Let's take a look at the quirkier side of Krakow...

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Sara

3-25-2011 11:41 PM

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...a photo tour of the city's fun details starts now!

After going through all of my photos that I've taken in the nearly six months (whoa!!) that I've been here in Krakow, I realized that not only do I have lots of random, funny, and even just plain odd pics, but I also happen to have so many (which is why this post took awhile to get up, with all the choosing and uploading that went on, lol!) that I think this "Krazy Krak Pics" post will need to become somewhat regular. I think that these photos also show a bit more of the city's character than perhaps a sweeping panorama shot does, even though those are definitely gorgeous.

So, here is a sampling of what I've encountered in this always exciting and entertaining city since October, divided into four sections - Street Scenes, Food & Drink, People, and Statues. While some of the pics may not seem all that kooky, I find each one to be interesting in its own right, while all of them also help in showing off the many different sides of "Kolorful Krakow".

Enjoy! :-)

~STREET SCENES~

Pizza delivery, via mopeds with special pizza-holding containers attached to the back!

This hip hangout is aptly called Celebrities:

A jam-packed weekday clothing market at Hala Targowa:

A Bar Mleczny / Milk Bar is a cafeteria that serves super cheap but tasty food (Polish staples like pierogi, stew and thick milk) and was very common during Communist times. Many can still be found and offer the same choices for the most part!

A long-distance train glides over the bridge as I snap a pic of these busy billboards:

Three deer bringing the spring cheer to Krakow:

This whimsical train engine sits in a schoolyard and is part of the playground - those lucky kids!

Cars, people, bikers and horses with carriages all share the roads here!

Another horse carriage spotted in the distance! They are everywhere now that it's spring, although some stuck around even in winter, thankfully! I love hearing the clip-clopping because then I know one is coming and to get my camera ready! :-)

This reminds me of a haunted house in Halloween stories...

Krakow's coat of arms, carved in stone on the side of a municipal building:

~FOOD & DRINK~

Love the brand name - KrakSmak, lol!! Smak means taste in Polish, and these snacks happen to taste very good!

A Polish-style funnel cake, or chimney cake, from the Christmas market:

Dog treat bakery!! Some of those actually looked pretty yummy...

A little bit of local (a European Union-protected obwarzanek), a little bit of American (Mickey D's tea) :-)

Cheers! More tea (in sweet cups!), but this time at a cozy place in the Kazimierz neighborhood, where there are hundreds of teas to choose from and you can sit on pillows on the floor:

And another kind of drink...these "Mad Dog" shots, a Polish specialty consisting of Tabasco sauce, vodka and raspberry syrup, are highly lethal and should be avoided if you don't want a burning mouth, throat and stomach...

~PEOPLE~

Me with a talented accordion player, all decked out in his Sunday best in the park. This photo is thanks to Kamila Karolina:

The guy on the left sells whistles that sound like birds, which he demonstrates nonstop, in a Ukrainian(?) outfit no less! :-D

This is a common sight throughout town - nuns and monks walking around in their traditional religious outfits:

Trying to warm up under the heat lamps with a blanket and hot chocolatini - mmm!!

~STATUES~

This cute, tall, purple bunny wabbit ;-) just showed up near the river this past weekend I think (to get people in the Easter spirit!), and it's already a tourist favorite:

A partially mummified(?) head sculpture in the main market square:

These two guys, standing outside of Sicilian restaurant Corleone, look like they'd be helpful hosts, but they ended up not even saying a word to me. I don't know how they ever got their jobs - maybe the Mafia hooked it up: ;-P

This dude was partying it up BIG time on New Year's Eve! I saw him down all of those all by himself!

Best wedding dress & veil EVER!!!! It's apparently about $1,100 - not sure if the veil is included, haha:

One of two new "chess piece" structures below Wawel Castle:

Carved figures at the corners of buildings are found frequently in Krakow:

And last, but certainly not least, the Funny Pigeon Pic!! This shopaholic pigeon has a better view than anyone else for scoping out goods at the Stary Kleparz market, from up on the roof:

Next up, I'll recap my trip that I'm taking this coming weekend to Ojcow National Park. It's not far from Krakow and has caves, castles, and cool rock formations all throughout its hilly landscape. I can't wait to be an explorer there! Maybe I'll find gold or something, or perhaps amber since it's Poland! You never know...

Also, Krakow's famous Easter market opens up in just a couple of weeks in the main square! I'm so excited to check that out!

And, over my Easter/spring break, it's off to the sunny island of Malta for me!! Woo hoo!! So, stay tuned...lots of great new posts to come! :-)

Until next time,

Sara :-)

study abroad, central europe, krakow, poland, eastern europe, europe, cracow, travel, castle, food, market, shopping, pigeon, sightseeing, statues, spring, Easter, carriages, horses, restaurants

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