Krakow

This is a bit late -- I had a busy first half of this week. But here's a bit of a feel for Krakow. It was the most different place I've been to in Europe, but had the most resonance to some of the places I know quite well in the US.

If you've seen my Facebook page, you know that this sturdily built little figure is my latest avatar. I just missed the 48th Krakow Film Fest (it's at the end of May) but quite liked the posters.
















Poland is pretty Catholic, in case you didn't know. There are churches everywhere. This one has life size statues of the twelve apostles in front of it.















There are lots of cheap little spots to eat. Krakow is much, much less expensive than any of the other cities I've been to, with Berlin in second place. I had dinner at an excellent vegetarian/vegan restauran for 10 zloty, which is about $4.50. (Note the religiousness above the pizza shop.)



















This is the first place I went, the first morning of my visit. I walked from my hostel in Kazimierz, which is the old Jewish quarter at the southern edge of the city center, up north towards the city center (Old Town) and along the way checked out Wawel Hill (you can see the view from it here). It's a small rise, upon which a medieval castle stands as well as a slightly newer cathedral.















This is one of the paths towards the back edge of Auschwitz. I took a bus out from Krakow's bus station, which took about an hour and a half. That ride was pretty interesting -- I saw a camel in someone's front yard. Also, many robust Polish women tilling the land, hanging up clothes to dry, and wearing babushkas.