Day 131 - Krakow - A night out

Today was mainly about working in the hotel but tonight has been pleasant.  The Polish colleague I have been over here to meet, came over to the hotel so we could work together and I could explain about the project I have been working on and that he is about to join.  When we finished some hours later, he suggested that we should go into the town and have a look around and get a bite to eat in a local Polish restaurant.  It didn't take much for me to be persuaded, so at 6.00 p.m. or just after, when my last meeting had finished, we jumped into his car and he took us the 5 kilometers or so to the center of the old town.  To describe the town would be to say it is very much like Prague in the Czech Republic.  I was informed there are approx 40 churches in the center of the city and with the old buildings that must have been around for a couple of hundred years the place looked very impressive.  Firstly we walked through, what I was told, was the largest city square in Europe, it was pretty big to be fair, then through a small market and onward toward the castle.  It was really nice and as we walked around the castle perimeter we walked alongside the River Wisla, which is the main river of Poland starting at the southern end of Poland and finishing when it enters the Baltic Sea.  Walking alongside the river we saw a statue of a dragon and whilst it was not lit (at this time of year it is dark around 6.30 p.m.) I was trying to take a photograph when fire shot out of its mouth, this apparently happens about every few minutes and looks really good especially in the dark.
After that bit of excitement we continued back toward the old town and our guide found this very small looking restaurant and declared it a good one for us.  Once through the very small opening it was quite a big place and very busy.  We sat in the downstairs area which was pretty much a cellar.  It had traditional Polish dishes so it was nice to try something new.
We ordered and before the starter came the waiter brought what was labeled as lard and a basket of bread.  It was effectively dripping which I had had before as a kid but this version had bits of meat in.  When spread on the bread it tasted just the same as bread and dripping.
The starter arrived and I had chosen Polish Pate Pickled Pear, which i suppose if you can't order it, you don't get served any more alcohol, but as I was having coke it was OK.  The pate was very nice and the cranberry sauce made it especially good.  the pear was a little more strange as it had a very peppery taste and not really to my liking.  I am now turning into a food critic.  I had chosen for the main course, chicken fillet with salad and three boiled potatoes.  I thought a safe bet after the extravagance of Polish Pate and Pickled Pear.  The chicken was a big piece and cooked very well, similar to how I am used to it at home.  The food was very good but there was no temptation for a desert so we paid the bill and left.
At this point I suppose I should point out another error of the week.  Before heading to Poland I stocked up with a usual supply of Euros, only to find that Poland have not joined the euro world and still use vlots or whatever they call them.  This has caused a bit of a problem as I have no cash only what I can spend on my card, but we seem to be getting through as my Nottingham colleague made the same error, it shows I am not the only uneducated one amongst us.
The night was a real pleasure and Krakow is a very nice city, I have only explored a very small area but what I have seen has been impressive and can understand why it is a tourist city and does get visitors from literally all over the world.  The hotel is currently full of Chinese and we think Turks or people from Israel.
We got back to the hotel around 9.00 p.m. and just in time for the Poland England game to start.  We decided to partake in our free welcome drink voucher we had received upon our arrival yesterday and watch the match in the bar area of the hotel.  It wasn't all that busy as there are no English or Poles in sight so when England scored there was no emotion showed either way.  At half time I called it a night and thought I better get back to the room and get a few bits and pieces I need to prepare for tomorrow done and that is where I am now at almost 1.00 a.m., finishing this off before hitting the bed.

night all
A selection of photo's taken from our walk around the old town

The first is a view from the square 

A tower at the edge of the square that is the correct way up in real life

Two views of the market and the nice bits and pieces they sell, no good for me as I dont have any of the local currency

Another church which looked very nice lit up, outside a girl was singing in an operatic voice as people listened and gave money.

Not a good shot but you can make out the dragon just as the fire erupted from its mouth

And finally, a horse and trap passing. There are a lot of these "taxis" to take people around the area