Krakow

I've waited more than 30 years to visit Poland.  It was one of the only countries I never made it to while back-packing through Europe in 1990. Garry and I also never made there while living in London. We did book tickets to Krakow with British Airways at one stage.  However, it cancelled the route before we could fly and so our vacation never happened.  

However, finally, we've made to Krakow.  Garry and I dropped in for a long weekend while en route to Nuremberg for six days of non-stop meetings and trade show excursions.  The city was a superb way to break up the relentless pace of what ultimately proved to be an exhausting business trip. 

Krakow is a fascinating city.  Like so many old cities in Europe, its history is littered with the scars of war and regional politics. The city was founded in the 4^th Century on Wawel Hill, a small hillock overlooking the Wisla River’s meandering curves.  Fortifications on the hill became home to Poland’s first ruler, Mieszko (AD962-992), before being transformed by Poland’s first king, Wladyslaw the Short (AD1306-133). The king was crowned in Wawel Cathedral on 30 January 1319, beginning a tradition that saw a further 35 royal rulers crowned here until the 17^th Century.

Wawel Castle and its magnificent cathedral are still standing on Wawel Hill today.  Thanks to royal patronage and its proximity to power, Krawkow prospered for several centuries until the capital was arbitrarily relocated to Warsaw in 1596.  During this period many of the city’s stunning old town landmarks were built including St Mary’s Basilica and Sukiennice (roughly translated as the Cloth Hall).that dominate its expansive Market Square.

We cashed in some Amex Reward Points and booked ourselves into the nearby Sheraton Hotel.  Our room gave us an uninterrupted view of the river, Wawel Hill and its castle.  The weather was rather chilly during our stay.  Temperatures ranged from -4C to 5C. Snow covered the ground the day we arrived, giving the old city some classic picture-perfect old world charm.

Garry and I split our three days in Krakow across three of its most popular sights.  Our first day was spent wandering the cobbled streets of the old city.  We began the day with a visit to the castle grounds and Wawel Cathedral.  This includes touring the Royal Crypts and climbing a wooden framed tower to see the city’s famous Sigismund Bell.  It’s the largest of five bells in the tower weighing in at an astonishing 12.6 tonnes.  It’s ever only rung on religious holidays and significant moment in Polish history (such as the funeral of late President Lech Kaczynski and his wife).

We also stopped by the Wawel Dragon.  This is an ugly bronze statue on the banks of the Wisla River.  According to local legend, the dragon once lived in a cave at the base of Wawel Hill.  Today’s facsimile breathes gas-fuelled flames at regular intervals.

Then, with the castle done and dusted, we made our way through the old city.  Highlights included a visit to St Mary’s Basilica, possibly one of the most ornate churches we’ve seen in Europe.  It’s also home to one of the city’s quirky traditions.  Every hour on the hour the Hejnak, or bugle call, rings out from a window set high in its left tower. Apparently, this tradition has continued for centuries.  It’s even broadcast live across the nation at noon every day.

By chance, we stumbled across a superb restaurant called Art Restaurant.  On a whim, we booked ourselves in for dinner.  We later discovered it was Krakow’s top restaurant.  We splashed out and enjoyed its tasting menu that delivered a feast of traditional Polish dishes transformed into a memorable fine dining experience.  This includes dumpling soup, venison, sausages and traditional bagels.

Our second day was spent visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau located 75km west of Krakow.  I’ve prepared a separate post about this profoundly moving experience.  Our final day in town was spent visiting the Wieliczka Salt Mines. This proved ideal timing as the day our tour was scheduled dawned with pouring rain.  The mines are located in a small town about 15kms south of Krakow. More than 1.4 million people visit this attraction every year; and been doing so for centuries. 

The salt mines are extraordinary.  Since the 13^th century, miners have been extracting rock salt from galleries and caverns deep underground.  Over the course of seven centuries, more than 240km of tunnels and 2350 chambers have been excavated; reaching as deep as 327metres below the surface.  Needless to say, a tour of the mines was a genuine highlight. 

Without doubt, the most memorable sight was the St Kinga Chapel.  This is an enormous 22,000sqm cavern that’s been transformed into a stunning underground cathedral.  The walls feature bas-relief carvings sculpted from rock salt; plus a series of dramatic chandeliers whose dazzling crystals are also pure salt.  It simply has to be seen to be believed!

Follow this link to read about our emotional and sobering visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.

Unfathomable and unconscionable insanity

There’s no prize for guessing where we’ve been.  By chance, our visit coincided with the 74th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp. Words on a page can never describe the experience of coming here.  It was genuinely moving. Yet at the same time, everything we saw made no sense at all.  The mind-numbing statistics our tour guide rattled off for more an hour are simply beyond comprehension.

For me, one question remained eternally unanswered. Why target the Jews of Europe for such wholesale slaughter?  How in any way, shape or form could such an inhumane and unspeakable act ever be justified? Why target innocent people no different to the Jewish friends, and their extended families, that I know and love?  The Final Solution is simply unfathomable and unconscionable insanity on a truly industrial scale.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is a confronting place. It challenges you at every turn. It forces you to reflect on your own prejudices, politics and flawed, imperfect nature. Winter also proved an ideal time to visit. The snow, the mud and the drab grey sky constantly reinforced and reminded us that this really was a miserable place for all incarcerated here. However, despite its confronting nature, I came away steadfast in my conviction that by bearing personal witness to this place and its travesty, in some small way, those of us who visit ensure its cold, harsh truths are never forgotten. 

Garry, in particular, was overwhelmed by the tiers of bunks we saw in the women’s barracks.  They are rough, dark and foreboding. This wasn't a Hollywood sound stage. Instead, it genuinely felt very, very real. My only regret? The frenetic pace at which our tour guide pushed us through each complex. Sadly he left us with little time to pause, reflect and remember.

Brexit be gone!

It’s been almost nine years since Garry and I returned to Australia after living in London for five years.  Since then I’ve been back to the UK twice for business while Garry has never returned.  In January we both made it back as part of a business trip to attend the London Toy Fair.  The fair itself was an invaluable experience.  Our company picked up its largest brand in more than five years while gaining invaluable insights into running a progressive toy business.

In between days of business meetings, business dinners, planning sessions and industry visits we found time to revisit some old haunts and renew some old friendships.  We also squeezed in a quick trip to the observatory deck at The Shard.  This is London’s tallest building and its newest premier attraction. It was still being built when we left the UK in 2010.

Designed by Master Architect Renzo Piano, The Shard has redefined London’s skyline and quickly established its place as a dynamic symbol of London. At a height of 244m, and at almost twice the height of any other vantage point in London, visitors to its uppermost levels experience unrivalled 360-degree views over the city for up to 40 miles on a clear day.

While we didn’t quite experience the same view our early afternoon visit proved well-timed all the same.  Much of the city was covered in a light haze as we made our way up to its open-air observatory deck.  However, the afternoon sun progressively broke down the gloom opening up more and more of the city’s impressive landscape.  We were able to identify the high-rise towers of the Chalcots Estate at Swiss Cottage, along with many of London’s most iconic landmarks.

We also made the most of the West End, attending three live theatre performances including an entertaining dining experience modelled on the chaos of Britain’s classic Faulty Towers sitcom. Although, one of the most poignant highlights of our time in London was a brief excursion to our old neighbourhood. We landed early on Saturday morning and found ourselves with more than six hours to fill before we could check into our serviced apartment in Soho.

We made the best use of this time with a walking tour of Swiss Cottage.  We checked our luggage into storage at Paddington Station, then made our way by Tube to our old haunting grounds.  The tube journey was a surreal trip down memory lane.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I made the same journey to and from Heathrow almost monthly either for business or pleasure. 

Sadly time hasn’t been kind to parts of our old neighbourhood.  Shiny, new modern buildings that had once been local landmarks were looking rather worse for wear.  Even our old home seemed a little drabber than we last remember it.  Our favourite Chinese restaurant had also vanished. However, some things did surprise and delight us.  We discovered a new Farmers Market at the foot of Primrose Hill and a small picket fence we’d installed in the front garden of our apartment was still standing.

The view from Primrose Hill proved to the most unexpected surprise.  All the talk of Brexit doom and gloom had left us with a distinct impression that the UK was struggling.  However, standing on the hill’s summit we could see dozens and dozens of new high-rise buildings and an equal number of construction cranes spread across the entire skyline.  London is clearly booming.