The salt mines were absolutely amazing. You first need to walk down 406 steps, which
none of us enjoyed. Luckily Colin taped
his ankle in preparation so that was not an issue. Iwanka (our tour guide) walked us through the
whole process. There were all sorts of
carvings of famous visitors to the mine from Copernicus to Pope John Paul II,
along with various chapels and other rooms.
Everything was carved out of salt and the hallways are held up using
wooden beams. The older the beams, the
more petrified they have become due to the salt exposure, so they are basically
solidifying over time. In the main
chapel they have services for all of the main Christian holidays (Christmas,
Easter etc), you can even get married down there and host your reception. There were also models showing the various
ways they mined the salt over the years and how they moved it to the
surface. At the start it was “man
power”, but eventually they lowered in horses.
Since lowering the horse into the mine was really hard to do they built
stables underground for the horses to live in permanently. Even when they started using more modern
methods they couldn’t get the horses out safely, so they cared for them until
they died (the last one only died 12 years ago). The best part was the elevator back to the
surface. They packed 10 people into the
elevator that was 1m x 2m. It was VERY
cozy! I have never been that physically
close to Daen in my life (even when I have hugged him). If you ever visit Krakow these salt mines are
a definite “must see”.
After the salt mines we relaxed in our room for awhile since
we were all tired from the miles of walking we did. Some cool drinks and a little time lying on
your bed can do wonders for your energy levels. (Ok, we had a nap too).
We wandered around the square and some of the side streets
until we found a great Georgian restaurant for dinner. It was interesting, tasty food! Actually it was probably some of the strongest
flavours we have had since we got to Poland (please don’t be insulted
Eva).
So now Vicki is writing the blog while Colin & Daen are
snuggled in their beds chatting (I would tell you what they are discussing, but
most of you would rather not know). Thanks
for checking in with us!
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