I've never been to Poland but I found a link at pbase for some photos.Krakow I have a difficult time deciding what gear to take with me when I travel. Usually, I'm traveling with non-photographers and they are somewhat impatient (see as much as you can and shoot while walking) so I scale down my gear to the minimum. (I'm usually whining, though, "I wish I had my tripod", etc.)
Here are links to my travel photos:
Belgium
they aren't using the euro yet, so as far as US$$ go the exchange earlier this summer was about 2:1 - yet the cost of things was about at par with US prices.
if you're going to be there through the night, i'd check out 'jazz club muniaka' just a short distance from the town center. actually on one of the side streets off town center.
their site is busted - but here's some info. there is a cover charge. 10 zloty i think ( $5 us )
jazz club
it's down an alley way and down in a basement. not easy to spot. but i thought it was a pretty cool place.
i'd also check out 'three peppers pizzaria' very tasty, and made right in front of you. also on one of the side streets off town center.
in the town center there is the 'cloth hall' ( big yellow building in the middle ) sort of a flea market of sorts. worth a walk through anyway.
Wawel Castle is pretty cool, but you have to pay for everything, and most areas are off limits to cameras, and even back packs...
if you want a bar off the beaten path - look in to 'propaganda' in the jewish quarter. - near 'bagel mama' ( also worth checking out ).
i brought a 30d, 430ex, 70-200f:4 L, 17-40 f:4L, and the usual accesories. also a sony laptop. i felt safe there even well after dark, solo, lost, off the beaten path, and quite drunk ;}
couple photos from krakow ( and Lubien another town we stayed in ), have a ton to go through. July 2008
krakow
Krakow is an amazing city - it's been 5 years since I've been there last. Prices have shot up since then, used to be able to buy a beer for 75 cents! Also, I didn't have an SLR, only a crappy kodak advantix, hah. It, along with Prague, were 2 of the only major East Euro cities not destroyed in the war... lots of old charm all around.
The town square, or 'rynek', had a ton of clubs and was pretty bustling at night when I visited. I don't recall any specifics as to where I went, but I speak Polish so it was easy for me to meet people (also they were some of the few people that still liked Americans back then...) and so I hooked up a with a group of kids and wandered around town with them.
I stayed at hostels a few times throughout Europe - I would never leave your camera in anything unlocked. Sleep with it if you have to, take it to bars if you have, not the biggest deal. Seeing if your insurance covers your gear while abroad might be worth looking into also. The city itself is very safe as I recall, lots of students, lots of young people, very vibrant.
I don't know if you have the time, but there are quite of a few VERY worthwhile day trips to be taken from Krakow. If you're interested in this sort of thing, Auschwitz was one of the places that I will forever remember visiting. It is 50km west of Krakow, worth a day trip. The Tatra mountains are 100km south, also worth a day trip (or stay the night) for the expansive views and the traditional 'mountainfolk' environment. Wieliczka is a salt mine within the city limits I believe that has been converted into something of a tourist destination, you take an elevator a mile underground and see these expansive tunnels and cool salt carvings - also a memorable experience.
Sorry I dont have much in the way of specifics for the city itself, have a sick trip, come back with pics. I'm very envious.
i was there this summer and didn't really like the old centre, sure there are some nice old buildings and churches and shit, but it's just too crowded and touristy for my taste. what i did like was the old yewish quarter called kazimierz, about a 20 minutes walk south of the old town centre (you'll pass the wawel castle on your way). there are lots of old pups and restaurants, and it feels a lot more authentic.
if you're into history you should check out the nearby Plaszow concentration camp, a haunting place that was also portrayed in the movie "Schindler's list".
just have an open eye for all the photogenic people wandering around
and especially this guy who use to hang around the old rynek:
though the town center area IMO - and krakow in general - is much less touristy than prague...
Originally posted by Mephisto:
what i did like was the old yewish quarter called kazimierz, about a 20 minutes walk south of the old town centre (you'll pass the wawel castle on your way). there are lots of old pups and restaurants, and it feels a lot more authentic.
you got cloth hall on the far left, and the town center with the woman and sacred pigeons in the middle...
