It's Pronounced KRAH-kuv (with Zapiekanki)

Krakow's Wawel Castle has its own fire-breathing dragon, Smok Wawelski

I'm now in Krakow, the second part of my two-part holiday-vacation in Poland. Let's get this out of the way. It's pronounced "KRAH-kuv," with the second syllable rhyming with "love" or "shove." It is not "crack-COW," as in a bovine using the rock form of cocaine, rhyming with the words of "how now brown cow." And yet, if I try to pronounce it properly, I feel like one of those ultra-pretentious NPR announcers pronouncing Nicaragua "neeeeee-ka-RAWWWWWWWW-gwa."

So I'm in Krakow. Pronounce it whichever. The Poles won't mind. They're friendly people.

I'm not staying in the hotel inside the Old Town that I booked because the hotel that I booked did not re-open as planned on August 1. Rather than stage an uprising (August 1 ... uprising ... get it?), I let them re-book me in their sister hotel just outside the Old Town based on the promise I would get a free upgrade to a room with a castle view. Who could say no to a castle view? Not me, for one. The view of the castle (and the Vistula River) is quite nice.

I decided to take a walk to that castle that I could see while there was still some daylight (and before the a hard rain's a-gonna fall tomorrow and, probably, the day after), mainly to check out the fire-breathing dragon because I did not how successful he would be breathing out flames in a downpour. 

The first thing I saw was this sculpture. It's Pomnik Czynu Zbrojnego Żołnierzy Polski Walczącej. Seriously. That's what google maps is saying it is.

Meanwhile. I've got a castle beckoning me.

I liked that above picture, but the sky was not nearly that ominous. Yet.

Smok Wawelski was a short walk. The dragon is part of the legend of the founding of Poland. Seems there was this fire-breathing dragon who lived in a cave along the River Vistula. King Krakus wanted the dragon gone. All of the exterminators in the royal court were useless (or killed by said dragon during futile attempts at dragon-slaying). Then a young shoemaker appeared and asked for a cow carcass (hence the "cow" in the name "Krakow") (not!), a bunch of sulfur and some pitch. He stuffed the cow carcass with the sulfur and pitch. The dragon ate it and exploded like so much Zambelli fireworks. The castle was rid of its dragon infestation.

This is the view of the river from the castle grounds. You do have to agree that this spot on the River Vistula is a lovely place to live, whether you be human or dragon.

Castles do make great photo ops.

I'll probably do a castle tour at some point and get the low down on all of this, but, for now, content yourself with these pictures.

The castle sprawls.

And then, suddenly, you are in a giant courtyard.

And there's a moose.

I am guessing this is the cathedral on the castle grounds. Again, castle tour will be coming up in the day's ahead. Even if I had wanted to take a castle tour tonight, it would've been no dice. Last tour ended before I started my walking.

And this is my first John Paul II sighting in Krakow.

He is going to be all over Krakow. Like Jefferson in Charlottesville. Only with churches and cathedrals and not mansions.

And this is Tadeusz Kościuszko, who we also will be seeing more of in the days ahead.

Kościuszko is a war hero on both sides of the Atlantic. For Poland. And for the American Revolution.

Let's have another look, shall we?

Hansom cab alert!

I always break for hansom cabs. I'm sure Old Town Krakow is going to be positively lousy with hansom cabs.

And let's have one last visit with Smok Wawelski before my evening snack:

It was getting time to leave anyway. I was hungry. And I was the all-you-can-eat, all-you-can-drink buffet for the local bug population. Krakow is supposed to have great street food and there was this little stand just outside my hotel, the U Szwagra.

I ordered the zapiekanki, which is a Polish "fast food" item I wanted to try. This is zapiekanki:

I know the Poles of America do pierogi, but I am not aware of them cooking up zapiekanki. Think "Stouffer's French Bread Pizza." Fresh. Topped with ketchup instead of pizza sauce. Yet tasty. I enjoyed my zapiekanki. It's a baguette, topped with a mixture of cheese and mushrooms. Then a meat option. (I chose salami.) And topped with ketchup. It works.

Welcome to Krakow.