Kraków

Before I decided to come to Krakow, the only thing I knew about the city is that it's where Auschwitz is located.  Yes, Auschwitz gave the city its notoriety but that's not the only thing that this place is well-known for.  The city and Poland both have a long history, going back to the 9th and 10th centuries.  Pope John Paul II studied and served as the bishop and archbishop here before being elected as Pope in 1978.  The city calls him its native son because he spent most of his life here before becoming pope.

After talking to others and reading more about Krakow, I decided that I need more than 1 or 2 days here.  I booked an Airbnb apartment just outside Old Town Krakow for 4 nights.  At about US$45 a night it's much cheaper than staying at one of the hotels.  The apartment is spacious and has a kitchen.  My host arranged for someone to pick me up at the airport for 90 PLN (about US$23) since I was arriving late in the evening.  Jakub, the host, met me at the apartment and showed me where everything is.  I also asked him to book a tour to Auschwitz the following day.  It costs 155 PLN, or about US$40.  It's about 1 1/2 hours from Krakow.  I will talk more about Auschwitz in my next post.

On my second day in Krakow, I signed up for two walking tours.  One in the morning, touring the old Jewish Quarter and the second in the afternoon of the city itself, mostly Old Town.  In most European cities, there are "free" walking tours.  But, they are not really free.  After the tour, you are expected to tip the guide.  The amount you tip depends on what you think the tour was worth.  These tour groups tend to be much larger and sometimes, it's hard to follow the guide.  I paid 60 PLN for each tour; booked through the city's Tourist Information Center.  The Jewish Quarter tour started at 10 am.

Most of the Jews in Krakow used to live in the Kazimierz area.  It was named after an old Polish king in the 14th century.  They coexisted with Christians throughout history until Hitler put all the Jews into a ghetto during the war.  Today it's no longer a Jewish area, although some of the buildings are still being preserved like it was in the old days.  It's a popular area with restaurants and other businesses.

An old Jewish synagog, that is not being used today

Old Jewish shops that are being preserved to look like the old days

One of the old buildings in the Jewish Quarter

A Jewish cemetery

Restaurant tables to look like old sewing machine tables

Chairs are placed in this Square to commemorates Jews who were forced to gather there before being taken to the ghetto
On the top right-hand corner is a pharmacy.  The pharmacist risked his life helping many of the Jews.

My afternoon tour started at 2 pm with about a dozen people.  They came from all over:  England, Australia, Netherlands, Canadians, and me, the only American.  In the morning, there were quite a few Americans and Canadians.  This city tour took us mostly around Old Town, where the guide explained the history of Poland, how it evolved, the culture and language, some of the famous people, buildings, statues, etc.  You can read more about its history here:  History of Poland  One thing I did not realize is Poles are considered to be Slavic people.  Hitler said that Slavs are sub-humans.  No wonder he invaded Poland.  When I listened to Poles speak, I wonder which language is closest to it.  Our guide said none but the closest language is from Slovakia.

Vistula River

Inside St. Mary's Basilica

Old Town Square

St. Mary's Basilica

The Royal Palace

My last tour in Krakow was to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, about 30 minutes outside of Krakow.  Again, I signed up for a tour that costs 150 PLN, about US$40.  This is a very popular tour, judging from the van being packed.  The tour guide at the mine said they typically get about 9,000 visitors a day at the mine.  It is so popular that the owners decided to close the mine because they make more money for visitors than mining the salt, which now has become very inexpensive, compared to the old days.  The tour lasted about 2 hours.  The tour is more than about the workings of the mine itself.  There are many interesting stories about statues, incidents and accidents, history, etc.  Not surprising since it's been running since the 13th century until 2007.  Some parts of the mine are big, including a chapel.  It's more like some of the limestone caverns that I have visited.  At the start of the tour, we were told by the guide not to lick the walls and floors, even though they were salt.  They have to be purified before they can be consumed.

Entrance to the mine

Wood was used extensively in the mine.  They came from nearby forests

They call this "cauliflower".  A close look at the salt

In the old days, horses were used a lot in the mine.  They never see the light of the day throughout their lives.

There is even a chapel inside the mine

Close up look of a type of salt

There's even a restaurant inside