Cloudy skies, a cold chill, and grey pathways mark the beginning of day two here in Krakow. As if he knew about the group's tendencies with partying, out adviser gave us the morning to sleep. It did not do much good for me, as I was up by 9, the light penetrating the blinds, into the room, despite the cloudy overcast. After a cold shower, I had some breakfast, provided by the hotel, but it was a joke of a breakfast, to say the least. The buffet line constituted of bread, jelly, and cereal. Even the orange juice was an abomination, as it was made by mixing water with a packet of flavoring.  It was absolutely disgusting. After I choked that down, we met in our lobby at 11 a.m. Our first stop was a nearby square, populated with some bars, cafes, and shops. We visited some local Polish shops with the Jewish theme; this technique was employed as a tourist trap. There were some synagogues along the way, now deserted. We continued straight, hung a right, and entered the last building on the left of that block. It was a Jewish museum, and it told of the hardships at Auschwitz, the fate of the buildings that were once used for Jewish purposes, the location of several pits and mass graves, and some other miscellaneous information regarding the Jewish people in regards to the Holocaust. Once, we got through the museum, we decided to try and find Schindler's factory. After all, the movie, and thus, the events of history took place right here in Krakow. Steven Spielberg's hit film, "Schindler's List," was shot on sight here at Krakow, and the actual events of Schindler's brave crusade in regards to the Jews took place here as well, in the Ghetto of Krakow, across the river. We walked quite a distance to reach it; we crossed the river, walked alongside the river, passed through some sketchy areas of the city, and, finally, we came up to the museum that was, once, Schindler's factory. Unfortunately, being a Saturday, the museum was closed, so you can imagine my disappointment upon discovering this particular fact. We decided to turn around and head to the main square of Krakow. Thus, we retraced our steps back to the hostel, and then we turned and went the other direction and came upon the main square. While Krakow is not the capital of Poland, it, once, was the capital of the state it was in, when Poland was comprised of several states. Warsaw is now the capital of Poland, but Krakow is still referred to as "A mini Poland." The square was completely crowded, overpopulated, and a death trap to those without the knowledge of navigation. We were given the rest of the day to ourselves, to be used for exploration and whatever else we so desired. I broke off into a group that went to investigate the Cathedral in the square. To my advantage, the service that was underway was that of a Catholic nature. I understood the basics of it, despite the fact that it was in Polish. Some of the others that were in the group were confused as to some of the procedures undertaken during the service, such as the shaking of hands. I held my peace, but it was fun to know something that the others didn't, thanks to my father's questionable obsession with the Catholic faith. In fact, that is a tactic I have often employed upon this trip--holding my peace even though I could contribute what I know. I can't say I know why I do it, but I just do. After the inspection of the Cathedral, we visited some shops in the square. Of course, the prices were beyond respectable, so, naturally, we moved out of there fairly quickly. At that point, we were all pretty tired, and we decided to find a restaurant near our hostel. Along the way, we ran into several Halloween-themed "statues," or rather, what we thought were "statues." One of the members of our group got a bit too close, and they were in for quite a treat when they realized the still-nature of a statue did not confine this particular creature. We saw a reaper, the devil, and a Roman warrior in similar fashion. After a bit of walking, navigating through street after street, we came to a restaurant close to a bar, called Alchemia.  The food was good, but the experience lasted a total of 90 minutes. I was not impressed with the service there. Once I had had my fill, which had been my only meal for the day, I decided to head back to the hostel to rest, which is where I am now. I am hoping to go to Schindler's factory while we are here, but for now, all I know is that we are going to a castle tomorrow, and Auschwitz on Monday. I have noticed that there is a comment section on my blog page, so, if you desire, please comment, or leave me messages, and I will do my best to respond in turn. If I don't, I apologize, and please realize that it isn't you; it is me. I do get pretty busy from time to time, or I just forget to check the page, since the page you see and the page I am looking at right now to write this is completely different. It doesn't, even, have the same URL. Anyway, tread lightly, and I hope you have an exceptionally fantastic day. "May The Odds Be Ever In Your Favor!"
                                                                                   -Anthony-

Crossing the Bridge to get to Schindler's Factory

Entrance to Schindler's Factory has pictures of the Jewish workers.

The Legendary Gate to the Factory that saved thousands of lives.

The Cathedral in the Square.

Bad Lighting, but its a picture of the Catholic service in the Cathedral.