A couple of weeks ago, we had the opportunity to go to Poland with some friends for an extended weekend... What an amazing trip it turned out to be! We stayed in the city of Krakow and spent the weekend exploring the city, as well as smaller towns outside of the city... We weren't exactly sure what to expect from our visit, but we wound up being extremely happy with the trip! :) The city was beautiful, the people were friendly, the food was delicious, and the cost of food/clothing/souvenirs was extremely inexpensive... Overall, we had ourselves a very enjoyable experience! We can't say enough nice things about the city, and I would definitely recommend a visit to Krakow... It's one of those cities that you hear about, but it's typically not very high on a list of "places to visit"... But, I'm here to tell you that there's an abundance of culture, history, beautiful buildings, and friendly people to be found there... It's definitely a city to check out... Brian and I feel so very fortunate that we were given the opportunity to explore such a unique city! :)
The view from our room...
Notice how they're trying to paint over the dull, gray, Communist colored buildings in an effort to brighten it up a little?
Inside our hotel... Pretty nice staircase! :)
On our first day in the city, we came across a performance featuring children from various Eastern European countries (Poland, Russia, Slovakia) dancing to traditional music (and wearing traditional clothing) from their prospective countries... Too cute! :)
Our dinner the first night in Poland...
They had a "Polish plate" listed as their special, so we ordered it, not knowing what we were in for! :) Needless to say, we weren't sure what to think when the platter arrived at our table... Yikes! :) It was definitely tasty, but way too much for two people! :)
The Main Square...
It's considered the biggest medieval square in Europe, and it still retains the original architecture and urban planning to this day. It was laid out in 1257...
Polish vodka...
We became quite accustomed to seeing lots and lots of vodka while we were in Poland. :)
Wawel (pronounced "Vavel") Castle...
Wawel Castle...
This castle originated in the 11th century...
Legend has it that positive energy is supposed to flow through a specific wall of the castle, and if you stand close to the wall and concentrate, you'll be able to feel the energy... So, after hearing that, we all had to try for ourselves. :) Here's Brian concentrating on feeling the energy...
As for me, I know it sounds silly, but I kind of could sense/feel a weird tingling sensation in my fingertips when I stood against the wall... Maybe it was real, or just my imagination, but nevertheless, I know I felt something! :)
A view of the towers...
Time for a coffee break! :)
Brian and I in Wawel Castle...
Our crew... Minus Maciej...
Clearly, we were quite excited about our beer find! :)
The Church of Sts. Peter and Paul...
This church dates back to the 17th century, and it was the first baroque church in Krakow...
The statues of the 12 disciples line the fence in front of the building.
A view of the inside...
I loved all of the buildings found in the city...
They were so old and so full of history!
This picture gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "A bird's eye view"! :)
St. Mary's Basilica...
This is a Gothic Church that was built in the 13th century (but had to be re-built in the 14th century)...
Inside St. Mary's Basilica...
The organ...
Stunning!!
We headed up to the tower to check out a view of the city...
Pretty remarkable view! :)
A view of the Main Square...
Every hour, a trumpet signal, called the Hejnal mariacki, is played from the top of the tower. The tune breaks off in mid-stream as a way of commemorating the famous 13th century trumpeter, who was shot in the throat as he was trying to sound an alarm to warn the city of the approaching Mongols. At noon, this tune is broadcast live across Poland.
The State Theatre...
The guys at dinner...
The girls... :)
And, yes, when in Poland, one must drink vodka at dinner...
Needless to say, I'm not a fan of vodka, so I wasn't quite as eager to drink it as the rest of the group. I did sample a little bit of it to be a good sport, but I left the rest for the big vodka enthusiasts in our group! :)
Our crew at dinner...
We ordered a platter for our entire table... That was alot of food!
The following morning, we headed to the Wieliczka Salt Mines to embark on a 3 hour tour...
A statue in the mine made entirely out of rock salt...
This salt mine originated in the 13th century...
It's been in operation from the 13th century up until 1996!
This room, and everything in it, was made out of rock salt...
Unbelievable!!
A picture of "The Last Supper" made from rock salt...
Amazing!
At this point, we were 390 feet below the surface of Poland...
Pretty cool! :)
After our tour of the salt mines, we headed to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial...
The entrance to Auschwitz...
Walking into this camp was a haunting experience...
Passing under the "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign...
This was the sign that was stolen last year, but returned shortly thereafter in 3 seperate sections...
A monument to the victims of Auschwitz...
This urn contains a handful of human ashes, gathered from the Birkenau camp, to commemorate the dead.
Used Cyclon B cans...
These cans were in a display in one of the rooms. After the liberation, piles of the empty cans were found in the camp warehouses. This was the poison that was used in the gas chambers.
Shoes...
There were literally 2.5 rooms, with display cases housing nothing but shoes taken from the prisoners...
This sign proceeds the next picture...
Looking into the prisoner cells...
They explained what they did to prisoners in this area, and it was unbearable to imagine what they went through.
The buildings of Auschwitz...
A uniform worn by a prisoner...
The roll call area...
The "showers"
(i.e. the gas chamber)
It was tough to walk through this building... Just knowing how many people were killed within the walls was horrifying, and you could sense the sadness and fear throughout the building...
One of the five ovens housed within the building...
After we toured Auschwitz, we took a bus 3 kilometers away to the site of Birkenau (also known as Auschwitz 2)...
The day we visited was extremely cold and rainy... It was quite fitting for a tour such as that... You could truly understand what the prisoners had to go through during that time. The difference was that we were dressed for the weather conditions and were able to go home and have a hot cup of coffee to warm up... As for the prisoners, they weren't so fortunate. :(
The remnants of the buildings... At one point, there were 300 to 400 buildings in use...
After liberation, they destroyed the majority of the buildings, and left the chimneys to commemorate where they once stood.
Inside one of the buildings...
This was the sleeping quarters.
Notice how the walls and ceiling don't even meet... Can you imagine how cold it must have been in those buildings during the winter?!
The beds would serve as a sleeping place for up to 8 people...
This building was where the showers/toilets were located...
These were the toilets they were forced to use...
Before liberation, the Nazis blew up one of the crematoriums as a means of getting rid of any evidence that could be used against them... The remains are still there...
The memorial site...
While we were there, a group of Israeli schoolgirls were touring the camp... Before they left, they placed these on the railroad track to honor those many men, women, and children that lost their lives there...
This boy was very excited about the birds! :)
We took in more sights of Krakow the following day...
I loved all of the flowers found in the market! :)
This woman was selling the traditional Polish goat cheese in the train station...
We bought some, and I must say, it's quite delicious!! :)
July 4th in Krakow...
Needless to say, it didn't really feel like summer there! :)
A Polish post office box...
Krakow at night...
The Main Square was so pretty when it was all lit up at night! :)
Greetings from Krakow!! :)
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