Krakow

As we wrap up our time in Europe we headed to Krakow for our last weekend getaway in May. Krakow is the second largest city in Poland and one of the oldest. In 2000, it was named European Capital of Cultures. We have had several friends visit and they really enjoyed the history and culture the city offers... so we packed our bags and headed that way! 

We arrived mid-day on a Friday and did a little wandering in the town square and then joined a walking photography tour. 

The horse and carriage really set the scene and helps bring you back in time. 

There was a market, similar to the christmas markets, with lots of new snacks to try! Here is a picture of some of the creative ways you can dress up pretzel rolls :) 

We also tried some grilled cheese bites... and of course we got our hands in some traditional pierogis to try!

Here is a good picture of Old Town and the tower. The square was added to the UNSECO list in 1978. 

There is an old tradition where a trumpet plays a song every hour on the hour out of this tower, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There are two 12 hour shifts carried out by 2 men. We met under this tower for our walking tour. 

I am always amazed how the simple things, like street signs and language can vary so much from country to country. 

Despite being in May, we were blessed with COOL weather and no jacket due to some poor planning on our part. 

Interesting statue with fallen soldiers in the front. There are suppose to be some cool shadows here at night... but we were a little early for that :) 

Our tour took us around the wall surrounding the old town square. To help preserve the wall, the city created a park all the way around and had some great art and tributes to artists from the region. 

 

We ended up the tour by walking by the Wawel Castle and getting some great views. 

After the tour we make our way toward our dinner reservations in the Ghetto area. I made these reservations about the same time that we booked the trip....so I was pumped about finally getting to eat there. I booked the #1 rated restaurant in Krakow, which was a vodka and traditional polish food. It was great and really cheap! They had some live music and the overall atmosphere was really warm and welcoming. Would definitely recommend it to anyone visiting. 

Day 2 was focused on remembering the past so that we may never repeat it. We took a tour of the both Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps. Visiting and seeing these places literally took my breath away to think of all the horrible things that occurred there. It is a completely different experience to see first hand what the living conditions and scale of these operations were, than to read about them in text books. In general, the volume of people visiting/attending these camps has increased year after year and I am really glad that we were able to visit and learn more as well. It is important to always remember and never forget. Normally I am snapping pictures on these trips but this time we were just absorbing the surrounding and letting all the feelings surface to live serve as our memory. 

Our tour had two parts, the second part was visiting one of the world's oldest salt mine, Wieliczka, and it is still in operation! I had no idea what we were getting into when starting down the shaft... but it definitely exceeded my expectations. First of all, who would expect there to be salt statues and four chapels in the mine?!?! People even rent out the chapels for weddings!

Beautiful chandler made out of the salt crystals

The miners were very religious and wanted to be able to pray regularly while in the mines. Given the dangerous job, the miners had four chapels to worship in and several statues to honor various people. 

Here is a picture of the largest chapel. There are 12 detailed reliefs in the walls that are carved out of salt, including one for the late Pope John Paul II. 

Here is a picture of one of the smaller chapels.

The stats on this place are pretty unbelievable as well... there are over 100K miles of tunnels and only 2 are on the tour. These tunnels are approximately a football field length underground and horses were used up to 2007 to help take the salt to the surface. 

Needless to say we went on an emotional rollercoaster that day with our tour! From remembering very serious crimes against humanity to exploring and learning of how salt changed the lives of humans. Not only was it a rollercoaster, but it also made for a very long day. We wandered to find a good dinner and stumbled upon a seafood restaurant. The food was great... or so we thought. I ended up feeling terrible on the way back to our flat and did not have a restful night. Needless to day we took it easy on Sunday and did a little venturing on a Big Bus to see some more sights. Not the best way to end the trip, but overall I am really glad that we were able to see some of what Krakow has to offer.