Krakow, Poland

We flew to Krakow on Friday and were there for 3 nights. It was rather whirlwind but we took advantage of the time we had. We stayed with Margaret’s sister and brother in law. I felt very welcome despite the language barrier. Poor Margaret had to keep switching languages – she’d be on a roll in one language and forget to switch languages depending on who she was talking to. It was quite funny.


The Main Market Square in Krakow is huge. There are a lot of shops, cafés, horse-drawn carriages and it’s a great place to people-watch. We went there 2 evenings for coffee and dessert.

Saturday we went to the Wieliczka Salt Mines which dates back to the 13th century and was mined up until 1996. I can’t remember how many flights of stairs it took to go down but 4 days later my calves are still feeling it. (There’s an elevator to go back up to ground level at the end of the tour) When Margaret told me we’d be going to a salt mine I thought what a lot of you are thinking – huh? I’m so glad we went though. It was very interesting. We saw a lot of sculptures down there – all carved from rock salt. The tour ended in one of the 40 chapels in the mine. A beautiful huge room where everything is carved in salt including the gorgeous shiny floor.

Sunday we took a trip to Auschwitz. What can I say about that. It was as you’d expect. Emotional. I am glad I went. It was a once in a lifetime visit and I won’t forget it.

Even the chandelliers are made of salt

Floor carved by miners over a 3 year period

Auschwitz

A few of my favorite foods: borcsht, pierogies served with fried onions and ham – both homemade. I’m spoiled now. When I go back home, frozen pierogies are going to be such a disapointment.

Tip for flying within Europe – do NOT fly Easyjet. We had huge problems with them.

~ L