Destination Poland: Thursday (evening)

FAQs about my brief stay in Krakow:

Did you cover in the blog all that you wanted to about your brief Krakow visit?
Of course not. For example, I did not even mention the place that most Poles would regard as the symbol of this old city: St. Mary’s Basilica. No, it’s not my lopsided photography. One tower is indeed shorter than the other. Legend has it that two brothers set out to build it (construction began in the 13th century) and one did a better job than the other. The altarpiece alone is worth a trip to Poland, even if you’re not particularly church-inclined in your ramblings. But what every Pole knows by heart is the trumpet melody played every hour on the hour from the taller of the towers. It is sharply cut off in mid-note. The origins of the ritual? In 1241, a trumpeter played this piece from the tower, warning Krakovians of the Tartar invasion. His throat was pierced by an arrow and the music stopped. We hear the melody daily at noon on the radio and hourly in Krakow (played by local firemen). Oh no, Poland isn’t tradition-bound, not at all, what makes you think that it is?