Three Weeks In, We're Still Here

Well, no new pictures to post today for me. I have not gotten in the habit of carrying a camera about town with me. Hope to get some up very soon. Krakow is a wonderful town of winding streets, lush parks, and historic buildings.

Working in the center of town is wonderful. My office looks out onto a courtyard of a historic building, which is about 400 years old. On the way into work, I traverse through interesting layers of urban development. Driving down the main road into town, one goes from post-communist decaying factories juxtaposed against spanking new commerical developments into an older town, which used to be separate from Krakow. Then one crosses over the Wisła River with a view of Wawel Castle.

As we drive deeper into town, we compete with Trams and Droshkas (horse drawn carriages for tourists) for the road along cobblestone streets and eventually, arrive at work.

Well, okay, so this picture is dated, but I hope to post some contempporary ones soon. But you can get the idea from this. Krakow is an outstanding example of a city which has survived multiple wars and absorption into a foreign empire yet has retained its grace and statue as a former royal seat. The center of the city is a charming place to walk, even amidst tourist season. Believe it or not, the majority of the tourists I have seen over the past few weeks are Poles, the foreigners that I remember from past trips being somewhat more scarce. Eating lunch on the Rynek (the enormous main town square...they have also have a smaller one, too) is an exercise in people watching and a real break. I actually can take lunch here, for a change, so I have been making the most of it.

Check out the wiki article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Market_Square,_Krak%C3%B3w

My office is one block from this marvel and it is a pleasure to walk across for the most mundane chores, from picking up prescriptions to grabbing a quick bite on days when lunch isn't an option (like today).

So far, in two weeks, I have visited the Jagiellonian Medical School for a Bastille Day celebration, among other edificia grand and small in the town and got back from a visit at Children's Hopsital http://www.odnowaszpitala.pl/szpital.html. This is a great place that is a result of Polish-American friendship that no one will forget. So, I hope to include some actual photos soon, but I can't say as action shots are to be expected. I am either sitting behind a desk or out meeting people most days so it is rare that I do anything photo worthy. I imagine Grandparents are more interested in seeing photos of Megan...but I will still post from time to time.