Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe in 15 Days
Poland
Rick Steves' Best of Eastern Europe - Days 3, 4 and 5
Kraków
This morning we headed to Kraków, Poland. After arriving in Kraków, we grabbed our bags and took a short walk inside the walled city to our hotel. The hotel was beautiful and just a short walk from the main square. After checking into our rooms, we gathered together for an interesting walk to our traditional Polish dinner. This was yet another amazing meal.
One thing that became quickly apparent is that all our meals together would be interesting and fun!
We really enjoyed our hotel in Poland. They had a large and varied breakfast. I especially loved their espresso machines! It was a great way to start the day.
Note: We had two tour mates with dietary restrictions. Breakfasts always consisted of many food choices. And George was able to accommodate special needs during our group meals.
The next morning, we met up with our local guide. She took us on a walk through Kraków and on to Wawel Castle and St. Mary’s Cathedral. Walks like this are what made me a believer in the value of a good guide. While I could have walked everywhere on my own, I would not have learned a tenth of what I did with our local guide. She also made it fun. And while I love to research a travel place, it is awesome knowing I don’t have to! All of our guides were knowledgeable and interesting.
Earlier in the day, George asked if anyone wanted to go and listen to Klezmer music and have a traditional Jewish meal that evening. Greg and I had planned on doing this ourselves. It turned out that everyone wanted to participate. So we all met up and headed over that evening. Having George arrange it all made it that much easier.
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Tip: George regularly mentioned popular activities and was able to procure tickets or explain the best way to get them ourselves.
Auschwitz-Birkenau
Our next day was a tour of Auschwitz-Birkenau. I’ll be honest. I really wanted to see this. But I also was a bit worried about how upsetting it would be for me. I’m still not sure how I can explain this experience. Everything we were hearing and seeing brought the holocaust even more in focus. The sheer size of Birkenau shocked me. Our guide was a researcher. She usually spends her days going through records and recording history. Her perspective was unique. Ultimately this tour was not devastating for me. It was enlightening, sad and so very important. It is something I won't ever forget.
