I had no idea what to expect when coming to Poland. Who could have prepared me for the myth, the legend that is Poland. I almost don’t want to tell you what to expect because I might ruin the pleasant surprise.

Kraków, a place of dragons, pierogi and of course Vodka. I loved it! I learnt that this medieval town has so much history and trickery.

So if you dare, here are my smashed expectations. Don’t read on if you want to break them for yourself.

Tales and Legends– Kraków has an interesting history with of stories of elbow-high Kings, victories, conquerers and dragons. It just so happens that the tale of the Kraków dragon has been my favourite so far, so here’s how it goes:

Long ago, a dragon lived in a cave in the kingdom of Kraków. He was a dragon just like any other; fire breathing, fierce and hungry. He had a particular taste for virgin maidens. I guess he was a picky eater. If food was scarce the dragon would search out a delicious virgin to satisfy his hunger. As you can imagine this was a slight issue for the town, not to mention the virgins. Before long the maidens got wise to this fact and were married off.  Because that was the trade off; either be married or eaten. Finally, only one virgin maiden remained. That was the daughter of the king; the princess. 

This disturbed the King and he needed to protect his daughter. So he put out the decree; anyone who could defeat the dragon could have her hand in marriage. Which, when you think about it, marriage would have solved the problem anyway-but that wouldn’t be as epic I suppose.

So valiant knights and brave young men tried to slay the dragon without success. Until a shoemaker devised a cunning plan. He stuffed some sheep full of sulfur and offered it to the dragon. The dragon of course devoured the offering and due to the sulfur grew extremely thirsty. He went down to the river to quench his thirst however it was not quenched. So the dragon drank more and more until… POP! He exploded from all the water he drunk.

The shoemaker was granted the princess’ hand and they fell instantly in love and lived happily ever after….After they cleared the dragon debris of course. 

Yes, I know what your thinking, there are a few holes in the story, I agree. But you can’t beat an exploding dragon, can you?

Prices– I thought Prague was cheap, but I was delighted to find that Poland was even more affordable! Now I realise you have to be careful because it’s all relative. But for a traveller it was simply wonderful!

Below is some of the traditional polish food and the prices:

Meat platter feast: featuring sausage, Pierogi, cabbage stuffed with meat, schnitzel, pork knuckle, more pork and chicken. Plus the bread and spread we filled up with before this came out!

50PLN or $18 each

Oscypek: Grilled sheep cheese with cranberry sauce. You pick this up as a snack at the markets. So good!

4PLN or $1.50

The cholestoral sandwich: I’m not sure what the traditional name for this is, but it’s another thing I picked up at the markets. It’s a think piece of toasted bread with lard spread,  onions, sausage and pickles. It was literally dripping down my face and arms and you should probably take a bath after eating one.

19PLN or $6.80

Obwarzanak: These are everywhere and people eat them every hour of the day.

1.50PLN or $0.55

Zapiekanka: Street food that you can find in the Jewish quarter. Basically a pizza on a half baguette. Extremely filling and rather good. I only got half, so you can imagine the size of a full one!

6PLN or $2

Hot chocolate– Hi, I’m Dom, and I’m a chocoholic. OK, I don’t know how it happened but I’ve taken to drinking hot chocolate a lot lately. At first it was to keep warm, but since it’s been warming up I’ve realised it’s turned into a slight addition. The hot chocolate that I’ve had in Europe so far have been ridiculous; more like drinking melted chocolate. Not anything like the Cadbury chocolate power crap. I thought for sure this time in Kraków I would be dissapointed. But, to my plesant surprise, what I received was the next level.

I was not expecting to get a hot chocolate so thick that it actually had to be ‘drink’s with a spoon. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it hot chocolate pudding, but I don’t mind. If you want the same experience head to Karmello Chocolate Cafe.

Underground– I was shocked to find that Kraków has an underground museum showing the remains of the old market place. A market place under a market place. Marketception. Apparently back in the day the Polish people weren’t the most hygienic and would create layer soon layer of filth rather then cleaning it away. After centuries of this, what they have is a market place on top of the old underground one. You can go to the museum and see how it all works.

People and pierogi– I think everyone should have polish grandparents. Not to replace your existing ones but as a bonus third set. They would make sure that you never go hungry and would probably stuff you full of Pierogi.

Pierogi is a Polish dumpling and I did not expect to be eating dumplings. But they are so good! Some would go so far to say that ‘Pierogi is life’. If you get it from the right place you’ll understand that statement. The best place I had Pierogi was a charming milk bar called U Babci Maliny. Here I could pretend that I did have Polish grandparents.

Culture– The Kraków culture is traditional yet hip, beautiful and rough around the edges. I loved learning about their history. They are another country that have been through a lot.

Salt mines– Didn’t expect to be going to some salt mines. They are pretty cool. The Wielicza Salt Mines are the oldest working mines in the world. It’s pretty fascinating to see how it all works. There are amazing sculptures carved by the miners in underground chapels that are hard to believe. There are even chandiliers made of pure salt. Now there aren’t any photos because you have to pay extra (and I’m not about that) so you’ll have to discover it for yourself.

Schindler’s factory– My only knowledge of Schindler prior to my visit to Kraków was that there was a movie called Schindler’s List. So, I listened to the e-book on the bus on the way into Kraków. I didn’t anticipate such an interesting true story of overcoming against all odds. I visited his factory and thought it was one of the best muesuems showing the stories of the Jew’s facing the terrors of the Second World War. I highly recommend reading or listening to the book and going along.

Jewish Quarter– What a cool place! Definitely didn’t expect the trendy yet grungy vibe. I had an Israeli coffee and it was delicious!such a cool place to hang out!

Kościuszko– I didn’t expect to be conquering Mound Kościuszko! OK, so it’s not the famous mountain in Australia. But is the mound that is a monument to the man that founded the mountain. And it is still a trek! It also has beautiful views!

Veganism– In a country who’s cuisine is dominated by meat I was surprised to find so many hip organic, vegan or vegetarian places about. I thought I’d take advantage of this because I’m at that point where my body is longing for some vegetables. There is only so much sausage one can eat! The funnest part about this vegetarian craze is that in Polish the v’s and w’s are reversed so it’s Wegies 😂!

I found an awesome place right outside my hostel called Veganic. Usually I would only be able to afford to look at the menu at a place like this, but bless Poland because the exchange rate made everything affordable. I even splurged and got a soup and drink along with my main (watch out big spender!) I ordered the sour rye soup, a Polish specialty, but with tofu instead of sausage. Then for my main I had celery ‘steak’with grilled vegetables and groats. It tastes so much better then it sounds,  again breaking expectations. Finally I got a shot of vodka to sip, cause hey, I’m in Poland.

The whole experienced made me realise how much I miss healthy eating. So here is an open letter to vegetables:

Dear Vegetables,

I’m sorry it’s been so long,  I’ve missed you.  I know now that I’ve taken you forgranted all these years. I ate you so often and with everything. You were always there for me on my plate.  I know I may have had my favourites. Sweet potato, mushrooms, zucchini, you know who you are.

I must confess I’ve been seeing a lot of meat lately. Sausage in Germany and duck in Prague. I won’t lie, it’s been fun, and satisfying, but I know it can’t last. You’re the only food group that I want for the long haul.

Also, my relationship with bread has changed I know. It’s just different over here, better. My eyes have been opened. Pastry has been around a lot too. I’ve been eating it more often and more of it. I hope you can understand.

But dear Vegies, at the end of the day I love the way you make me feel. Meat and bread can’t make me feel the way you do. I feel lighter, fresher, like a new. So at the end of the day, your what I want and need.

Hope to eat you again soon,

Dom

Step count: 704 364

Next destination: Vienna