Kold in Kraków

How should I describe Kraków, Poland? On the particular weekend of our visit it was COLD. A cold that burns your face and calls for a double layer of socks, pants, and scarves. Snow swirling in the atmosphere enveloped the city in an eerie haze, concealing the tip tops of Corpus Christi Church and the Wawel Castle. About every 20 minutes we popped into Ciasteczka z Krakowa, which became our favorite café, to thaw out and caffeine up.

Despite the snow and cold, people were out and about as on a beautiful spring day. Older women and men stood behind Polish bagel stands all day looking unfazed, and rather preserved.  The Christmas market was bustling with tourists and AMAZING FOOD- pierogi, potatoes, kielbasa, hot wine, and other warm Polish staples.

We spend a lot of time in the Kazimierz area, or the Krakow Jewish Quarter. There's something cool to see in every alleyway and square. It seemed to be a great place to find Polish nightlife. The ambiance and people found here reminded me of the Kreuzberg neighborhood in Berlin- young, chic, and willingly changing with the times. Pubs are around ever corner and Polish wódka or VODKA is a promising way to forget about the cold. I don't usually like vodka but I really enjoyed the famous honey vodka... and the herb vodka... and the mint vodka...

Moving right along. RELIGION was much more present than in Prague, even though both were communist for a time. Pope John Paul II, the first and only Slavic pope, has had a big influence especially in the southern region near his hometown. I willingly payed 6zl ($2) to take a peek inside what I think is the most beautiful church I've ever seen: St. Mary's Basilica. The inside isn't the usual concrete drab, it's an explosion of blue, red, and gold. At the time we went there might have even been more people praying than there were touring.

The Polish are serious about religion. There is a famous salt mine nearby where miners built an underground cathedral. Everything in the cathedral is made of (black) salt right down to the chandelier. This is somewhere I'd like to visit if I return in a warmer month. Yes, in the spring I would definitely consider returning for a longer visit in Poland to soak up a bit more culture in this large country bordering the CR to the north.

Photo of the Week- Foggy lens

Going in and out of the cold weather in Poland gave me and my camera quite the chill. The lens of my camera fogged up inside a dim bar and captured the ambiance perfectly.

Marlowe's Time to Shine

Last summer I hung out a lot with Lala's dog, Marlowe. She often became the subject of my aimless photoshoots but to be fair she liked the attention. Maybe you remember my efforts to make her famous. I sent in her photo to two dog-loving websites- hipsterpuppies and Oscar Blues Brewery. First her Old Chub photo made it to the OB website. And finally this week, Marlowe has stolen many hipster hearts on the hipsterpuppies blog. As Marlowe's manager I must admit that I'm not thrilled with the caption, but I can't complain because she's on hipsterpuppies!

I do realize she's a dog but getting photo time one of my favorite blogs deserves some attention!

Photo of the Week: 'Tis the xmas market season

The season is in full throttle and I've never experienced anything quite like it. Christmas markets galore! All over central Europe the markets are hopping even after the sun goes down. Despite the Christian connotation of the Christmas holidays, the markets are just as prominent in the Czech Republic where there is a large atheist population. People swarm the outdoor stalls buying traditional holiday gifts or for something to warm their stomaches like hot chocolate, coffee, grog, or hot/mulled wine. Food is also easy and cheap to come by. The potatoes roasting next to grilled sausages and steaming pot of sauerkraut seem to sell themselves. Whatever your motive, the markets are well worth a stroll just to rub shoulders with locals or tourists alike and soak in the holiday season.

Snow like whoa

It's been snowing in Prague just about non-stop for about a week. The campus seems to always have a fresh layer of snow on top, keeping the dirty snow from scratching the White Christmas soundtrack that plays over and over in my head. At the moment I think the snow brightens the mood on a campus of the boxy, communist-era architecture. But ask me again as I grow tired of the bleak winter weather and I might think the opposite.

What about winter here, you wonder? Well salting is uncommon. Instead you will likely slide on the ice then shake your fist at the person who thought that spreading gravel on the ground would help with traction. My snowy winter experiences in Colorado and Missouri have not really prepared me for a Central European winter, especially when it comes to the cold. A weekend in Poland was a lesson in winterology where it was between 0 and 10 degrees fahrenheit day and night. Not good tourist weather! And the snow keeps falling. I'm thankful for public transportation and the fact that I don't have to deal with this.