{"id":1241,"date":"2014-06-14T08:33:23","date_gmt":"2014-06-14T08:33:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rawtravelblog.com\/?p=1241"},"modified":"2014-06-24T07:16:01","modified_gmt":"2014-06-24T07:16:01","slug":"krakow-a-modern-day-if-sleep-deprived-fairy-tale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rawtravelblog.com\/krakow-a-modern-day-if-sleep-deprived-fairy-tale\/","title":{"rendered":"Krakow… A Modern Day (If Sleep Deprived) Fairy Tale"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"With<\/a>
With Krakow Local & U.S. Expat Sara at Wawel Castle<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Krakow, Poland<\/strong><\/a> was our 1st stop on our current Central & Eastern European tour and it was challenging to say the least, but through no fault of this magical city. No, it was purely a “jet lag \/ lack of sleep” kind of thing where the entire crew was operating on less than ideal conditions with little to no time for sleep or time change adjustment before we began shooting for Season 2.\u00a0 We had only 5 days to attempt to tell Krakow’s story\u00a0 and we didn’t want to waste one single day.<\/p>\n

Other than myself looking exhausted on camera (the bags under my eyes had bags of their own), and our cameraman extraordinaire, Scott taking a wicked tumble down the winding stair case in our apartment (no broken bones and better even yet, no broken cameras) , we came through Krakow not only in tact but feeling we’d documented a pretty sweet episode.<\/p>\n

\"Centuries<\/a>
Centuries Old Wall in Krakow’s Olde City<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Special thanks to Sara, a U.S. ex-pat, Polish language student & travel writer from Minnesota who now calls Krakow home. Sara helped us out immensely with pre-trip tips and then showed us around the fairytale like Wawel Hill & Castle<\/strong> <\/em>overlooking the Olde Town. A fire breathing dragon is the mascot here in Krakow and there is one that actually breathes fire every 3-4 minutes or so guarding the castle from below.<\/p>\n

Walking around the castle grounds, perhaps it was the jet lag but I felt almost transported back to my childhood when my imagination could wander free with fantastical thoughts. I remembered fondly my mother reading fairy tales to me about dragons, knights and wicked witches. Yes, Krakow has a very mid-evil feel and for good reason as it gives new meaning to the word old. It was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569.<\/p>\n

\"IMG_5905\"<\/a>
Schindler’s Factory & Museum Tour<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For a more recent historical journey, Sara also took us to the now trendy, old Jewish District where prior to World War II tens of thousands of Jews lived and worked. Today travelers the world over visit this area to see the last part of the remaining wall from the old Jewish Ghetto the Nazi’s built to corral the Jewish population before shipping many of them out to their deaths in nearby concentration camps. Sadly, today there are only a handful of Jews left in Krakow.<\/p>\n

Reminders of this history and the tragedy that befell so many Jews in WW II was evident throughout Krakow. The friendly folks at Schindler’s Museum<\/strong><\/em><\/a> took us on a fascinating tour of their new museum set on the grounds of the old and now famous Schindler’s Factory where Oskar Schindler risked his own neck to save over 1,000 Jews from certain death.<\/p>\n

\"Entrance<\/a>
Entrance to Auschwitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A somber bus trip to nearby Auschwitz<\/strong> <\/em><\/a>was personally fulfilling and helped bring some perspective to an event that has been covered via film & TV so much as to seem almost intangible to me at times. However, seeing 1st hand a Nazi wallet allegedly fashioned from human skin on display at Schindler’s along with the mugshot photos of the many prisoners on the walls of the Auschwitz barracks really brought the surreal horror of what happened home for me. The eyes of the prisoner’s told their story, a sad realization perhaps that they were going to die in horrible fashion.<\/p>\n

Man’s inhumanity to man throughout human history never ceases to amaze and dismay me. Auschwitz and Schindler’s were not happy places but they were not overly depressing either. I feel both the museum and Auschwitz hit the proper sober and respectful tone without being remotely exploitative and I recommend all visitors to Krakow please check them out.<\/p>\n

\"With<\/a>
With the lovely ladies of “Brains All Gone”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

On a happier note a trek out to the recently created Cafe Finska<\/strong><\/em><\/a> help restore my faith in humanity just a bit. The ladies from the all girl punk & rock band “Brains All Gone”<\/em> <\/strong><\/a>accompanied us there after playing an amazing acoustic set for us in the park by the river to a gathering crowd of onlookers. I’ve included a music video of Brains All Gone so you can check them out for yourself. Trust me when I say that they sound even better live and really, who could ask for a better band name?<\/p>\n