Top Nine Things to Miss about Krakow

#9 Hejnal - Every hour, the bugle call from the Mariacki steeple sounds across the Old Town. True, it seems sort of excessive to do it every hour. And true, I was disappointed when I learned that the legend of the Trumpeter of Krakow was invented by an American author (read about it in my previous post). But I still loved this sad, plaintive melody, which was a cause for a pause - just for a moment to observe what was going on around me. Inevitably, everyone was looking up.
At home, there a painting of the Mariacki steeple (complete with bugler getting shot with an arrow) hanging in my living room. I can't hear the song, but I can remember the story.
#8 Balcony over Pijarska St - Every morning in Krakow I would step out on my balcony to check the weather, drink my coffee and watch the passers-by. This became less and less appealing as the month went on and the construction on the street got closer and louder and closer and louder.
At home, I have no balcony, but I do have construction on my street.
#7 Obwarzanki - I thought long and hard about which Polish food I would miss the most, and I finally came up with it. Sort of a cross between a bagel and a pretzel, this round chewy treat is topped with sesame seeds or poppy seeds and sold from street carts.

At home, there are pretzels and there are bagels, but there are no obwarzanki!
#6 Hidden courtyards - The Krakow Old Town is set up so that imposing building facades tower over the cobblestone streets. It feels close and crowded. But behind every building, there is a tranquil courtyard, which is unseen from the street. This is obviously prime territory for sipping a cold beer on a warm day.
At home, there is a hidden courtyard right behind the pink house - the secret garden as we sometimes call it. That's pretty good too.
#5 Basement bars - While we're at it, the Old Town foundations date to the 14th century, which means the basements of these buildings are ancient, evocative arcaded cellars, with brick walls and low ceilings. These places come alive by night, filling up with the sounds of jazz music and the smells of fresh-drawn beer.
Come to think of it, we have a sort of basement bar in the pink house too. I think I may have a new-found appreciation for the PLE.
#4 Planty - At the end of the 18th century, the administration decided to pull down the city's medieval walls which - frankly - were no longer needed to defend the city. In its place, they constructed a wall o' green - a two-mile strip of park that encircles the Old Town known as the Planty. Our flat was perched on the edge of the Planty, so this park became our preferred route to get just about anywhere, allowing us to bypass the crowds of tourists and school groups that swarmed the Old Town.
At home, we live on the edge of Lincoln Park. Apparently it was once a claypit, and it's now popular amongst dog-walkers and sunbathers.
#3 Zloty - Somehow, it's always more fun to spend money when the bills come in various colours. At home it's all green. Boooring.

#2 Maly Rynek - The so-called "small market" is a city square that is tucked into the Old Town, behind the Mariacki cathedral. (It provides a perfect vantage point to watch the bugler play.) It's just a few steps away from all the activity, yet it somehow manages to avoid the chaol and crowds that besiege the main market square.
#1 Polish class - Twice a week we would show up for two hours of vocab tests and grammar drills. In fact, it was more like two hours of playing games and telling jokes. Our ever-patient teacher Ola insisted that we speak Polish, which meant that half the time we were laughing and the other half we were lost. Thanks to Juergen for the photos and the fun!
At home, we speak only English. Sometimes that's funny too.