It’s amazing to see a 9-year-old who’s taller than you by a mile, as Lloyd now is. Okay, he might actually be 17 now, but in my mind’s eye, he’s still a fourth grader who makes fantastic structures given a box of magna-tiles. The highlights of our Kraków visit were many but chief among them was reconnecting with the Allens (Emma, Elton, Lloyd and Cerys) and the Roys (Rachel, Neel, Ashima, Avi and Inika). Finn and Avi acted like long-lost soulmates—the crack-up-at-every-crack kind.
Experiencing it all in the old world style Christmas market in the historic Kraków old town was charming and filled our eyes and hearts with the cheer of the season—that and the Polish sausages and mulled wine. We gathered along an immense table in a cave our first evening. While waiting for lasagna and steak frites, Emma tried to teach us Welsh, the craziest language ever invented.
Our favorite meal, however, was possibly the one where we crammed along a couple of sofas at the airbnb flat and dined on take-out shawarmas and champagne imported by the Roys from Paris. We watched an awful-wonderful, very American Christmas movie (Daddy’s Home 2), thanks to Clara’s good taste.
We also saw art and learned about Poland’s hardships and history at the beautifully restored Wawel Royal Castle. On our last day, we braved Schindler’s factory-cum-museum, which was moving, shocking, cautionary. The Jewish quarter on our visit reflected the contemporary weight of the Jewish world: a banner asking to bring home the hostages.
Kraków was cheerful, quaint, super walkable over those cobblestone streets and full of delicious food. Tatum again gave escargot in garlic butter sauce her full support, Clara favored the ribeyes, I reconnected with my love of the flat white coffee and croissants, Kevin tried multiple pints, and Finn just likes food. He’s nonpartisan. The warmed outdoor cafés lit up by fairy lights, heat lamps and hanging lanterns were irresistible. We were charmed.
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