Do as the Romans do...or at least try to: Krakow!

This past weekend a group of us hopped over to Krakow, Poland for the weekend. Once I had on my tights, yoga pants, jeans, 2 sweaters, 3 pairs of socks, 2 scarves, hat, gloves, and coat I was ready to brace the bitter cold Krakow had in store for us (and it was still cold). We arrived in the morning after taking a lovely 6:30 am flight. We had the whole day to explore the Polish city. First stop was the hostel, which was fantastic! The people there loved us because we were American (quite the rarity). In fact, one of the hostesses is coming to visit all of us here in Rome in March. I guess we made a good impression.
After a quick power nap, Bonnie, Christina, Sasha, and I were off to see Krakow. The exploration began with the area known as Old Town. This area is the historical center of Krakow due to its medieval roots. Then we trekked across town to the Jewish District. This is the area that was known as the Jewish ghetto during Nazi occupation. Here is where all the Jews were forced to live before they were taken away to various concentration camps. It was an eerie feeling walking around this part of town. We stumbled upon the Jewish cemetery and original Hebrew Learning Center. Some of the barricading walls were still intact. We had to take a break from the cold and warm up in a quaint coffee house in the Jewish District. It is in that coffee house I tasted the best carrot cake of my life. I must find it again. It was a nice moment to sit and soak in our historical and emotional surroundings. From here it was appropriate we continued our journey to Oskar Schindler's factory.

Despite the cold, I thoroughly enjoyed Krakow, Poland. It was beautiful, had delicious food, and the people were incredibly friendly. I really hope that I can find my way back there someday to see more of the rich culture and history the city has. I feel like I barely scratched the surface.