The City of Krakow
Never in a million years did I think one of my first trips abroad would be to Krakow, Poland. My cousin Rochelle is the only reason I know of its existence. She went there to teach English and travel around Europe. Then, she decided to fall in love and get married there as well. Now, I am grateful to her for making those life decisions. I was able to experience a very friendly and beautiful place. Krakow is the epitome of old-world Polish charm. It has everything from castles and museums to small shops and restaurants. Throughout the historic district, the streets are lined with cobblestones and the buildings look as they did a hundred years ago. Still new to the whole travel thing, I did not do very much research beforehand. You could say I was pleasantly surprised with what I found, especially after flying into the airport.
Welcome to Poland
As the plane approached for its landing, I did not see very much of anything. There is something about miles and miles of farm land that loses my interest. Living in the Central Valley, I think I’ve seen enough of it. However, Krakow airport has one really cool thing going for it. It is a military and civilian airport. They house, or should I say “hangar,” some really cool military helicopters and planes. After walking out of the plane, I traveled across the tarmac to go through customs. A very serious passport control agent helped me. He asked me a question in Polish which I did not understand. After that, I just nodded my head. My passport was stamped, and I went to baggage claim. It was a super weird moment due to a long awkward silence, but I walked out alive.
Now the tricky part came after leaving baggage claim. I needed to get from the airport to my hotel. They were twenty minutes apart from each other, and I only spoke English. Now for those of you who read every week, what I did next should be no surprise. I gave the taxi driver a piece of paper with my hotel’s address on it. Just like that, the situation is no longer tricky. At this point, I’m curious about Krakow to say the least. However, my approval rating started to go way up. It’s hard not to like a country when your taxi driver is bump’n Biggie, 2Pac and G-Unit all the way to town. As a result, I was in the right mindset for starting my adventure.
The Hotel
The best word to describe my hotel is quaint. My room couldn’t have been bigger than 100 square feet. If you’re not good with numbers, I apologize. Therefore, know that’s a really small room. It consisted of two twin beds pushed together with a small desk, an armoire and an en suite bathroom. It sounds like a lot, but it’s not. The location was what I was paying for. Tucked away on a side street of the historic district, I was in the ideal spot. Being able to walk everywhere is a nice amenity. You are always in the heart of the action. My hotel was a five-minute walk from Rynek Glowny which has its advantages. You are next to tons of restaurants, shops, and museums (including Wawel Royal Castle).
The only other downside to the hotel is their check-in time. Arriving at noon, my room wasn’t ready until 3 PM. However, the hotel was nice enough to hold my bag for me. While waiting for my room, I decided to start walking around the city center. In Planty Park, I met two very nice drunk men. They even gave me a super cool nickname, “The Rich American.” From that moment on, I knew I had been accepted by the locals. Now, I needed to find something to eat.
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