I flew to Krakow from 7th until 12th of November in 2021.
I wanted to get away. I have been a massive fan of travelling since I was a teen and find trips away very inspiring.
There were a few reasons why I chose Krakow. I had loosely planned to travel to Poland with a Polish friend and our daughters a few years ago but we never got around to it. I knew that it was affordable and I knew that Krakow had a huge amount of history. There was no doubt I would find some inspiration there and I also chose an AirBnB with a bathtub so I could have a soak everyday so I was even more excited to get there, having only had access to a shower for the past 4 years.
My airbnb was very close to the train station and the old town. I connected with a few locals and was given some great tips on places to go. There were flea markets to visit, local delicacies to find and street art to hunt down. Along with this, I planned my days around getting to the museums and galleries I wanted to visit, via independent coffee shops and bakeries.
I arrived on the Sunday and headed straight to Hala Targowa, a flea market. There were lots of old soviet era items. One of the locals I chatted to called it "The Trash Market".
I spotted a Jersey souvenir there too. You are never far from home!
The city is small enough to walk most places if you have the time. I also got brave and jumped on the trams too. There was plenty of street art to be seen and the more I looked, the more I saw a "fishman" pop up everywhere. I found out the artists name and hunted him down on instagram, he was also a tattooist so I got myself a souvenir of my time from him.
Whilst I was there, a protest happened one evening in response to a woman losing her life after being denied an abortion. The following day there were signs left up in businesses that supported the protest. Ani Jedna Wiecej translates as "Not One More".
I also spotted a lost post it note and a shopping list on my travels too. I am always drawn to handwritten notes.
I was able to visit the following exhibitions:
MOCAK - Museum of Contemporary Art Krakow on 9 November 2021
National Museum Krakow on 10 November 2021 - POLISH NATIONAL STYLES 1890–1918
& 11 November 2021 - URSULA VON RYDINGSVÄRD. NOTHING BUT ART
Above is only a snippet of some of the key moments and inspirations. I took over 1200 photos whilst there. The main themes that came away were test, street art, layers of text and art over old, crumbling walls. The food was incredible. I spent time reflection on personal issues. This was my first trip away sober without any alcohol and Krakow had a great selection of alcohol free options so I was very happy whilst there. I was able to completely absorb myself into my surroundings there and felt very comfortable, almost like I had come home. I will certainly be back to explore more in the future.