Blah, Blah, Bl-Onken Blog!: Eastern Europe 2014

We took the night train from Prague to Krakow. For me, the visit to Krakow was more about a means to an end - to get us closer to Circ, Slovakia (next post). It turned out to be my favorite city. It wasn't as beautiful as Prague, but it was just a delight. The people are lovely, the city is lovely, and I loved the sprawling open feel of the Main Market Square. Where Prague was a treat for the eyes, Krakow was a treat for the ears. It seemed that everywhere we went, we heard music being played. The other feeling was that the Main Market Square wasn't just about tourists. In Prague, you knew you were surrounded by tourists; in Krakow, you get the sense that the citizens of Krakow would also come and spend their weekends or evenings visiting the Market Square area, eating, relaxing - or getting married (we saw several bridal parties.) In addition to seeing the city sights, we also visited Auschwitz-Birkenau and Schindler's Factory (which has been turned into a big museum.)

It is hard for us to imagine the history of these cities of the former Soviet Bloc. Each was devastated during WWII and then quickly they were taken by the Soviets. They all underwent civil unrest or revolution in the late 1950's (1956), but it has only been 25 years since they were finally free. Certainly if you look carefully, and particularly outside of the central tourist districts, the signs of disrepair and communism are still there.