A quiet sense of cool in Krakow

A YOUNG man with a prosthetic leg and a walking cane drinks beer with his girlfriend in a café on the main square.

Two tiny ladies study a city map on a pavement hoarding before taking their seats and ordering espressos and some water. Pigeons scatter as a long-haired man holding a ‘Free Walking Tour’ placard ambles about followed by a group of tourists. People point upwards outside St Mary’s Basilica, listening to the hourly trumpet call coming from the steeple. In the Cloth Hall, permanent stalls peddle carved chess sets, fridge magnets and wooden children’s toys. Horse-drawn carriages clip-clop through the square, following the Royal route towards the Wawel castle.

Mention a city-break in Krakow and people remember three things. The Square, Auschwitz and the Salt Mines.