Krakow by Bike

Krakow, Poland - I finally did it. I dared to get back on a bike. It's been exactly three weeks since I finished my epic bike ride across Africa. And since I left my Bianchi in Namibia, I have not had any chance (or desire) to ride since I completed that 942nd mile.
But I think I have sufficiently recovered by now. So I signed up for a bike tour of Krakow.
Biking is almost always a great way to get an overview of a city. Certainly it is my favorite way to introduce visitors to Boston. Like Boston, Krakow is fairly compact. So when traveling by bike you can see almost all the sights of interest in a couple of hours.
Four hours to be exact. Four hours traveling at a very leisurely pace, with many stops along the way. Just the way I like it.
We started in the Rynek Glowny, the central square of the Old Town, in the shade of the Mariacki steeple. At certain times you can climb to the top of the steeple, I learned, but not today. Save that activity for a future date.
From there, we pedaled out to the Planty, the park that circles the Old Town. Today I learned that the park used to be a massive wall - the fortification that encircled the medieval city. The wall was dismantled in the beginning of the 19th century, and now it is a pleasant green space.
The wall still exists in a few places. Most significantly, the Florian Gate used to be the main entrance for royal processions. It is the only gate remaining from the old city wall (which we already know since my flat is right across the street!)
After circling the Old Town, we headed south to the Vistula River, which has lovely bike paths running along both banks - in on direction running as far as the lovely Tyniec Monastery. That bike trip is definitely on my list for future fun.
For today, we rode a few kilometers south to Kazimierz, the historic Jewish quarter. There are only about 200 Jews living in Krakow these days - this down from about 75,000 before WWII. Nonetheless, it's still an important place for Jewish heritage and history. It's also an important place for drinking and nightlife - add that to the list for future exploration.
Then we went across the river to Podgorze, which was the site of the Jewish ghetto during WWII, as well as the point of deportation for thousands of Jews. There are now a few interesting museums, including a new one that is housed in Schindler's factory of Spielberg film fame. Unfortunately it was closed (add it to the list).
From there we headed back across the river and into the Old Town. The total distance was about 15 kilometers - almost 10 miles. It was not exactly the kind of mileage I am used to, but it was a great overview of the main sights of the city. At least it helped me to compile a list of places that I will be returning to explore in the coming weeks.