Krakow is a great city for so many reasons, rich in history, great prices and GREAT food. Most of our list that we set out to tick off involved food, and it was just as good (or better) than we expected. Surprisingly, this is a city of many (many) Italian restaurants, which we weren't expecting at all but suited me down to the ground anyway. The bakery culture was my favourite part, why can't every city run on pastries?

I debated making this blog a full food diary but considering my weird/restricted eating habits that would have made for an extremely dull and repetitive blog that even I wouldn't want to read over again, so why not summarise this into my favourite snacks across the trip!

- Obwarzanek



Arguably the most basic of the bunch, but you can't been extremely cheap (and relatively iconic) street food. This is a Krakow staple, you can find them in stalls literally all over the city - as a rule of thumb, always try something you can find on a magnet.
These are Krakowien bagels/pretzels, and they are one of the best ways to sample the local culture. We tried some from all over, and you can get all kinds of different toppings, poppyseed, salt, cheese etc. Prices vary slightly but they are all cheap (!!!!), for as little as 50p or less even. It's such an easy snack, or breakfast if that's what you're feeling - paired with a coffee from one of Krakow's many bakeries!

- Pączki



I'd love to tell you that I took this picture but I wasn't that smart, and bought two donuts and only decided to take a photo of it once it had been smashed in my bag - so I thought it would be better to find a picture that actually resembles a doughnut.
I'm not sure whether it's just the icing that differs or whether the jam inside changes with the flavours too, but I chose a rose and a cinnamon (and because of how squished they got in my bag I honestly couldn't really tell the difference between them), and they were both BEAUTIFUL. If you don't like rose flavoured things, then obviously this won't be for you, but I'm lead to believe that the rose flavour is the most famous - and I'd wholeheartedly recommend it. It's the perfect blend of both sweet and floral, and it's not overpowering or perfume-y. Definitely would have enjoyed it more if I hadn't stuffed my face on something else before buying them too lol
(p.s. we bought ours from Grodzka 6 which is just off the main square)

- Mixed berry sweet bread



Honestly don't know the real name for this bread but this will do, because it's exactly what it was. The blueberry jam in the middle was a bit much but I'd have it for breakfast ANY day of the year and I'm kind of sad it's so out of reach. (ft. my chubby hands, all the better for holding sweet breads and pastries with)

- Dark chocolate ice cream 



Obviously ice cream isn't exactly culturally unique or distinct to Poland, but no lie, this was the best ice cream I've had in my life. We stopped at Good Lood in Kazimierz after dinner nearby at Kolanko No. 6, and it might be the best decisicion I've made all year. When they said dark chocolate they weren't kidding, it was so intensely rich and creamy and I'm still dreaming about it more than a month later.
This photo is horrendous but I don't care, I'm immortalising it here. Was I high? No. Was I CONTENT? Yes. Best ice cream of my life (maybe). I love ice cream. Thank you and good night. 

- Poppyseed bun



My favourite discover of the whole trip was these poppyseed buns. I picked one up originally thinking it was a weird pain au chocolat but I have never been so happy to be wrong. The first bite is weird if you don't know what to expect, but the only description I can give is that it's subtly sweet, and delicate and soft which a little crunch around the outside and the added sweetness of the light icing on top (which only 1/3 of the buns I picked up had on them, but that didn't matter). These were GLORIOUS. It might be an acquired taste, and they do look a bit like "spider's eggs" (thanks to Erin for pointing this one out) but there's nothing like it. I could have eaten 10. If you're in and around Krakow (and I think a lot of eastern europe generally?) then PLEASE do yourself a favour and go and find one of these. Life changing.


COCKTAILS
I debated making a whole other blog about this and I might regret not doing that but I didn't want to write a half-blog on this when I have too much else to say (that ultimately I don't even think anyone else is going to read but o well this blog is for me anyway).

All I've done for this whole blog is gush over everything and I'm going to keep that going! These cocktails were the best I'd ever had, and some of the cheapest I've ever had too.

- Oriental Chacha / Rebecca's Touch


These were two very similar cocktails we got from Cheder in Kazimierz. They were some of the most original and simple cocktails that I've tried and I fell in love with them, although drinking it on an empty stomach wasn't my wisest move.
Oriental Chacha (pictured) is made with oriental liqueur, apple juice, honey and cinnamon - and it reminded me of how much I LOVE cinnamon. It makes everything taste better, and paired with apple? A holy combination.
Rebecca's Touch wasn't my drink but I tasted it and it was really similar to my drink, but instead of the liqueur it was made with Krupnik vodka, and the cinnamon was swapped for lemon. This one wasn't as suited to my tastes because vodka is disgusting (sorry), but the apple/lemon/honey made it work. It was still a gorgeous cocktail.

- HEVRE



Truthfully I can't remember the name of the pictured cocktail, but we had this round in a bar called Hevre in Kazimierz which I would recommend to anyone going to Krakow. It's an old synagogue that's been converted into a bar/night club and it was one of the most fascinating places I've been to. Plus it's got a whole range of unique and reasonably priced cocktails (although a little more expensive by Krakow standards).

- White Russian



Also pictured is a tequila sunrise which was good and reasonably priced but nothing spectacular compared with how the Polish (or at least in Krakow) does a White Russian. Something as simple as swapping milk for cream makes a HUGE difference. I can never go back. It was almost like a creamy chocolate milk. Simple and amazing and I don't know why other bars haven't conned on to how BEAUTIFUL this is.
We got these drinks from a bar called Baroque which we spent the whole trip looking for and found on the last night! It was great but you can get this standard of White Russian pretty much anywhere in the city that we tried. 

- Raspberry Daquiri



Last but CERTAINLY not least, the best cocktail I've had in my life, this raspberry daquiri. We got them with our dinner at Da Pietro in the main square, and were speechless. These were like JAM. As if they just pureed straight rasberries and added some rum for a kick. I'd fly to Krakow for this cocktail ALONE. As someone who wants alcohol without the distinct alcohol taste, this ticks every box. It could almost pass for a smoothie, or a hard raspberry coulis. I'm still speechless, nothing I can say does this justice. I'm also aware that I've used the word "beautiful" to describe too many things on this list but I can't think of a better word to describe it - and I'm not even going to try to. So GOOD.

BONUSSSS
- Elderflower Fanta



It's not distinctly Polish by any means, or food, or a cocktail, but there was no way I was posting this blog without giving it a mention. This flavour is so common too? It is available pretty much everywhere in all kinds of different sizes and it tastes so fancy, I was so impressed. It was another highlight of the trip. I'm jealous of myself for ever being able to drink this casually without having to smuggle it onto a plane or something, and I'm jealous of anyone else who could just leave their house right now and pick up some like it's nothing. Liquid GOLD.

With that, I'm going to finish this blog with a plea to both the good people of Krakow and Coca Cola as a company to please send all the goods (everything in this list) my way :-)

Every time I take a step away from writing and come back I feel like I'm starting this blog all over again, which is great in terms of motivation but not so good for post consistency, but let's roll with it.

I've been sitting exams since I was 13/14 years old, so I've seen my fair share of exam seasons, and this past month has been the worst by far. I love learning more than anything in the world, but eventually there comes a point (especially in a law degree) where I'm learning names two hours before an exam and the test is really just a memory game - which quite frankly, is shit. It's demeaning. I know it's my own fault for doing extra credits this semester, and that my drive is dwindling with every passing exam, but wow, I've never felt so uninspired. That might be to do with physical/mental/emotional exhaustion, and the effects of maybe 3-4 hours sleep a night for the past month and a half - but it's time to start fresh. Exams are over, and I'm excited to have a breath of literal fresh air.

So naturally, less than 24 hours from that last exam, I'm back on my laptop - but this time I'm looking for something.

This blog is my creative outlet. As a creative person, choosing to pursue a law degree might have been a stupid move - I haven't read a fiction book for my own enjoyment in over a year now. There's no scope for creative writing in our essays, or free thinking in an exam scenario. The stifling of creativity is suffocating and I'm now, at long last, able to breathe some life back into myself, and recapture what's left of my personality after the trauma of a commercial law exam.

But there's a lesson that's came from all of this, and it's that creativity can come in the smallest parts of your every day life. It's in making your dinner, it's in making a playlist that will help you enjoy a boring task, it's searching out NEW music and developing your tastes, it's using different coloured pens, it's going for a walk in the morning, it's choosing to shake up your gym routine if you have one, it's choosing to walk to work, it's telling people stories and listening to others, it's positivity and it's teaching yourself to open your mind to comfortably acknowledge and accept differing opinions - regardless of how you might personally feel about something.

Keeping an open mind, about everything, being non-judgemental, and actively looking for fresh ideas is what keeps me going. Seeking out opportunities for personal growth, and reflecting on my attitudes and emotions in different scenarios over the past year in particular has been one of the most rewarding things that I've could have done for myself. Change takes time, whether it's gradual, or whether it hits you immediately, and is beneficial not just for you, but for other people around you - it shapes how you handle your emotions and ultimately helps you become a most considerate and supportive person. Change is arguably the most important form of creativity, and creativity is driven by positivity (and maybe vice versa).

At a more superficial level, creativity also comes in the form of new experiences and the development of different projects, whether it's a painting or creating an outfit for an upcoming Taylor Swift concert (lol). This summer I'm placing a focus on that, I want to paint, bake, write, run, listen, read, and see and do things that I've either been putting off or never thought about doing in the first place. I'm travelling as much as time and money can afford (including going back to DISNEY!!!!!!!), going to concerts, road trips, cutting and highlighting my hair, getting my ears pierced (if I can pluck up the courage), listening to new albums (to me personally - whether released yesterday or 30 years ago), supporting friend's projects, meeting new people, and I'm entering my 20's.

This summer will be wonderful, because I'm going to make it wonderful. I know that live can change in an instant, for better or worse, but regardless I want to take every step with a positive outlook, a clear mind and a smile on my face. :-)