November 15-16
If you don't get the title, watch this 90's classic song to help you...
People who have read this before will be aware that I love
visiting new places. Having that slightly helpless feeling of not quite knowing
where you’re going is something I find intoxicating as a traveller. Who knows
what could be around the next corner? This is one of the many reasons why I’ll
usually opt to visit a new country or city, rather than return somewhere that I
have visited before. I’m not the only one; I know many people who love to ‘tick
off’ a new place and are always searching for something new and unique, and as
a result won’t go back to old haunts.
It is a restrictive philosophy. I used to think people who
went to the same holiday location every summer were missing out. To an extent
they are avoiding expanding their horizons. However, if you really enjoy a
place, why risk going somewhere which may not live up to expectations? If you
enjoy something and it more than satisfies your needs, why bother going
somewhere else?
Before you castigate me as a hypocrite or accuse me of
losing the desire to travel far and wide, consider this philosophy in another
context. If you had the best pizza of your life in a certain restaurant, would
you refuse to go there again just so you can try pizza somewhere else that is
merely ordinary? Of course not. Most British families have their Indian
takeaway place, their pub, their preferred place to sit in a cinema or theatre.
Why should travel be any different?
I’m not saying that it I would be happy to only go to the
Costa del Sol for the rest of my life. I love travelling and exploring
different places. The point I’m trying to make is that it is acceptable to
return to places you have visited before, and that going to a place whose
sights you have already seen should not mean that the adventure is diminished
in any way.
I was thinking of this whilst on a train coming back to
Prague from Krakow, the jewel of southern Poland. I’ve been here before. Six-and-a-half
years ago, to be precise. Back then I was a fresh-faced, broke backpacker who
strolled around the pretty city and explored the nearby mountain ranges simply
because it didn’t cost me any money to do so. I’m now older, ever so slightly
wiser, and have what economists might describe as a little bit of disposable
income. Whilst I’ve been to Krakow before, this time was a markedly different
experience.
An overnight train took us from Prague to Krakow, taking
eight hours. I slept for maybe two of those hours. As you can decipher from the
fact that I don’t know where the camera is pointing, I wasn’t my usual
energetic and alert self as we walked around firstly some world-famous mines
and then the beautiful city centre of Krakow itself. Here’s a tip: book in
advance so that you get a bed. Especially if you are like me and are well aware
that you find it immensely difficult to sleep in a sitting position.
I’ve seen the city’s main sights, such as its Barbican
fortification and Wawel Castle dating from the Middle Ages…in summer. I’d seen
the castle’s red bricks shimmer in bright sunshine. This time I saw the castle
surrounded by bare trees with spindly branches. It gives off quite a different
impression.
I also once again saw the statue of the fire-breathing
dragon, which was underwhelming simply because it only breathed its synthetic
fire because by the time you’ve finished reading this sentence it will have
stopped breathing. Yes, a Welshman disappointed by a fire-breathing dragon:
they do exist.
In another corner is a towering church, from which a person
plays a cute, friendly trumpet piece on the hour every hour during daylight.
The story behind this is that it's played in memory of a trumpeter killed by a Tatar arrow in the 13th Century. Whether it's true is questionable, though it adds to the magic of the square, particularly when played in tandem with a group of local traditional dancers grooving and waving below.
Other places near Krakow are as far removed from magic as
humanly possible. Indeed, inhumane would be a good word to describe the main
reason for visiting the town of Oswiecim, approximately 65km from Krakow: Auschwitz.
Words cannot truly express the feelings you experience
walking around the Nazi’s most notorious death camp, which has now been turned
into a museum of remembrance. Emotions can fluctuate wildly depending on what
room you are in. Seething anger at seeing the cans of Zyklon B gas which
murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent people; disbelief at seeing rugs
made of human hair; pride at the stories of some who survived, escaped or
sacrificed themselves. All mixed with an overriding sense of terror that humans
could do this to one another, and that this happened so recently.
Visiting in a colder month and shivering whilst walking around really hammers home just how desperate the victims must have felt. I’d been here before as well, but the emotions you
experience are still just as raw. Arguably, they are magnified with age and
experience of the wider world.
There are other, more pleasurable attractions within a bus
ride of Poland’s most cultural city. One such place, which I hadn’t gone to in
2008, are the Wieliczka Salt Mines.
This labyrinth of underground caverns and catacombs, with
tunnels measuring almost 300km in total, are one of the original twelve UNESCO
heritage sites. With good reason, too. Stunning vistas and statues have been
delicately carved by miners and designers, all in excess of 100m under the
surface of the earth.
Visiting in the overcast transition between November and
December means that some seasonal treats were now available that weren’t
tempting when I visited all those summers ago. One example is a famous Polish
drink called ‘Tatanka’, which is composed of bison grass vodka (the main brand
is Zubrowka) and apple juice. I had a delectable wintry version of this classic
cocktail which included gingerbread liqueur and cinnamon. Served hot, it is a
perfect complement to the bitter, wintry air that Krakow is going to experience
for the next couple of months.
New places have also opened since I last came to Krakow. A
definite favourite is a small coffee shop called Cupcake Corner. We later
discovered, slightly disappointingly, that this is a chain of coffee shops in
Krakow, but the one we frequented on each day is just south of the dominating
main square. Nothing is more rewarding after a long day sleep-walking around
attractions (that’s what an overnight train without a bed will do to you) in
the fog and cold than a large, warm cup of cinnamon cookie latte with a small,
delicately decorated home-made cupcake. Well, possibly except tatanka…
Could I have visited somewhere else – a new place – this
weekend? Sure. Would I have had as much fun? Possibly. Am I happy that I
returned to Krakow? Definitely. Would I go back again in the future?
Absolutely.
There is always something new to see, do, experience or
savour, no matter what city you visit. So yes, go explore the world and find
some fresh places. But don’t deny yourself the chance to return to lovely
places just because you want to find somewhere ‘new’.
Love you all
Matt
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