Winter Krakow Trip (Day One)

So this year instead of exchanging meaningless Christmas presents we opted to treat ourselves to a little mini break away. We wanted to go someone that neither of us had been to before (which ruled out quite a lot of Europe for us). In the end we decided to go to Krakow, Poland. We booked a nice little Aparthotel right next to Wawel castle. Perfect location and great facilities. Getting from the accommodation from the airport was easy enough. Hopped on a bus that took us a ten minute walk or so to our hotel. Only one problem....it was pouring with rain and I thought I'd left my umbrella back home (turns out it was in my suitcase). Once we did get to the hotel and dry off, we went out for dinner at a lovely restaurant at the end of the road, Malecon http://www.malecon.pl/?lang=eng. It was a really lovely meal and even though it was a Saturday night it was still nice and quiet.

The following morning and afternoon we spent up at Wawel Castle and Cathedral. I would recommend going up really early as tickets are limited and it can get busy with tour groups as well. We had a very informative tour of The Royal Apartments which was really interesting. We also went round The Treasury and The Cathedral. The Wawel area is rich in history (of which I won't bore you) but I would suggest reading through a guide book before visiting to get a better understanding. It really was a lovely day. However, the eating facilities up there did leave a little to be desired.

Afterwards we walked up to Rynek Główny (Main Square). It's a huge open area with bars and restaurants round the side. The central area is dominated by The Cloth Hall (imagine an amazing Christmas market set inside) and what's left of the old town hall (now just a tower). At the far end of the square is St Mary's Cathedral. On the hour every hour, a firefighter goes to the top of the tower of the Cathedral and plays a trumpet solo out each window. Be sure to give him a wave of you do visit. The square has been there since the 13th century and it really has a magical feel as you sip a beer, next to a heater, snuggled under a blanket with a loved one. 

For dinner we had something rather special planned, Wiezernyek.  http://en.wierzynek.pl/

I had spotted this wee gem on TripAdvisor and knew I had to go.

The view from our table of Rynek was stunning. While we waited on our starters they brought us a delicious goat's cheese and smoked paprika slice. It was a lovely touch. For starters we both had Goose Pate, which without a shadow of doubt was the best pate I'd ever had.

My main was Ossobucco.  It was ridiculously tender and as you can see everything was beautifully presented. I can't remember what the other half did but he assures me that it was something equally delicious. Following on from that I had a melted chocolate pudding that people had been recommending on TripAdvisor. I was stuffed fit to burst but could resist some chocolaty goodness. If you eat anywhere in Krakow, this is where I would recommend!