Creature Comforts

We arrive, mouths agape, marveling at the wonders of every European city which we are so fortunate as to visit. Krakow (Poland) in mid-June, was the site of a conference Bruce attended for four days.

Ellie has written LOTS more about Poland!

Central Krakow is walkable, with the remains of narrow medieval streets, and a big market square, surrounded by the palaces of grandees long gone. A cathedral, and a much smaller church is there as well.
We were there wandering around after the conference on a Friday afternoon marking the start of the Festival of St. John -- one of those Christian celebrations which cozies up nicely with a pagan observance (Midsummer's Day, in this case). Groups of local musicians and dancers came to entertain on the square that afternoon at the start of the weekend bash.






Krakow was once a completely walled city. Most of the walls were torn down in the 19th century to become a ring-like park around much of the old city, but markers show where gates and guardposts stood, and one gatehouse has been conserved and reconstructed.



Visitors can take the electric trams or tackle the old city on foot, and are easily enticed by local coffee and pastries, or beer. The stone and coble streets and courtyards are hard on the feet, so sooner or later you have to take a load off.







One European convention which may shock sheltered Americans is the public pay toilet. I was fortunate that Ellie warned me to carry a franc to "the loo" my first time in Paris, and there was a little old lady awaiting, before I could go in. In the UK more and more you see modern, self-cleaning, securitized potties like space capsules set in public squares (about 40 pence, please).
In Krakow we were trolling a lovely working-class market square, with stalls of fresh country vegetables, housewares, cheap clothing, exotic foods: you name it. And to my complete surprise, when nature called, a dank tunnel led me to a sight for sore eyes. It was a pleasure to pay two zloty (about sixty-five cents) to enter this well-lit, freshly-mopped and scrubbed temple, complete with hand-towels, hot water, soap -- and a fresh fern. We're not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy!