May 6 Day three in Krakow

One of the highlights of any visit to Poland is a visit to the salt mines in Wieliczka ( Say that three times fast). These mines have been used since pre-historic times. The earliest written records go back to the 11th century. During those times salt was the same value as silver. Its main use was as a food preservative. At one time a third of the income of the entire country of Poland came from salt.

Miners would spend long hours underground,and a few centuries ago some started to carve religious figures, so they could pray. This became known, and, in addition to mining for salt, the mine also became a tourist attraction. Well known figures, such as Copernicus, and the German poet Goethe visited. The carvings were encouraged. Miners would mine for 6 hours, carve for two, and get paid for 8 hours.

There are numerous carvings, the most spectacular being the Chapel of St. Kinga. This is a chamber, carved out of solid salt. It is 54 m long, 18 m wide and 12 m high. Everything is made of salt, all the art work, the altar, even the huge chandeliers. Three miners worked over sixty years to create this chapel. They worked one after the other. New work is added now, a statue of Pope John Paul II, for example.
I was smart to join a tour. With our guide we avoided all the line-ups. Last Friday was a national holiday, and the line- up, just to get tickets was 5 hours. It wasn't that bad today, but there was a line-up.
I had a great dinner of pyrogies, which are, basically, ravioli. They were stuffed with spinach and goat cheese. Absolutely delicious. That and a half liter of beer came to 8 dollars, tax and tip included. The bonus was that the restaurant was a lovely square, with some gorgeous Art Deco buildings.
A nice way to end another lovely day
Ralf