krakow, day two: get outta town / panoply of pączki

To escape the tourists in the old town, we decided to spend our second day in Krakow outside of the city center. First we headed to Nowa Huta, which Wikipedia says is "one of only two planned socialist realist settlements or districts ever built." It was conceived of as an ideal city, with a street layout inspired by parts of Paris and London, although most of the buildings belonged decidedly east of the Iron Curtain.

We grabbed a few sweets from a sidewalk cukiernia, including the first pączki (filled doughnut) of the day, then began zig-zagging through streets and alleys. It was fascinating and even beautiful, with lots of green spaces, courtyards, and varied architecture. We also found a few interesting churches, most with some connection to Pope John Paul II, who grew up in Krakow. (The church with the boat on top was built partly thanks to his efforts to persuade the anti-church Socialist government of the time.)

We trammed back to the Old Jewish Quarter to grab some zapiekanki, a big open-faced baguette sandwich topped with mushrooms and melted cheese, plus various other ingredients. We both asked for pickles on ours, and they came with a really significant number of pickles. Also, B had her second pączki from a place around the corner. (It ended up being her favourite one.)

Next, we took a tram & bus about an hour out of town, in the opposite direction of Nowa Huta, to a monastery called the Benedictine Abbey of Tyniec. It's a very old place (originally founded in the 1040s), but it was mostly reconstructed after WWII. It sits on a small cliff over a river, and the misty sunset was maybe the most beautiful I've ever seen. (The photos look altered, but if anything I had to tone them down from their original colours.)

Back in the city, we got very good pierogies from a corner shop that was barely more than a pick-up window, then got two more pączki from a window in a pedestrian underpass. Unlike the earlier two, which had the traditional rose-flavoured filling, these were enormous glazed things with caramel and nutella filling, respectively. They went well with the beer we'd bought from the monks, although I may never eat sugar again.