A Spa Day in the Mountains & Exploring Kraków: Poland Part Two

After a somber Saturday visiting the harrowing sites of Auschwitz and learning about Krakow's involvement in WWII, Bryan and I were looking forward to experiencing the brighter side of Poland!

Sunday, May 25: Zakopane, Southern Poland

Gossip Cafe

We started our Sunday morning with a lovely shared brunch at Gossip Cafe, right up the street from our apartment and a few steps away from our tour's meeting point. Two cappucinos and the bacon and egg bagel we split were more than enough to fill both of us!

We met up with our tour for the day and made our way out of Krakow's city center, then drove south towards the border with Slovakia. Although we didn't enter Slovakia this time, the weather in this area was superb!

Chochołów, Poland

As we made our way down south, we spotted the stunning Carpathian Mountains. What started as rolling hills turned into snow-capped mountains topped with bright blue skies. While Bryan loved the landscape, I was eyeing the rustic cabins! I chuckle looking back at these photos, where Bryan had the phone up against the bus windows trying to time his 'clicks' so I could have pictures of these stone-first floors!

The stone patterns on the first floor of these homes were so detailed! With floral designs hidden within the patterns, I was taken!! I now want a stone-paved first floor in my dream house. Bryan reminded me this design would only look natural in the mountains...not on a beach house...I say there's always ONE standout house in the neighborhood!

Our first stop of the day was the tiny town of Chocholow, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Known for its traditionally built wooden houses, góralskie chaty, these houses were built by stuffing ropes and mud between the stacks of tree trunks to form weatherproof homes.

Kościół św. Jacka w Chochołowie

We were only given a short amount of time to walk the main street of Chocholow, so Bryan and I powerwalked down to the main church, Kościół św. Jacka w Chochołowie, before snapping a few photos and then literally running back to the bus! But hey, we did it!

Szałas u Jyndrusia

While it may have been a quick stop in the town of Chochołow, when we pulled up to the little huts of Szałas u Jyndrusia, I was no longer upset, especially when our guide came out with oscypek cheese and Polish vodka! Shots at 10:30 am? Why not? It's vacation!?

The lemon and cherry flavored Polish vodkas were tasty.

The oscypek cheese that reminded us of hollumi with its chewy texture- delicious.

And the view- pure divine.

Gubałówka - PKL SAGubałówka - PKL SA

A few shots later and some lovely squeaky cheese in our system, it was time to head to Mt. Gubałówka. We were given two hours to explore the city below and enjoy our time on top of the mountain. Once our guide set us loose, Bryan and I weaseled our way to the front of the line for the funicular. We crammed in and enjoyed taking in the views while our ears popped on the ride up to the top of Mt. Gubałówka.

Kamera internetowa Gubałówka

If you think the views on the way up were good, just wait! Talk about taking your breath away! Once we exited the funicular, we were face-to-face with one of the most stunning scenes I have ever seen. You think I'm kidding, but the Kamera internetowa Gubałówka lookout is up there with wintertime in Interlaken, Switzerland, and Lake Ohrid in North Macedonia. There's just something about natural scenery that isn't packed with tourists. Standing in places, being in awe of this world, it's quite powerful!

RESTAURACJA SCHRONISKO GUBAŁÓWKA

Wanting to sit and enjoy the mountain range, Bryan found Restauracja Schronisko, where we sat and enjoyed two beers and a giant cup of prosecco. Is it noon, and we are on drink number 3 of the day? Yes. Judge us.

Restauracja Tarasy Gubałówka

Not wanting to leave the mountaintop, we chose to have lunch up there too! At Restauracja Tarasy, Bryan and I shared a plate of goulash with a potato pancake & pork pierogis. These pierogis were much better than the ones we had yesterday, but we still agree that Japanese gyozas are the peak dumpling choice in the Johnson house!

Sanktuarium Najświętszej Rodziny

At the bottom of Mount Gubałówka, sat Sanktuarium Najświętszej Rodziny, a small church. There wasn't much to do or see at the foot of the mountain, outside of tourist shops and quick bites to eat. If you plan to visit this part of Poland, we both agree that the entire time should be spent on top of the mountain! Those views were just STUNNING!

Chochołowskie Termy

So what makes cheese with a view and drinks overlooking a stunning mountain range better?

Not much! But an afternoon at a local spa could do the trick!

At 3 pm, we arrived at Chochołowskie Termy, the largest thermal spa in Poland! The water is naturally heated by geothermal activity thousands of feet underground and is rich in minerals like sulfur, calcium, magnesium, and sodium. Ranging from 89 degrees to 100 degrees, the thermal spa consisted of multiple indoor and outdoor pools, jacuzzis, three water slides, and a swim-up bar!

We were given a little more than 2.5 hours to enjoy Chochołowskie Termy. This was a good portion of time to relax, but seeing the long queues for the water slides, we chose to spend our time in the mineral-filled waters rather than drying off in line.

My only critique is that it is a family-friendly spa environment. While I am all for family outings, having kids splash near my open beer was less than ideal. I wish there were a small adult-only area. Overall, though, if we could do it again, we would have loved more time here!

Feeling nice and relaxed, we headed back to Krakow after a lovely nap on board our bus! As we made it back to the city, Bryan snapped a quick picture of Wawel Castle that matched the watercolor painting we bought yesterday!

Continuing the relaxed vibes as we got off the bus, we called it an early night!

Monday, May 26: Kraków City

With a full day left in Krakow before our flight home, we were ready to explore as much of this beautiful city in our remaining time!

Knitted Coffee Grodzka 11 Rynek | SPECIALTY COFFEE

Our apartment rental was a great one! While the three-story walkup wasn't ideal, having a mini-fridge and ample space inside made for a wonderful stay! The location was perfect too- we were a three-minute walk to our day tour's meeting point and less than five minutes from the city's Old Town.

We dropped our bags at a nearby location for the rental agency to hold our luggage for the day. Then we enjoyed a cup of joe at Knitted Coffee, a cute little coffee shop themed after crocheted comfort!

Now you know we aren't visiting a new city without having a tour! I booked another great free walking tour of Krakow that met at 11 am and took us all over Old Town and the castle.

Juliusz Słowacki Theatre: Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego w Krakowie

Our first stop of the tour was at Juliusz Słowacki Theatre, known for hosting theatrical events that promote Polish culture. While we didn't have time to see a show during our visit, the outside of this theater was fancy!

Kraków Barbican: Barbakan

Back during Medieval times, the barbakan was built on the northern wall to add additional fortifications to protect the city. While the other side of the city was protected by natural elements of hills and the river, the northern side was exposed. To protect this northern side, the circular structure Barbakan was built, and a deep moat was dug surrounding St. Florian's Gate.

St. Florian's Gate: Brama Floriańska

As we continued our way around the outer edge of Old Town, we reached St. Florian's Gate. Originally one of seven gates surrounding the city during the 14th century, now this is the only remaining gate. Wondering what happened to the rest of the gates?

When Austro-Hungarians took over the area, they began destroying the city walls to allow for expansion. Wanting to save some of the city's history, the Polish citizens put forth a document saying that if St. Florian's Gate was removed, it would be too windy down the main strip towards the cathedral. The gate was left standing to protect women from winds blowing through and pushing up their dresses and skirts! So the gate remained, to this day, as a way to protect a woman's purity!

St. Mary's Basilica: Bazylika Mariacka

At noon, we posted up outside St. Mary's Basilica to hear the trumpet's signal, called the Hejnał Mariacki. This trumpet tune is cut off at the end to commemorate the classical myth of a trumpeter who was struck with an arrow through the throat when he tried to warn the city of a Mongol attack during the 13th century.

While half the church was under restoration, we could clearly see that the two towers don't match in design or height. Based on another myth, the basilica was designed by two architect brothers. When seeing the stunning work of the younger brother, the older brother killed the younger, leading to the completion of the shorter tower. Out of grief, the older brother threw himself from the top of his tower...leaving it in a more plain design.

Kinda morbid for a town's main church!

Here's a short clip of the Hejnał Mariacki. This tune is played every hour, on the hour and is performed four times- with the trumpeter facing out a North, South, East, and West window for all to hear. Lucky for us, we were staying far enough out of Old Town's center that we didn't have to hear this tune in the early (and late) hours of the day! (Good thing to keep in mind if you plan to visit Krakow!)

Eros Bendato

Next up on our tour was the main Medieval market. While now a site for overpriced souvineers, this market space still displays an old knife hanging from the ceiling- reminding all who visit the price of stealing. If you steal here, you lose a nose, so all can see of your crimes. If you steal a second time, you lose your head!

Muzeum Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego Collegium Maius

We also quickly visited Kraków's oldest college. This is where Nicolaus Copernicus studied in the 1490s. Don't recognize his name? Me either- but Bryan did! He's the guy who theorized that all planets revolve around the Sun, not the Earth!

Wawel Royal Castle-State Art Collection: Zamek Królewski na Wawelu – Państwowe Zbiory Sztuki

Our last stop on the walking tour was Wawel Castle! After climbing the steel hill to the castle, we learned that this castle has been added onto over the ages, leaving it with designs from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque periods.

Once inside the main courtyard, we noticed portraits and names painted into the stucco, but it only covered half the walls. Later, we found out that half the paintings had faded from the direct sunlight. Our guide explained that having your family portrait or name painted on the royal walls was an ancient form of graffiti! With enough donations to the crown, you could have your photo added to the walls to remain for all time (or until the sun wears away your design!)

Smok Wawelski

As we made our way down from the castle, we reached the final symbol of Kraków: the Wawel Dragon. According to ancient folklore, there once was a dragon that terrorized the city. Living in a cave under the castle, this dragon demanded a weekly ration of cattle to keep it satisfied. The king offered his daughter's hand in marriage to anyone who could kill the beast. Eventually, a shoemaker's son came up with the idea to stuff explosives in a cow. When the dragon ate it, it exploded, and he saved the city!

While the story may be a legend, a new species of archosaur was discovered in 2012 in Southern Poland from the latest Triassic period. So, at one point in history, there were T-Rex-looking reptiles in this area that could have been demanding weekly meals of cattle! Who knows!

Filthy Burgers

With a little time to spare, our growling bellies were ready for some food! Bryan spotted Filthy Burgers, and boy, were they good! First: they had a bottled gose from a nearby brewery. Second, they had bulgogi fries to go with my ranch-themed chicken sandwich. Bryan went with the classic smash burger with their specialty chorizo fries.

Oh my gosh. We have eaten SO GOOD on this trip! Poland may be known for pierogis, but their international food has been BOMB!

Międzynarodowy Port Lotniczy im. Jana Pawła II Kraków-Balice

Eventually, we did have to head to the airport for our flight home. We got there with plenty of time for security and even had some time to enjoy their airport lounge. (Thanks, AmEx!) Bryan and I enjoyed the local Polish beer that I liked from our mountaintop adventure yesterday! It's not every day your girl drinks what B drinks, but this was a good light beer!

Our flight left at 5 pm and had us returning to Spain at 8:30 pm. Thankfully, our pups were well-loved while we were away!

Another successful trip is in the books! While Poland may not be on the top of "must-visit" travel lists, Bryan and I were shocked by how much fun we had, the city's history, and its beautiful sites. For those fellow travelers looking for a cheap destination that will fill your European travel vibes, don't overlook Kraków, Poland! I want to go back!

'til next time,

--Katie