'Twas a lazy day today, off to the castle to see the armaments room, the cathedral and the Dragon's Den. Wawel Castle has been largely restored over the years, the Habsburgs did a number on it back in the late1800s so it's been a slow process. It's less a castle really than a collection of buildings but still it's cool with a great view over the Vistula. The Dragon's Den is real, so they say and supposedly the new agers believe that there is a powerful source of energy below the cathedral. Actually the castle is a mix of history, Catholic idolatry and Disneyland. Tourism is very big here in Krakow, JPII was archbishop of Krakow before he became pope and he's a big draw, the old town didn't suffer any damage during either of the World's Wars and is impossibly beautiful as well and although the years of communist neglect are still evident, what has been restored has been meticulously done. It's like Prague without the attitude. Krakow is cleaner than London, has much less graffitti than London or Berlin and a lot less dog doodoo on the sidewalks than either one of them. One thing that I've found odd is that very few of the buildings in the downtown area have had a facelift. Some of those that have had one are already pretty dirty as the city relies quite a bit on coal for heating purposes.

I've been to a few botanical gardens and while Krakow's isn't the largest by any means, it's certainly one of the most romantically beautiful I've seen. Every square meter was packed with plants and it was planned in such a way that it was never crowded or busy or messy. The paths are in dire need of new paving but the signage was excellent. It's nice to go to a botanic garden and be able to read the plant names without having to translate them. This photo is of a moss, mother hen and chicks, and gravel parterre next to the tropical house. I probably spent as much time here as I did at Kew, it was time very well spent. I envied the people whose apartments overlooked the garden.

It's been very, very cold here although no frost yet, Budapest is supposed to be a little bit warmer so I'm looking forward to that. Wednesday I fly to Berlin, spend the night and then Thursday on to Budapest. I'm looking forward to Berlin as there is a laundromat near the hostel and it'll only cost me about 4 Euros to do a load of clothes. I had to have some pants done here and it cost me about 3.5 Euros just for one pair of pants at the drycleaners. Self-service laundries are non-existent here.

The pierogis are excellent, I've had 3 different kinds so far and they're perfect for a cold day. The coffee is excellent. Daily I head to The Coffee Republic just off the market square for milky coffee and an excellent blueberry tart. It's a pretty cool place, good music, friendly service in English and free Wi-Fi. Actually, the whole market square is a Wi-Fi zone, courtesy of the city fathers. Of the three laptops I've seen so far, 2 have been Apples!

Lots of Kebap shops here just like in Germany, I like the German ones better though, they seem to use a spicier sauce there. Strangely enough, in Berlin it was hard to find a sidewalk sausage stand, Kebaps seem to have taken over.


Saturday night I went to the Jewish Quarter in search of some Klezmer Music but the Restaurant where the band was playing was full up so I'll try again tonight. The Jewish Quarter isn't recognizable as one, there is a museum and the old synagogue, but it hasn't gotten the attention, yet that the old town has.

The other photo is of the Cloth Market building in Market Square. I'm not sure what the building is used for but the market itself is huge and filled with outdoor cafes, horse-drawn carriages, flower sellers, etc, etc. This weekend it was jammed with people, an outdoor stage had been set up and some local bands were playing, it was truly incredible. Exactly what I think of when I think of "Ye Olde Europe". I swear there were as many languages being spoken as there were people walking around. With the budget airlines, flights are dirt cheap and many people will fly somewhere just for the weekend.

Krakow is pretty affordable, which has been nice after the shock of London. Berlin was more or less in line with the US although plants and flowers there were dirt cheap. I haven't found a nursery here yet so don't know how Krakow stacks up. My daily coffee and blueberry tart are about 14 Zlotys, which is around $4.50 US it's a lot but then they're only 40 meters from the main square. The other coffee place I've been to which is a couple blocks away from town the price was about $2.50 for the same fare.