Where To Stay in Krakow, Poland!

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers!

Happy February!  January flew by!  I have been traveling a lot for work which means less time for LilyOnTheLam posts.  I am thinking of taking a blog writing break until the summer, so if you don't see any recent updates you will know why!

As I have been working several times in Europe lately, I have made it my mission to knock off a few European countries off my bucket list.  I have been to most of the Western European countries - so in the last several months I was able to cross off Hungary, Austria, Slovakia and now POLAND off my list of countries to see.

I have always wanted to check out Poland - as I am half-Polish, but I was scared because I didn't speak the language.   However after spending time in Hungary and Slovakia (not to mention Russia), I have found that I do just fine in countries where I cannot speak (or even read - as it is the case in Russia) the language.  And a GIGANTIC reminder to myself not to let fear stand in the way of anything you want to do.  I am so glad I finally was able to go to Poland and I hope to see Warsaw soon.

I had a long weekend, so I hopped over to Krakow, Poland to check out the scene.  I chose Krakow because it has a vibrant old city center and is a very walkable city.  

I stayed at the Sheraton Krakow Hotel which I HIGHLY recommend.  It is next to Wawel Castle (pronounced Vah-vull) and the swan-laden Vistula (Polish: Wisla) River.  

Side shot of Wawel Castle and the Vistula River in the morning

Chess pieces in front of the Vistula River with Wawel Castle in the background

Seriously, am I being mooned by swans?

It is in walking distance of the main market square, the fire-breathing dragon statue, the aforementioned Castle, as well as many good shops, restaurants and seventeen million 24 hour alcohol stores.  Which are labeled "Alkohole" which makes me think of the words "alcohol" and "asshole" mashed together!   

Don't be a mobster or an alkohole!

This statue is supposed to breathe fire every 10-15 minutes, but it was COLD
when I was there so I just bought a postcard of it breathing fire instead!

The Sheraton's location is fantastic - and when I arrived in my club level room, I found two delightful surprises.... the best darn looking fruit plate....

and a toy that I thought was a Krakow-dile but turns out it is a dragon!

This toy from the Sheraton may have stowed away in my luggage back to America

People in Krakow love their dragons.  There are bones hanging next to Wawel Castle that are supposed to be dragon bones to ward off bad luck to the city - however supposedly one of the bones is from a whale.  Regardless of where the bones came from, the city was not destroyed in World War II so maybe the bones are good luck after all!

The Sheraton has an amazing breakfast buffet ... that fit my pro-starch, pro-carb political stance.  The breakfast buffet had TWO KINDS OF POTATO SALAD.  It might as well have been called "Welcome Home, Carb Lovin' Lily Buffet."  And who could say no to an abundant supply of champagne flutes filled with fruit, yogurt, bran flakes and pumpkin seeds?  Not this gal!  

I was humbled to visit Auschwitz at the 70th anniversary of when the Nazis started to evacuate the concentration camp (a week later was the 70th anniversary of the camp's liberation - a much more positive date).  I had visited the memorials at Dachau concentration camp when I was 19 years old.  

I went on a walking tour of the city and for those who love the movie Schindler's List, there are many places in Krakow that are in the movie.  

I had a lot of fun adventures in Krakow and hopefully one day I'll get caught up on my blog posts!  But in all seriousness, I am in the middle of packing for my next trip!  

If you are ever looking for a beautiful place to visit with warm people and good pierogi - check out Krakow, Poland and the Sheraton Krakow!