March of the Living 1999 Diary

April 11, 7:55 PM

Well, we're all settled in the hotel now, and supper is still 25 minutes away, so I thought I'd give an update to what's been happening.

I've been revising my opinion of Krakow. We went on a 45 minute tour which, despite the overcast sky, was wonderful. Spring is certainly "in the air" here, more so than in Montreal. It was just the right temperature outside with a little breeze. But what was really great was the blooms. All the trees and flowers are budding, and not only does it give off a wonderful, fresh smell, it looks magnificent. Everything is the freshest color green, as opposed to the yellow grass in Montreal. Also, there are bright patches of yellows and reds, where a bush blooms in a different color.

Aside from the weather, the architecture in the city is spectacular. It's like an entire city designed in some of the styles of Old Montreal.

On the tour, we saw the river that runs through Krakow (I promise to get the name for a later entry). It was very pretty, but it's water is all dirty and polluted. We also went to see this medieval castle. It's been there for nearly a thousand years!

There is a story behind the castle: A long time ago, in the caves under the castle, there lived a dragon. Every morning, the dragon would eat a sheep. For lunch and dinner, it would eat a young, beautiful, innocent girl. Well, there was a shortage of these girls. The only one was the king's daughter. The king promised half the kingdom and his daughter's hand to the man who killed the dragon. A shoe-maker (or a carpenter, I can't remember) [Note: I asked later. It was really a cobbler.] took on the challenge. He filled a sheep with sulfur. The dragon ate it and became very thirsty, so he drank from the river. And drank, and drank. He drank so much he exploded. Therefore, the king's daughter was saved. They have a statue of the dragon that breathes fire at night. We all took a picture with it.

Anyway, now I'm staying at the Forum Hotel. It's absolutely amazing! The room is big and comfy and we even have a good bathroom. I really like it.

I'm rooming with a really nice girl, Natalie. She goes to Maimoneeds. [Note: Still not sure on the spelling. I'll get back to you.] I was actually hoping to be with her, so it all works out.

Well, supper's in 5 minutes. I'm hungry, so I guess I'll gonow.

Having a great time so far,
Julie :)

P.S.: The name of the river is the Visula (pronounced "Vistuwa".)
P.P.S.: The name of the hill with the castle is called Wawel-hill (pronounced "Vavel-hill"), which means "fortress hill."