Old City Krakow and Kazimierz

First thing today we had our final book presentation... woo hoo!  It was about the post-communism period and the aftereffects of that time period.  We then went on a tour of the old Jewish city of Kazimierz which used to be its own city set up by a king (I can't remember his name) because all the stuff the Jews were selling was cheaper than the merchants inside the town  so they were sent away. Then when Krakow got too big they absorbed in Kazimeirz into the city and was just the Jewish part of the town.  There are a total of 8 synagogues and 8 churches in the city of Krakow but there are only 3 synagogues that are being used.  All of them are the originals because they were spared by the Nazis so nothing is damaged from war, only from time.  It was really cool to see all the old Jewish things that were still in tact from when part of Krakow was the ghetto.

We walked around some more and went to the archbishop's house/palace, which is where Pope John Paul II lived.  Did you know that he was from Krakow??  It's true!  We saw the cathedral where he gave his first mass and the oldest university in Poland, which is where he studied.  We walked to the Wawel Castle which is a major historical place for the Polish because when Krakow used to be the capital, it was where the royal family lived and of course, where Pope JPII gave his first mass.  All of these things were so interesting to see, however, whoever the moron is that planned this trip... I would like to SMACK upside their head because they ALWAYS plan these tours at lunch time!!!! ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  So since these are mostly walking tours, we are weak and starved the entire time we are walking around.  And I thought this trip was focusing on human rights... BAH!  

At 2:30 we finally made it back to the city center where we were last night and we got to get up close to this fantastic statue called the "Head of the Blind Lover", I believe.  It's so interesting to see.  And you can climb in it and take a picture from the inside out.  I was too dang hungry to do this so I just took a photo instead.  We finally got to eat lunch at this place called "Sioux", yes as in the Indian tribe and my lunch was called Aerial Flight of the Steppe Eagle.  No lie.  It was grilled chicken with french fries but it was delish!  Another name was Indian Woman's Ecstasy on a Cactus in Cherry Marinade!  It was chicken on kebab sticks.  Needless to say, all of the names were like this.  It was really funny.  After we got done eating, Lindsay (my roommate) and I decided that we didn't really want to stick around and shop because we felt like crap.  So, even though I felt bad about saying it but it needed to be said, I told the group of people we usually hang with that we have to cut the umbilical cord sometime and that it would be ok if we left without them.  It turned out ok for them because I saw them later on.  Linz and I took a taxi- NOTE TO SELF AND EVERYONE ELSE- Don't take a taxi in Poland.   Just believe me and don't do it.  After we got back to the hotel, I took a major nap.  Then we had to watch Schindler's List, which I have never seen before and so it was pretty depressing.  And to top that off, we go to Auschwitz tomorrow and it's supposed to be pouring down rain.  How amazing.  Until next time...