Poland

Other random notes about Krakow are that we were told it had one of the most beautiful old town squares in Europe (unfortunately, there was a lot of construction so it was hard to tell) and that it had the cheapest internet anywhere in Europe at $0.67 per hour. (As a side note for comparison, the most expensive internet access was in the British Isles, where we found several sites in England and Ireland that were more than $10 per hour. Glastonbury topped out at $12 per hour, but luckily we got free internet access by becoming members of the public library.)

We must admit that due to the bitter cold and lack of appropriate outwear, we missed some of the "must see" sites of Krakow, including Wawel Hill and Castle, which is the town's number one attraction. But it's a couple of mile walk and the wind was whipping through our clothing the whole time we were there. In retrospect, we should have taken a cab or something, but we were still used to the Western European taxi prices at that point (approximately 10 to 20 TIMES more expensive than Eastern European taxis - no exaggeration). Besides, it wasn't the distance but the cold that kept us from going atop a hill on a windy day. Oh well, live and learn (and miss a few things along the way).

	The old town center was full of construction. Does this say they are building a modern mall there?		The Cloth Hall, the world's oldest shopping center has been on this site for 700 years.		The Basilica of the Virgin Mary, across from the Cloth Hall on the Grand Square.
	This cart is selling bird feed, people come to feed and play with the pigeons.		The Great Barbican, Krakow's main city gate, was built in the 16th century for defense.		The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a perpetual flame in front.

Top

Wieliczka Salt Mine

The first documented description of the Wieliczka Salt Mine dates back to 1044. There is evidence that it has been mined continuously at least since the 13th century. Salt was a major export for Poland for many years, and it is estimated that by the 15th century it made up 30% of the State's total income.

Today the mine stretches for more than 300 km underground with over 3000 chambers. A tourist route of 3.5 km is open for viewing, and the mine is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. (Of course more than half of the places we visited on our travels were listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites, including three in Poland alone, so that actually became part of an ongoing laugh for us.)

The highlight of the tourist route is the enormous Chapel of Saint Kinga, an ornately carved, chapel in a chamber more than 150 feet long. The chapel is used as an active place of worship even today, and we heard that weddings are regularly held there. That would be a pretty unique place to get married! The mine turned out to be an unexpected highlight of our Eastern European visit.

	Salt veins are visible throughout the tourist route.		There are many statuary, almost all carved exclusively from the rock salt.		Each area tells a different story.
	You can always find gnomes in mines. (They like shiny objects.)		This gnome is laying down on the job.		This chamber of salt-carved gnomes working the mines was definitely the cutest.
	The huge Chapel of Saint Kinga was the most impressive.		Even the chandeliers are made of salt.		Religious scenes are carved into each wall.
	The mine runs 327 meters (over 1000 feet) deep.		One of the vast chambers created from the salt extraction.		And of course, it's a UNESCO World Heritage site.

---

Top

Warsaw

Getting to Warsaw was one of the goals of the trip. Since I (Adrienne) have spent most of my career working in military defense (oddly enough), the days of the "evil" Warsaw pact still lie somewhere in my subconscious. To stand in Warsaw as a visitor, as a tourist coming to see what the city has to offer, to meet the local people and address them as fellow humans was something I thought would be healing. To finally let go of the last shreds of prejudice to see the world as it is, not as the press and political leaders claim it to be, was in itself an accomplishment. Of course, despite these lofty ideals, I didn't actually enjoy Warsaw, primarily because of the plumbing problems. Nonetheless the myths of the place were finally shattered.

Warsaw is a fairly drab city, and very large and sprawling. Construction seems to be very haphazard in the new town, with large, modern corporate hotels coming up next to soviet-era block buildings. Most tourists flock to the small but well-maintained old town. This historic walled area of the city has been rebuilt and restored, with most of the outer wall still standing. Despite its attractiveness and interesting architecture, the historic old town is very small. It is easily walked - up and down each street - in a few short hours, with few specific attractions along the way. It is one of those places that I'm glad I went to, but would probably never go to again. Although in Warsaw's defense, there were many places we might have explored in more detail were it not for the plumbing.

	The Palace of Culture and Science, built in the 1950s as a gift from the Soviet Union.		A monument to Copernicus in the new town.		This recent (1938) statue of Syrena, the Warsaw mermaid dominates the skyline in the new city. There are many legends about her.
	The most famous statue of Syrena stands in the old town square.		One of the reconstructed entrances to the old town.		A castle-like entrance that separates the old town from the new town.
	The old town square (with a barely visible Jeff).		Window coverings in the old town depicting images from a museum exhibit		The Royal Castle was demolished during the Warsaw Uprising, but rebuilt in the 1970s.

---

Top

Zakopane

Zakopane (pronounced zak-oh-pah-nay) sits in southern Poland on the border with Slovakia. It's in the Tatra Mountains at the edge of the Carpathian Range. We arrived here on October 15, 2004, thinking that it might be a good place to take a small break from traveling and rest for a while. With our Romanian Dracula adventure coming up on Halloween, we could only spare a week, but thought that might be enough to refresh us. We were correct.

Zakopane is surrounded by stunningly beautiful scenery and has a quaint, comfortable town to explore when the mood strikes. Our hotel room is very nice, greatly surpassing the others we've encountered in Poland. Even the weather has cooperated nicely. A lot of rain has given us leave to stay in doors and relax without feeling like we were missing anything. The rain has caused the autumn colored trees to lose some of their leaves, making the ground a lovely orange to match. And when we decided to actually do something, we got two picture-perfect sunny days to explore the mountains. We took a cable car to the top of Kasprowy Wierch, Zakopane's most famous attraction. The views were stunning, and surprisingly, some of that beauty came out in our pictures.

	Zakopane wearing its autumn outfit.		A little stream runs through town.		Zakopane has a lot of parks, trees and open space.
	The cable car to Kasprowy Wierch		That's where we're headed. The cable car has a transfer station because it's so long.		The view along the way.
	Playing in the snow. (Adrienne threw the first snowball.)		And the views!		"We sit together, the mountain and I, until only the mountain remains."

---