Christmas in Cracow: A Prague Detour

By the day after Christmas Austria was only about halfway into its 90 hour holiday shutdown (early closings on 24 December, holiday closures on 25 and 26 December, and the usual miserable Sunday Shutdown on 27 December), and we could not bear returning to shuttered Vienna. A quick Internet inquiry turned up a "last available" suite in a four-star Stare Mesto hotel at an 80% discount!  We booked it and pointed the wagon home via one of our favorite Central European capitals.

Prague is everything Vienna is not on a winter holiday. People were everywhere, SHOPPING and enjoying OUTDOOR DINING in all of the tourist areas. The temperatures were mild; the holiday lights were twinkling; and it was hard not to feel festive.  As we have visited the city several times, we had the simple purpose of wandering happily--up to the castle complex for its small Christmas market and views across the city, then back into Stare Mesto for a delicious dinner at a restaurant with cozy outdoor seating.

Our starters of a French cheese plate and pate. Duck Confit and other sumptuous dishes, plus a robust Moravian red graced our table for dinner. We ❤️ Prague.

The teenagers went on ahead to the Palladium after dinner, Prague's major shopping mall tucked into the center of the city while Tony and I strolled back to our fabulous hotel. The evening could not have been lovelier.

Clayton Theodore demanded his morning constitutional around 0700 on Sunday morning, and I thought it wise to grab my camera as I walked out the door. Prague in the winter morning sky was striking.

Sunrise now upon us we returned to our hotel, where breakfast had just been delivered to the suite. How relaxing to not have to "dress" for breakfast.

Anna Grace and I took advantage of the Czech Republic being open to indulge in a little lot of shopping before we left Prague, another treat of the holiday. Soon enough, though, it was time to head home.  

This was the first time we have spent Christmas away from home, and from start to finish the holiday was a resounding success. "Where are we going next year?" is the question for 2016.

Christmas in Cracow: Scenery

Though we had hoped for a white Christmas in Cracow, we happily settled for the next best: sunshine and temperatures around 15°C each day. Clayton Theodore was all too happy to take extra long constitutionals in the pretty early morning and late afternoon light with me and my camera.  

The park down the street from our apartment.

There seemed to be one bridal salon every two blocks in Cracow. 

 One of the arcades of the Old Cloth Market in Rynek Glowny (Main Square).

A boy and his dog out for a morning walk. ;)

 A lovely store filled with Galician goodies, many of which came home with us.

 Local color.

 Rynek Glowny by day.

 Fiakers.

Basilica of the Virgin Mary.

 I do not know if my people have an historic attachment to birds. I only noted that the parks were sprinkled with bread each morning; there were birds of prey in the markets; and the "Love the Pigeon" culture seemed to be as popular in Cracow as in Piazza San Marco.

 The Main Square and Wawel Castle at night. We took a late afternoon horse carriage ride one day; our horses had blankets and jingle bells, and the city was aglow with holiday lights. A perfect addition to our holiday!

Christmas in Cracow: Eating Like a Pole

For a change of pace we decided to spend Christmas outside of Vienna. We rented an apartment in Cracow that we had rented before; its proximity to the Stare Mesto (5 minute walk) and its well-appointed kitchen were the main reasons we returned. Since our traditional Christmas dinner is Polish cuisine, what better place to be than in the Motherland?

Jack arrived a few days before Christmas, and Tony dutifully helped him repatriate to being legal again before we packed up the wagon and headed to Poland. 

Our first afternoon was filled with holiday preparations, procuring a (small) Christmas tree chief among them. Throughout our wanderings we collected a couple dozen handmade Polish glass ornaments for the tree, lovely souvenirs of our holiday.

Next up, a visit to Stary Kleparz, the 800 year old market to shop amongst the locals for our Christmas provisions.

Queues were long for kielbasa and carp. We all hate carp, and were happy to leave that fish to others.

 

The market is large, and offers pretty much everything you might need, from olives to underwear to chicken feet for your favorite canine (Clayton Theodore loved them, of course).

Need "Alaska" seasoning for your fish, or a fresh turkey from a pop-up vendor? Stary Kleparz has you covered.

 Blood sausage. Another Polish "treat" we all despise.

 Polish tortes, on the other hand, we happily embrace.

At the pierogi shop I was actually able to help a French woman customer; she was preparing dinner for 12 people and had not a clue of the various pierogi fillings.  My Polish is terrible, but I do know my way around food! In the end she purchased a couple hundred pierogi, several dozen cabbage rolls, and enough babka to feed a Polish army. Her friend was carrying several kilos of salmon to be roasted, as well!  Who knows how their dinner turned out; they're probably all still eating!

Who can resist Buscia's hand knitted wool socks and homemade smoked cheese?  Not we. 

On Christmas Eve day we enjoyed the beautiful weather and the main Christmas market in Stare Mesto. And of course, the food.

Lunch at an outdoor table on the square. In December. How about that, Vienna?

An acquired taste, Bigos, a "stew" of sauerkraut and pork belly, with a side of marinated and grilled mushrooms. Though I had stuffed myself with pierogi earlier in the afternoon, I could not resist a childhood favorite. Smaczne!

Christmas Dinner. I brought the Pakistani linens that Tony's colleague gifted me on a recent visit to Vienna for their festive colors, and together with some new Polish pottery I purchased in Cracow (and the requisite IKEA dinnerware), assembled a classic rental apartment table at which we feasted. Wesołych Swiąt!