Krakow - Day Three Szczepanski Square & Mount Kościuszko

We headed towards Szczepanski Square, to see the Palac Sztuki (Palace of the Fine Arts), which looked very attractive from the pictures that we had seen in the brochures and travel guides.

It was not raining yet wen we got there. But very quickly, it started really pouring.

We took a taxi to the Mount Kościuszko  from which you can gain a beautiful vantage point of Krakow and the immediate surroundings and, on a clear day (which this was not), much of this part of Poland. On a really clear day, you apparently can even catch a glimpse of the snow covered peaks of the Tatra Mountains.

It had stopped raining by the time that we got to Mount Kościuszko  although it had really started pouring down just at the time of our arrival. and cleared up enough for us to get at least a decent view.

Here's the thing though: before we got halfway up the hill, she began to feel queasy and uncomfortable. Heights are beginning to scare her, and she had to descend - slowly. And with help.

So, I brought her back down, and then went up myself to try and get what viewpoint I could. It was nice, indeed - and you can see the pictures below. They did not quite come out as nicely as I might have wanted to half expected, but it was not the best day for it, anyway. Still, it gives you an idea of what it looked like and what to expect. Also, it provides an aerial view of Krakow, although you really have to look closely and maybe even squint to see it in these pictures.

There was a wax museum at the bottom, and we visited that as well. This mostly focused on Polish history, particularly with a military theme, since this was, after all, a military installation. A lookout point, because the mound itself is clearly constructed.

The mound is in honor of Andrzej Tadeusz Bonawentura Kościuszko, a hero for both Poland and the United States. He fought in the Polish uprising against the Russians, and even helped the American effort for independence as a colonel, earning distinction along the way. He supervised the construction of West Point.

Mount Kosciuscze

We got back to downtown Krakow in the afternoon, and had a small dessert in the Market Square. We were both tired, although I'm not entirely sure why, now looking back. 

After dessert, we went to the hotel and rested for a little while, before going back out in the evening. We wanted a decent place to eat, preferably outdoors. 

Before that, though, we went back to Market Square, to the Cloth Hall. Basia was eyeing some jewelry, a necklace, which I was happy to buy for her. It was a pretty sun shape in silver, with a gold colored center, made from the Polish jewel, the name of which eludes me at the moment. 

She, in turn, bought me one of the beautiful, handmade chess sets that I had been eyeing. I also got my son some cool little gifts. In fact, I had gotten him quite a few gifts during this trip, spoiling him. that night, I got him a wooden axe (not real). There was also a cool wooden sword that was in a samurai style, and a German license plate in his name from Berlin. Basia thought I was spoiling him, although I was going to spread the gifts out over time. Perhaps a nice gift for his birthday, and maybe later, even, for Christmas.  I am still waiting to give him the sword. 

In the Market Square, there was some kind of concert going on. Evidently, it was a big deal, being televised nationally. At some point, Basia mentioned that her sister was watching the concert on the television in her hometown of Srednia Wies. We had pretty decent seats, too, and were able to watch a fairly major concert for free. 

I was not familiar with any of the artists, of course. But it felt pretty cool to be there. There were a lot of shows and good music during our stay in Krakow, but this was easily the biggest of the shows. 

The night grew late, and we were both pretty tired after dinner and a couple of drinks or so. We had one more full day left in Krakow, and then it would be off to different parts of Poland, finishing off with a stay in Srednia Wies, her hometown. 

So, we called it a night, and returned back to the hotel. But we did so content. We both went back happy, having already seen a lot of Krakow. 

But there was also a foreboding sense that time was moving too fast. The Krakow aspect of the trip was just about over, and shortly afterwards, we were going to reach the midway point, even though it felt like we had just gotten here.

We both felt it, and talked about it in passing. But not too much, not yet. For now, it was time to try and enjoy the trip still.

And we still did have that one last full day left.