day 19: absorbing krakow

The problem with staying at Tom & Greg, my favourite hostel in Europe so far, is that you never want to leave. Proper (instead of bunk) beds in a spacious room, full spread of breakfast, all day cereal and milk, fresh fruit and nuts in the cosy lounge and the most friendly and helpful staff - they give you no reason to leave at all.

After breakfast at 10am, I hung out in the hostel for five prime hours, when the sun was out and the temperature perfect. Somehow the hostel was more appealing than the unexplored streets of Krakow. I painted my nails fairy-tale pink, updated this blog, read about Solomon's God-given wisdom (the book of 1 Kings chapter 3 and 4 in the bible), showered, chatted with Bok Hwee on MSN, and washed my socks. After accomplishing so much, I left the hostel at 3pm.

U Babci Maliny restaurant, just around the corner from the Old Town Market Square, is a typical peasant's house serving authentic Polish food. I had fried Pierogi dumplings filled with minced meat for 15.50 zl. I tried the boiled ones which Jerrain ordered which had mushroom and cabbage filling. They tasted a little like Chinese 'Guo Tie', just with thicker skin. My deep fried Pierogi were crispy and tasted like Japanese gyoza, but again with thicker skin and meat filled to the brim.

We worked off all that carbs with a slow stroll around the Old Town, to see St Mary Church (pictured), the outside of the Cloth Hall which is currently under renovation, and the Town Hall Tower.

The fifteen minutes walk to the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz) passed several other churches and the Wawel Royal Castle, which probably deserves a few hours in the late morning tomorrow.

There were quite a number of sights in the Jewish Quarter - Old Jewish Cemetary which you can only peek into from a window, Old Synagogue built at the end of the 14th century, the grand Corpus Christi with intricate sculptures and huge old paintings inside, and an original old Jewish house used for Talmud lessons for adult Jews.

The lovely garden cafes - turn bars come evening - scattered around this aged and quaint neighbourhood draws a local crowd, according to Justin from our hostel. As I sat in one of them sipping my Latte, I can see why the locals love this place.

I have another day in Krakow tomorrow. Once I visit Wawel Castle, I have covered majority of the tourist spots. It seems like there is not much to see (besides Auschwitz, which alone justifies a trip to Europe), but Krakow has a unique appeal. I cannot put my finger on it - whether it is the cheap food, rough appearance or the raw energy - but Krakow has sparked the desire to move East. I need to plan a trip to Eastern Europe, whether it is another 37 day adventure, or longer, I do not know yet.

• Location: Krakow, Poland
• Cost: Fried perogi with meat 15.50 zl, Latte 8 zl, mojito 15 zl, muscat white wine 7.50 zl
• Highlight: Fairy-tale pink nails!! Finally get to use my nail polish which I rather blondely brought along and added to my already overweight and oversized backpack.
• People: Met Thierry and Dave from a UK or French HR software company. We sat in a bar in the Jewish Quarter that was lighted only by candles.