Image © tberton
I was too busy over the weekend (pre-Xmas gathering of friends in Hampshire, great food, lovely companion) to realise The Observer had a nice piece on Kraków and its annual exhibition of the best Christmas cribs in the main square.
In fact, the cribs were just an excuse for a page-long piece on how to enjoy yourself over a couple of days in Kraków. Light on the culture and history, heavy on entertainment and food.
Strangely, the piece is not available on their site, so let me quote directly from the paper:
Kraków hosts a vibrant Christmas market for most of December, but what makes it different is ‘Szopki’, a unique competition of nativity cribs. These are delicate handmade recreations of the city’s baroque churches and gothic cathedrals – some reaching 2m in height – that everyone, from schoolkids to pensioners, spends months labouring over. They are displayed in the Market Square on the first Thursday of December and the winners are then shown in the Historical Museum.
Szopki can be really elaborate, mind-blowing creations, they can be small and tacky, but they are such an unique part of the landscape in Kraków, you simply have to see them.
The Observer piece uses this short intro to give people bite-sized tips about Kraków – what to see, where to stay (‘Hotel Copernicus – this is where everyone stays’), where to have a coffee, go shopping, dining and clubbing.
I’m glad they also mentioned my favourite place in Kraków – well, one of many. It’s a small cafe in a really magical corner of the city, just off the main square, right opposite atiny church in the narrow St. Thomas Street. It’s called Cafe Camelot (images above and below) and as The Observes says,
You’ll find today’s arty crowd hanging out in Cafe Camelot. Apart from the fab cheesecake and mulled wine, there is alternative cabaret and live jazz or gypsy music in the cellar most evenings.
One thing the paper fails to mention is the window. As you enter the cafe, there’s a window in a recess to your left. They’ve managed to squeeze a small round table with lace tablecloth in there and two chairs. For me it’s the most romantic place in Kraków, I could sit in that window all night and forget about the world.
Next time you and your loved one are there, grab the table, get some red wine and listen to the music from the cellar. It’s pure magic…
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