I chose Krakow instead of Warsaw because I’d been told it was prettier. It also made more sense geographically for where I was heading next, making the onward journey to Vilnius quicker and more convenient than going via Warsaw.

I arrived in Krakow by train in the mid-afternoon, had some lunch, found my apartment, then headed out exploring. I was staying between the Old Town and the Jewish Quarter, which made it incredibly convenient to walk pretty much everywhere I wanted to go.

I followed the green strip just outside the Old Town walls down to Wawel Castle and Cathedral, taking in the views over the river and admiring the towers, buildings and spires. I wasn’t really in the mood for a deeper level of exploration, and I was happy just wandering.

From there I made my way back through the Old Town, seeing the main square, cobbled streets, churches and crowds. That evening I had an easy dinner near my apartment and a fairly early night. I contemplated going to a nightclub, but the reviews suggested they didn’t really get going until 3am, so that was an easy pass.

The next day it was time for the Jewish Quarter, with more old streets and history. The synagogue was closed, it being Saturday, and I avoided the crowd heading into the museum, instead settling for some free interpretive panels down one of the alleys.

There was more wandering to St Joseph’s Church, and the sculpture garden behind it where I sat for an hour and read my book. The church bells pealed loudly beside me and, not long after, I moved on through the nearby park, spotting its two red squirrels, before heading down to Krakus Mound, a strange conical lump of grass-covered earth that people seem to love climbing for the view.

Naturally, I climbed it too.

Then it was back down to see the Ghetto Heroes Square, followed by a late lunch and a beer in Targowa1 while I read some more.

I worried, as I often do, that I wasn’t seeing enough or doing enough, comparing myself with how other people might travel. It’s a habit that only serves to steal joy from the moment. Allowing myself to sit somewhere and not rush off to the next attraction, or force myself into a museum or gallery I’m not particularly interested in, feels almost like an act of rebellion.

After lunch I returned to the apartment, had a nap, watched some TV, then headed back out into the bustling Saturday-night streets. I crossed the Old Town, enjoying the buzz of Market Square, then had dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant before having, yet again, a relatively quiet night.

After so many months of travelling, and many more months of upheaval before that, when I’d effectively been busy every weekend, having one quiet Saturday felt revolutionary. A little uncomfortable, perhaps, but revolutionary nonetheless.

The next day, though, I was recharged and excited to head out to Ojcowski National Park, only about a 30-minute drive north of the city.

I took an Uber and chatted with the driver, who was from near Wroclaw, close to where I’d been only a few days earlier. We talked about food and he said he much preferred Italian and Asian food to Polish because it was so much lighter. That surprised me. He’d also been living in Krakow for eight years and had never visited the national park.

The first half of the hike wound through forest and up into the hills, with various viewpoints over the river valley below. It was beautiful, and this section wasn’t too busy, which made it even better.

Once I came out of the hills and returned to ground level, though, it became clear this was a very popular destination for locals, especially on a bright sunny day. There were people everywhere, so the second half of the route wasn’t quite as enjoyable. It was still pretty in places, although mostly flat.

The huge rocks standing like soldiers at the entrance to the forest were pretty cool, though.

I was out there for about two or three hours before catching the bus back to Krakow. I found some food, had a nap, then headed out again to see the Wawel Dragon breathe fire.

The dragon is a metal sculpture at the base of Wawel Castle that spits fire every five minutes for about five seconds. I got there around 6pm, just as the light was beginning to fade, and watched it twice.

It was cute.

And it really tickled me how people – myself included – ooh and aah over something so incredibly kitsch. I’m sure it’s not meant to be camp, but it’s camp AF.

I grabbed some more food on the way home, then had another early night – this time entirely justified, because I had to be up at 4:30am to catch my flight to Vilnius.