16th November 2016

On waking, the wet cobbles hinted at overnight rain, but by breakfast, the sun was shining. Below, early morning commuters hurried by with collars turned up, hats on, and gloves firmly in place, clearly still cold out there. We lingered in bed for another half hour before making our way down for breakfast.

For the first time during our stay, another guest struck up a conversation over breakfast. Having arrived the previous night, he was curious about where we’d been and how we’d arranged everything. After sharing our experiences, we returned to our room to pack for our journey home later that evening.

Once packed, we set off on a leisurely walk around the narrow forest park encircling the Old Town. The full circuit took about an hour, with plenty of pauses to read information boards and admire the surrounding medieval architecture.

Returning to Market Square, we found the ticket office for the Rynek Underground Museum and purchased two senior tickets. In 2005, the entire Market Square was excavated to a significant depth, revealing layers of history beneath the surface. Archaeologists unearthed remains dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, with traces of even earlier times.

The museum has been thoughtfully designed, blending cutting-edge media technology with ancient discoveries to bring the past to life. As you step onto glass-floored walkways, you quite literally walk over history, passing through chambers filled with exhibits and artefacts. It’s a remarkable experience, made all the more astonishing by the thousands of tourists just metres above, unaware of the hidden world beneath their feet.

This museum is truly worth a visit.

We checked out of the hotel at noon, leaving our cases at reception to collect later.

Our afternoon destination was Schindler’s Factory and the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz). Although numerous buggies and coaches patrolled the streets, eager to ferry tourists to these sites, we opted to walk; the beautiful, sunny weather made it an easy decision. The walk took around 40 minutes, crossing the River Vistula.

TripAdvisor reviews of the museum housed in the factory are mixed, but if you want to understand the treatment of Jews during Kraków’s occupation, this is the place to visit. The museum reveals how Schindler saved 1,200 lives through testimonies from the factory workers of the time. However, you won’t learn much about the man himself; his story is only briefly summarised in the final room.

It’s a sombre museum. While it doesn’t quite carry the same visceral impact as the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City, it starkly highlights the inhumanity faced by the ghetto’s citizens and the brutal manner in which they were discarded.

Crossing back over the river, we arrived at the Old Synagogue. However, we decided against purchasing tickets to enter, as a large school group had just gone in ahead of us. The thought of jostling for space at exhibits or trailing behind a line of students didn’t appeal.

Instead, we chose to wander the cobbled streets at our own pace. Though the walk was pleasant, we were a little disappointed not to encounter any distinctly recognisable signs of Jewish life or heritage.

As darkness and cold set in, we made our way back to the Cloth Market, where Sue picked up a new spectacle case for her reading glasses. We then found a cosy restaurant just off the square and spent a couple of hours enjoying our final Polish meal of the trip.

Four days of traditional Polish fare were more than enough. It’s easy to grow weary of gherkins, cabbage in all its forms, and large portions of greasy meat.

We returned to our hotel with an hour to spare before pick-up, but as soon as we sat down to wait, our taxi arrived. The new Kraków airport was easy enough to navigate, but its security was strict. Like many other airports we’ve been through, they didn’t think to provide chairs for you to sit and replace any of the items you had to remove!

The flight left on time and was full. I ended up sitting next to a British concert pianist who was returning from an engagement in Kraków. We had a pleasant chat throughout much of the flight.

After collecting our car, annoyingly, a section of the A14 was closed, forcing a lengthy detour home that added an extra half hour to our journey. It was 3 am before we finally collapsed into bed.

The following morning, Sue went on a U3A walk (madness!), while I had planned for a quiet day. However, guilt got the better of me, and I ended up sweeping two bins of fallen leaves and taking my bike in for repairs (the bottom bracket had broken). In the early hours tomorrow, I’ll be driving to Heathrow to pick up the Rothwells off their KL flight.