Jo’s Monday walk : Strolling in Kraków

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I don’t know of a more beautiful city than Kraków for strolling in the sunshine.  The last time I brought you here it was cool and drizzly, and I took refuge in the city walls.  No such concern today.  I hop off the tram on Św. Gertrudy, a nice central location, and let my fancy take control.

Crossing the Planty into Dominikanska, it’s almost automatic to gravitate towards the Rynek.  The ethereal turrets of the Sukiennice, and the glittering jewels within, exert a mighty pull.  But I spy a tiny Poczta- the very thing I’m needing to send my postcard winging its way to Viveka in Sweden.  I have a wonderful collection growing as a result of that lovely lady’s travels.

Grodska is often thronged with tourists, but I saunter along this peaceful morning, without needing to sidestep into the road.   No horse and carriages huffing and snorting down my neck.  They are queued, waiting sedately in the square.

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Rynek Główny is beautiful.  At any hour of the day, coffee can be indulged at your restaurant of choice .  Some customers gaze raptly out at the Ratusz.  Others, more blase, focus on stirring in their grains of sugar.  I’ve wandered here many times, but still make fresh discoveries.

I do have a tendency to poke my nose in where it shouldn’t be, often in all innocence. When I come upon the entrance to the Krzysztofory Museum, on the Rynek, I am delighted to observe that it is free to visitors on Tuesdays.  I gently push on the glass door and step into the museum shop. Through an archway a receptionist sits, busy behind her desk. Uttering a polite ‘Dzień dobry’, I walk past, and am presented with a mighty flight of red-carpeted steps.  Up I go, of course.

On the landing, I am confronted by knights in armour with a huge display of weaponry.  Not much to my taste, but as I step through the doorway I find something that truly is.  Aren’t these ceilings exquisite?

I am in a huge room, with chairs set out at one end, as if expecting a meeting.  As I gaze at my surroundings, a voice says ‘Prosze, Pani?’  A lady is regarding me with some misgivings.  I struggle to find an appropriate response in Polish.  Sweeping briskly into the room, she states that the museum is ‘otwarty’- closed!  Nothing to do but mumble an apology, and retreat.

Back in the sunshine, I continue my quest, delighting in the architecture.  A bearded elderly gentleman, with twinkly eyes, offers to take a photo of me in his beautiful city.  I decline in my faltering Polish, but with a smile on my face.

With museums still in mind, I continue along Św. Jana, hoping to find that the restoration of the Czartoryskich is complete, but my luck has run out. Instead I gaze at the paintings, suspended on the old city walls, along Pijarska.  I’m charmed by one of them but, at 1200 zl, decide to leave it where it is.  I take an inviting seat beneath the walls, outside Stare Mury, for coffee with a view.

The menu is full of temptation, but this is just a pause to enjoy the sunshine.  I smile as a crocodile of ‘malutki’, small children, are shepherded by, in the diligent care of elderly nuns.  Soon I am off again, heading down Szpitalna, past the highly ornate Słowackiego theatre.  This brings me to Mały Rynek and Plac Mariacki, in the shadow of the magnificent church.  I am just in time to catch the end of a folk performance.

Are you still with me?  It’s such a glorious day that I have it in mind to head for the river, and maybe a glass of wine.  Crossing the Rynek, I head south on Wiślna till I rejoin the leafy green Planty, which surrounds the oldest part of the city.  An exhibition dedicated to Kraków Stolicą Bożego Miłosierdzia- the capital of Divine Mercy- accompanies my progress.  The Pope is revered in this city.

I hadn’t intended to walk through the Castle grounds, but Wawel on a day like this is well nigh irresistible.  I head down to the river, far below.

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I think we’ll sit awhile.  Don’t you?  Afterwards I saunter homewards, luxuriating in a vanilla and chocolate icecream cone.  I hope I haven’t worn you out too much?  You can take your time and sit as long as you like.  It’s a beautiful place.

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Thanks everybody, for your continued support and company.  I hope you enjoy my walks as much as I enjoy sharing them with you.  If you’d like to join in at any time, details are on my Jo’s Monday walk page.  Just click on the logo above.  And now, let’s put the kettle on and get reading.

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Up in those Welsh Mountains to start us off, with Lady Lee Manila :

Snowdon

Where’s Jackie this week?  Surrounded by art and design :

Monday Walk

Susan shows us more of the fascinating Ukraine :

Walking Kherson

Smidge is bagging Munros with some beautiful views :

Ben Lomond & the Ptarmigan Ridge

Laia’s been having fun with a brand new website.  Go and take a look!

La Boca : exploring the hidden world beyond Caminito

Is Liesbet trying to confuse me?  It doesn’t take much!

Walk through Luik/Liege/Luttich in Belgium

Or explore some beautiful coves, just along the coast from Marseilles :

Cote Bleue (Blue Coast)- Calanques Part 1

Anabel’s close to home again, on the lovely Northumberland coast :

Bamburgh Castle

You can never tire of seeing THAT Bay swaddled in clouds :

4 Hours in San Francisco

Have you got your mantilla and castanets ready?  Debbie’s taking us on a whirlwind Spanish tour :

Alphabetical Tour of Spain 

Some people can’t help being contrary, can they?  Mick says I should know, Becky!

Our advice is to walk it the other way round

Rosemay reminds us just why I used to love the Italian Lakes.  I still do!

A Walk to Villa del Balbianello

And finally, Susan finds some wonderful, and quirky, green space in the city :

The High Line : NYC’s Elevated Park

Wonderful, aren’t they?  That’s it for another week.  I have one more Polish walk to share, of a slightly different nature.  Come along if you can. Meantime, have a great week and take good care of yourselves.

174 comments

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  4. Lovely lovely walk and just what I needed to cheer myself up this morning 😊
    Hope you are having a good Monday and thanks for the lovely link
    Bx

    PS cold still bad so my contrariness today is of the grumpy sort!!!

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      1. Hee hee . . . troublesome as you might expect.
        Hope it is a brighter day for you today, much greyer here but the good news is that Grumpy is on the wane along with the cold!

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  7. How strange that the sign said the museum was free on Tuesdays only to find out it was closed. Jo, I was dismayed when you decided not to choose from the menu because I suspect there would have been cake for sure. But you didn’t let the side down…ice cream at the end of the day! Yippee!!

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  8. Krakow so peaceful in your pics it’s hard even to believe, I saw it very crowded with horses, carriages and tourists. Your picture about it much better, more intimate. Thank you so much. Excellent!😏

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  9. I love, love, love Kraków. Sadly, when I last visited there, i was not taking pictures so I have only my memories… and now the beautiful images in this this post to remember it by. Of course, I was there in winter and so the sky was no where near as beautifully blue as it is here. Magnificent.

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      1. Indeed. The repair saga continues – fuel tank started leaking into the bilges last evening so now we need to have it pumped out, remove and repaired. Luckily we were here waiting for a weather window after our last round of repairs 😁

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      2. Is she an old boat, Lisa? I suppose it’s the same with most things- troubles seldom come in ones. Sending more hugs and hope you’re free sailing across the ocean again soon. 🙂

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      3. No, she’s a 2002. I think these things crop u en mass when she is unused for awhile. Our last round of multiple breakages like this happened in 2013 right before we started our Pacific crossing; she’d been in a marina for a year before that trip. This time around, she was in a marina for 6 months. Too long I’m afraid. I have faith we will get it sorted 😁 Hugs appreciated

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  12. Thoroughly enjoyed this virtual walk around Kraków……covered much more ground than I would in life! And, like Debs, I am seriously thinking about a visit – perhaps next year?

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  13. The beautiful sunshine in the first shot made me think of Portugal, but now I see I was wrong. Everything looks prettier in the sunshine. Beautiful gallery Jo. I love the statue sitting so casually in a cafe. I don’t if it is a happy place, but you certainly made it look like one.

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    1. It can be a very busy, touristy place, Paula, but on a peaceful day like this one it positively glows and I feel lucky to be alive. I must have walked past that statue before, but I don’t remember it. Such a great face! 🙂 I read that you are taking 3 weeks away from the blog. Will you be away for some of it, or just fulfilling commitments? I hope it’s the first. Many thanks for some of your precious time. Affectionate and damp hugs (it was foggy and moist for this morning’s walk 🙂 )

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      1. My break won’t happen before 7th July 🙂 We are going to the mountains for two weeks, and I’ll go off grid for 3 – preparations and unpacking and all.

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      2. I bet you can’t wait! 🙂 We’ll be in the Algarve from 6th July for a week. Maybe too hot but Mick likes to be lazy and James is coming too.

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  17. I think I’d love to work with you Jo. Sticking your nose in where it’s not meant to be is kinda the way I love to explore! Such an intriguing place is Krakow and what a wonderful post. Hope to contribute this week Jo but as I’ve just got back from my camping trip, it might be late!

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  19. I am running out descriptions and praise for your constant high quality walks Jo. So please accept my saying I enjoyed my walk during the sunny day in Krakow…

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