Krakow, Poland

Krakow is a city that was on our original list of places to see while living in Europe, and even though Jon had been there before, he was more than happy to explore this vibrant city once again. I didn't really know what to expect when planning our trip to Krakow, and one of the main reasons we wanted to visit it was because of its close proximity to Auschwitz, which I also wanted to see. We didn't include our visit to Auschwitz in this blog post - it deserves a post of its own and the nature of the visit is obviously vastly different than the time we had in Krakow.

We planned this trip with our friends Charlie and Ayessa (they used to live in Naples, but now live in Lisbon). We met up in Munich airport during our layovers and made our way to snowy Krakow. We were welcomed right away with coffee and tea at our lovely B&B in the heart of the city. With snow gathering on our clothing we walked to Rynek Glowny, the main market square in the center of the city. A large Renaissance building named Cloth Hall dominates part of the square where merchants sell a variety of Polish arts and products.

Cloth Hall

Daytime shot of Cloth Hall

Jon and I in the square.

Just outside of the building stands the Adam Mickiewicz statue, erected for Poland's national poet.

It was snowing!

St. Mary's Church commands the square with its presence and was built by the citizens of Krakow starting in 1355. We attempted to go inside, but when regular services are being held one cannot go in during these times unless you are going to pray.

Throughout the weekend we continued to walk the streets of Krakow, eventually coming to Wawel Castle, which stands about 150 feet above Krakow and was built in the 10th century.

View from the castle

We also made our way to the old Jewish quarter known as Kazimierz. Before the start of World War II there were about 65,000 Jews living in Krakow (about 30% of the population) and most of them lived in this area. The Jewish population of this thriving district was destroyed by the Holocaust, but traces of this community can still be seen. Small synagogues dot the streets, serving as a silent evidence of what this area used to be and the importance of the Jews here. Holocaust memorials and plaques are abundant here with family and friends hoping to keep alive the memories of those who perished during that time. We appreciated the history of the Jewish Quarter and reflected on the unimaginable events that took place here during the war.

This used to be a house for Torah study. 

Holocaust Memorial

Remu Synagogue

Old Jewish Cemetery 

Aside from walking around the city we spent a lot of time eating! We ate so much that the four of us joked that we were having two dinners every night. Polish food is extremely tasty and we jumped right in and ordered some specialties like beetroot soup, pierogis, anything with mushrooms in it, cabbage, and a lot of meat dishes.

Pierogis filled with mushrooms and cabbage

Jon's flaming meat dish

We also went to a vodka bar that has over 100 different flavors of vodka. We tried flavors such as hazelnut, caramel, mojito, apple, black currant, raspberry, and honey. You should have seen our faces when we received the bill... 12 shots of vodka set us back only 10 euros! We debated staying for another round, but we had second dinner reservations that we had to get to.

Our vodka shots

Team Roth and Team Toler!

All in all we were very impressed with the city of Krakow. We didn't realize how vibrant the city is, and how its effortless beauty would be around every corner. Combining these features with good friends led to a fantastic weekend!

Slovenia Part II: Kranjska Gora, Postojna Caves, & Trieste (Italy)

Since we made Lake Bled our base for the rest of the weekend we used Saturday to go to Kranjska Gora for a day of skiing. Kranjska Gora is the more well-known ski resort in Slovenia, being used for the European Winter Championships this year and open air events other years. Not only can you downhill ski there, but you can also toboggan, snowshoe, and cross-country ski.

About 40 minutes after leaving our hotel in Bled, we arrived at the base of the mountain where parking seemed to be a huge problem at the resort. There was one big parking lot that had already filled up, with people double and even triple parking cars into their spots. All that was left was street parking in the town, which we drove around aimlessly looking for. We got pretty lucky after we squeezed into a spot right in front of a ski rental place. It ended up being closer to the base of the mountain than had we parked in the main parking lot so it was a good start to the day!

The skiing that we're accustomed to was different than the skiing at Kranjska Gora. For those that have skied in the States and in Europe, it was more akin to East Coast USA skiing rather than skiing in Colorado, Utah, or Zermatt, Switzerland. There weren't too many runs, it was icy in parts, and it was more crowded with people, especially beginners. Aside from that though, we enjoyed skiing here very much and got our legs ready for our big ski trip in February to Chamonix, France.

Kranjska Gora

The next day we woke up early, left Bled, and headed to Postojna. In Postojna there is a a cave network, similar to Lurray Caverns in Virginia, which has 21 kilometers of fantastic tunnels, halls, and passages. Remnants of rivers and pools of water can be seen from the indentation in the rocks. There are big chambers filled with stalactites and stalagmites of many sizes and shapes, some of which have taken tens of thousands of years to form. Considering they grow only one centimeter every 100 years you can get an idea of how old this place really is. The caves were enchanting and each area that we saw offered a different view into this remarkable underground world. We felt like we took a journey to the center of the earth, where time is counted by the drops of water and the art of mother nature is on display.

The entrance, taken from Postojna Caves

The Red Hall, taken from Postojna Caves

To start we took a ride in a miniature train for two kilometers through small archways, large halls, and tiny passageways. After the train ride, we were led through different areas of the caves, each with their own unique name. The Hall of Tubes (aka Spaghetti Hall) was so named because of the white, needle-thin tubes hanging from the ceiling. The Concert Hall holds events and concerts a few times a year and can accommodate several thousand people. The White Hall is named because all of the stalactites are extremely white from pure limestone. The whole experience was magnificent and it gave us a magical view of the underground world of the Postojna Caves.

The Hall of Tubes or Spaghetti Hall, taken from Postojna Caves

The White Hall, taken from  Postojna Caves

After our time in the caves we continued towards the Italian border to Trieste. Trieste is an interesting city - since it's right on the border of Slovenia and not far from Austria, it is a mish-mash of all three countries combined; Viennese style cafes on the streets, the friendliness of the Slovenian people, and the dreaded shut down of everything in Italy from 1 - 4pm (especially on a Sunday). Lying on the Adriatic Sea, it was a key port during the Austro-Hungarian empire before it was added as an Italian territory in 1918.

After we had lunch we walked down some streets, passing people sitting outside drinking their coffees and walking past families on an afternoon outing. We came to Piazza dell'Unita d'Italia, which is a big open square looking out to the sea. Large Austrian type buildings line the piazza, while children with their dogs play in the center. It seemed to be the focal point of the city... the eyes to the sea!

City Hall

We also passed a few churches on our walk:

San Nicoli dei Greci 

Santa Maria Maggiore

We left Trieste after a few hours and took a little detour to see a few more towns on the drive back to Venice. We stopped in Grado, Aquileia, and Palmanova. There wasn't too much going on in Grado (a beach town) and Aquileia so our visits there were very short. Palmanova is a citadel, and is famous for its fortress city plan in the shape of a star. Inside the walls the streets form a octagon with the center of it being a large piazza. Needless to say, the layout of this city is very different from other cities we've seen.

Large piazza

Cathedral

A wooden reindeer exhibition 

Me, hanging out in the piazza

A picture of what Palmanova looks from above.

We then drove to Venice to return the car and catch our flight. We had such an enjoyable time in Slovenia and during our afternoon in northeastern Italy. Slovenia isn't a country that was originally on our list of places to go to while living here, but we're so glad that we researched it and decided it was worth a visit. The charm of Lake Bled, the relaxed atmosphere of the capital city of Ljubljana, and the various types of terrain and natural beauty make Slovenia a terrific place to visit and unwind!

Slovenia Part I: Ljubljana & Lake Bled

A few days after coming back from Finland, we set our sights on a trip to Slovenia. Slovenia borders the northeast corner of Italy, about 90 miles from Venice. A lot is packed into this small country, which contains everything from snow-capped mountains suitable for skiing, beaches on the Mediterranean, and acres of hills and plains blanketed with grapevines. It has some of the cleanest water in the world due to its many lakes and springs, has half of its total area covered in forest, and is abundant with various types of wildlife. And lastly, the Slovenian people (two million strong) are some of the friendliest people we've encountered in all of our travels.

We flew into Venice, rented a car, and drove about two hours to the capital of Ljubljana. Ljubljana is a small city that has plenty of museums, universities (1/4 of the population are students), greenery, and a castle overlooking the city on its highest peak.

From our hotel we walked to the old town, which includes all of Ljubljana's most important sights and buildings, including Ljubljana Castle which can be seen overhead from every point. As we walked through Presernov Trg (Preseren Square), we noticed that this square seems to be where the life of the city is. There is a river running through it with quite a few small walking bridges crossing the water. Many restaurants and cafes line the riverbank and even though it was 25 degrees F there were a lot of people sitting outside and sipping their coffees with friends.

"Triple Bridge"

Peseren Monument

Cathedral of St. Nicholas

We took the funicular up and made our way to the castle grounds. From below, the castle looks extensive and is the city's focal point, but while we were up there it seemed surprisingly small. We went across the small courtyard to the watchtower and climbed the stairs in order to see wonderful views of the city.

The castle courtyard

The Castle above the city

Our ticket also included an entrance to the Slovenian History Exhibition, leading us through the country's past, exhibiting significant objects and video explanations. There are about six museums in Ljubljana so it was nice to see a collection of items in one place instead of trying to find them at the various museums.

Copy of the world's oldest flute. The original is held at the National Museum of Slovenia.

Reconstruction of the oldest wooden wheel with an axle from Ljubljana.

After taking the funicular down we walked through the central market area, which has an outdoor and indoor market selling everything from meats, cheeses, vegetables, and honey, to items like magnets, paintings, and wooden kitchen accessories. We walked through the market along the river and crossed Dragon Bridge, which is "guarded" by four sculptures of dragons which are now the city's mascots.

Some of the market

After our day in Ljubljana we drove 40 minutes to the town of Bled. Bled is situated right on the lake (Lake Bled), a picturesque emerald-green lake that has the scenery of a postcard. The lake has some of Slovenia's highest mountain peaks as a backdrop, a medieval castle on a small cliff, and a church sitting on a tiny island in the middle of it all. In the summer Bled gets incredibly busy, as there are many rowing, swimming, and boating competitions, while in the winter - though not empty - one can walk around the lake without the chaos and noise of tourists.

Soon after we arrived we walked the four miles around the lake, capturing pictures, petting dogs on walks, and admiring the natural beauty of this location. Seeing the snow covered Julian Alps in the distance was stunning and the entire landscape was just breathtaking.

The small island with the church. The castle is on the left.

Castle at night.

We loved our time in Ljubljana and Bled and found this trip to be a pleasant surprise. Next up, skiing in Kranjska Gora, the Postojna Caves, and a stop in Trieste, Italy on the drive back!