Followers

Wednesday 26 November 2008

Krakow Part 4...

All too soon it was time to go home.   We had a leisurely breakfast at the hotel then took our luggage and boarded the tram into the city centre. We wandered through the streets once more taking in the architecture and the sunshine wishing we had booked another couple of nights as we discovered that November 1st and 2nd. are All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day respectively and important dates in Poland’s calendar. These two days are dedicated to prayer and paying tribute to the deceased by visiting their graves. Families all over Poland make pilgrimages to the resting places of their relatives, tending the gravesites laying wreaths and flowers and lighting candles that will be kept lit throughout the length of the holiday and beyond. As night descends, the country’s graveyards are aglow with the warm light of literally thousands of flickering candles apparently a sight to behold. Shame we were to miss it.

What we did see though was a sort of military parade, though what it was in aid of we had no idea.





They looked very smart in their uniforms and the horses were beautiful.

We sat outside one of the cafes in the Main Square enjoying a coffee then my friend and I decided to do a little retail therapy in the Cloth Hall.    My friend had been told by a friend that crystal was really cheap but excellent quality in Krakow and she had seen some crystal champagne flutes which had really taken her fancy and she wanted a second opinion.     The price on the glass was 95 zlotys which equated to about £22, now you can pay more than that in England for good crystal but when she asked the stall owner about the price he told her that was the price for SIX glasses!   "Wrap them up" she said "I'll take them!"

I bought a large Baltic Amber cross pendant for myself and an amber heart pendant as a present for someone else.     As we'd been shopping for about an hour we thought we'd better get back to the menfolk and have some lunch before it was time to go to the airport.    We ordered some toasties and another drink and spent another hour watching the world go by in the Square.    We noticed some men stretching nylon rope all around the square and wondered what was happening.  It turned out there was some sort of a road race and before too long the runners were charging past us - this lasted all of ten minutes then the rope was wrapped up again.

We hopped in a taxi to take us to the airport and although the driver didn't speak much English he was very friendly and told us he is coming to England at Christmas to visit his son who lives here and he was really looking forward to English food - I hope he's not disappointed!

Our flight was on time and uneventful and we landed at John Lennon Airport, Liverpool at 7.10 p.m., collected our luggage and car and were home by 8.30 p.m., when we had to go to Asda to do some shopping to stock up the fridge and the vegetable rack.

We probably won't go back to Krakow, as we have seen what we wanted to see, but if you are thinking of going I would certainly recommend it.

I hope you enjoyed our trip.

26 comments:

Unknown said...

Fab photos.

Thanks for taking me with you. It’s been a wonderful journey.

Daisy said...

Akela what a fascinating trip - just went back to the first installments and it's so wonderful to have such a detailed and well illustrated account of the trip - I almost feel I was there! Auchwitz and Burkenhau were very moving and respectfully recounted- thank you for a really educational virtual trip!

lettuce said...

i did enjoy that, thankyou!

i think a lot of eastern european countries make lovely (but cheap) crystal

Anonymous said...

I loved the travleogue series - felt like I was along with you.

Is there seriously a John Lennon airport?

CG said...

I have enjoyed your visit! You should have stopped at ours for a cup of tea on your way back from the airport!!

Unknown said...

Thanks for taking us along. I enjoyed the trip.

buffalodick said...

Good deal on the glasses! Always fun to score a good deal...

Akelamalu said...

I'm so pleased you enjoyed it Nick :)

Why thank you Daisy, it's worth all the effort when people enjoy the read. :)

Do they Lettie? That's worth knowing, thanks. x

There certainly is a John Lennon Airport in Liverpool Citizen, it even has a bronze statue of the man! :)

I never thought of dropping in to see you CG, next time eh? :)

Glad you enjoyed the trip Dave.

I love a bargain Buff, if I had room in my crystal cabinet I'd have bought some too!

Catch said...

I love traveling with you Akela!!! Where we going next??????

Cloudia said...

This was like walking along with you - say, you're on MY turf! ("Strolling through Poland"?)
Your short desciption of the graveyards aglow was probably as good as the actual sight ;-)
Thanks for bringing me along!
Aloha-

Dr.John said...

I know I will never get to go so thank you for sharing your trip with me.

Ron said...

Wow...what a wonderful way to end your trip....SHOPPING!

Hey...the crystal sounded like a great deal!

Thanks for yet another wonderful post about your trip. I throughly enjoyed it, Akelamalu!

I'm telling you...you should start a travel blog. You're excellent at it!

Enjoy your evening, dear lady!

Flowerpot said...

amazing trip by the sound of it Ak - when's the next one?!

Casdok said...

Yes i did enjoy your trip and the photos. And they are very smart.

x said...

cool pictures, ake. those guys look like they come from another time and place. very cinematic. hehe! :)

x said...

ps: thank you for sharing your trip with us! enjoyed reading about them!

Akelamalu said...

Spain in February Catch OK? :)

I'm so pleased you enjoyed the trip Cloudia x

Oh you're welcome Dr.John, I'm glad you enjoyed it. :)

Shopping is the best part of any trip Ron! :)

February, we're going to Spain Flowerpot :)

Thanks Casdok x

Glad you enjoyed it Acey :)

G-Man said...

I feel like I've been there...Thanks Ake!!!

Linda said...

I most definitely enjoyed your trip - thank you so much for sharing it with us!

Marshall Family said...

I have really enjoyed your blog posts about your trip :) thank you for sharing :) x

Akelamalu said...

You're welcome G-man x

I'm pleased you enjoyed it Linda x

My pleasure Emmie x

Finding Pam said...

What an incredible trip? Thank you for being our online tour guide.

Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...

i loved coming along with you on your trip. they do go by quickly though, don't they?

smiles, bee
xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

~ej said...

that was fun to read...great photos! :)

Akelamalu said...

I'm pleased you enjoyed it Pam :)

Oh yes, trips are over far too soon Bee!


Thanks Elena. :)

cheshire wife said...

Thank you for posting about your trip. Krakow certainly looks like it is worth a visit.