Krakow
2017 November/December

I went to Kraków to visit NetEnt’s game studio. I stayed the weekend to see the country.

Kraków’s air quality is among the worst of the world, and it was noticeable. But past this inconvenience, the city is modern, with a well-conserved Old Town – rare for a country with so many scars from WWII – and has many cultural attractions to visit.

November 29th

The first days, I do not have much time to do tourism as I spend most of the time at the office.

November 30th

I visit the city center, as it is very close to the office. I extend the day as much as I can after leaving the office even that it is a cold dark day.

December 1st

As most colleagues have gone back to Stockholm and there are no more activities, I take my first day of vacation on Friday.

I booked a trip to Auschwitz. I read ‘The Holocaust’ by Laurence Rees a week before as preparation, a book worth reading. The guide also offered information and gave historical context to the tour. Even with all that it is difficult to describe the horrors that happened at Auschwitz. Nowadays, it is a memento so people do not forget what happened there.

December 2nd

In Kraków, I walked south of Vistula river early in the morning. From there I went up to the Muzeum Etnograficzne at Krakowska 46. It’s a good place to learn more about Poland’s culture, and one of the three buildings of the Ethnographic museum across the city. Kraków’s National Museum is west of the Old Town. The main attraction was the painting ‘Lady with an Ermine’ by Leonardo da Vinci. Paintings, sculptures, furniture, are part of the museum’s gallery of decorative art. I plan to return to the National Museum the next time I pass by Kraków.

December 3rd

Today, I am just waiting to go to the airport and take the flight back home. I take the opportunity to buy some presents and food in the central market.