Krakow

Krakow is in southern Poland, the second largest city in the country. I'd never heard of it before this trip so I assume the majority of my avid audience hasn't either.

The story goes that a Dragon once lived on the hill here, along with a man named Mr Krak. They got along swimmingly and eventually the people built a castle on the hill that they lived on and named the city after Mr Krak.... as you do.


Again, a very pretty city. Today I took a trip out to the UNESCO protected Salt Mines - 20 euros to get in (ouch) but I think it was worth it. We had a guide take us around for 1.5 hours, walking about 2km and down 135m underground. I think my favorite cavern was the Chapel, which 3 men carved out of the salt rock over a 68 year period. It was pretty amazing - everything was made out of salt. The chandeliers, the baby Jesus, the altar, the floor tiles... and around the edges were a series of carvings depicting different scenes, like the Last Supper or the Slaughter of the Innocents (which seems to be a popular theme but I don't recall learning about it in R.E.... maybe someone can help me out?)

The whole thing was carved from salt, which is different colours depending on how pure it is and what it's mixed with. So iron rich salt is a deep red, while the majority of salt in Krakow is a marbled grey. It was pretty impressive.

The other picture is of Princess Kinder, who is credited with creating the salt mine by moving it underground from Hungary to Poland with her engagement ring... don't ask, it didnt make much sense to me either. But they were cool statues and, again, made out of salt.


I also wandered around the Cloth Markets, which is an old undercover marketplace thats smack in the middle of Krakow. Apart from that, it's just been wandering around the city. Had half a bottle of Polish wodka last night so I think the walk outside was needed.