Day 36 – Riding around Krakow and being a tourist

Day 36 – Riding around Krakow

Today started going to a bicycle shop to try to fix a little niggle I had in my pedals – when you do so many k’s on a bike and you get familiar with it you notice the little things. My shoes/or pedal is clicking a little with each pedal stroke – I thought it was the bearings in my pedal (which I still do think that) but the bike mechanic thinks it was the cleats. If I was at home i’d pull the pedal apart and regrease and re bearing it BUT theres a few tools I don’t have and I couldn’t convey that message to him – I didn’t want to undermine his 38 years of bicycle experience but I was right hah – it wasn’t the cleats!. I think I’ll just put up with it or maybe get some new ones on internet and send to my cuz over there – see how much they are first. At least I have spare cleats now – that’s a good thing.

Anyway off to the Schindler’s factory after that. It was really interesting. The museum is only 2 years old so it was a really tech savvy and a theatrical walk through of displaying Krakow under Nazi Occupation between the years of 39-45 and each room was a ‘stage’ of that.. The framework of the whole thing was really well designed. They had special designers for the artistic layout, stage designers and theatrical directors – they did a really good job. It goes in stages from the nazi take over of Krakow and blends in with Oscar Schindlers factory and you walk through the whole factory that’s been decorated with great audio and visual presentations and pieces of his factory and articles from the survivors. It really makes you feel like you were there. From speeches from the Nazis over the loudspeaker telling the people to evacuate to documentaries and a whole show of interesting memorabilia presented in a very artistic way to  sounds from army’s marching and ordering the Jews out and city noises – a story well told.

I ended up in my hostel after and cooked some food whilst preparing for the next couple days looking at my maps and getting ready to go out and meet Martino – can’t wait for that – I would put Krakow on the list to revisit or to anyone to experience it as a matter of fact and just walk around, soak it up, visit the oild and new parts, eat at a few places, get some advice from locals, but don’t cycle hehe.

Random Pic from brochure in Hostel

One adult for the Commy tour please ha ha – weird

One adult for the Commy tour please ha ha – weird

What the hell is the contraption on the back there

Entry booklet to Schindler’s factory

Photo’s of the people Schindler saved

Actual press that was used to make pots

Tickets and timestamp

Memorial at end of tour

Yup – that would scare me

Scary propaganda poster

Actual Nazi uniform from officer working in Krakow at the time

Schindler’s desk as is with map he left on wall

Pots the were made in Shindler’s factory

Schindler’s Factory

Schindler’s Factory – Nazi take over room

Jews forbidden

Hitler propaganda

Hitler Propaganda

Schindler’s Factory – Deportation of Jews to ghetto

Nazi takeover room

Nazi Mini Tank (that’s my educated name for it)

Nazi Memorabilia

Nazi memorabilia

Schindler’s Factory – The Nazi take over room 2

Schindler’s Factory – The Nazi take over room 1

Schindler’s Factory – Projectors through windows showing the old view – had that in a lot of windows – creative

Schindler’s Factory

The room I didn’t get – PHEWF!

View from my Hostel – 5 Star baby

Some sort of memorial in Krakow – had no signs or plaques

Krakow at night

Walking around Krakow at night

What the hell is on this bike?