go to Zakrzówek and experience that
magic exist, go to Bagry and just lay down on the beach, make picnic in front
of Tyniec Monastery, discover underground world in Wieliczka Salt Mine or go
hiking to Jura National Park. Kraków itself gives you possibility to escape
from it.
6. Kitsch, which
is sometimes real
When you're walking
through Old Town and you see those "wonderful" tourist souvenirs, you
sometimes think, why in all great places they're selling such kitsch. Then you
go further and you see so many traditional clothes, things, restaurants... that
you don't know what traditional really is. For me Kraków was always a capital of
some kind of folclore, because of clothes that I used to wear for some catholic
celebrations ("strój krakowski"). You still can see them at stands or
on people. You can see Polish patterns and modern designs. And sometimes,
they're real.
7. Because I can complain
What would Kraków be without complaing about it? I don't know how you, but I love to complain, what I think is in my genes, as a Polish girl. All Poles like to complain. National sport, really it is. In Kraków you can complain about plenty of things - late buses, full trams, smog, old trams, too many pidgeons, crowd in Galeria Krakowska, boring lecture on university, traffic jam on Aleje street, your obwarzanek has not so great taste as yesterday, smog again, no parking spots, drunk English guys, too many people in your favourite bar, you still see Szkieletor building and why they won't destroy it. And what? You still come back there, you still love Kraków and you still hate Kraków.
Be prepared for more posts about Kraków! :)
* "cześć"
means "hi" in Polish and you pronounce it "cheh-sh-ch". But
better ask some Polish person and learn it in real life! :)
Brak komentarzy:
Prześlij komentarz