Days 139 to 143: Five Days in Kraków

I had planned to stay in Kraków for three days, but I ended up staying for five thanks to the generosity of my Warmshowers host Wiktor.

The first day, I didn’t do anything but rested. I only went out to get food in the Kazimierz neighborhood, which is the Jewish quarters in Kraków that I’m staying at.

On the second day, I visited the Old Town again and bought a ticket to go inside the Wawel Cathedral. The same ticket granted me access to the Cathedral Museum and Muzeum Archidiecezjalne w Krakowie, where it housed Pope John Paul II memorabilia. I also went inside many churches, but most of them prohibited photography.

On the third day, I decided to put some sealant in the back tire of my bike. I was supposed to do a refill every three months or so since my tires are tubeless. I made the mistake of not turning my bike upside down when I was releasing the air from the tire. So when it came time to fill the sealant, it all leaked out due to the weight of the bike and I made a big mess. I had to order a bottle of Orange Endurance sealant from Amazon.pl. Good thing it arrived today and I was able to successfully put the sealant in both of my tires. Without the proper amount of sealant or if the sealant was all dried up, the tire can leak air if something punctures it. So having enough liquid sealant in the tire is paramount for tubeless tires.

Yesterday, I rode my bike to Zakrzówek Park where there is a large clear lake. Then I cycled to Krakus Mound and saw Kraków from the top of a mound. Lastly, I went to the Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory. The movie Schindler’s List is based on Oskar Schindler. Even though I didn’t watch the movie, I thought it was important to visit this place. I had to stand in line for an hour and half and I wasn’t too happy about the wait. I ended up spending only about 45 minutes inside the museum.

Today, I didn’t go out except to get some food. I tried to estimate my time in the Schengen Area since I can only stay for 90 days in a 180 day period. I think I just have barely enough time to get out of the Schengen Area by early November if I cycle to Athens, Greece. But I’ve been riding fewer miles on average and taking more rest days. I’m not sure if I want to rush to Greece. I might just go to Vienna, Austria, and take a flight there to Southeast Asia. Another option is to cycle to Rome, Italy, since it’s closer in distance than Athens. I’m still not sure about my plan.

Staying in Kraków for five days was unexpected, but it was definitely a much needed rest. Maybe I’m beginning to get tired of cycling since I look forward to my rest days, or perhaps I’m shifting into a slow travel mode, I’m not sure.

The weather has been very weird. For two days, the temperatures was around 85F then today the temperature dropped to 56F. Autumn has officially begun. It’ll be around this temperature for the next week at least.

Tomorrow morning, I leave for Oświęcim, which is about 50 miles away. It’s famous for the Auschwitz concentration camps. I will stay for two nights at a hostel so I can visit the three camps the day after.

Corpus Christi Basilica

Inside the basilica

Wawel Royal Castle during the day

Wawel Cathedral

Wawel Cathedral from below

One of several bells at the bell tower

Tombs at the Wawel Cathedral

Plac św. Marii Magdaleny

Statue at Plac św. Marii Magdaleny

St. Andrew's Church during the day

Saints Peter and Paul Church during the day

Rynek Główny, apparently it's the largest market plaza in Europe.

St. Mary's Basilica

Adam Mickiewicz Monument

Another view of the plaza

Strawberry pierogies

Kraków Barbican

St. Florian's Gate

Street signs in Old Town

At an electronic music show

Plac Wolnica, the plaza near my Warmshowers host's place

Zakrzówek Park

The view of Kraków from Krakus Mound

The long line at Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory

The only photograph I took at Oskar Schindler's Enamel Factory

Rynek Główny at night

My Warmshowers host Wiktor looking very serious. LOL!

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