Essexgirl's Polish Exploits

Last weekend Ratboy and I went to Krakow. We found a two night hotel and flight deal on lastminute.com and off we went. We flew from Stansted early on Friday with Sky Europe and stayed at the Hotel Chopin which was only two tram stops from the heart of the city.

Upon arrival we took a tram into the city and visited St Mary's Basilica which has a famous alter and some impressive stained glass windows. The internal decoration was very 'bling'!. Next we went down to Wawel Hill. The castle and museum had shut early but we had a look around the grounds. As it was getting quite cold we headed back to the hotel via the Cloth Hall in the main square of Rynek Glowney where Ratboy bought some Russian dolls. It was more a craft market than a cloth market. Back at the hotel we each had three drinks in the bar. The total bill was the equivalent of just over £10. That evening we thought we would head to Kamiriez district as we had heard it was good for bars and restaurants. There were a few bars, but nothing took our fancy for food, so we headed back to the town centre. There was plenty of choice and we ended up in Plaisir des Fondues where I had a cheese fondue and Ratboy a Polish meat one. It seemed to be quite an expensive restaurant by Polish standards as our mains were the equivalent of about £6.00. After that we went to an Irish bar we found in the guide book, but we were disappointed with it, and headed back to the hotel after one drink.

The next morning we went on a tour to Auschwitz and Birkenau that we had booked online from home. We had a good few hours at Auschwitz with an official guide who was very knowledgeable. We saw the piles of spectacles, shoes and belongings that the Nazis had taken from those that were killed, the living quarters and areas where prisoners were tortured. At Birkenau we saw more living quarters and latrines. We got a feel for how cold and bleak it must have been, as it was very cold and windy with snow on the ground.

Upon return to the city, we had a late lunch and an abortive attempt to find Schindler's factory, so headed back to the hotel to thaw out and relax. Later we ate at El Paso Mexican restaurant. It was very good although the vegetarian burrito started had a brussel sprout in it and was served the shredded cabbage and coleslaw. We then headed off to another Irish bar where we stayed for a few more drinks before heading back.

We flew back on Sunday.

Krakow is an excellent city to visit for a city break, although I would recommend staying for three nights rather than two. The flight time is about two hours. There is plenty to do including communist tours and museums. The food is very good and vegetarians are well catered for.