Krakow
Today was another beautiful sunny day, good for walking around and seeing Krakow. I started off at the Florian gate, the only remnant of the medieval wall left intact. It would have been very impressive to see the whole city encircled by it. Then I popped around the corner to the Czartoryski Museum. They were a wealthy family that amassed a treasure trove of ancient, gothic, and renaissance art and artifacts. They had an impressive array of Egyptian, Etruscan, and Roman statuary and objects. There was also a lot of Turkish military booty captured by Polish forces when the Turks were defeated in the 17th century. There was also a painting by Leonardo da Vinci, Girl with an Ermine, and a landscape by Rembrandt. I was very pleased with this collection.
Then I walked to the other end of the city, which took less than 15 minutes, to Wawel Castle. It is an amalgamation of structures from the 11th to 19th centuries. The most prominent feature is the cathedral, very opulent and rich in history. Most Polish Kings are entombed in the crypt here. In the royal palace, the state rooms are in a Renaissance palazzo designed by Italian architects for the Polish court. Among the artwork on display was a tapestry of the death of Decius Mus, an early Roman consul. I was excited because I had seen the series of paintings by Rubens that the tapestries were made from in the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna last weekend. I had no idea where the tapestries were, so I feel lucky to have stumbled across one.
After the castle I headed back to town to see the Basilica of the Virgin Mary, which was incredibly ornate and very beautiful. I climbed the Town Hall Tower across the square for some nice views of the city. Then I crossed the river for some nice views of Wawel castle, which is right on the river. I crossed back over and went to the Kazimierz neighborhood, which was historically the Jewish neighborhood. Unfortunately most of its 65,000 residents perished in the Holocaust. It is only recently that the area is being refurbished and reclaimed by the fledgling Jewish community that remains.
The day ended with another lovely dinner, this time at the Copernicus Hotel which is the top hotel in the city. I started with a glass of Prosecco and had risotto with mussels and sundried tomatoes. Next I had roasted rabbit with polenta cakes and a side of sauteed veggies, spinach, cabbage with dill, broccoli, peas and carrots. Along with this I had a glass of Nebbiolo. For dessert I had an apple tart with vanilla ice cream, and some berries - strawberries, blackberries, red currants, raspberries, and an unusual white raspberry which I had never seen before. I had a glass of ruby port, there being no dessert wine by the glass. The whole meal was sumptuous, but I still rank last night's meal a tad higher.
I can't believe I am leaving tomorrow for Budapest. This whole trip is flying by.
Then I walked to the other end of the city, which took less than 15 minutes, to Wawel Castle. It is an amalgamation of structures from the 11th to 19th centuries. The most prominent feature is the cathedral, very opulent and rich in history. Most Polish Kings are entombed in the crypt here. In the royal palace, the state rooms are in a Renaissance palazzo designed by Italian architects for the Polish court. Among the artwork on display was a tapestry of the death of Decius Mus, an early Roman consul. I was excited because I had seen the series of paintings by Rubens that the tapestries were made from in the Liechtenstein Museum in Vienna last weekend. I had no idea where the tapestries were, so I feel lucky to have stumbled across one.
After the castle I headed back to town to see the Basilica of the Virgin Mary, which was incredibly ornate and very beautiful. I climbed the Town Hall Tower across the square for some nice views of the city. Then I crossed the river for some nice views of Wawel castle, which is right on the river. I crossed back over and went to the Kazimierz neighborhood, which was historically the Jewish neighborhood. Unfortunately most of its 65,000 residents perished in the Holocaust. It is only recently that the area is being refurbished and reclaimed by the fledgling Jewish community that remains.
The day ended with another lovely dinner, this time at the Copernicus Hotel which is the top hotel in the city. I started with a glass of Prosecco and had risotto with mussels and sundried tomatoes. Next I had roasted rabbit with polenta cakes and a side of sauteed veggies, spinach, cabbage with dill, broccoli, peas and carrots. Along with this I had a glass of Nebbiolo. For dessert I had an apple tart with vanilla ice cream, and some berries - strawberries, blackberries, red currants, raspberries, and an unusual white raspberry which I had never seen before. I had a glass of ruby port, there being no dessert wine by the glass. The whole meal was sumptuous, but I still rank last night's meal a tad higher.
I can't believe I am leaving tomorrow for Budapest. This whole trip is flying by.