Krakow
On Wednesday, we walked to the Old Town section of Krakow, which is the most popular tourist destination in Poland. Here there is a central town square, cafes, shops, churches, etc. all situated along narrow cobblestone streets lined with buildings of medieval architecture.
Our first stop was a visit to the church of St. Peter and Paul. St. John Paul's parents were married in this church. (St. John Paul was from Krakow.) Our next stop was the Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral. Being the Cathedral, this is the church John Paul II would have been at when he was Archbishop of Krakow, from 1964-1978, at which time he was elected Pope. Needless to say, John Paul is extremely popular in Krakow. All the churches we visited had John Paul chapels within them. The Wawel Cathedral was beautiful. It has many side chapels on either side of the main nave. There were many large tapestries hanging in the church. Many Polish kings are buried in the crypt beneath the Cathedral.
Our next stop was at the place where John Paul lived for awhile as a young adult. The building is now the Museum of the Archdiocese.
We continued our walk in Old Town and arrived at St. Francis of Assisi church. Inside this church is housed an exact replica (a certified copy) of the Shroud of Turin, which was so awesome to view up close.
We stopped for lunch at a Polish restaurant in the Town Square, and we all tried the Galunki, a Polish dish that Joe and Denise's mother used to make. The restaurant version was good, but not as good as Mom's. It never is, is it?
After lunch, we took a walk back to the market square, and visited the Rynek Underground, which is located under the market square. This museum depicts an old Krakow population that lived here 700 years ago. The museum recreates the atmosphere and the culture and has many of its artifacts on display.
After we exited the Rynek Underground, it was 2:50 p.m., so we hung out in the square to await the hourly bugle call played from the tower of St. Mary's Basilica at 3:00.
After this, we were ready for a cold drink, so we headed for Starbucks and decided to try a lime drink with coffee in it. It doesn't seem like a good idea to mix lime and coffee, but we thought we'd give it a try. We were right: not a good idea!
We found a nice restaurant in the evening that was walking distance from our apartment, so we enjoyed another delicious Polish meal.
Our first stop was a visit to the church of St. Peter and Paul. St. John Paul's parents were married in this church. (St. John Paul was from Krakow.) Our next stop was the Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral. Being the Cathedral, this is the church John Paul II would have been at when he was Archbishop of Krakow, from 1964-1978, at which time he was elected Pope. Needless to say, John Paul is extremely popular in Krakow. All the churches we visited had John Paul chapels within them. The Wawel Cathedral was beautiful. It has many side chapels on either side of the main nave. There were many large tapestries hanging in the church. Many Polish kings are buried in the crypt beneath the Cathedral.
Our next stop was at the place where John Paul lived for awhile as a young adult. The building is now the Museum of the Archdiocese.
We continued our walk in Old Town and arrived at St. Francis of Assisi church. Inside this church is housed an exact replica (a certified copy) of the Shroud of Turin, which was so awesome to view up close.
We stopped for lunch at a Polish restaurant in the Town Square, and we all tried the Galunki, a Polish dish that Joe and Denise's mother used to make. The restaurant version was good, but not as good as Mom's. It never is, is it?
After lunch, we took a walk back to the market square, and visited the Rynek Underground, which is located under the market square. This museum depicts an old Krakow population that lived here 700 years ago. The museum recreates the atmosphere and the culture and has many of its artifacts on display.
After we exited the Rynek Underground, it was 2:50 p.m., so we hung out in the square to await the hourly bugle call played from the tower of St. Mary's Basilica at 3:00.
After this, we were ready for a cold drink, so we headed for Starbucks and decided to try a lime drink with coffee in it. It doesn't seem like a good idea to mix lime and coffee, but we thought we'd give it a try. We were right: not a good idea!
We found a nice restaurant in the evening that was walking distance from our apartment, so we enjoyed another delicious Polish meal.
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