I have always had mixed feelings about Kazimierz. When I came to
Krakow, everybody used to tell me that Kazimierz is so cool, trendy and
unique and I definitely should go there. So I did. But frankly saying, I
wasn't delighted. The narrow streets were dark and dirty and I didn't
feel the atmosphere of the place at all. But I gave myself another try. I
discovered a really great ice-cream place with people waiting in a long
queue outside the building to get their serving. But it was worth it!
For me, the best ice-creams in the city. What is more, much cheaper than
in the Old Town District. It reminded me a bit about People's Republic
of Poland times when long queues were nothing spectacular. I used to
think to myself that that queue couldn't be longer. But every time I
came there, it exceeded my expectations.
Another place highly
recommended is Santori Cafe. But don't get me wrong. Coffee served there
is not the best in Krakow, but I like the place for the atmospehere.
First time I decided to come in because of the music. I was a big fan of
swing and jazz music then. What made me even happier were board games. I
remember that I used to visit the place just to play Scrabble with a
couple of friends. The great advantage of the cafe was the window view. I
fell in love with it immediately. I used to come there, take some
photos and dream that I would be an artist in the future. I was on cloud
nine. That's for sure. The story ended when I got my own Scrabble and
moved to Nowa Huta District.
The photos you can see in this blog are new. And I
don't know if it is good or not. Really. I know that the place doesn't
look good. It is dirty, neglected, full of commercial pubs and
restaurants. The abandoned buildings look as if they were going to
collapse in a minute. You can experience there very strange blend of
poor native citizens, Jewish people and drunk foreigners. It is
fashionable because of the street art, beer prices which are lower than
in the city centre and some uniqueness which is hard to describe. These
factors attract both locals and foreigners.
To be honest, as a
citizen I can't stand the dirty streets and poverty, as a photographer I
adore the place and I wouldn't change anything there. And where is the
sense in that?
