Breakfast in the Rynek Główny

This past weekend, Lisa’s very close friend and colleague from school came to visit us in Krakow (she is studying and researching in the Czech Republic). We had a lovely time going around the old town in the sweltering heat, shopping, site seeing, and pleasant eating and conversation. Saturday we had an absolutely wonderful French meal at Cyrano de Bergerac in certainly one of the more beautiful cellars in the city. (That meal was outstanding!)

Sunday morning, before going to the train station, we all enjoyed an incredibly delightful breakfast in the Rynek Główny (the main square). We sat outside at the Cafe Europejska and enjoyed one of the best breakfasts I can remember.

The food was incredibly delicious, with all of the details of every small thing we ate just perfect. Jen and Lisa had the Polish Breakfast and I the Viennese, accompanied with very good coffee. The service was great: we had actually discussed how much we enjoyed the service there, how little they interacted, simply doing their job, but always kept aware if you needed anything. Really as if they wanted to just be off to the side to let you enjoy your meal and conversation, and that was exactly how it was. Our meal was fantastic, our conversations were long and enjoyable.

Sitting outside without any music on, it was delightful how quiet the morning was, with only the occasional sound of horses hooves clicking on the cobblestone and the carriage following behind. I tried to think of breakfasts and brunches out in San Francisco and New York, how rushed meals feel in comparison, how noisy they are, no sense of peacefulness and leisure. It’s a very important thing, I think, to experience this kind of meal experience. It is so incredibly satisfying.