A magical adventure called Kraków.

Think of that absolutely perfect fairy-tale wedding which you read about in grade school. The long flowing gown of the bride, the sparkling stones worn by affluent guests, the picturesque castle over the rock, the gliding river nearby, luminous stars in the night sky, plush-white horse carriages driven by uniformed coachmen, the grandeur of a Gothic cathedral in the background, the soothing melodies of a street opera singer performing at a distance, and to top it all, a casual breeze that makes your hair dance to the opera music. Let me welcome you to Krakow, Poland - where one is transported to the medieval times to physically live in the grandiose of their royal dreams. Don't believe me? Have a look at these..

Random church

Market Square

St. Mary's Basilica

Random theater palace

Going to Krakow, more known for its Nazi history than it's beautiful landscaping, was like a field trip for my camera! Everything was so breathtakingly beautiful that I took a picture of anything that my eyes could see. To the point when we bumped into a bride's wedding gift of sky lanterns for the groom, my camera betrayed me by dying. Sky lanterns are paper balloons which contain a waxy cake or burner which can be lit up for the balloon to fly. "Fire balloons" in the night sky over the Wawel Castle accompanied by music - a magically surreal night.

Fire balloons over the Wawel Castle

You know how I've started travelling cheap by using Mit Fahr, the car sharing website. Well, I finalized my 3 different car rides from Berlin to Krakow, Krakow to Berlin and Berlin to Tuebingen all on Friday morning. My trip was to begin on the same night at 9pm! I hurriedly packed my bags, found the Indian store and got some bangles for my host, left her a note and said my final goodbyes to Berlin with a heavy heart. I was so relieved to see my "driver" accompanied by a female friend. The six-hour road trip to Poland was sleepy but hey I reached at 3am and he was even nice enough to help me search for my hostel. Btw, my hostel in Krakow was called Hostel Mosquito - and no, contrary to what its name, logo and mascot would suggest, it was immaculately clean and unquestionably comfortable. In spite of check in being at 1pm, they allowed me to stay in the common room, help myself to the free all-you-can-eat breakfast, freshen myself up and use the internet. My friends who were taking the bus to Krakow were scheduled to arrive at 10am and I had a good chunk of time to read up on the city that I was in and google, "10 things to do in Krakow, Poland." I think that was one of the most bizarre moments in my life. You know when you are young and your parents take you out on a vacation, they give you a little background information about the city/country before you leave. They kinda prepare you to appreciate and acknowledge what the city may have to offer. And there I was sitting in a completely different country for the first time with little to no knowledge about its historical significance or its current international position in the world. I knew absolutely nothing about Poland except for the fact that 'Polish' is a pun also used to describe the substance which cleans your shoes. Angered at my own ignorance, I took charge of the opportune hours to familiarize myself with the wiki page of Poland and set out exploring Krakow with a map and a tourist guide book in  tow.

The Quidditch Pitch aka the Barbican

The first thing I see? Krakow has a Quidditch pitch!!!!!!! The Barbican is a fortified outpost that once served as the entrance leading into the old city of Krakow. The old city is in fact a UNESCO recognized World Heritage Site. The entire city is a world heritage site!! Most of the night pictures that I posted above are from the old city. Amazing, huh?? Walking through the streets is a sheer pleasure as there are street performers at regular intervals who are either singing /dancing or doing both. Random young and old men,women playing melodious tunes on their electric guitar or harmonica or violin...It makes you want to stop walking and immerse yourself in that music.
Oh yeah and Poland doesn't use Euros, their currency is called Zlotys. Sounds like sluttys, eh? :-P It's actually pronounced as zwotys.
After going around a little more, reuniting with my friends who arrived later in the afternoon and checking out Polish restaurants, I finally concluded that finding vegetarian food was going to be a massive problem for me. I ended up trying their traditional Pierogi (dumplings) with cottage cheese for lunch and potatoes and polish noodles with cheese and butter for dinner. Yeah, if I return to Chicago as an unrecognizable, obese female who can barely walk, you know who to blame! ;)

We then walked through the Jewish area of Krakow as a part of a free walking tour where the guide explained the entire existence of Jews in Poland tracing back to the 14th century, to their mass extermination by the Nazis during WW II. I visited the Ghetto where Jews were imprisoned for two years before being sent to concentration camps and and and for all the movie enthusiasts, I visited THE Schindler's factory!! Remember, the movie Schindler's List?! Directed by Steven Spielberg, the movie was shot in Krakow, centered around the fate of the Jewish workforce in Nazi occupied Poland.

Schindler's Factory

 The next day we visited the site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and death camp. The epicenter of all the concentration camps operated by Nazis, Auschwitz was the deadliest and the most cruel of them all.

It was a really long day for us, so we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant. Of course, I ordered the only vegetarian dish on the really extensive menu - a Greek Salad!! :-P It was surprisingly delectable and guess what, we got served complementary on the house glasses of Wisniowka cherry vodka. Apparently, they were homemade and a Polish specialty.

On my car ride back the next morning, one of my co-passengers was this female doing her MA in Liverpool studying Performance Arts. On the bus back from Auschwitz, I was talking to this guy from Leeds who was studying Music Technology when he wasn't traveling all over Europe. It really surprised me to realize that Indian kids are inadvertently pushed into this stereotype of making a living out of conventional fields of study only, like Science, Finance, Law, Computers. I guess its safer that way but when I meet all these people and ask them what they plan to do after graduation, it appalls me when they casually say, 'where the world will take me'. Now, am I being too judgmental there?

You wouldn't believe when we crossed the border from Poland to Germany, I was oh so relieved to hear/read German everywhere! It's hard to believe I was introduced to this language just two weeks back! I am definitely gonna make every effort to learn German now! Luckily, my 'driver' from Berlin to Tuebingen spoke as little English as I spoke German and I tried my best to keep the conversation going in German. I think I must've made my German teachers proud then. Oh, how I love to brag! :-P

Back to my lab again and I suddenly find myself missing my bed - not the comfortable one in Krakow, not the royal one in Berlin, nor the familiar one in Chicago - but my simple wooden one in Thane. Home is definitely where the heart is. Hopefully, in 6 months, I'll see you.

Cheers!