I have spent the last ten days in Kraków, camped out on a couch at my aunt and uncles’, sleeping, reading and watching Netflix. Yes, after weeks of bouncing around from city to city, Seville to Córdoba to Granada to Barcelona to Warsaw to a wild wedding here, it was time to slow my roll.
The truth is that every once in a while we all need some TLC and to just chill out. For months, when I wasn’t traveling, I was at least planning my next travels. I was barely sleeping, insisting that I’ll sleep when I’m dead. And, I had half a dozen books on my kindle, untouched.
So here I am, attempting to do nothing. Quite honestly, it’s one of the hardest things I’ve had to. I don’t really remember how to do nothing. Binge-watching Netflix has no appeal to me, especially since I’ve already finished Orange is the New Black, and sleeping-in is overrated.
That’s why I’ve broken up my rest with exploring this gorgeous city, visiting it’s museums, taking walking tours of the historic neighborhoods and treating myself to ice cream.
I believe in something I call the hometown effect. It’s when you live in a city, or you’ve been to a place so often that you’ve never visited it. I’ve lived in Chicago all my life, and hadn’t gone up the Sears Tower up until a few years ago. And similarly, after visiting Kraków year after year to see family, I still couldn’t tell you the first thing about it. So, I found a free walking tour of the Old Town and another of the Jewish neighborhoods and I tagged along for the day, strolling through the cobblestone streets, checking out the castle and even learning about the former Jewish ghettos of Kraków.
I took myself to the chocolate drinker-y yesterday, the literal translation of “Pijalnia Czekolady.” Yes, that’s a thing. A gorgeous cafe in the city center dedicated to drinking hot (or cold!) chocolate. Not the powdered kind that you dissolve in milk, but the real melted down chocolate that is so thick that you’re actually a little sick after drinking it.
There you have it, that’s what I’ve been up to the last week or so. I am resting. I am on vacation.
But let’s be honest, I am me. I’ve got one eye on plane tickets, and one foot out the door. Only a matter of time until I’m off again!
Krakow isn’t the worst place too slow down 😉 Personally, I know that feeling. After long journeys, you sometimes just need some rest to get new strength. Yet, the next journey will come rather sooner than later. Let’s see where you are going next!
You are absolutely right! It is a beautiful city to take a break in 🙂 And I already have my next trip planned, in fact, catching a train in a few hours 🙂
xoxo
Wow, already on board again! Where are you heading?
I’m in Vienna right now! Would love any recommendations if you’ve already been! Budapest is next!
Oh, wow, Vienna is lovely! Even though we covered the city with only a few posts on our blog so far, I’m sure this will be helpful for you: http://traveluxblog.com/vienna/
Talking of Budapest, we posted a lot about our experiences in the city. Either one of our guides or one of our reviews will surely help you: http://traveluxblog.com/budapest/
If you got any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask me 🙂
Awesome thank you so much!
You are very welcome 🙂
I love that kind of chocolate, especially in Kraków! They do amazing ones at the Kamera Cafe too! 🙂
Agreed, it’s delicious! Definitely a treat not to be missed in Krakow 🙂