We were in Kraków for the Dragon Festival. I didn’t even know there was a dragon festival in Kraków, so in case you are as ignorant as me, here is a little history:

Long ago, in the caves under the castle, there lived an evil dragon. The people weren’t too keen on this, as it ate their sheep and children, so they wanted someone to kill it. One day Krak, a lowly shoemaker, managed to entice the dragon to eat a sheep full of gunpowder, so the dragon exploded. The king was so pleased, he allowed his daughter to marry Krak, and they lived happily ever after in the castle on the hill. The people settled around the base of the hill, and this became the city of Kraków (I have been unable to verify certain facts).

Each year, the city has a festival. There are fireworks across the river, and lasers, and giant dragon balloons, all accompanied by music. As our hotel was just opposite the river, we had a fabulous view, which was all rather unexpected and great fun. The next day, hoping to do some research, I walked up to the castle. There is a statue of the dragon, which breathes fire at certain times (I managed to just miss it in my photograph) and you can see his cave behind, which proves the story must be true.

I love Kraków. We walked through the markets, and bought donuts to eat (traditionally, these should be filled with marmalade, but we chose the plain sugar ones). The buildings are beautiful, there weren’t too many stag-dos, and the sun was shining. Eating is easy, as everywhere seems to be very clean, and cheaply priced, and friendly. We had a traditional meal at Sasiedzi one evening, when we sat under vines in the courtyard and ate by candlelight. The following night we ate at Galicyjska, which was a lovely restaurant in the cellar. It was beautiful, and my only wish was that we had bought Son 2 so he could finish all our leftovers!

The real reason for our trip, however, is rather more serious. We have planned a tour of Auschwitz. I’m not sure what to expect really, I will tell you tomorrow.

Thanks for reading.
Take care,
Love, Anne x

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