Krakow Pics

As I sit here still recovering from a soon-to-be-described bachelor party all-nighter that saw me arrive home at 6 a.m. this morning -- not to mention Italy's annoying UEFA loss to Spain today on penalty kicks -- I figured I'd post some overdue pictures that I took in Krakow a couple of months ago.

This first one is of Market Square, in the center of the Old City. It's one of the biggest squares in Europe, and it's surrounded by pubs, stores, restaurants, and a ton of tourists.



I think this church is where Pope John Paul II presided for a number of years before he became Pope. I'm really bad at paying attention to these kinds of historical details when I go on vacation. With a few exceptions, I'm not into visiting museums, ogling artifacts, and relearning history. For me, it's more about soaking up the culture and the scenery. But the former Pope hailed from Krakow and there were pictures of him everywhere. He was, as they say, Beloved in Krakow.



Lots o' churches, lots o' sidestreets, but the sun didn't always cooperate when it came to taking pictures. So it was either have some shadow or not take anything at all.







This is one of my favorites. All around Market Square, there were these attractive girls decked out in aristocratic riding attire who rode these carriages with tourists in the back seat. For some reason, they didn't seem as tacky as the handsome cabs in Central Park. But for all I know the Poles think these things are cheesy as hell. Just goes to show you: tourist is as tourist does.





Has anyone seen my head? I can't find it anywhere.



The outside of this big-ass castle near where Shamrock and I stayed. I don't know the name of it or any of the history, but it sure was purdy inside!





These dudes snuck up on me out of nowhere, like the Chuck Wagon in that old dog food commercial. I almost missed the picture entirely.



I'll bet this guy has seen a lot of shit in his time. Another one of my favorites.



Just two girls on a bench.



This is the front of Oskar Schindler's factory. It took a hike and a half to find this place because it was in an industrial part of the city, off the beaten path. You couldn't go inside the factory because they're renovating it to turn it into a museum. The second picture down shows the original doors to Schindler's factory, which were located behind the makeshift fence.





Turrets and leaves.



Two of many arched doorways in this beautiful city.



Okay... next up are my Auschwitz pics. But I'm really going to need to be in the mood for that.