The magnificent city of Krakow

We arrived in Krakow yesterday courtesy of PolskiBus once again. We were meant to leave Warsaw at 11:00 but ended up leaving around noon instead.  It was a very tiring bus ride although we did notice a lot of new highway construction happening, Poland is definitely booming or at least it's not "busting".  Buses are not as comfortable as the ones in Mexico or South America.  Getting to the washroom might be hazardous to your health.  You have to go down a steep flight of stairs and the washroom is tucked in right at the exit door.  If you have a mobility issue this could be a serious problem especially with all the rocking to and fro going on.  I had to brave it a couple of times.  I try to limit my liquid intake before boarding so I won't have to go too often.
The ride to the hotel was easy, once again by cab but this time the bus station was very close to our destination, not a huge outlay of cash.
The hotel is small in an older building not in the old town proper itself but extremely close by. Our room has a very high wooden ceiling with wooden beans.  The wall are white stucco.  There's a little balcony which looks out onto a private courtyard, three twin beds and a good size bathroom. It's very cute.  Once again we lucked out on accommodations.  It's always a bit of a crap shoot when you book via the internet.
We settled in and then went for a walk to get our bearings. We were hungry and decided on an Indian restaurant where the food turned out to be excellent.  Apparently Indian cuisine is quite popular in Krakow as well as pretzels.  Pretzel vendors are on every street corner.  I had no idea, a little taste of New York in Krakow. The old town is absolutely magnificent.  It hasn't been touched by the war,none of it was destroyed and it's in impeccable shape, everything beautifully maintained in pristine condition.  The whole of the old town functions as a bit of a museum with many spectacular houses, restaurants, well appointed boutique hotels, shops etc.... The main square is huge with the Krakow Cathedral at one end with its magnificent ornate turrets and  bell tower very similar in style to what one might find in Russia.  The Cathedral itself is sumptuous with a lot of gold inlay, statues, marble, reliquary and religious iconography.  We've seen a lot of churches in our travels and this one definitely stands out.  At night the plaza hums with people and performers, it's a busy, happy place with restaurants all around and terraces.  They have heat "lamps" to keep patrons warm and they also provide you with a red blanket you can wrap yourself in while eating your meal.  It's magical at night with all the buildings lit up.
The next day we walked to the world famous Wawel Castle.  It dates back to the 13th and 14 th century and was originally built at the behest of King Casimir III the Great.  Architecturally it's a blend of Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque.  It's a bit of a mess but it all seems to blend beautifully. The location itself is spectacular overlooking the Vistula river and the city of Krakow.  The most wonderful thing was the bell tower.  The tower is very high, you have to climb all these steep wooden steps.  There are bells along the way but the most incredible one is at the very top.  It weighs approximately ten tons,takes eight people to ring it and is only rung 25 times out of the year for special occasions.  With all that is involved we can understand why.  The mystery is how they ever got it up there, not only that one but the other ones as well.  The main cathedral is well known for its crypt where a lot of Kings and Queens are buried as well as other famous historical Polish figures like Stefan Batory and a general who fought in America during their war of independence.  There's also a museum named for Pope John Paul which houses religious vestments and other religious artifacts which we don't really care about but are still representative of the period and the value which the Poles attach to their Catholic faith.
Tomorrow we have booked a trip to Zacopane which is about 100 kms.from Krakow, in the high mountains.  It's going to be another gorgeous sunny day. It should be a good trip.