It was a quiet day of exploring in Krakow, interrupted only by the delicious indulgence of naptime midday.
First, the massive Galeria Krakowska with its 5 floors and 270 shops towers over the train station and includes familiar names like Levi, Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger along with its European clothiers Pull & Bear, Zara, and Humanica. Neither of us are mall folk so the visit was brief.
The rest of the day we wandered and people-watched.
The Polonians (earliest settlers to this lovely country) were plains people — agrarian, gentle, hard-working, tenacious and an easy target for takeover due to their land’s topography. Superpowers, like Germany and Russia, played tug-of-war while the Poles went quietly about their business, surviving whichever power is in place at the time.
Nowadays their young people make an exodus to other parts of Europe for work, while the older set stays behind, sustaining Polish tradition, maintaining strong Catholic ties (Krakow was home to Pope John Paul II) and keeping a watchful eye on the EU, suspicious yet hopeful.
Today’s photos capture the people.
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