3 August ’04, Tuesday. Imagine walking the same “Royal Way” (streets) as the Royalty in Krakow have since 1018 ….Climbing to the defensive position on the wall of the bastion, “Barbakan” ....crossing the moat (now void of water) at the “Florian Gate, that was built in the first half of the 14th century ….sitting in a pew at the same St. Andrew’s Church from the 12th century…. These are but a few of the amazing things we were able to do in the last two days. We shopped the stalls of the Sukiennice (Cloth Hall) that dates back to the 13th century. This hall was originally used to sell cloth. Now it sells just about anything that a good “tourist” would be willing to spend their money on. We visited and thoroughly enjoyed the Czartoryski Museum with their collections from Leonardo da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine and Rembrandt’s Landscape with the Good Samaritan, to Roman, Egyptian, Italian, German, and Flemish paintings and memorabilia.
In this museum you have every item within easy examination range. You really could reach out and touch….but please don’t !!! We walked the streets of the restored mansions dating back 500-600 years each. We’ve had breakfast and a couple of lunches under the umbrella’s on the largest medieval square in Europe. It was laid out in 1257. The square is always crowed with tourists, students, and pigeons. Let me tell you, they have pigeons !!! We have also had the pleasure of visiting many churches here in Krakow. Every daylight hour a bugler sounds a very simple melody based on just 5 notes from the high tower of St. Mary’s Church. The melody abruptly halts in the middle of the last phrase. It seems that the bugler was sounding an alarm when an arrow pierced his throat and the alarm melody abruptly halted….tradition…. We were out before breakfast this morning and didn’t get back until 6 this evening….we have been caught in the rain and sometimes a downpour the last 2 days out….we will be getting out later…. Tomorrow….
In this museum you have every item within easy examination range. You really could reach out and touch….but please don’t !!! We walked the streets of the restored mansions dating back 500-600 years each. We’ve had breakfast and a couple of lunches under the umbrella’s on the largest medieval square in Europe. It was laid out in 1257. The square is always crowed with tourists, students, and pigeons. Let me tell you, they have pigeons !!! We have also had the pleasure of visiting many churches here in Krakow. Every daylight hour a bugler sounds a very simple melody based on just 5 notes from the high tower of St. Mary’s Church. The melody abruptly halts in the middle of the last phrase. It seems that the bugler was sounding an alarm when an arrow pierced his throat and the alarm melody abruptly halted….tradition…. We were out before breakfast this morning and didn’t get back until 6 this evening….we have been caught in the rain and sometimes a downpour the last 2 days out….we will be getting out later…. Tomorrow….