Wednesday July 23
Robert was pretty much the same as our guide in Warsaw plus
he chose to lean on whatever you might want to take a photo of. It was supposed
to be a half-day walking tour, but it went until past 2:00 and we were
starving. Again, there were no stops for drinks or restroom breaks. Hard to get
a word in when the guide talks non-stop.
We walked from the hotel to Wawel Hill to see Renaissance
Royal Castle and Cathedral. He stopped to show us the memorial to victims of WWII massacres by Ukrainian nationalists.
Robert did take us into the amazing St. Mary’s Basilica after I asked if we could go in. We both agreed it probably was the most beautiful church we have ever seen. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside. I snapped one before I saw the sign. (though plenty of people were taking photos in all areas of the Basilica) It was huge, and every square inch was ornate. There are plenty of photos online if you are so inclined. There was a bell tower that I think Robert hoped we didn’t want to climb, but he did take us up when we said we wanted to go. We did the 70 steps up and down the tight and twisty tower.
We continued to the Castle, and he told us the best things
to see when we go back in the afternoon.
Our next stop was The Altar of the Three Millennia which is
an open-air altar located in front of the Pauline Monastery at Skalka in
Krakow, Poland. We did go in and tour Skalka Monastery which was interesting.
We continued on to the Old Jewish Quarter, and at one point he came across someone he knew and just took
off in front of us talking to her. He was over a block away and we decided to
duck into a mini mart to get a cold drink. Oddly, they didn’t sell Coke or
Pepsi. The guide realized that he had lost us and made a joke about what
percentage of people he’s allowed to lose on a tour. LOL. Though, he didn't take it
upon himself to find a place we could get a drink when we told him why we went
in.
We had another church on our tour when Robert suggested that we may want to trade that for seeing a synagogue. We agreed that it was a great idea. (since we had already been in 2 that day)
We were thirsty and wanted to stop for a cold drink (even a
mini mart) and even after asking he proceeded to talk about the next thing he
was leaning on. He asked a question, and I answered that until I get something
to drink, I'm not going to care about anything. Greg found a mini-mart and we
proceeded on with the tour. For us, instead of hearing someone lecture on
history we'd rather be touring the Royal Palace instead of just seeing the
outside.
After the Old Jewish Quarter, we grabbed a taxi to Small Square
(that we had seen a bit of last night) and ended in Main Square. I had hoped he
would point out the various buildings, but he just left us there. I think we
were to have toured there, but it was already a couple of hours past the time
our tour should have ended, and I think he got the message that we had had
enough.
We walked back to the Palace to see what we could see at
such a late hour before it closed, and the full tour was not doable, but we
could get a combo ticket for the Royal Private Apartments & the State
Rooms. (we’d hoped for the full tour, but time didn’t allow)
When we were at the Palace, he told us what we could come
back and see in the afternoon. He really pushed us to see the beautiful
tapestries and while they were beautiful, I think he oversold them. Knowing
that we wanted to come back and do that I thought he might try to "wrap it
up" quicker but the guiding style didn't change. He liked to repeat the
same things over and over.
We walked back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. GFP had made dinner reservations for us with a place that
had live music. (we found out transportation wasn’t included so we grabbed an
Uber) It was in Small Square that we had found last night. Our table was in an
unfortunate spot. It seemed nice seated at an intimate table next to the fishpond
and small water wheel, but it was also right next to the Kiddie Corner with
lots of toys and things. (and of course parents let their kids scream and play so they can enjoy their time without them) It also wasn’t anywhere near where the live music was
so we couldn’t see them and barely could hear them. To be honest, we couldn’t
tell when they took a break, and the house music was playing. The food and
service were both very good. Just the location of our table tainted our opinion
of the restaurant. After a long day of a mono-tone guide filling our heads with dates and facts, the loud busy kids were the icing on the cake.
We walked around Small & Main Squares enjoying the ambiance. We walked past St. Mary’s Basilica and the historical trade pavilions of the Cloth Hall before walking back to the hotel via a slightly different route.
We've traveled a lot and for us the best guides adapt to the client and tell interesting stories that make you want to listen. (as the guides did at the Salt Mine, Auschwitz, Schindler's Factory and at Czestochowa and Jasna Gora and the Viking tours that we did) Short concise info with time for photos. If people want long lectures they can go online or take a course in history. I do appreciate the passion some guides have for their country, but some are better lecturers than guides. After a while I just tune out and miss knowing what we are seeing. I guess it's more that I don't remember since there wasn't an interesting story told to bring it to life, just monotone facts and dates.
Tomorrow, we will visit Wieliczka Salt Mine & Auschwitz.
Krakow https://photos.app.goo.gl/eUooZ4Kc9V9kvUzE6
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