I love this city!

Guys, I think I'm in love.

With Kraków, that is.

One of the most fun things about cities is that they're like people: they all have their own stories and individual character. Coming here, I honestly knew nothing about Kraków other than that it is super old and that Auschwitz is near it. But today I learned a lot about its history and had a chance to see some of its major landmarks, and it's an amazing place! Oh family of mine, I wish you could teleport yourselves over here . . . all day I kept thinking of how much you would enjoy this city.

I'm doing this post on my iPod and having to type on an itty-bitty keyboard, so I'll save the historical details for when I get back home to my computer with real keys. But basically, Kraków has a very long history dating back to before medieval times, and its architecture spans centuries.  Poland has experienced a lot of wars during its history, and you can still see some of the effects of those wars in the city today.  Marni and I spent the morning doing the free walking tour of the old city center, popped into a coffee shop at lunchtime, and then did the free walking tour of the former Jewish Quarter and ghetto. Very interesting and fun, but parts of the Jewish tour were quite sobering, too. We're doing Auschwitz tomorrow and I'm not entirely sure how I will respond to it . . . for sure it will be emotionally and mentally intense.

A few brief things about our day and I'll fill in the rest later:

• Kraków hot chocolate is amazing! Marni bought it from two different places today and we found out that it is super thick and bittersweet, almost like chocolate soup! You can eat it with a spoon!
• There are lots of cool outdoor markets around. Marni and I were wandering through them all day. 
• This hostel really is amazing--so homey! The breakfast was great, and tonight we got free dinner: more pierogi! Some were savory, with meat, and the others were sweet, with strawberry purée inside them. Yum!
• I also got to try venison sausage! Marni bought one at the outdoor market.
• Mom, there really is a trumpeter who plays out the window of the St. Mary's church tower every hour!
• The dragon is a symbol of Kraków because, according to legend, a fierce fire-breathing dragon once lived in the city.
• Both Nicolaus Copernicus and Pope John Paul II attended the university here!