KosmoKreglinger: Viva Polonia, Part II

It wasn’t exactly the original Polski Fiat…

…but still a Fiat Sienna being our vehicle for the 330 km ride to Krakow.

Obligatory stop at a picnic area near Sławkow. Delicious home-made sandwiches and coffee included.

After 4 hours and 50 minutes we arrived in the city on the river Vistula…

…which welcomed us with some tempting offers.

What a house!

Całodobowy = 24 hours shop.

Nothing staged. Magic moment.

These chalk drawings on the wall you could find spread over the whole area being part of a campaign of artists and students to remind people of the former vivid Jewish culture here.

‘Sketches from History’ was the campaign’s/exhibition’s name. I can only recommend to click on the picture and read the text of Chris Schwarz, director of the Galicia Jewish Museum.

Jola trying to find our way in front of an Italian ristorante with a morbid appeal.

Kazimierz has once been the centre of Jewish life and culture in Krakow.

The remnants you can still make out sometimes despite the rigid ‘thoroughness’ of the Nazis.

Nostalgic little shop windows try to resemble the times when two cultures (Polish and Jewish) used to live here side by side. (Siwucha, the left bottle, is supposed to be the best Vods according to Jola’s mum).

On Szeroka, Kazimierz’ main square/street, there are quite a lot restaurants serving traditional Jewish dishes, little shops selling Jewish things or music-bars hosting Klezmer bands. The Hebraic sign here says: ‘Klezmer Hois, Krakow Ulica Szerkowa No. 6.’

Polish flag – Jewish-German Name. Kazimierz is a really atmospheric district but somehow it seems to be rather a facade set up for tourists than a true centre of Jewish life. Or why is it that it took a Hollywood movie (Schindler’s list) having been shot there not earlier than 1993 to revive the spirit of the district?

They say in modern Krakow (733.000 inhabitants) there are (‘optimistically counted’) about 1.000 Jewish people living. Before WW II about 20 percent of Krakow’s population was Jewish. This is Remuh Synagogue, the only one still holding services in Krakow and southern Poland. About 150 Jews are registered here.

Nearby there’s one of the eldest Jewish cemeteries where some famous ‘Wunderrabbis’ are burried. Amazingly enough many of the gravestones survived the Nazi terror.

Still, the gravestones are no longer fitting the graves beyond them as they were all knocked over. It’s a Jewish tradition to put stones and little notes (with prayers?) to the graves in memory of the dead.

Men are obliged to wear Kippas. Actually my first time.

Women just have to be dressed ‘appropriately’.

Studying in the sun. Krakow has an old-established university (Jagiellonian University) and a vivid student community what is easy to sense walking through the streets.

And of course a vivid street art community.

Old style meets new style.

Pump it.

Looks like a typical street impression of Berlin. If there wasn’t this little Polish flag in the background.

Sticker on street sign.

‘Neo-Imperialists’…

…following the signs.

Polish red-shoed birds and…

…Polish skaters crossing our way to Wawel…

…where Poland’s top touristic sight is situated: the famous cathedral and the King’s Castle. During WW II the Nazis chose this stunning place for their headquarters. That’s why Krakow luckily, and as one of the rare examples, wasn’t destroyed.

Unfortunately we couldn’t enter the holy royal halls as all the guided tours were overbooked (no wonder, it was the 3^rd of May – Poland’s National Day).

Nevertheless we saw horse-riding heroes.

And I could enjoy the view on the Polish pride anyway.

Anti-fa(shion): ‘I’d rather go naked than wear Thor Steinar – kein Naziladen in der Talstrasse oder anderswo!’>> Saluting Hamburg St. Pauli.

Hutmode fuer die Dame – hat fashion for ladies.

Hutmode fuer den MANN – hat fashion for gentlemen.

Brama Floriańska – The Florian’s Gate being part of the Barbakane the former fortress against enemy would-be-intruders.

Nearby there was a museum with a great photography exhibition of Henry Lartigue. Student ticket: 4 Źłoty (~1 €) – the pictures: priceless. This guy with the flute sat in front of the entrance.

Who knows? Maybe inspired by Lartigue – people pulled out their cameras and hastily pushed the button.

Omnipresent: John Paul II. He used to be archbishop of Krakow before reporting for higher duties.

Street musician, part I.

Street musician, part II.

Street musician, part III.

Rynek Wielki – The old market square.

Actually the biggest one in whole Europe (200 sqm) having been erected in the middle ages.

Head in – head out.

Exhibition of all the (unknown) faces of Solidarność movement.

Perhaps it was these guys who stole the Great Waggon’s wheels?!

Kościół Mariacki, the famous Gothic church with its steeples of different height. Somewhere up there the guy with the trumpet must be hiding blowing his ‘Hejnal’ every full hour.

The old market square’s tidy as tidy can.

After walking and walking and walking I had to look out…

…no, not for the little devil heads on top of the old market halls…

…but for some sparkling refreshment: Zywiec – yummy Polish beer!

Sitting there in these street café watching the old Cracovians…

…the new Cracovians…

…the sporty Cracovians…

…the musical Cracovians…

…and stupid British ‘stags’ penetrating the city in herds.

...we realised that the proverb of Andrezej Mleczeko (‘When a Cracovian sits down in a café it’s always for four hours’) proved right not only for Cracovians.