Friday, May 3
In my head I’d planned to sleep in today but it wasn’t to be. I just couldn’t sleep past 6:30, so I read for a while and got up to head out before my food tour.
Breakfast was the same as yesterday. The weather here though, is not. After two glorious warm sunny days, I was greeted with overcast skies that looked heavy with the threat of rain. It was also about 15 degrees cooler, so much so that I went back inside and put another layer on. And then I bought an umbrella under the premise that as long as I had one with me, I wouldn’t need it. Fingers crossed.
Today is the second national holiday here and I think a more significant one. Not a lot was open and it turns out that despite what the National Museum website said, they were opening an hour later today than usual. Many shops are closed entirely or opening quite late. Locals are walking around with the country’s flag and enjoying time out with family and friends. I asked my food tour guide if the streets around the Old Town Square are always so packed or is it just due to the holidays. He said this it light foot-traffic compared to the height of tourist season in the summer. Yikes!
I walked about 15 minutes to the National Museum which is temporarily exhibiting Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with Ermine, which I’d not seen before. Its home museum is under restoration and rather than keep it off view or send it out on loan, the museum decided to display it here. In all my museum going, I’ve never seen such a succinct, streamlined exhibit but it was perfect for the significance of this painting. There was one corridor in a jewel-tone purple leading to the room the painting was in. There were two panels of explanatory text (how Krakow got the painting, it’s current condition and what scholars think of previous attempts to restore it) and then the darkened room where the painting itself was, set into a wall at eye level. Three guards kept watch and no photos were allowed. It was all quite dramatic but the overall effect was wonderful. Being among the first in the door this morning meant that there was no crowd yet so I got to stand and admire her practically alone. Of all the da Vincis I’ve seen, I think this is the most beautiful. Well worth the trip.
I headed up to the Barbican where I was to meet Mat, the guide from Secret Food Tours. I’ve taken this same tour in Paris and London and loved it, and I had high expectations for this too. I was not disappointed. I’d be joined by Anna and Jane, two very nice ladies from the UK.
Mat started the tour off by giving us the Polish version of bagels, which I’d seen being sold on street corners everywhere. They are just boiled dough with salt on them and as I’d eaten only a light breakfast today in anticipation of the tour starting at 11:30, it hit the spot.
Our first stop was a pub filled with jubilant locals toasting the holiday (at noon!) where they specialize in Polish sauerkraut stew and beer. Unfortunately due to the holiday there was no vegetarian option for me but I did try the beer, and, as someone who detests beer, I have to say I actually liked it! If I was out I’d probably order one if I knew which one I had today!
Next stop was a really nice restaurant that was authentically decorated as if a cabin in the hills of southern Poland. This, I think, was our favorite stop. We shared a bottle of Polish rose wine and then had grilled sheep’s cheese with cranberry jam (better than the one I had my first night here) and a potato pancake with garlic butter. That was simply mashed potato shaped into a 1/2” pancake and baked until the outside crusted a bit. Both were amazing.
After that we were off to a milk bar that was hidden away inside a university building. It’s open to the public, but none of us would ever find it on our own. It is called U Babci, which means “Grandmother’s” and all of the staff look to be someone’s grandmother. A milk bar is self-serve, meaning you order at the counter and then get called to pick up what you’re eating. It’s meant to be hearty and very cheap food. Here we had a fruit juice, made with “any fruit you have around”; this one tasted like plum, strawberry and maybe some apple. The pierogis here though put the ones I had the other night to shame. Mine were filled with mushroom and sauerkraut and they were amazing. The other ladies had them filled with meat.
Our next stop (yes, we’re still eating!) was at a restaurant that specializes in herring. We tried two kinds, one marinated in beet root and the other in oil and onions. Both were meant to be eaten on bread slathered in butter. And we knocked it back with buffalo grass vodka, because “you must water your fish”. This was really very good. I liked it better than what we had in Amsterdam (I think that was pickled). Our second shot was of the cherry liqueur like I had the other night. Mat called it “drunken cherry” which is pretty darn accurate!
We meandered to the other side of Old Town to work up a last bit of appetite and sat at the outdoor cafe next to the castle. Here Mat served us cappuccino and two types of cake: cream cake and apple cake. The cream cake was Pope John Paul II’s favorite. It was similar to a Mille feuille only with a lot more cream. The apple cake was three layers, a crumbly top, an apple middle and a shortbread base. Both were extremely good, I can’t say which I liked better. I was absolutely stuffed and ready for a nap when it was over (just over 4 hours). So I actually did go an lay down for about an hour, mainly to get warm since it was suddenly so cold out!
Mat told us a lot about how things have evolved in Poland just in his lifetime. He remembers standing in line for things when he was little, everything from vacuum cleaners and carpets to chicken and sneakers. Even if you didn’t need what you were queueing for, you got it anyway in case you could trade it or sell it for something you did want.
Mat admitted that Poles can be hard to get to know and may seem distant or unfriendly. He says that what happened here in WWII still weighs on the nation, but that once we break through we’d see they are a happy, fun-loving people. That’s good to hear.
While we were on the patio (under a canopy), it rained for maybe 15 minutes, but we were content just people watching. When we finally said our goodbyes, we ladies made plans to meet up for dinner at some point before we go home.
I wasn’t going to eat anything else tonight but realized I will miss breakfast here tomorrow leaving so early for the Auschwitz tour. So I picked up a hummus on multigrain sandwich at Costa Coffee and a paczki at a local bakery, and a single serving bottle of the cherry liqueur. And that was supper. Man, I’ve had paczki at home and I thought they were good, but this blew them away. The donut part is heavenly soft and buttery and the cream is off the hook good. Remind me of this when I’m moving like lead when I get home....
Early to bed for a 5:45 wake up, off to Auschwitz by 6:45.
No comments:
Post a Comment