Berlin, Prague, Krakow and Budapest 2015: Day 7

I can't believe we have finished 3 of our 4 cities! Time sure flies when you're having fun. Today was another hot one with a high of 91, and boy did we feel it. Breakfast was served at our hotel and it consisted of some meats, cheeses, breads, and sausage. I think there were eggs at one point, but they never made it on to my plate. We loaded the bus at 9 am (slept in today!) and headed for the Jewish Quarter. There was a short history lesson on the Jewish religion before moving on to the Jewish Ghetto. This was the area that all Jews were moved to during WWII. 17,000 Jews occupied a place that once held 3,000. It was later walled in so they could not leave and food was rationed to a mere 300 calories per day per person. It was later liquidated and all people living there were sent to a nearby concentration camp. After leaving the ghetto we moved on to Wawel Castle and Cathedral. This is where many Polish kings lived or were coronated , and then later buried. We had a little free time at the castle before heading down towards the old town market square. Our guide was kind, and tried to keep us in the shade as much as possible, but it did little to lessen the sweat. We arrived at the old town and experienced a very common occurrence in Krakow: the Bugle Player. Every hour of every day of every week of the year a real life bugle player plays a song for the whole town. It was very cool. After that, we were given free time until dinner. A few of us made our way to Schindler's Factory while the rest stayed behind to shop and relax. The factory was turned into an exhibition detailing how Poland was affected during WWII and had many remnants from the old factory. As we were walking back, I asked if anyone wanted to climb St. Mary's Church tower with me. Sadly, there were no takers. So even though the kids didn't get to walk up 300 stairs with me and see an amazing view, I thought I would still post the pictures here so they can see them now. After I climbed the tower, w met up again just in time for dinner which was located underground! That's right, Krakow has an underground just like Prague (for the same reasons as well). It was very tasty and much needed after a long, hot day. We are comfortably back at the hotel now and will be leaving for Hungary in the morning. Until then, enjoy the pictures!