Krakow - one story

Serbian version below

The group is on the station. We have arrived. Cold Polish air and mist - mute first image of the city. We are separating from the group and moving into independent research. It's the best!

We are making the first steps below the Wawel hill. It's early morning. Fog is not slowing down. Long kilometers of concrete switches to the cobblestones, which promises a fairytale look of the Polish Student Center. A lot of young people are here and if there are youngstairs, it is never boring.

The Main Square – Rynek Glowny

Width, diversity centuries, every contemporary world and language, leave you for a moment breathless. We have arrived to the capital, and also the most famous square in Krakow - The Main Market Square. Scores of people are scattered on the pavement, like pieces on a chessboard. Suddenly, a dove flew and settled into a flock, which has scattered on the ground. Somehow, encountering white cab with a newly married bride and groom that draw white horses. The event is in progress.There's music, while a group of enthusiasts are demonstrateing Zumba. This Figure joins a ringtone from cathedral. Old friends meet... They all came to this city.

The Main Square

Café on the corner

I declare, it should get to know the city from the perspective of food and drinks, at first. After that, we jumped into the first coffee, authentic Krakow’s - Youth Space.

Smart Phones

A generation of young beer drinkers - intellectuals, each and everyone of them, sat staring into "smart" phones, tablets and apps. How to explore the city, where is good to eat, what to see ... everything is on the "smart". We are also well-equipped, so we join to them. We order drinks and looking where exactly we are and where to go.

Florian street

Polish beer

Finally, let's try that famous Polish beer! They say that the best is the cooked one. I protest with a huge cup of coffee. It is the same - everywhere! However, the smell of the beverage spreads. Incorrect assessment! Mulled beer with a slice of orange and ginger, is not bad. On the contrary! Pungent taste is lost, there is aroma with a hint of bitterness. Even it is warm. I like it.

  

Sweater

Passing through the huge park, with sculptures from the period of Romanticism and Gothic, we are arriving to a large shopping center. That's where they're hiding shopaholics! I join the crowd, this time out of necessity. I'm going to the first store and buy a first decent sweater. A large and warm. Here is definitely needed.

A lot of young people are here and if there are youngstairs, it is never boring

Tram

It is a new day, a new story.

We start by tram. Several cell and again we are ahead of yesterday's park.

It is sunny. Completely different picture from yesterday. The scene is beautiful, but without the fog. Great tight building lies in the middle of the square, covering over market. National Museum is hiding a huge paintings of Jan Matejko, the famous Polish painter, born in Cracow. Dominant colors reveal episodes from the life of the royal family. It should be visited.

National Museum of Krakow

Food

A famous Milk bars are around the center. The locals go there, we are going too. Food is cheap and delicious, homemade. We agree to be surprised.

Milk bars

Casserole

In Jewish neighbourhoods there are the best casserole, one of the specialties of Polish. Carcasses of bread, hollowed out in the middle and filled with meat, vegetables, etc. baked so crunchy, are especially beloved local food street. We stop next to the market where they were made. Queue is long. We are waiting for our slice.The homeless man stands out with us, orderly queuing. He is very polite.

Casserole

Jewish Quarter - Kazimierz

Who's in Krakow, he should not feel sory for his shoes, especially in the Jewish Quarter. From ghostly suburb of Krakow, as it was during The World War II, now there is a student center and the main destination of young enthusiasts and entrepreneurs. The map is definitely a prop to be used.

We're crossing the river Vistula and plunging into the district which was recorded for a movie set; Meanwhile, we see a part of this quarter with surprising familiar scenes from films, for example, from the famous Schindler's List. We find a huge cathedral with a group ofpeople gathered in front of it, waiting for something. I decided to investigate the case! Entrance to the cathedral. Today's Catholic wedding. Just as I sit on one of the benches, the newlyweds come and the ceremony starts. The priest first greets attendees, saying the long prayers. The atmosphere is festive, everyone is smiling and waiting for a romantic moment giving vowes, in order to evoke fairy-tale situation.

Jewish Quarter

Matches in a pub - Kazimierz

In these pubs I feel at home. Relaxed atmosphere and beer that can be found for six zlotys to the game not to be missed. In the former warehouse of high walls with wooden beams, which was once a factory, we sit to drink mulled white wine and the boiled beer. Warm autumn colors emerge from all sides. Clearance and orange light from lamps abound here at every step.  

Cooked drinks

Designer

We were lucky, exploring the city. The story with a group of young people strats in the pub on the corner. One of them offered to show us the city and good clubs. He takes us to places that tourists know little about. First - pub on the corner, near the square. Music for alternatives, relaxed stories and global themes are the impression of the evening. He works as a bartender in one of them, but he is also designer. He notes that he would love to see me in pink color clothes. Hat, he says, makes me older. I thanked to him for suggestions...:)

The next night we continue in a similar style.

Third Day

Chocolate shops on the corner, brought me back to the childhood. All shapes and colors, cherry, orange, hazelnuts, nobody knows what to choose. I promise to come back in a bigger company, with my friends. This city is – made for group visits and demagoguery with mulled beer.

Manufactures of chocolate

Wawel

We finish our tour where we have started. West side of Wawel hill, where we started was again under the fog. It hides the dragon cave and the dragon statue. It also hides the legend of the city. The spirit of the dragon is awake, leaving impressions of the center of culture and asking us for another visit.

The statue of a dragon

13 things to experience in Krakow:

1. Walk the main square (Rynek Główny) - One of the largest medieval squares in Europe;

2. Visit National Museum in Krakow  (http://mnk.pl/ );

3. Cathedral of St. Stanislav and Vaclav and castle from the fourteenth century; 

4.  Visit Wawel Castle (http://www.wawel.krakow.pl/en/);

5.  Florian street;

6.  The Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz Jewish);

7.  Cupcake corner- https://cupcakecorner.pl/contact (where delicious cakes smell like at Grandma);

8.   A walk by the river Vistula;

9.   Visit discotheque B4 (http://www.bracka4.com/about.html), and maybe - one of the salsa parties (in the Prominent club, the club Forty Kleparz (http://www.fortykleparz.pl/), etc.

10.  Engage in a story with young Poles (you will learn a lot about the history of Krakow and their best places to hang out);

11.  Try - boiled Polish beer, the famous casserole and lody ice cream. Also try a handmade chocolate in chocolate shop - http://chocolate.krakow.pl/pl/ ;

12.   Drink a cup of coffee (with chili and orange) on the roof of the market on the ground floor galleries of the National Museum;

13.    Auschwitz (If you have time, you should definitely see it).

Serbian version/ verzija na srpskom

Krakov - jedna priča

Grupa je na stanici. Stigli smo. Hladan poljski vazduh i magla mute prvu sliku grada. Kasni je oktobar. Odvajamo se od grupe i krećemo u samostalno istraživanje. Tako je najbolje!

Prve korake pravimo ispod samog brda Vavel (Wawel). Jutro je. Magla ne jenjava.

Nižu se kilometri betona koji neosetno prelazi u kaldrmu. Obećava bajkoviti izgled studentskog centra Poljske. Puno je mladih, a gde su mladi tamo nikada nije dosadno.

Rynek Główny

Širina, raznolikost vekova, svakakog sveta i jezika, ostavljaju na trenutak bez daha. Stigli smo do glavnog, a ujedno i najpoznatijeg krakovskog trga - Rynek Główny. Mnoštvo ljudi rasuto je po pločniku, poput figura na šahovskoj tabli. Odjednom, prolete golub i smesti se u jato već razbacanih po tlu. Odnekud, nailazi beli fijaker sa tek venčanim mladencima koji vuku beli konji. Manifestacija je u toku. Čuje se muzika dok grupa entuzijasta demonstrira zumbu. Slici se priklučuje zvuk zvona katedrale. Susreću se stari drugari. Svi su došli u ovaj grad.

Glavni trg

Kafić na uglu

Svečano izjavljujem da treba upoznati grad najpre iz ugla ića i pića, trenutne zamene za toplo tlo. Uskačemo u prvi kafe, autentični krakovski - prostor za mlade.

Smart telefoni

Generacija mladih pivopija - intelektualaca, svi do jednog, sede zagledani u „smart“ telefone, tablete i aplikacije. Kako istražiti grad, gde dobro jesti, šta videti... Sve je na „smartu“. Opremljeni, pridružujemo se sredini. Naručujemo piće i vadimo telefone, gledajući gde se tačno nalazimo. 

Florijanska ulica

Poljsko pivo

Konačno da probamo to čuveno poljsko pivo! Kažu da je najbolje ono kuvano. Protestvujem sa ogromnom šoljom kafe. Ona je ista – svuda! Ipak, miris napitka se širi. Pogrešna procena! Kuvano pivo, sa parčetom pomorandže i đumbira, uopšte nije loše. Naprotiv! Rezak ukus se gubi, ostaje aroma sa primesama gorkog. Još je i toplo. Sviđa mi se.

Džemper

Prolazeći kroz veliki park, sa sklupturama  iz perioda romantizma i gotike, stižemo do velikog tržnog centra. E tu se kriju kupoholičari! Pridružujem se masi, ovog puta iz nužde. Ulazim u radnju nepoznatog proizvođača i kupujem prvi pristojan džemper.  Veliki je i topao. Ovde mi je svakako potreban!

Tramvaj

Novi je dan, nova priča.

Krećemo tramvajem, poput onih socijalističkih. Stari brka vozač, kao da je pobegao iz Srbije. Nekoliko stanica i opet smo ispred jučerašnjeg parka. 

Sunčano je. Potpuno drugačija slika. Prizor je lepši ovako, bez magle. Velika široka zgrada leži na sredini trga, natkrivajući market. Nacionalni muzej skriva ogromne slike Jana Matejka, čuvenog poljskog slikara rođenog u Krakovu. Dominantne boje otkrivaju epizode iz života kraljevskih porodica. Svakako ga treba posetiti.

Nacionalni muzej

Hrana

Mlečni barovi su svuda po centru. Lokalci idu, pa moramo i mi. Hrana jeftina i ukusna, domaća. Pristajemo da nas iznenađuju.

Mlečni bar

Zapekanke

U jevrejskoj četvrti su najbolje zapekanke, jedan od specijaliteta Poljske. Polutke hleba, izdubljene po sredini i napunjene mesom, povrćem i nadevima po želji, zapečene tako da krcka, posebno su voljena lokalna hrana ulice. Zastajemo pored pijace gde se prave. Red je ogroman. Čekamo. Ljudi se tiskaju da sačekaju svoje parče. Beskućnik izdvaja poslednju paru, uredno čekajući u redu. Kulturan je, ne gura se.

Čuvene zapekanke

Jevrejska četvrt – Kazimierz

Ko je u Krakovu, ne treba da žali cipele, naročito u jevrejskoj četvrti. Od sablasnog predgrađa Krakova, kakav je bio tokom Drugog svetskog rata, nastao je studentski centar i glavno odredište mladih entuzijasta i preduzetnika. Mapa je svakako rekvizit koji treba koristiti.

Krećemo, nošeni dugačkim trotoarima, bez cilja. Prelazimo reku Vislu i zalazimo u  četvrt u kojoj se upravo snima set za neki film; Negde usput, upadam u jednu od jevrejskih kuća, visokih zidova i stepenica; U međuvremenu, slučajno izlazimo na jednoj od stanica tramvaja u delu koji nas iznenađuje poznatim prizorima iz pojedinih filmova, recimo iz čuvene Šindlerove liste. Nailazimo na ogromnu katedralu ispred koje se skupila grupa ljudi. Nešto čekaju. Odlučujem da istražim slučaj! Ulazim u katedralu. Upravo počinje katoličko venčanje. Samo što sam sela na jednu od klupa, dolaze mladenci i ceremonija kreće. Sveštenik najpre pozdravlja prisutne, izgovarajući dugačke pevljive molitve. Atmosfera je svečana, svi se smeškaju i čekaju romantični trenutak davanja zaveta. Sveštenik proglašava mladnace venčanim. Mladoženja ljubi mladu, suptilno je naginjući ka podu, ne bi li dočarao bajkovitost situacije.

Jevrejska četvrt

Utakmice u pabu - Kazimierz

Pabovi nas osvajaju svojom autentičnošću i bojama. Osećam se kao kod kuće. Opuštena atmosfera i pivo koje se može naći za šest zlota uz utakmicu se ne propušta. U nekadašnjem magacinu visokih zidova sa drvenim gredama, koji je svojevremeno bio fabrika, pijemo kuvano belo vino i pivo uz koje se služi čašica sirupa od šljive. Tople jesenje boje izbijaju sa svih strana. Izbija i narandžasta svetlost iz lampi kojih ovde ima na svakom koraku. Privlači pažnju autobus preko puta, pretvoren u restoran, pun gladnih koji su se našli u jevrejskoj četvrti. Već smo pojeli zapekanke.

Kuvana pića

Dizajner

Slovenska krv izbija iz jezika sličnog srpskom. Pretežno svetle puti, kose i očiju, naginju severu, a otvorenost mladih i oduševljenje kada čuju da ste iz Srbije razbija tabue i opuštena priča može da počne.

Pri upoznavanju grada imali smo sreće. U pabu na ćošku započinjemo priču sa grupom mladih. Jedan od njih se nudi da nam pokaže grad i dobre klubove. Vodi nas na mesta koja turisti malo znaju. Najpre pab na ćošku, u blizini trga, pa klub gde se okuplja alternativna ekipa. Muzika za đusku, opuštena priča i globalne teme, utisak su večeri. Radi kao barmen u jednom od njih, a pritom je i dizajner. Zapaža da bi mi dobro stajala roze boja odeće. Šešir me, kaže, čini starijom. Zahvaljujem na sugestijama.

Drugo veče nastavljamo u sličnom stilu.

Dan treći

Čokoladara na ćošku kao iz bajke čini se kao razuman završetak kratkotrajnog boravka u Krakovu. Svih oblika i boja, sa višnjama, pomorandžom, lešnicima, ne znam za koju pre da se odlučim. Obećavam da ću opet doći sa većim društvom. Ipak je ovaj grad - dušu dao za grupne vizite i demagogiju uz kuvano pivo.

Manufaktura čokolade

Vavel

Završavamo istraživanje tamo gde smo ga i počeli. Zapadna strana brda Vavel, od kojeg smo i krenuli, opet je pod maglom. Krije zmajevu pećinu i statuu zmaja. Skriva legende ovog grada.  Duh zmaja se razbudio, ostavljajući utiske o centru kulture i tražeći od nas novu posetu.

Statua zmaja

13 stvari koje treba doživeti u Krakovu:

1. Šetnja glavnim trgom (Rynek Główny) – jednim od najvećih srednjovekovnih trgova Evrope;
2. Nacionalni muzej u Krakovu - National museum in Krakow ( http://mnk.pl/ );
3. Katedrala Sv. Stanislava i Vaclava i dvorac iz XIV veka;
4. Dvorac Vavel (Wawel);
5. Florijanska ulica;
6. Jevrejska četvrt (Jewish Kazimierz);
7. Cupcake corner (gde mirišu izvanredni kolači)- https://cupcakecorner.pl/contact ;
8. Šetnja pored reke Visle;
9. Posetiti diskoteku B4, i neku od salsa žurki (u Prominentu, klubu Forty Kleparz, itd.);
10. Upustiti se u priču sa mladim Poljacima (saznaćete dosta o istoriji Krakova i njihovim najboljim mestima za izlaske);
11. Probati – kuvano poljsko pivo, čuvene zapekanke i lody sladolede, kao i čokolade u prodavnici - ručno pravljene čokolade http://chocolate.krakow.pl/pl/ ;
12. Popiti kafu (sa čilijem i pomorandžom) na krovu tržnice u prizemlju galerije Nacionalng muzeja;
13. Aušvic (ako imate vremena, svakako treba videti).

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