Day 6: Travel to Krakow

Today we drove from Prague to Krakow. Our day began early, and once we were up, we were on our way to Krakow. I slept most of the bus ride, but my friends tell me the scenery was beautiful. After about 4 hours of driving, we reached a small Czech town named Olomouc.

      This quaint countryside town was beautiful, and at the center of the town square was a large, beautiful column dedicated by Maria Theresa. We ate lunch  at a local restaurant, and we were pleasantly surprised by the cost of the meal. Due to the low amount of tourist influx in the area, we fed 5 people delicious pizza for only $25... total! We also had a great experience with our waiter. While he didn’t speak English, we were able to communicate, and even laugh when he asked us if we wanted “gas or no gas” in our water. I like to think that most European towns are like this; very down to earth people who are happy to go about with their lives, with none of the hustle and bustle we are used to.

      After we left Olomouc, we made our way to Krakow. When we arrived, we were instantly greeted with an amazing view of the Vistula River. After a short hike with a our local guide, Anna, we found what we were looking for, the ancient castle of Krakow. The buildings were beautiful, but my favorite was the gold domed chapel attached to the old cathedral. On the roof was a coating of 24 carat gold worth over $3,000,000! Altogether, a very stunning sight. 

      As we rounded up the night, we ate dinner in a dungeon-esque restaurant. While fairly ominous on the inside, the food we ate was delicious. My favorite was the pirogies, but the Polish doughnuts were delicious as well. Altogether, today was extremely successful. We learned so much about the history of Poland, and we were able to take a peek into real European lives. For me, this was a day I will never forget.

 - Asher

Today we traveled from Prague in the Czech Republic to Krakow, Poland. While our morning and much of our afternoon was spent on the bus, we stopped in a small town called Olomouc. There, we were able to eat lunch and explore for a bit. In the center of town we saw a monument called the Holy Trinity Column, which was a tribute to the Catholic Church, built in 1716 in a Baroque art style. After we got into Krakow, we began to explore the Wawel Royal Castle. As we were walking up we got to see the dragon, which according to legend a young boy was able to incapacitate the dragon using a sheep and sulfur, reaping all the kings rewards including marrying the princess. After this we walked into the courtyard of the castle being able to see where the living quarters of the king, his royal council and his honored guests were. After the the king, his royal council and his honored guests were. After the palace we got the chance to see the Lajkonik Parade which honors many of Krakow’s legends and traditional characters. Thank you for reading my blog  make sure to like, subscribe and check in tomorrow for more updates. 

Signing off.

Sam