Wednesday, May 5---Today we get our bearings in the Old Town or Stare Miasto of Krakow. Our guide is Barbara Zaniewska. She's professionally trained and licensed by the wojewodztwo. To get the lay of the land, we follow the Royal Route. This is the path the kings would take when entering Krakow to go for coronation at Wawel Cathedral. They began at Kleparz, originally a town close to the city walls, then to the Barbican, down Florianska Street, passing the Basilica of St. Mary or Mariacki, then down Grodzka street, and up the hill to the Wawel. In the soft mist, we cross the Rynek or Market Square to Wislna and Golebia streets and head to Collegium maius, the oldest university building. Inside its courtyard, we wait to see the glockenspiel. There's a soft rain and it's not too cold, so we and other tourist groups are not too wet. Then out and around the Planty, the park that rings the Old Town, to Wawel and up the hill to the Cathedral. Students climbed up to the Zygmunt bell and touched it for good luck.
The day ends with a combination Italian and Polish cuisine dinner at Corleone in Poselska St. and the first tentative experiments with Zubrowka, Polish vodka flavored with bison grass. The atmosphere is wonderful. After dinner, some of us head off to Wedel's chocolate shop for dessert---a great place on a damp night.
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