Krakow, Poland

Traveling around Poland was a bit of a nightmare for me. I didn't know the language or the area which made navigating extremely difficult. To make matters worse, I witnessed an armed car jacking and was scared out of my boots for the rest of the trip. Basically, Poland wasn't being too friendly with me. But there was still a day to kill before flying back to Ireland so I took advantage of it and visited Krakow. Thank God for Krakow because it was certainly a relief from Aushwitz and Katowice.

I had a moment to calm down as we walked through the Main Market Square soaking up the rich architecture of the Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque periods. One of those beauties that really caught my eye was the 13th century church, St. Mary's Basillica. I regret not being able to go inside and see all its glory, but I was able to see the trumpeter play the famous Hejnal Mariacki at noon for everyone in the square.

When it came time to looking for food, we actually happened upon a Polish Folk Festival. There were so many Polish crafts, cheeses, beers, and meats. They were smoking fish and stirring cauldrons of soup, but Karyn and I went with the classic choice --Kielbasa! And as we sat down to eat we got to hear a folk band play right in front of us.

Poland was an adventure out of my comfort zone, but definitely worth the trip.

Shannon