I have returned with the second installment of my trip to Poland… from 2018 :). The first post from this Polish trip was very somber because it was a remembering of my visit to the Auschwitz Concentration Camp which murdered nearly 1.1 million Jews, Polish, Romani and Soviets during WWII and the Holocaust.

This post is on a much lighter note because this is where all the tourist things begin and where I can tell you about the ins and outs of Krakow.

In Poland, they use Zloty. They don’t use the Euro so don’t think about trying to take those to be spent. One British Pound is the equivalent of 5.21 Polish Zloty. You’d get more out of the pound and the us dollar than if you were to spend in EC dollars which is 1.54 Zloty, it’s almost on par.

Getting to Krakow was quite simple. Immigration is usually a breeze but I take slightly longer at the desk than most because the immigration officer has to research my country and marvel at the fact that I don’t need a visa to enter the country. The John Paul II airport like many in Europe has a train station which connects you to the city in little to no time. The seats were very comfortable and the ride was unusually smooth, yes I am side-eyeing Transport for London.

For starters the hotel, Vienna House Easy Cracow, was beautiful and the tram station was right outside. I don’t know how much the trams cost because I never actually paid for any… It was a lovely week of “bumping” public transport. As I mentioned before we stayed in a pretty nice hotel which was breakfast inclusive, however we had to find our own dinner. It wasn’t difficult to do as Krakow is filled with food and has a lot more American franchises and restaurants than the UK… I mean Krakow has a Sephora and a Hard Rock Cafe.

Krakow is split in half technically. You’ve got the Old Town filled with the old school architecture and markets and the “newer” side filled with the upscale malls you’d be used to seeing in a city. Krakow’s Rynek Glowny Central Square in the Old Town is lined with bars and polish eats and is always full of fancy horse carriages waiting to give people a trip around the square for a fee. Our lecturer sponsored us a go around the square which I remember being quite nice. In the day time it’s filled with vendors of all sorts as it converts into the Market.

Krakow is also home of Wawel Castle and the Barbican which used to be part of a wall that surrounded the city, however I won’t go into too much detail because those have dedicated posts! How lovely am I?

For the time of year that we visited, Krakow was actually relatively warm so I was dressing as I would in Antigua. Getting around is also fairly easy as there are maps all around and tram stops go the same route back and forth. Also, in most stores people spoke English to you because it was obvious that you were foreign (I am black and I stuck out like a sore thumb).

The buildings and surroundings were all so pretty and pastel and I just loved how they made the city look and feel. It was all so pleasing to me.

Would I go back to Poland? yes, yes I would. There’s so much more things in Krakow that I’d love a chance to explore and experience. I’d need for outside to open back for business, free from COVID19, before that happens.

Also the one Polish phrase that has stuck in my head is “Zakaz Palenia” it simply translates to “No Smoking”

Here are the pictures that I’ve managed to dig up.

Krakow

Polish Horse & Cart Ride