If you are in Krakow, Poland and are thirsty, please stop by the well of St. Stanislaus. This water in Krakow is said to have miraculous healing powers. I would like to look at this claim and tell you about the history of St. Stanislaus.

How to find the this well water in Krakow

The well is in the Paulist monetary in Kazimierz. You can walk along the Wistula river and see a big white church. It is known as Kościoł na Skałce or Church on the small little rock. It is exactly located around the streets Paulinska and Św. Stanislawa. This is down the street from Św. Katarzyny. I would recommend to take the 6 or the 8 tram to Plac Wolnica and walk towards the river and you can  not miss the monastery.

The monetary itself is a very quite, peaceful place to relax with green grass and no noise of traffic. There is even a WC for tourists and a lot of information in English and always friendly Krakovians to ask questions to.  So if you are walking by foot, there is no reason to miss this monetary.

It is near the church of St. Michała. St. Michael fights the devil who takes the form of a dragon. I remember I went here in 1999 on a tour and I do not even think the guide pointed out the well.

Originally the area was ancient pagan religious center and in the 11th century a Romaneque church was built on these cliffs and later replaced by a Gothic church funded by Kazimierz the Great.

From this well you can be sure that the water in Krakow is healthy for drinking.

Who was St. Stanislaus?

This church and more specially the well is the place of Martyrdom for St. Stanislaus of Szczepanowo. He is a patron saint of Poland. Stanislaus was the Bishop of Krakow. He stood in opposition to the brutal king  Bolesław (who was eventually exiled). He opposed the kings immoral behavior and his ruthless treatment of women. St. Stanislaus was a man who had the courage of his convictions. He stood his ground to the king. The king ordered his men to execute Stanislaus. His men refused to harm such a good human, so the king did it himself.  He chopped up St. Stanislaus, his finger first and throw the pieces of his hacked and dismembered body in this ancient well.

This is the well where you can drink the blessed water.This well is in the Paulist monetary in the Kazimierz district of Krakow

What happened next in this pool of water in Krakow? The body started to reassemble itself in front of people’s eyes. St. Stanislaus is buried in Wawel castle and the King fled the country.

The image of St. Stanislaus at his well

Krakow water you can drink

In Krakow, people drink bottled water. I filter the water. The water is not bad from the tap, but it is like any other city water in the world, it is better filtered as you do not know what is in it. However, the water at St. Stanislaus’ well is rich in macro and mirco elements. It is safe for drinking and they even recommend you try it.

The water is actually holy water. It is blessed right from the well.

It has a very strong taste as it is so rich in minerals and elements that it is more like spa water. I love the taste. Some people say it tastes like sulphur. I love the exotic rich taste.

I think there are so many micro nutrients in the water which they have not identified. But a partial list can be found by the well, which has been tested and is pure.

You can fill up bottle if you like. Take this healing water.

The water from this wealth is healthy to drink in Krakow. The question is, is it miracle water?

Miracle water

I could write a book on this subject. I am not a super naturalist. I do not believe in super natural things. However, the reality  our brains have limited awareness. The human brain is limited by its physical structure there is no way we will ever understand the mysteries of this universe.

For example, if the smartest dog in the world understands basic language and many things, but it can never understand advanced calculus or the quantum physics.  In fact dogs can not see color as a dog’s brain is not wired for colors. A dog will ever see a rainbow. Its brain is limited by its evolutionary structure.  Ours is also.

What are we humans not aware of or out of our senses? Even if we understand everything in our universe , explained by physics and math, it is not the end. We are as limited as the dog. There is one thing different perhaps, humans sense a deeper spiritual existence but do not have the capacity to fully quantify and measure this reality.

There is a complex stratification of reality.

Therefore, even though I am not a super naturalist at all. I believe in miracles. I believe God does great things for us.

Is the well of St. Stanislaus miracle water as some have said? I do not have any knowledge of this. I do not know anything about this or anyone healed by this water. I have not researched it.

I do know the water is free. Miracle water is never sold, nor should it be if it exists.  I would not trust anyone who sold it. This Krakow water is simply free. Go to the well and fill up as many bottles of water as you can and take it home with you. At least it is healthy spa water.

However, if you pray and purify your intentions and drink it. Perhaps your reality might change a bit.  I think God is always showing us signs, most of us are not listening and looking.

If you have any questions about the healing Miracle water of  St. Stanislaus well in Krakow please let me know. I would be curious about what you think. At the very least go to the well when you are in Krakow. I see thousands of people everyday visiting other spots in Krakow that have been hype and mean little spiritually.

However, few visitors go to this humble quite well in the middle of the city. Maybe its a good thing and I should not have written about this holy water. I feel mixed as on one hand I would like other people to know about it, but on the other hand I do not want it on my semi commerical blog and it to become a tourist spot in a negative sense. However, here is the information and do with it what you like.

I would love to write in more detail about this but I thought I would start off a post on Krakow Jewish life.

Do any Jews still live in Krakow Poland?

This is a good question. I live in the old Jewish ghetto of Krakow. My street was the border where the wall divided the Jewish ghetto with the other part. I have be casually reading about the history of Jewish Krakow for about seven years. I am not an expert but how can I not have an interest if I live here? I have many stories that really are other worldly I would like to write about, but this post is less ambitious. It is simply to explain that yes Yiddish and Hebrew is spoken on the street and among the tourists and there are Jews living in Krakow.

The flag of Israel proudly flies along the Polish and American flags in Krakow.

Cracow’s Jews

Often times the question comes up, do any Jewish people live in Krakow? And if so what is it like for them?
The answer is there are about 100 active Jews here, going to synagogue and observing the rites. However, I would say 1000s of inactive Jews in Krakow. Many people here are Jewish or were born of Jewish mothers and converted to Christianity for obvious reason. Remember about 25% of the city was Jewish, 60,000 people and back then that was a lot of people. Plus all over the coutryside there were people living and this number is often ignored and would bring the figure much higher if ou include the metropolitian area.

Many of my students in Krakow have told me they have a Jewish grandmother or something. I would say about 15% of my Polish students have some Jewish blood. The owners of my building are Jewish. The owners of my friends building are Jewish and come to Krakow sometimes for a long-term stay. I know Jews from England and other places that have set up businesses etc in Kazimierz. There are also over a million Jewish tourists to Kraków every year.

So even though there are a few thousand inactive Jews in Krakow and about 100 active Jews  here do not believe the numbers. There are thousands of Jews from all over the world everyday visiting as this is an important city of culture. Their ancestors lived here as long as the Poles did in peace.  This is why in my opinion is an important Jewish city today.

You can buy a Yamaka in Krakow on the street no problem.

What is life like for a Jewish person in Krakow? I think it is like anywhere, the focus is on observing the law of God, living peacefully and in community.

JCC in Kazimesh

I think Krakow is like 19th century Jewish city. If you live here and are not a just coming through you will see how magical it really is. It is like a time machine. In fact, irony is people have written articles telling people not to come to here as they do not want to spoil this too hidden gem of a city. Maybe, I am a bit guilting of telling people not to come here as I do not want to spoil it myself as it is not too commerical, at least yet.

A lot going on every week at an active community center.

My point is this is an active living comminity. You do not have to view photos of 100 years ago to get a sense of what life was like here. It is a live today.

Do Jewish people experience problems in Krakow?

Did you know if you make a remark to someone based on religion or country of origin etc in Poland it is 2 years in prison? Article 67 of the Polish law protects rights and if you look into Polish law you will find if someone even makes a comment or remark about you in a bad way based on who you are you will get two years. The Police are very strict about this because of the history and the connection with Israel.
Maybe someone has experienced problems but I have never heard of it personally. For sure there are some guys who live in the blocks in the bad section of town, that hold less than enlightened ideas in their small brains, but this is everywhere in the world not just Poland.

Photos of Jewish Kraków

The following are some more photos of Kazimierz

I was out the other day with my camera. There are not professional photos but just some I took  while I was in Kazimierz waiting to get a haircut. You can decide for yourself if in Kazimierz or any other part of Krakow, if there are any traces of Jewish culture.

Jagiellonian University is where people study Hebrew and about Jewish culture.

Door to the Jewish studies program at Jagiellonian University

I can not even begin to go into the history as it is beyond the scope of this post.

Small holocaust memorials are in many places in Krakow - God bless the souls of the departed.

Do you like sitting at a cafe and reading? This is a Krakovian tradition. And you are in luck because…

There are book shops you can buy Hebrew, Yiddish English and Polish language books about Jewish culture in Krakow.

Orthodox or conservative rituals of cleasing are important. In fact, I heard this one of the first thing that was built in the community here. It makes sense as you should be pure in body and mind to ask for God’s wisdom to build a new community.

Mikveh -An active ritual Jewish bath house Krakow

I think most people cook at home, but it always helps if you have somewhere to go when you want to go out.

Do you like Yiddish food or want a Kosher meal? There are shops and restaurants in Kazimesh.

Even the big commercial shops have Kosher food, just like in the USA.

There is plenty of art in Krakow with Jewish themes lie in these buildings.

Kazimesh has it all when it comes to culture. But after about a couple of weeks you might see all the tourist things and then take a few years to settle in and enjoy the atmosphere.

These small Jewish shops in Krakow make you feel like your in another century.

I would be more than happy to answer any questions if you are coming to Krakow.  I am not Jewish. I am an American Catholic and Polish also. However, if you have any questions about Jewish Krakow or Poland in general I will do my best to answer them.

When I became a city person

I became a city guy when I was a consultant.  I traveled to most of the major US cities and live the consultant lifestyle in hotels and corporate apartments.  By the time I took a job in Boston, I only wanted to live in Beacon Hill, Boston.  I loved Beacon Hill for its old town center city lifestyle. I found I could live and work in the city and on the weekends enjoy the countryside in New Hampshire.  So I thought what was the point of living in the country as opposed to the city.

My next big city move was Krakow, Poland where I have lived for about six years.   I have become quite attached to city life.  I have though of building a house in the countryside of Poland, a nice wooden log home.  However, the though of being in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do but watch the grass grow, bores me.

City or country living?

I guess I make a huge switch from country to city. I love living in a Polish city like Krakow.  I am curious if you prefer the city or the country and what your experiences with the two lifestyles have been?

The following is a list of ways to go from Krakow, Poland to Lviv Ukraine. I live in Krakow and go to Lviv a lot for various reasons. Many people touring Eastern Europe are fine with going to Poland and EU country but are afraid to cross out of the Schengen zone. If you are in Poland for more than a couple of days you might want to consider a trip to Lviv.

The Polish city of Lvov was once the cultural capital of Poland. Krakow was considered a smaller town in comparison. Many people speak Polish in Lviv and the city is multi national and tourist friendly.

How to go from Cracow to Lvov

The return trip is easy as once you get there you can just do the reverse.

• You can get a bus from Krakow to Lviv for 70 pln or about 22 dollars. This is the simple way, it leaves every night from the main bus station in Krakow at 8 pm. The bus often does not have a bathroom so do not drink water or ask the driver to stop the bus. I have in emergencies. When nature call you can not hang up the phone. I drank 1.5 liters of water and boarder the bus. I did this as I thought the bus came in 1 1/2 hours, but just as I finished the bus pulled up for its 12 hour trip.
• Another more complicated way which I do personally as I like day travel and trains over buses. I go from Krakow to Przemyśl, a Polish town on the Polish-Ukrainian border. You can get there in 3 1/2 hours. It costs about 15 dollars or 40 Polish złoty.  At Przemysl take a  Marshrootka or van to the  for 2 PLN there are white vans or small buses that are everywhere, just ask someone in English. Do the same to get to Lviv once you cross the Polish boarder, they come ever 20 minutes.  I have been stuck there in the middle of the night because I think they stop at about midnight and had to wait until 5 am. I slept on the grass.
• Any travel in Ukraine is much cheaper than travel in Poland, about 1/3 or less the price. For example I went 26 hours on a Ukrainian sleeper train to Crimea for about 20 dollars once. This same Polish train would cost about 200 dollars.
• You can buy a ticket to Lviv for about 50 dollars in a sleeper car.  This is the most comfortable way to get to Ukraine from Poland. But it is also the most expensive (I am not talking about flying or with a private car).
• If you have tons of cash many Jewish Rabbis have a private car to Lviv and this can be arranged also at the Edan hotel in Krakow.
• I have flown once but for a strange reason, no worth it generally.
• My friend who is a girl hitchhikes, I have tried begging a ride also. My recommendation is if you do this hold up a sign that says your destination like “I am going to Lviv”.  Best in the Polish language of course.

Travel issues going to Lviv from Poland

Ukrainian currency – I change currency in Poland. I look for the best rate. The worst place to change money is in the Lviv train station. Just be aware. In Lviv itself there are many places, just check the rates.

Visa requirements for Ukraine - there are none if you are European or American.

Ukrainian boarder crossing - The guards are looking for illegal trade, this does not affect you, tell them you are a tourist and you can cross the boarder in 20 minutes instead of 3 hours.  Really, I flash my American or Polish passport and speak English and I am hustled to the front of the line. The line is really only for people making money going from Poland to Ukraine for economic reasons.

Where to eat in Lviv – Any student cafeteria like Rodzinka or Puzata hut (hata). Three dollars a meal.

Where to say in Lviv – Hotel Lviv, cheap (12 to 18 dollars) and unfriendly but my favorite place. I also stay in the
Kosmonaut Hostel (10 dollars), very cheap but nice.

If you have any questions on how to get from Krakow to Lviv let me know.  Also let me know about your experiences if you have ever been to Krakow or Lviv.

Hang around in the two top-tier cities in Poland long enough, and at some point you’re bound to hear of the perennial debate that goes on between residents of the current capital versus residents of the former capital.  Warsaw has been the seat of government since  1596, a fact that stings some from Krakow, long the home of Polish kings and location of the famed national monument, Wawel Castle.  Numerous Varsovians, on the other hand, no doubt long for the slower and simpler life typified in the Royal City to the south.

Warsaw and Krakow are two distinct cities, with some significant differences between them.  And the “conflict” between Cracovians and Varsovians over city superiority is one driven by a few factors.  I’d like to take a look at both issues in this post, with a particular focus on how the aesthetics of each city compare.  Warsaw is the ugly one, right..?

Big City Life versus Village Charm?

But let’s start with some basic differences between the two.  Krakow is “older”, in the sense that historically, it became a significant place hundreds of years before Warsaw did.  Its architecture also was not destroyed in the war, while Warsaw was systematically annihilated following the Warsaw Uprising in 1944, with estimates that up to 90% of the city was destroyed.  So nearly all of what you see in Warsaw today is post-war construction, while in Krakow much of it predates the war, sometimes by many years.

Flat Warsaw is the home of wide boulevards, skyscrapers, embassy row and many modern boutiques and trendy restaurants.  Krakow enjoys a medieval center, a lot of green space, the historic Jewish district of Kazimierz, and a thriving university culture, with students numbering 150-200,000, perhaps one-fifth of the city population.

A lot of joking goes on that Krakow is a village.  This can be taken in a derogatory way, but I see it as a plus.  The town has a cozy feel—all roads lead to the center (or at least most trams) and with most social life happening in the historic center, you frequently bump into people you know—not bad for an urban area registering around a million people.

In Warsaw, you really feel you are in the city;  having been to all major urban centers in Poland, I’d say this is in fact the only real “city” in the country.  Everything from the skyline and the amount of ethnic diversity (low by most other Western countries’ standards, but high for Poland) contribute to this feel.  So if you are an urbanite, this is where you’ll feel most at home in Poland.

Of course, Warsaw is more expensive.  Krakow is not too far behind, when looking at the price of housing and other measurements of living costs.  Attention from foreign investors, as well as the sheer attractiveness of the city form a cultural and employment perspective, has led to a high cost of real estate in Krakow, though on average not as high as in Warsaw.  Warsaw wages tend to be a good bit higher than in Krakow, and with most international firms setting up headquarters in the capital, the better jobs situation is not surprising.  But unemployment is fairly low in Krakow as well, as it tends to be in the cities, and there are a number of international firms, such as Cap Gemini, Shell, and State Street with a significant presence in Krakow.

One note:  I find the air fresher in Warsaw.  It may have something to do with the geography, with the fact that Krakow lies in a “bowl”, surrounded by hills, while in flat Warsaw, the breeze seems to have a place to go.  The factories of industrial Nowa Huta, a prototypical Stalinist-era settlement appended to Krakow in the 1950s, may have something to do with that as well.

The myth of “Ugly” Warsaw

What about aesthetics?  At lot of the debate has to do with the attractiveness of the cities themselves.  Conventional wisdom has it that Warsaw is the “ugly” sister, that the Stalinist architecture that replaced much of the bombed-out city contributes to a grey and depressing environment.  There may be some truth to this—and especially compared to what Warsaw once was, when it was known as the Paris of the East.

You also feel the presence of World War Two more in Warsaw, perhaps more than in any other city and certainly more than any other city in Poland.  Monuments and memorial signs seemingly attached to every other building constantly remind one of the conflict.  In some ways Warsaw is a living museum of the war.  I find this very interesting historically, and more importantly, a proper reminder of the sacrifice and suffering the WW2 generation endured.  Though I can understand the sentiment that it contributes to a depressive atmosphere.

However, despite the common call that Warsaw is an ugly place, I would have to wholeheartedly disagree.  Warsaw in fact is a quite beautiful place, with some very interesting areas and much of historical value.

Why Warsaw’s Old Town is more pleasant than Krakow’s

After the war, the residents of Warsaw, Latin motto Semper Invicta (“Always Invincible”) painstakingly rebuilt the old town.  Using old photos and documents, they coaxed the old city to rise again like a phoenix from the ashes, or better, like a triumphant mermaid (the “syrena”, the symbol of Warsaw).  What exists today is a very charming and compact old city center, partially surrounded by a city wall.  The streets here are quieter, cozier, and more “atmospheric”, if that is a word, than most of the Old Town in Krakow.  This is likely due to the fact that the Warsaw Old Town is generally less heavily frequented (at least on weekdays) whereas the Krakow old center lies in the center of the city and bustles with tourists, students, and businesspeople the whole week through.

I think it is arguable that Krakow’s Old Town is more beautiful as well.  Just have a look at the square in Warsaw—smaller, but undeniably charming with its colorful, skinny tenement homes.  The tenement homes of Krakow’s Old Town, by contrast, are frequently covered with unsightly enormous advertisements, hiding renovation work that seems, for some reason, to never end.  Additionally, for the near-decade I’ve lived in Krakow, there has always been some sort of disruptive city construction project happening on the Main Square—first it was the renovation of the surface from asphalt to stone, then there was something to do with the cellars discovered under the square, now it’s the renovation of the Cloth Hall (Sukiennice).  I find it hard to remember a time when the Rynek was clear of construction.  These are probably all good and necessary things, but one wonders at the speed at which they are completed.

Warsaw also seems to be more (wisely) conservative in the manifestations of commerce allowed in the historic center.  Walk down a street in Old Krakow, and on the facades of the historic buildings, you’ll notice any manner of gaudy attention-getting signs and advertisements for businesses.  For a spell, there was (unbelievably) even a flashing BINGO sign over one establishment on Grodzka street, part of the Royal Way leading to Wawel Castle.  “Tacky” is just a starting point when it comes to that example.

Warsaw old city buildings seem to exhibit a much more restrained degree of advertising.  Signs for businesses are more muted and more suited to the surroundings.  It’s less “commercial” but counter-intuitively may pay off in a commercial sense by creating a more pleasant atmosphere, thereby drawing more traffic.

Krakow does have the decided edge on the question of restaurants, cafes, and entertainment in the old center.  There is simply much more going on in this category, and Warsaw’s establishments are more spread about the city, with Krakow’s concentrated basically in one place.

But with the recent renovation of Krakowskie Przemiescie (the “Royal Way” leading up to the Old Town in Warsaw), the capital has enhanced a charming thoroughfare and raised its aesthetic profile.  This boulevard has gotten a major facelift, and you can see that it has attracted more businesses and, coupled with its extension, the street of Nowy Swiat, makes a very enjoyable commercial center adjacent to but separate from the medieval center itself.

There are numerous other attractions throughout the city as well, from the unique Warsaw University Library, which seems to grow out of a hill in a remarkable composition of architecture and the organic, to the incomparable 76-hectare Lazienki Park, where peacocks roam amongst figures drawn from Roman mythology, while red squirrels and birds eat nuts from your hand (true 20 years ago, and true today, as I found on a visit last month).

What conclusions can be drawn?  It pains me a bit to say this, as one whose heart and body reside in Krakow, but after years of study, I can’t deny the fact:  Warsaw is a beautiful place too, and Warsaw’s Old Town is simply more pleasant than Krakow’s.

Krakow’s could be nicer, but will always have a different atmosphere–unless the powers that be in Krakow decide they want to clean up the carnival aesthetic they’ve either promoted or benignly allowed to flourish (ie, by reducing the number of concerts/events on the main square, and not doing things like awarding permits to people playing progressive metal on amped-up electric guitars).

Not that all this is necessarily “bad”—that point is up for debate.  Krakow is simply using its historic center in a more overtly commercial way, and reaping benefits, but while imposing the costs on all residents and visitors of a diminished “old town” atmosphere.  That’s simply a cost-benefit question that one has to weigh.  On another note, you’ll always have more tourists in Krakow’s center, which tends to clog the place up a bit, but contributing the same undeniable economic benefits.

In any case, you can argue over the merits of using the center in a more commercial way, or whether a bustling old center is preferable to a more subdued one.  But when it comes down to it, I prefer a stroll in Warsaw’s Old Town over Krakow’s most any day of the week.  And I find plenty of attractions in other parts of Warsaw to marvel at.  Warsaw’s ugliness is simply a myth, something that the organization UNESCO recognized as well, when it placed the rebuilt historic center on its World Heritage list back in 1980.

Warsaw or Cracow – So anyway, what’s the problem?

Back to the Warsaw-Krakow “feud”.  There are some classic lines of attack that residents of each city rely on.  Cracovians might say that Varsovians have a complex over living in the “ugly, soulless” big city, while Varsovians might respond that Cracovians have inferiority issues over being stripped of capital status and in some ways ending up a historic backwater.

Recently a Warsaw tourism campaign featured posters in Krakow with the phrase “Kto sie czubi, ten sie lubi”, which, translated, basically means that he who picks on another person, actually likes that person—sort of like the little schoolboy that teases the girl he secretly admires.  The posters came complete with a statistic claiming that 72% of the residents of Krakow were “proud of the capital”.

This certainly set off further debate in both camps.  I haven’t seen corresponding statistics on Varsovians’ opinions of Krakow, but assuming the above-cited percentage is true, I think you’d find similar numbers of Warsaw residents expressing positive things about Krakow.  Where the “truth” in all this lies, I do not know, but the debate goes on, good-naturedly.

Warsaw vs. Krakow – One Writer’s Verdict

Frankly, I appreciate both places.  I live in Krakow, yet frequently visit Warsaw.  Warsaw was where I first experienced Poland, as a tot back in the early 80s, so it has a special spot for me.  Yet for a number of reasons, I find life in Krakow a bit more up my alley.  That said, I could easily enjoy living in Warsaw, and even did so for a spell.  Admittedly, I’ve probably been a bit more pro-Warsaw in this piece, but I think “ugly” Warsaw is an idea long past its expiration date, which is the main point I wanted to make here.  In any case, there are major pluses, and some minuses to both places, which may be worth addressing at another time.

As for the conflict, speaking with Polish friends from both places, I get the feeling that Cracovians pay more attention to it than Varsovians do.  Why that is, I’ll leave to you to speculate.

As a note, the writer of this article is the American writer on the Amish – Erik Wesner.  He is a writer and live in Krakow, Poland, however, has family from Warsaw. Please leave a comment and let me know your reaction to  Krakow vs. Warsaw.

German work camp Krakow buildings

German camp Krakow Poland

These photos are from behind my house, they are some photos of the old German work camp in Krakow.  The area is now part of Bonarka park, but it was once  Płaszów work camp.  I do not need to repeat the greivous history as it was detailed in the movie Schiendlers list or any book on the second war.

The area as a whole is a very peacful place now with a forrest in the middle of the city.  It is also by the Krak mount which has a more positive history and the newly build Bonarka mall and a very interesting ancient ocean.

History and energy

Many people ask me if  I not feel sad about living in such an area, that is somewhere near so many people were unhappy.  I tell them, there were unhappy people everywhere.  We can honor and respect those who are gone, but life is for the living.

I  believe that between this world and the next is a chasm that can not be bridged. This is what the Bible says. The ghost of the past do not and can not take the energy form those who live here now. This is contrary to what many believe.  But I have see many old people who lived here their whole lives live happy normal lives.  The area is full of interesting history.  People have lived here about 100,000 years and there is a lot of history and people un-remembered.

I live in Poland and here are some photos of Krakow, Warsaw and the Polish mountains

Bridge Krakow Poland

The is a bridge on the way to a Polish forest in the city of Krakow.

Lake in Krakow

Beautiful lake, you can even go swimming here in the summer if you do not get caught.

Old market Krakow

Place where I buy my fruits and vegetables in Krakow. Kind of a whole food supermarket, since most things are from local organic farms. I am going there today.

The Tatra Mountains

The beautiful mountains of southern Poland

Warszawa

I took this skyline of Warsaw going over a bridge, the skyline is changing all the time as the city is really expanding.

Rising '44

If you go to Warsaw consider seeing the monument to the rising in 1944. The Poles liberated the city of Warsaw, only to be worn down while the Russians watched on the other side of the river.