Our second day in Krakow began with a late start (as it should on holidays) and we returned to the Stary Kleparz market to find the constituents of today's lunchies. It was a bit sultry and probably not the ideal conditions for displaying perishables but the goods on offer must have been especially fresh as they were coping fairly well in the heat. However, I still don't think I would have bought the fresh cheese that was happily sitting on the trestle tables for fear of dying from bowel-related complications. Each to their own, I say!Never one to say no to an authentic sausage, Smee makes his purchase.
We took a detour home via the Florian Gate to make our purchase for the Auschwitz-Birkenau and Salt Mine tours. With competition rife, we managed to get our tickets for the bargain total of 199 Polish Zloty (approx £43) each.
I do feel a little bad for one agent who spent much time explaining our tours only to have us leave the store in search of an ATM because they didn't accept Amex. We told her we would return! We couldn't find an ATM and instead went to another agent who accepted our credit card with glee. 
On our way back to our apartment we hunted down some giant beers.
The advantage of going to a 'local's market' is that the food tends to be locally sourced (duh) and sold by the farmer or at least sold by someone who separates the farm from the general public by a only 1 or 2 degrees. The advantage of local produce speaks for itself - an abundance of food selling for cheap! Smee and I were in chanterelle mushroom heaven which were selling for the seriously stupid price of £2 per kilo. Wtf.... of course we bought a kilo. Nearby chanterelle heaven was cherry heaven which were going for £1 per kilo. Yep, we bought a kilo of cherries too. So sweet..... so fresh. Mmmmm..... Back at our apartment, Smee served up the sausages with a bit of garlic butter on the chanterelles and we munched on the cherries to top it off. To burn off the calories we walked to Wawel Castle which hmmm in comparison to other European castles wasn't particularly impressive from the outside. We didn't go inside as it had shut for the day (so I really shouldn't be making judgment) but I don't think I missed out on much.
The path to the castle grounds and the gate entrance.
The castle grounds and me so happy to be at the back of the castle.
Just in case you were lost, here is a sign pointing you in the correct direction of Frankfurt, Bordeaux, Edinburgh, Seville and other cities.
That's one way to paint car.
Unsurprisingly, Kazimierz was for the most part of the 20th century a run down neighbourhood. It's only been recently that the Krakovians have given the area a bit of a face lift and it is now it is where you can find some modern, funky bars.
People sitting at your normal everyday bar.... but on closer inspection, the table where you put you drink is actually a sewing table! Cool eh?
Kazimierz was also one of the filming locations for Schindler's List but we didn't seek out any significant filming sites nor join one of the golf cart tours who would happily point them out.Whilst wandering through the side streets, you couldn't help but feel a little sad to see the remnants of the Jewish settlement which had otherwise thrived here until WWII. Most buildings had obviously seen better days. However, looking on the bright side, it was nice to see that the former ghetto is undergoing revitalisation.
The Old Synagogue and one of the restaurants, Ariel.
Smee and I then walked to Galeria Kazimierz via the backstreets, walking past two cemeteries. Not a path to take for the easily spooked. It wasn't a terribly long walk but we were pretty happy to see a shopping centre oasis at the end of it. One thing that we realised while in Krakow - the Poles work really hard! Shopping centres while relatively deserted remain open until 10pm on most nights!
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