poland - day 4

tues, dec 2

6:11am - train departs lodz for cracow
5:45pm - train departs cracow for lodz

after a whopping two hours of sleep, i stumble out of bed at 4:45am and devise a new way of taking a shower to maximize the paucity of hot water. it's a two step process of soaping my body first, speedily rinsing off and getting out of the tub. i then proceed to get halfway dressed (the lower half) so as to not freeze the rest of my @$$ off, then turn the water back on to wash my hair. quite proud of my newfound achievement, i head out the door, ready to tackle cracow...



the train ride is a 4 1/2 hour jaunt, but i get a car all to myself. originally planning to take a nap, i manage to stay awake the entire way to enjoy the view of the countryside. we arrive at krakow glowny (town center) where i try to get my bearings. thankfully, there's a sign nearby that has directional flags, so i head straight for the rynek, or the popular main market square.




dating back to the 13th century, the rynek is the largest medieval town square in europe. quite simply, it is a large expanse, yet beautiful in scope. i couldn't get far enough to effectively capture the square as a whole, but you should get a good enough idea from the pics above. littered with seemingly thousands of pigeons, it's also a bustling marketplace of shops and food, so i head straight for a shack hocking polish delicacies. i opt for their kielbasa, juicy and good due to its crispy skin. refreshed, i managed to sneak in the st. mary's basilica next door and manage to snap a photo before seeing a sign prohibiting any photography inside. oops...




i stroll south through the city and take in the street life, the old buildings and the variety of walkways and ornate doors to storefronts and whatnot. i make it to the mangga centre of japanese art & technology, a cultural institution spurred on by famed director andrzej wajda. it's a uniquely shaped building on the bank of the vistula river with really cool ramps/walkways for parkour, but alas, it's 30 degrees, i'm wearing like 5 layers and walking boots that weigh a pound and some change...

i cross the river and head for wawel, a complex housing both the royal castle and the cathedral. made of jurassic limestone, the building dates back to the 4th century and served as a residence for poland's kings from 1038 thru 1596. the inner courtyard is a spectacular example of the renaissance period.

i buy a ticket to view the state rooms, but unfortunately they don't allow cameras inside either. nevertheless, it's pretty neat to see how the royal family lived and even more so, the audience room, whose ceiling consists of wood carvings of 30 human heads looking down upon the king. i proceed to leave wawel and spot a guy dressed in chain mail, but when i take out my camera, he darts behind another guy and literally hides from me. apparently he's a tourist trap and you have to pay to get his picture, so i nodded at him, understanding his plight. as i pretended to walk away and he re-emerged from shadow, i playfully whip out the camera and we both get a good laugh out of it...



after all the walking, i make a pit stop at CK browar, a brewery located in an underground cellar. while their selection doesn't resemble father's office, they do have 4 on tap - pilsner, dunkel (my fave), wheat and ginger (bizarrely sweet and bitter, but surprisingly good). i choose not to eat here in favor of a popular nearby 'milk bar,' kind of a homestyle spot where the prices are dirt cheap. since nobody here speaks any english, i roll the dice and pick out a dish that resembles the word 'cutlet,' which thank god it is. you get soup, an entree and dessert for under $4!



i have a little bit of time left to burn, so i hit up the mall near the station and pick up a gift for marta's 2-year-old son franek before catching the train back. at 10:15pm, i walk over to hotel centrum and wait for my ride and bump into agnieszka from the festival, who invites me to an after party that night with a bunch of DPs. marta and i head back to the festival theatre for the music video competition, where 50 cent/justin timberlake's 'ayo technology' and david gahan's 'kingdom' are among the finalists. i head over to the after party, meet up with a few of our clients (karl walter lindenlaub, who shot 'prince caspian'), but then get cornered by a couple of agents from endeavor, one of our company's competitors. the experience was akin to getting a root canal as they were rooting around for info, so that was my cue to bounce...