Kraków, Poland

Poland? Yes, Poland.

If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me about going to Poland, I'd almost have enough for my the cost of my airfare. I'm not exaggerating, given that, yes, I got --WAIT--another cheap fare. *fist pumps*

OK, truth be told, I'm very good for scoping on those bargain-basement airline fares that you can only dream of. But it also means that I wind up flying to places like Warsaw or Krakow unexpectedly.

I know what people are thinking: Black Woman. Poland? Even my girlfriend who is FROM Poland sent me a slew of messages that read something like this:

She: Soooo, why are you going to Poland again?
Me: Oh, cheap fare. I was curious as to what it looked like. I really want to go to Auschwitz.

A few weeks later:

She: I can't believe you're there now. You're in Poland?!! hahahahaha :-D
Me: Wait. Aren't you from here? I mean, your family is here, right? I know you left like two years ago but this is your home.
*silence over the Internet*

She: You LIKED Poland?
Me: Is something wrong with it?
She: No. What are you eating?
Me: Pierogi, kielbasa, sauerkraut, those pancakes that I can't pronounce, Turkish kebabs off the street
She: Wow!

I mean, I get it from people who've never been to Poland, but from my friend? I guess Poland has a bad rap. One friend even accused me of lying about my motives for visiting the place.

Truthfully, upon arrival, I found Warsaw to be a little on the dark side. Well, a bit like it had been bombed the heck out of during WW II.

Luckily, I was outta there on the first train running to Kraków, where I was meeting a friend for a few days of R&R. For me, Krakow was love at first site. My both gaped open at the site of the majestic Gothic and Renaissance buildings, illuminated by the nighttime lights. Everywhere I turned, there was grand architecture and a sense of remarkable history. I mean, some of these buildings were constructed in the 1300s! At night, a trumpeteer plays each hour from the bell tower at St. Mary's church in the medieval market square. (I told my friend J that the song coming from the tower sounded "weird," to which she chuckled. I found out later that the broken-off solo reenacted the fate of a 13th-century hero who took an arrow to the throat mid-note while warning the town of invasion. Oh. I guess that's why it's sometimes important to READ.)

Well, the church is a must-see, as is the rest of the square. Not yet overtaken by throngs of tourists or a slew of international chain stores, everything about the square, which was updated during the Renaissance, felt cosmopolitan yet authentic. There were stores, boutiques, cafes, tons of hostels and clubs and bars built in cave-like structures. At night, people milled about, hanging out in the square. We spent a few days here, wandering around the Old Town, which was good for walking at just 4 square miles. I also checked out Wawel Hill, the former royal residence, where you could overlook much of centuries-old Old Town.


And then there was the food, which might have added a few pounds that I'm now trying to remove.

After a few days, I attempted to walk it off by heading farther afield across the somewhat new Laetus Bernatek pedestrian/cyclist bridge to the Jewish ghetto, which had even fewer tourists. You might recognize the neighborhood from the movie "Schindler's List." A separate Jewish neighborhood had an ethnography museum, upscale restaurants, coffeehouses and a Jewish heritage trail. And, just of curiosity, I ventured off the beaten track into the neighborhoods to see how "real folks" live.

Poland? Yep, Poland. The country was my first in Eastern Europe and it made for a good impression.

I've gotten lots of questions and stares in the past week, but Kraków is now on the list of favorites. I'd return in a heartbeat.