Krakow - Day Two - The Wawel

The Wawel

This is the heart of Krakow!

Basia had spoken so glowingly about Krakow, and in particular, she had mentioned how enormous and incredible the Wawel was, that I was really excited to see it!

It is indeed huge, too!

We walked through the downtown, a little off the beaten path, if you will. The Market Square had been so packed, and we could see that it was going to be more of the same today. So, we went on a side road, and reached the Wawel in virtually no time.

It was magnificent! Perched atop a hill overlooking the city, the walls of the Wawel largely obscured what is inside of the walls.

I stopped to take pictures, and then we walked up the hill towards the gate, which was on the side of the hill, if you will. As we approached the tower, I noticed the old wrought gate, seemingly straight from the feudal era. This was going to be an interesting visit, for sure!

The Wawel has a reputation as one of the most incredible castles in all of Europe, and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a remarkable castle, but it is also so much more. It had the elements of a rugged castle, at least the outer walls. But there are parts of the Wawel that seem much more like a palace. There is a cathedral. In fact, there are numerous basilicas within the cathedral. We even went up to one of the spires, to a famous bell that tolled to warn locals of the coming attack by the Germans during World War II.

The Wawel was the royal residence for centuries, as Krakow was the capital of Poland. During the German occupation, it was the seat of German government in Poland.

The Wawel dominates Krakow like few landmarks dominate a city. It has a lot to offer, and there are a ton of buildings and places of interest to visit within. One tip: it takes at least one full day to visit the Wawel and, frankly, perhaps more than that.  There really is a lot to see!

Take a look at the pictures, which only tell part of the story. Look at the Wikipedia page on it, research the history, and look at some of the pictures. It's an amazing place, and no visit to Krakow is complete without it!

The gardens inside really look beautiful, with the spires of the cathedral serving as a backdrop.

A miniature carved layout of the Wawel shows the enormity of it.

From atop the spire, you get a remarkable view from above of Krakow. 

Krakow,dzwon Zygmunta.(the bell)

After the visit to the Wawel, we went through the cave, and towards the dragon. The cave is really, really dark, and wet. To get to it, you have to descend a narrow, circular staircase far down to the ground level.

Along the way, I noticed that the staircase was actually wet, and there was some kind of leak from somewhere. At the time, it had been raining in central Europe for some time, and fairly severe rain that caused serious flooding, at that. 

The ceiling on the staircase was fairly low, and perhaps, at some point, I was going a little fast. Without realizing it, my head was really close to the ceiling, a fact that was not obvious to me until I banged my head - hard enough to knock me down! 

Basia's laughter resonated throughout the stone staircase, echoing up and down, adding to the indignity.

I kept walking down, but slower this time. 

We made it to the cave, and I was kind of surprised how dark it was down there. I took one picture, which you can see below, which illustrates a bit of how dark it was down there. You just had to keep following the lights, and hope that you did not trip on the ground, which was not strictly even.

It did not take long to make it outside, to the dragon, a kind of mascot for the city of Krakow. You see it all over the place, in shops, in books focusing on local legends, and on posters and such. We got to see it. It was smaller than I expected. It is supposed to breathe fire. In two trips to the dragon, we saw it breathe fire once, and it was more like coughing a single flame, than a breathing a roaring, intimidating fire. 

The dragon is situated at the base of the Wawel walls, along the Vistula River. Walking along the banks of the river is pleasant, and we decided to go ahead and take a boat ride, which was enjoyable. The weather was perfect, and so were some of the views of the ancient city. 

A window from the circular staircase leading to the cave, near where I banged my head and took a spill, greatly amusing Basia. 

The cave leading to the outside, and the dragon.

The dragon of Krakow. 

A view of the Vistula from atop the Wawel walls. 

Sun setting in Krakow, seen near of the outer fortifications of the Wawel.