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A Cool Krakow B&B!

September 22, 2009

krakow budget boutique hotel Tango House

Looking for a great place to stay while visiting Krakow? We were very pleased with the charming B&B that we found online called The Tango House,  that has old world charm, but with stylish modern rooms and a fantastic location right off the main square ( the Rynek Glowny, biggest square in Europe). It also had excellent wifi in your room, a very good breakfast included and kind, helpful staff, which are all  important qualities that we look for. 

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The prices are also perfect for a budget traveler and the owner Marcel was kind enough to give us a generous media discount. We liked it so much that when our plans for continuing onto Vilnius fell through, we stayed on another night.

Marcel is a Tango dancer and I guess there is a community of Tango dancers in Krakow. We have not gotten to Buenos Aires yet, but I can see Tango fitting in this unique, arty city too. It was fun to have the Tango music in the background to  entertain us as we ate our big breakfast in the lovely dining area and we enjoyed the Tango art and posters on the wall. 

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Another reason we picked it was because I'd read that one could hear the trumpeter from nearby St Mary's church towers  floating softly into your room through the windows. We had all just read the Newbery Award winning classic book "The Trumpeter of Krakow" which I highly recommend before a trip to Krakow. We actually got it for Mozart, but it is a great piece of historical fiction that helps you learn about Krakow while embroiled in a Harry Potter type thriller. 

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This trumpet sound is famous all over Poland and every hour he plays it from four different windows in the tower each facing a different direction. This haunting tune always ends unfinished in a broken note which commemorates a young boy trumpeter  from the 13th century, on duty at St Mary's, who died from an arrow shot from a Tartar...thus ended on that broken note as his last breath. This sound in Krakow is as significant as the Muslim calls to prayer in Fez and we did not want to miss either during our visits to these cities. 

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We took the train from Vienna and even though we had the large, new compartment for six all to ourselves, a seven hour train ride is still a long one, so we were tired when we arrived past ten in the evening. One big delay was sitting at Auchtwitz where the station and area was left in much the same way it looked in 1944. We had decided not to visit there because we have a young child and I am very sensitive to energy. Not a pleasant place to be stuck, even today. Too sad.

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  Many people in Poland, do not speak English and getting a taxi at the station was much more of a challenge than usual. The drivers seem to be arguing about not taking us and we had been warned to be careful of the rogue taxi's. Then just as we arrived at The Tango House, the lights all went out, ( which they said had never happened before) so that added to the arrival drama.

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The Tango House was originally the old bath house in Krakow and the paintings on the steps are over a hundred years old. As we first went up these beautiful but ancient stairs, I must admit this passage from the The Trumpeter of Krakow came to mind:

"The staircase creaked as they ascended, and seemed to Joseph to swing just a little. It gave him such a dizzy sensation that he clutched the wall, fearful lest the whole structure should become loose and tumble down. But the man only smiled as he saw the boy's sudden movement and assured him that the staircase was safe enough. They went up one flight, past the first landing, and then onto the second."

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It was certainly atmospheric, but I was pleased when we got to our room and the lights came back on. It was a pretty and very comfortable room and we all slept well. Seeing the stairs in the daylight was a whole different experience and Mozart bounded down them, excited about breakfast which she adores having in hotels, inns or cafes. Yum, we all enjoyed it!

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We really loved our stay in Krakow and The Tango House helped make it special. They went out of their way to help us with whatever we needed, including Marcel helping us for an extended time with the Polish train system online as our information about getting to Vilnius was incorrect. The location couldn't have been better. 

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The Tango House is high on the list for B&B's on Tripadvisor for Krakow with some rave reviews. We will add ours and as far as I'm concerned, this is the very best place to stay in Krakow for the price!

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David Dutton

Great photos of the Tango House. It is beautiful. I can see why your daughter loved the breakfast. It looked scrumptuous.

Małgorzata

I love you guys. I think Mozart reminds me of the better side of my childhood and your family is the one I've always dreamed of. So reading you is like the best therapy.

and.. Im from Kraków!:)

too bad you didnt see Oświęcim (Auschwitz). It is a duty of every man alive. nobody should omit this THING..

I wish you all the best, really really best on your way!

soultravelers3

Małgorzata - Jak się masz! Thanks for your kind words! I will be writing more about our time in Poland, as soon as I can find the time. We have more stories than time to write them. ;)

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