The flight was a chore, however: I got up at 4am, 3 hours sleep in me, for the short journey to East Midlands Airport. As much as I thought Ryanair were money grabbers, their online check-in meant that I simply walked in and X-rayed my stuff straight away.
I was amazed that the airport was full of life before 5am, but it was. Waiting around was a little dull, also, and eventually I succumbed to the lure of a final Whopper meal before leaving. I didn't think I would, but I couldn't help it. I didn't quite understand this message for flights that weren't boarding yet: "Relax and Shop". Is this a friendly reminder, or a warning from The Man telling you to kickstart the post-recession economy? You decide.
Krakow Airport doesn't seem like a huge place, unsurprisingly, but thankfully it's a short, comfortable train ride from the centre of town. As you can see, there's a huge shopping centre outside the station, next to the hostel. Nice one.
In front of that is this big square (sorry about the picture quality - it gets worse) and I found my hostel pretty quick - though not before a woman of Indian-ish extraction asked me where tourist information was. Sorry, love, I'm a stranger here myself.
I had to wait for a little for my bed to be changed and cleaned, so I took the time to visit the shopping centre next door. It's a big one. Thankfully I knew there was a Carrefour in there somewhere, which would certainly help for saving money on food, rather than non-stop cafés. I bought a bunch of typical lunchy stuff and got back 'home'.
I was amazed at the amount of HDTVs Sony were hawking around that place. This was the craziest display. Overkill?
Obviously, time was a-wasting, so I got a move on. I had a look at the church of St Florian, which was quite small, so not much to report. Walking towards the Old Town, I saw this model, and this is one of the worst shots I took, simply because the white balance is messed up completely. Later I switched to manual from auto, and the photos look FAR better, as you'll see later.
Walking down the street, I decided to snap this statue from the rear. But don't worry...
...there's a nice one from the front too.
The Barbican is a round structure at the head of the Old Town. Not entirely sure what it's for, and I didn't go inside as it looked a little dull, but it looks nice on the outside.
Entering the Old Town, I'm met with a lovely big tower. The whole place is like York, but in much better shape, miraculously.
Take a right through the gate and you'll see this charming little arch too. Through that is the Czartoryski Museum, an interesting place with a highly mixed range of stuff to see. Old military stuff (by old, I mean 400 years old), paintings, and most interestingly (to me), a considerable collection of Egyptian stuff. I didn't take pictures, because they're funny around here with that.
Annoyingly, I can't quite remember where this is. It could be outside the museum. Hmm.
At the junction of Marka and Florianska, I decided to take two pictures looking either way down Florianska, one of the most popular streets in Krakow.
The Old Town Square. I don't know how I get these pictures so out of bloody focus, but nevermind.
This is a statue in the Old Town Square. Incidentally, I didn't take a picture of it, but the church of St Mary was unusual in that you had to pay 6 zloty to get inside. Most churches are free, but you don't get much access. It was very impressive inside, though. I didn't take pictures, again, because there were men in suits who probably don't like that.
I went inside that building I took a picture of, but it seemed to just be people selling trinkets on market stalls, so I didn't hang around.
The Town Hall Tower. In case you care.
It's... a big head. Yeah, I dunno.
Inside the inner square in the old, old, old Collegium Maius. Charming.
A higher up shot.
You can see this in the back of the previous shot. Bleaugh.
This, I'm told (by my map) is the Franciscan Church. Unless I made a mistake.
Damn it, I really should pay more attention. I'm not 100% sure what this is.
There's a square opposite the church of Sts Peter & Paul (two for one church? Pah. Nice church, though), and I think its name is Mary Magdalen. There's the statue in the middle.
And so, onto the main attraction: Wawel Castle. This is just one of the towers around it. Crikey.
Hang on, a balloon... what?
Another tower. I'm not in the castle yet.
But climbing up the side certainly affords lovely views of the river.
Finally, onto the top. A wide open space, here. In the background is the cathedral (left) and castle (right). I went inside neither because they cost a few quid. Yes, I'm being tight on this trip, when you go to 7 cities you have to.
The courtyard is a lovely place for a sit down.
So good I took two pictures.
I'll let you figure out who this guy is. Polish. Catholic. Quite popular. Dead.
This, apparently, is a dragon. Don't believe me? It breathes fire! I saw it!!
No reason for this pic, I just thought the building on the left looked a bit old. Yeah, I know...
Finally, Planty is the park that runs around the Old Town. It's not exactly flashy, but it's nice for a relaxing, quiet walk. Just think: this is only day one! Imagine how bored you'll be after 24 days of this!
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