Monday, December 17, 2018:  Krakow, Poland:

            Upon arrival last night we began looking at optional ways to see the most of Krakow in the shortest period of time.  We enjoyed Krakow Market Square last night, so today we were ready to see more of the Old Town area.  We booked a private tour in a heated electric cart.  It was below freezing in Krakow, with snow on the ground.  Last night, Market Square was a cold slushy mess.

Hard Rock Cafe

Cloth Hall on Town Square

St Mary's Basilica on Town Square

Krakow Theater

St Florian's City Gate and City Wall

           We met our driver, with a heated cart, at 9:15 in front of our apartment.

We drove all over the Old Town, seeing many churches, and other sites before going to the Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz.  We toured one of the synagogues and Jewish cemetery, ending at Oskar Schindler’s enamel factory.  The old factory now houses a World War II museum which concludes with stories from the children Oskar Schindler saved during the Nazi controlled era. 

Skatka Cathedral

Corpus Christi Cathedral

Isaac Synagogue

Remu'h Synagogue Jewish Ghetto 

Jewish Ghetto Memorial

Oskar Schildler's Factory

            We returned to the apartment for a while, knowing we had a reserved tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine at 4:10.  Before we drive to the mine, we want to see the interiors of several churches.  We had plenty of time and felt everything was under control. That is UNTIL Everything changed! We arrived at our parking lot to find a “boot” on the front tire of the driver’s side.  We were given incorrect hours for free parking. 

            How do we get this boot removed and where do we pay the parking fine? There was a guy in the parking lot who did help us. Finally, the police arrived, and after paperwork, they removed the boot.  We felt free!  However, we had just waisted valuable time in getting to the Mine. 

            Once on the road, we followed the GPS to the mine.  HOWEVER, by now it was almost 3:15 and we had a 25-30 min drive.  We kept running into road disruptions, accidents, and bumper to bumper traffic. Soon after 4:05 we received a phone call, asking how far we were away from the mine.  They simply could not hold the tour for us.  It seemed the harder we tried to get there, the further behind we were.  There was construction, accidents, and stand still traffic for which we had no control.  We arrived 20 minutes late.  All we could do was buy new tickets, for the English Tour at 5:00.  We had decided to take a tour after dark, as we were underground.  It is dark by 4:00, which we need to consider when planning our days.

            What a place!  They have been mining salt from this mine since 1473.  We cannot even fathom this length of time.  This was before Columbus made his trip to the Americas!                                                                                                                                                                             

Our English tour group had approximate 25 persons. First, you descend 380 steps. Down, down we went.  Thank goodness we have no knee or hip issues!  This mine had 180 miles of tunnels, with lots of pits and chambers, all hewn out by hand from solid salt.  Visitor only see parts of the top three levels.  In several of the chambers there are chapels and in one there is a full-sized church, where they have services every Sunday. 

We also went to the museum, showing more of the equipment used in mining, as well as photos, which helping explain the process.

By the time we were finished, we were exhausted.  It was almost 8:00 pm.

We drove directly back to central Krakow.  We did stop on the Market Square for a meal at the Hard Rock Café before retiring to the apartment. 

Salt Mine

                                                                           

Salt Mine Church - Everything in Salt

The Current Mine - Five Levels

                                                                                                                                                                              

Sunday, December 16, 2018, Bratislava, Slovakia to Krakow, Poland:

            This morning we were on the road by 9:00.  Our destination by tonight is Krakow, Poland.  The fastest, most direct route to Krakow is via the Czech Republic on the autobahn.  On the route, is the city of Brno, CK.  We stopped in Brno to see their lovely Christmas market and Cathedral, as well as to have lunch, before we continue. 

Brno CK Christmas Market

Enjoying a Cech Specialty

Cech Goat Cheese Specialty

Monument to the Plague

Brno Cathedral

            It was 5:15 before we arrived at our reserved apartment, just off the Krakow square.  Thank goodness for GPS, as we meandered through town to get here. 

            Wow is the Krakow Square a special place at Christmas!  There is a large Christmas market in the center.  Around the edge of the square are heated outdoor restaurants.  The decorations, lights and decorated trees are very upscale.  There are many well-groomed horse and carriages waiting to give you a ride. 

            After checking-in to the apartment, and settling in for a few minutes, we looked at the websites of activities for tomorrow.  We booked several items before we were out the door to explore the Square and catch a bite to eat this evening. 

            Before we finished the Square tonight, we popped inside the Cathedral which is located at one corner of the Square.  Evening mass taking place, but we had a glimpse of this beautiful cathedral.  We need to return, to really look around. I haven’t mentioned this before, but several of the Cathedrals we have entered while mass is in session, have been filled with worshippers.  

Krakow Christmas Market