Cracow first few days

How many of you know what this is? It is one of the most important cards a Cracovian must possess - a fan card of the soccer team Wisla Krakow. Without this you cannot buy tickets to games. To obtain a card you must go to the stadium on Reymana Street and register. It costs 10 zloty (around $3.50). Then you can buy tickets. There will be a game on Sunday vs Lech Poznan. It is part of a Polish tournament going on throughout the whole country. My friend Lucjan has invited me to some games in September. I think those will be regular season games. The word "kibica" means fan (supporter). By the way, I bought a ticket for Sunday's game for 5 zloty ($1.75)! They gave me a deal since it is my first time to go to a game. I did not tell them I had gone to a game about 15 years ago. Then they did not require you to have a fan card and the stadium has been renovated since then. So in a way it is my first time.  The seat is close to the midfield line but high up. I expect lots of singing at the match!

The second most important card to have is this one.

This is the pass for the trams and buses. I bought a monthly pass for a specific route (#24) that I will traverse often (from where I am staying to downtown and Jewish district). Any tram or bus that makes stops at the same places where tram route #24 stops I can take. My pass was checked by a controller the first time I used it! The pass for a specific route costs 48 zloty for the month ($16). A monthly pass for all of Cracow costs around 98 zloty ($32).  

I am working my way through my favorite restaurants and food here in Cracow. A few days ago I had a "gofry" which is a waffle topped with various things. I had whipped cream and wild blueberry sauce on mine. It cost 7 zloty (a little over $2). It is considered a street food here. Yesterday I ate a Chimery on Sw. Anny Street. I love their salad bar. They dish out the portions for you as you go through the cafeteria line. I bought a plate with 4 salads for 13 zloty (around $4) - roasted potatoes with garlic, raw carrot and apple salad, a salad with spelt berries and green cabbage, and a salad with tuna and red bell pepper and green cabbage. To drink I had a banana cocktail (smoothie made with kefir). They did not have my favorite flavor - wild blueberry. Since I was last there they covered the outdoor eating area with a glass roof. Too bad because I liked eating outside in the fresh air. I understand why they did it. It enables them to serve meals there during winter. Downstairs in the cellar is more traditional Polish food. It is also tasty. I tend to go to Chimera more for their salads. There are plenty of other places where you can eat Polish food more cheaply.

I am also working my way through museums here in Cracow. It is a good idea to find out on which day they have free admission. Most likely on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. I have been already to the History of Photography Museum. There were 2 temporary exhibits. One was about late 19th century Japanese photos. Most were made with tourists in mind. Staged poses, nice landscapes. The photos looked mainly black and white or sepia with a touch of color (probably painted on the photo. So was the technique back then.) The other exhibit contained photos pertaining to dress during extended periods of mourning in Poland in the 1860s. Lots of long black dresses and coats with some decoration of jewels, ribbons etc.  Apparently the Soviets did not like the mourning to be so long. They tried to control the duration. Eventually they banned the extended mourning all together. Along with those exhibits there were permanent exhibits of old cameras and old photos (some of Cracow a long time ago). I highly recommend this museum. It is small. A few hours will suffice to see it all. In general the admission prices to museums are pretty reasonable. I just like saving money and going when they are free!