Further and Further East: Easter

Poland is one of the most predominantly Catholic countries in Europe, if not in the world. Because of this, the country is known for its Easter celebrations. One of the cities best known for such celebrations is Krakow. The week leading up to Easter is filled with events and traditions, including Easter markets, similar to the Easter and Christmas markets found in most European countries. One of the most charming traditions occurs on Easter Saturday. In the US, we associate Easter baskets with the Easter bunny, Cadbury eggs, and jelly beans. As we walked the streets of Krakow, we saw a very different type of Easter basket: children and adults alike carried simple baskets with the food that would be eaten at Easter Sunday's meal. The baskets included small portions that were taken to be blessed, and churches were filled throughout the day as people got their baskets blessed and attended mass.

We arrived in Krakow around 7 am after taking a night train from Prague. The train ride itself was amazing, and we woke up to a gentle knock by the train steward who told us our stop was coming up and he had coffee and croissants for us. After exiting the train station, we were greeted by a large plaza with historic buildings on one edge, and a giant, modern mall on another edge, which gave an apt first impression of a city that embraces its past while moving forward. When we arrived at our hostel, we were beyond impressed by its cleanliness, chicness, and friendliness. It was not long before Mike also made it to the hostel, and we ditched our bags and set out to explore the city. We began in the Jewish quarter. We walked by synagogues, over a bridge, and through the streets where Schindler's List was filmed. In Hero's Square, there are empty chairs lined up in perfect rows, which provides a haunting effect in a place where Jews were once forced to run in circles until the Nazis decided which people to kill. We also went to Schindler's factory, which is now encased in glass and has been made part of a museum. The day became less somber as we sat down to our first, but not last, meal of pierogies. We then visited Wallel Hill where we perused the castle, 14th century cathedral, and breathtaking views of the city and river. Afterwards, we wound our way through the park which extends down the middle of the city. We then happened upon Krakow's Easter market in what we soon realized was the major square of the town. We ate spinach, Russian style, and cabbage pierogies from the market that day and the next. We also ate delicious fried cheese made in the high mountains outside the city, drank beer that they put a strange but glorious syrup into, and shopped around the market that had Polish arts and crafts. On Easter Sunday, we returned to the market in the pouring rain to enjoy the same tasty treats. We also saw packed churches everywhere we went, and though the masses were said in Polish, it was easy to understand the intense smell of incense and the joy in the voices of singing churchgoers. Though many restaurants, shops, and museums were closed because of the Easter holiday, having the streets of Krakow almost to ourselves, coupled with the special Easter celebrations, created a unique and unforgettable experience.

On Easter night, we took a night train to Lviv, Ukraine. Instead of waking to a kind steward, we awoke to a harsh knock an hour earlier than we had anticipated because of the time difference between Poland and Ukraine. We looked out the train window to see our stop, but because we do not know Cyrillic, we had to trust that the steward was kicking us off the train at the right stop. As we exited the train station, we were met with more Cyrillic, and the challenge of navigating the public transportation system. The cost of a ticket for the tram is 1 Ukrainian Hryvnia, which converts to about 15 cents. We set out to find our hotel with directions that were in English, only to find that most of the street signs were in Cyrillic; however, once we figured out where we were, the city became very easy to navigate. We were greeted at our hotel by the sight of dozens of empty beer bottles all over the patio and the receptionist sleeping on the couch in the reception area. Although unconventional, we quickly learned that Monday is also part of the Easter holiday, and given the Ukrainian, Polish, and Russian propensity to drink, the hotel patrons and staff had taken complete advantage of the holiday. So, once again, we found ourselves in a city where many shops and restaurants were closed for the holiday, but this time around, we spent a great deal of time attempting to acquire train tickets to our next destination, Debrecen, Hungary. As if a language barrier is not difficult enough, the alphabet barrier proved highly frustrating. We did not actually get the whole situation sorted out until the next day, when we finally got tickets for a train that night. As for the rest of our time in Lviv, we hung out with a friendly American Peace Corps volunteer who had a friend visiting from Virginia and we toured the streets. Lviv is also very Catholic and has many beautiful churches and cathedrals. The town is beautiful, and has a breathtaking park. I feel so lucky to have gotten to see it in the prime of spring, with flowering trees and warm sunshine. Kids were playing on playgrounds, people were playing with dogs, and everyone was doing some people watching. We sat at sidewalk cafes and had some Ukrainian food and beer. I had some delicious borscht (beet soup) and more pierogies, though in Urkaine they are called varenyky. We visited the town square, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and we also took a hike up to Lviv's High Castle. To get there, we walked up a steep hill, then about 250 stairs, and then climbed more stairs and ramps around a citadel-type structure with a flag on the top. Though I dispute the application of the term castle, it did lead us to amazing views, and made us realize we had only encountered a small, touristy fraction of Lviv and Ukraine. Overall, the initial obstacles and frustrations we had met with in the city were overshadowed by the city's beauty and simplicity, plus I am pretty excited about the Ukrainian stamp in my passport.

Up until Lviv, our travels had taken us further and further east. With Easter over, we headed south to Satu Mare, Romania, where we stayed with a friend I met on my first trip to Romania. Tomorrow we are going to see Romania's largest waterfall and a cemetery famed for being the only merry cemetery. I am intrigued to discover what makes the cemetery so merry!