The Old Town

The city of Krakow, in Poland, is dominated in the centre by the Wawel, the castle where Poland's kings used to rule. North of this, in a rough circle, is the Old Town.
It is surrounded by a park, a green space full of trees, benches and walkways. I had just spent a very cold time travelling through Russia, and coming to Poland was like passing from winter into spring. There was green and sunshine everywhere. Very nice.
The park follows where the walls of the city used to stand. There are some remnants still standing, including some of the gates. The most impressive of these is called the "Barbican." It was covered with scaffolding while I was there, so I couldn't get a real good look at it.

If you have ever seen a movie set in Europe, you may have a general idea of the architecture presented on the streets.

Very old, interesting looking buildings, cobbled streets, and plazas where people gather.

There are also a few churches here and there. I find it hard to express in words just how marvellous these buildings are.

 

There is one close to the Wawel, that has statues of saints and the apostles carved on the front. These churches and cathedrals are impressive just from the outside, but it is their interiors that really take your breath away. Everywhere you look, there is something to awe and inspire you. After a while, it gets to be too much, but is you manage to visit each place with a fresh outlook, you can see art, statuary, stained glass, all dedicated to the worship and praise of God. For me, a person used to a fairly Spartan house of worship, it is like going from the cover of the "White Album" to the cover of "Sgt. Pepper."

In the centre of the town is the main square, called the "Rynek Glowny." This is the largest city square in Europe.

At the southwest corner stands a clock tower.

Cloth Hall (left) and the Basilica (centre)

In the middle is the "Cloth Hall," which is now basically a mall. A mall that has been in business for approximately 700 years. At the northwest corner stands the Basilica of the Virgin Mary. It was from this tower, in 1400, that a guard blew his trumpet to warn of an attacking army. He was killed in the ensuing battle, but the town was saved. A trumpet is blown every hour on the hour in his memory.

There are many beer gardesns on the square (Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm beer), and it is very pleasant to sit in the sun, drink beer, and watch the activity going on around. There are horse drawn carriages taking tourists for a tour, as well as golf carts accomplishing the same task for those afraid of horses.

Krakow has wells situated around the city, with pumps that anyone can use to take as much water as they can carry. It was near one of these pumps in the town square that a young man, protesting against the communist government of the time, immolated himself. There is a plaque commemorating his deed.

To the west of the centre of town, a large, man-made hill rises. it is called the "Kopiec Kosciuski." it was built in memory of a man called Thomas Kosciuski, who fought in the American Revolutionary war, and then returned to Poland to fight for its independence.

Shortly after the mound was raised,  a fort was built around it. It's now a hotel, but you can see a beautiful chapel and climb to the top of the mound for a view of the city.

In the centre of the hotel is a plaza named for Paul McCartney. Who knows what he did to earn that honour.

In my next instalment, we'll visit the former Jewish ghetto, Schindler's factory, and Plaszow.

What the... Starter Salad?!

I went out to dinner with my folks this evening, and we had a terrible time.
The food was okay, but the service was terrible.
We had just come from the Telus Store in the Westhills shopping centre, where my Dad attempted to trade in our old phones for some new iPhone 4's. They're giving away the 4's to make way for the new 5's that are coming out, so it seemed like a sweet deal. The S-N-A-G occurred when the clerk told my Dad that he had to sign up for a three year contract, besides buying out the old one.
My Dad had been told by the clerk in Sundre that he wouldn't have to do any of that, so that's where the deal foundered, and that put a black cloud over us already as we made our way to dinner.
My Mom decided we should go to Moxie's, which wouldn't have been my choice, but I wasn't paying.
Moxie's food is too... trendy for me, too frou-frou, with a lot of flourishes and not enough good solid food on the plate. I'm a basic meat, fire, gooooood type of eater.
The place was crawling with waitresses, but still not very busy at 5:00, so I didn't anticipate any delays in getting our food like we were about to experience. The first table we sat at was pretty wobbly, and it turned they all were. Moxie's has a flagstone type of flooring, so the tables wouldn't stay still no matter where you put them.
So, we ordered some beers and a cocktail, and waited. Looked at the menu and decided what we wanted to eat, and waited. Watched as the waitress toook an interminable amount of time getting the bill for a couple of ladies sitting next to us, and waited.
Finally, she came over and asked us if we wanted to order?
Where's our drinks? we countered.
She checked with the bar, and they hadn't even been "entered." Well, you were supposed to get them for us, didn't you think it was strange?
Got our drinks, and we ordered. I wanted a starter salad and a plate of linguini. Now, seeing as how the salad was described as a starter, you may well see why I was puzzled when it didn't come until the same time as the linguini.
This is something that I've noticed happening in a lot of restaurants, if not all of the restaurants I've been to since I got back from Korea (and even before that!). When you order, all the food whether it's appetizers or main courses, comes all at once. I remember a time when you would have some soup, then a salad, and then your main, and so on. It's like the chef just shoves it all out at once in order to get rid of the ticket and move on. Can't be bothered to pit out apps and then mains.
Even Chinese food places do this. You get your spring rolls with the ginger beef, and not before.
Well, it was a good thing that the manager (a pink sweater wearing motherfucker) served our food, because I was able to tell him I didn't want the salad. He took it back, and served us the rest of the meal. The waitress would stop by and check everyonce in a while, but the PSWM took care of everything.
We got some dessert, and then got out of there, leaving no tip at all. Not a sausage.
Since I've been back from Korea, I've not tipped unless I got really exceptional service, which basically means...
I've not tipped since I got back from Korea.

Krakow: Extra Pics

These are some extra pictures of the Wawel that weren't included in my previous post. These towers were situated just before you pass through the outer wall into the inner keep.

This is where the Royal Apartments are. The interiors (where taking photographs is VERBOTEN!) have to be seen to be believed. The luxury and incredible artworks are fantastic. 

One of the steeples on the cathedral.

The other steeple.

Equestrian statue of Ladislas II, I believe, which you can see at the northern entrance to the Wawel. This is where I exited, and went down a ramp into the Old Town to find a bar and get some beer.

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm beer.

Krakow, Poland

In my round-the-world journey in the spring of 2003, I travelled by train across Russia, enjoying the sights to see in the cities of Vladivostok and Moscow. I hope I have described these adventures adequately, as I now turn to the sights I saw in Poland.
In my first year teaching in Korea, I had made many good friends. One of these, an English girl I'll call Alice, was at that time living and teaching in the city of Krakow. As I was in the neighbourhood (the European continent), I decided to take up her offer of a place to stay while I visited.
But first, some history (Yay!).
Poland first came together as a nation in the late 10th century, when various Slavonic tribes in the Vistula River basin merged. There were two centuries of internal strife and civil war that followed, but the nation's fortunes began to rise with the 1320 restoration of Krakow as the capital.
In 1386, the country was united with Lithuania when that country's Grand Dule, Ladislas, married Poland's queen, Jadwiga. This family's descendants ruled until the 1570's, and is credited with beginning Poland's golden age. The Poles expanded to the north and east, and defeated the Teutonic Knights (a great rival) at the Battle of Tannenburg in 1410.
Poland became Europe's granary, supplying much of its food. It was a country where the kings were elected, and the parliaments held most of the power. The great wars that disrupted life in the 17th and 18th centuries sapped much of Poland's strength, and the country was partitioned by Austria, Prussia, and Russia until it disappeared from the map. 
There were many uprisings that followed, as the Polish people fought to regain their independence. This was not to occur until the aftermath of World War I, when the Poles were able to carve territory from revolutionary Russia and defeated Germany.
Poland disappeared from the map once again during World War II, and had to sruggle for freedom during the years it was a satellite of communist Russia. The Solidarity movement, born in the shipyards of Gdansk, eventually helped bring about the end of the Soviet empire.
There are many sights to see in Krakow, not the least of which is the castle that dominates the old town, called the Wawel (pronounced Vavel).

Alice's apartment had an excellent view of this castle from just across the Vistula River, only partly spoiled by the floating tour boats tied up on the bank.

The Wawel, according to legend, sits atop a dragon's den, and there is a metal sculpture of the dragon as it looked in its heyday, complete with real flames occasionally shooting from its mouth.
There are two seperate entrances, on the east or west sides. Walking up the east side, you pass through a massive gate beside a six story tower covered in ivy.

 

 

The battlements overlook the river, and the buildings are well preserved. This is where the kings of Poland ruled for over three centuries, and where the Nazi governer Hans Frank instituted a reign of terror and became directly involved in the mass murder of Polish Jews.
Tourists can "customize" their tour so that they can see what they want, and pass over the rest. Perhaps the best sights to see are the State Rooms, and the Private Apartments, which give a good idea of how the kings used to live. There are fabulous works of art, furniture, and architecture that are literally "jaw-dropping."
The armoury houses a vast collection of various types of weaponry, including swords, cannon, and musketry.

On the west side of the castle is the cathedral, which is just as interesting, and with just as much to see. There are no less than 18 chapels built as additions to the main building, featuring artwork, statuary, and tombs for many of Poland's kings and queens, bishops, and other notables. It was quite something to see the tombs of Ladislas II and his queen, who I had written about in a university paper 15 years previously. To actually see their final resting place, as well as the castle they ruled from, is something the historian in me cannot adequately describe in words.
After all that, I needed a drink. It is fortunate that Krakow has many places to rest and relax after doing "the tourist thing." We will explore them, and much more again soon.    

Battlestar: Galactica Spoiler Alert

So let me get this straight.

Starbuck...

was a ghost?!

Puppy Update

Just a short note, as work at school is very heavy right out of the gate. Complaints to the profs elicit no sympathy, so I just get on with it.
I just wanted to say that the dog I talked about in "A Mystery" has shown up safe and sound, still in the yard of the mooks across the alley.
It was let out into the yard to do its business, saw me doing some yard work, and charged, barking away noisily with the owner in tow. The dog didn't mind her. He stopped short when I confronted him and ran away when I advanced, so I don't think it's too dangerous. The yard is still open to the neighbourhood, so I wonder if the mooks don't let it run around free to do its business anywhere and everywhere. I'm not there to keep tabs anymore, so I can't say for sure.
Nice to know it didn't end up as coyote shit, though.