I Heart My City: Ewelina’s Krakow

The best place to spend time outdoors in my city is along the Vistula River (I recommend taking a bike ride), at B?onia^[13] (one of Europe’s biggest urban meadows), or Wisla River’s boulevards^[14] (a popular recreational space with walking alleys and bicycle paths).

Krakow’s main square, Rynek G?ówny. (Photograph by Skittledog, Flickr)

You can tell a lot about my city by sitting in one of the beer gardens on the Main Market, drinking coffee, and just looking at the city and people.

For a fancy night out, I treat myself to Asian food at Edo Sushi Bar^[15].

Just outside my city, you can visit the Wieliczka Salt Mines^[16] where, as one of my friends said, you will see that Polish people are crazy because they’ve even built a church underground.

Charlotte^[17] at Plac Szczepa?ski^[18] (you can order breakfast ’til 23:00) is my favorite place to grab breakfast, and Plac Nowy^[19] with its zapiekanki^[20] (halved bread topped with cheese, meats, and vegetables and baked in the oven) and Hala Targowa^[21] with its sausages are the spots for late-night eats.

To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends, read Moje Miasto^[22] or Dzieje si? w Krakowie^[23]‘s Facebook page.

The Botanic Garden is owned by Jagiellonian University, the oldest university in Poland. (Photograph by Ewelina Tuczek)

When I’m feeling cash-strapped I go to Pod Temid?^[24].

To escape the crowds, I visit one of the many parks in Krakow (like Park Lotników, Park Bednarskiego in Podgórze^[25], Willa Decjusza en Wola Justowska^[26]) or the Botanical Garden^[27]. In Kraków you just need to find your own “quiet place.”

If my city were a celebrity it’d be James Bond played by Daniel Craig – not the youngest one, but still interesting and full of secrets. Someone with class and charisma who’s changing all the time.

The most random thing about my city is that despite the lack of access to the sea we have a beach located vis-a-vis Wawel Castle. There’s also a march dedicated to the dachshund^[28] in Krakow every year.

A participant in Krakow’s annual Dachshund Parade. (Photograph by Simczuk, Flickr)

Lizard King^[29] and Showtime^[30] are the best places to see live music, but if you’re in the mood to dance, check out Stajnia^[31] in Kazimierz.

A trumpeter playing the bugle call “Hejna? Mariacki” four times consecutively each hour from the highest tower of St. Mary’s Church could only happen in my city.^[32]

In the spring you should take a walk to Krakus Mound^[33] at Podgórze; a nice, green hill where you can take a blanket and relax.

In the summer you should drink a beer outside Drukarnia on Podgórze^[34] and take in the great view of the sunset or check out the Coke Live Music Festival^[35] in August.

In the fall you should take an evening walk through the misty Planty gardens^[36].

Take in the view (and hourly bugling) at St. Mary’s Church. (Photograph by _perSona_, Flickr)

In the winter you should visit the Christmas Market^[37] and try hot beer or wine with fruits and spices.

If you have kids (or are a kid at heart), you won’t want to miss the Stanislaw Lem Garden of Experiences^[38], an open-air education exhibition allowing kids to explore the natural world and the laws of physics.

The best book about my city is Z pami?tnika niem?odej ju? m??atki^[39] by Magdalena Samozwaniec. It depicts Kraków at the beginning of the 20th century and is full of anecdotes, characters, and events from a world that no longer exists.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is “Krakow^[40],” a collaboration between the band Myslovitz^[41] and Marek Grechuta^[42], a Polish famous singer, songwriter, composer, and lyricist strongly associated with the city.

In 140 characters or less, the world should heart my city because it’s a magical place where you can do everything you want. Quoting song lyrics: “today Kraków has such a strength, like never before.”