I spent a week in Krakow and a week in Warsaw working and exploring Poland for the first time. Somewhat surprisingly, after hearing many people tell me I would prefer historic Krakow to a “bland” Warsaw, I actually enjoyed Warsaw more. Krakow is the city that wasn’t destroyed during World War 2 and so all of the old, historic architecture is still in place. And perhaps it’s charming — but at this point feel that I’ve seen so many charming European city centers that they all seem rather the same. Krakow is charming enough to attract multitudes of tourists (like me!) who traverse the historic districts in golf carts with guides (not like me!) who point and explain the charming histories of the neighborhoods. I avoided the tour route and instead chose to experience Krakow culture by eating mountains of perogies — the pillowy-soft polish dumplings that come filled with just about everything: meat, cheese, fruit. I liberally spread sour cream on top of them and ate them by the dozen. Their appeal may be hard to appreciate without savoring yourself, but I’ll try to translate such a sensory experience into words: perogies have a warm, gummy-soft, chewy exterior that […]
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