Sunday, September 26. More to the North. Spis castle is the first stop. We park and can barely see the castle, it’s still in the clouds. We walk up and visit it. On top of the castle we see the surroundings with layers of clouds. Here and there a house or village. Not much later the sun is out and the clouds are disappearing fast. The castle has a marvelous and strategic view over the surroundings. Some marmots are sitting in the grass and on the rocks, not bothered by us tourists. We walk over the castles’ wall before we go back to the car. Drive even more North and the Tatra Mountain Range rises high above the landscape. Wow. We take the road through the mountains to Zakopane in Poland. Along the road on all spots cars are parked. Really every spot is taken. Zakopane is a lovely, totally packed, town with wooden houses and lots of tourists. The road to Krakow is one big traffic jam and it takes hours to get there. In Krakow we park and check in at Hotel Jan in the center, after a 400 m walk. The hotel is next to the central Market Square and we walk a bit around. See the amazing square with the Cloth Hall, the church of St. Adalbert and the Town Hall Tower. At the square several bands are playing and horse carts are waiting for tourists. In the other corner the St. Mary’s Basilica is rising. We walk through the city park and to the Church of Saints Peter and Paul, with the noticeable statues in front. The evening sun is lighting the church very beautifully. Next, the Church of St. Andrew, quite modest. More beautiful buildings and the huge Wawel Royal Castle. Back in town we have dinner at a nice Polish restaurant. I have the Bigos and discover it can be very good. Better than some decades ago.
Monday, the weather is cloudy and not too warm. We walk the the central square to see how it ís without the huge crowd. The North Gate, Kaplica Czartoryskich and an old part of the wall are standing between the city and the park that surrounds the old city. In the park Barbican, a fortified outpost, built around 1498. Through the park to Juliusz Slowacki Theatre and to the Wawel Castle. The castle is a small city in itself. The castle is a beauty and the armoury is interesting to see. Tonight we stay in Worclaw. The main square, Rynek, is impressive. Old buildings all around and in the center a big complex. The old Town Hall is the main thing and around the square lots of restaurants and terraces.
