Krakow: the search for pierogi

Pic of the week

The 15th century Cloth Hall in the center of the Main Square in Krakow  Photos by John Weaver

I’ve added a new city to my list of places to go – Krakow. 

Ok, I was just there this week, but it was business trip, and a quick one at that. I arrived on Wednesday and left on Friday. But even though I was working during the day, I was able to get a small taste of what the city must be like from the people I met and on my one chance to go into the center on Wednesday night.

Whether local or expat, everyone I talked to seems to love the city. So I was really looking forward to heading into town. The center was a bit of a hike from my hotel, but it was a clear night so I set off on foot and soon came to this walking bridge across the Vistula river. 

Like the red lighting? Me too – it has a warm vibe that makes you want to walk slow and enjoy the journey. And apparently that’s what people do. They call it Lovers Bridge, and you can see why from the thousands of padlocks painted with hearts and initials attached to the side of it.

I could feel the love, but my heart craved one thing only – pierogi. Oh yes, Polish dumplings. My best friend’s mom used to make them when we were kids and I remember liking them a lot. Following a good tip, I went to the restaurant Pod Baranem in the old Jewish quarter where the food was great...

...and the décor was, well, interesting.

After dinner I walked 20 minutes to the impressive Main Square before calling it a night.

St. Mary's Basilica, built in the 14th century

Like I said, I’d love to go back. For starters, I hardly saw any of the city by day. And there’s plenty more I would like to do – explore the Gothic castle, check out the cafes in the Old Jewish Quarter (where Oliver Schindler’s factory still stands), pay respect at Auschwitz (an hour away), go to the underground salt mines, and, of course, eat more pierogi!

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Being John McCain

“I see him, evolving with experience, with travel, with hearings on the Foreign Relations Committee. I see him having a better grasp of many of the challenges we face than when he first got here. That doesn’t mean he is now a John McCain, but it certainly does mean that he has a greater appreciation and has been articulating that.”

- John McCain (US Senator from Arizona and Republican presidential candidate in 2008) speaking about Rand Paul’s (US Senator from Kentucky and possible Republican contender for 2016 presidential elections) foreign policy credentials, The New Yorker, Oct. 6, 2014

PS: John McCain, is she a John McCain?