Pedal Power and Salty Stuff

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This blog is dedicated to my friends Jason and Natalie who tied the knot today. Congrats guys, I wish I could have been there to celebrate your special day with you.

Krakow is a great little city with cosy cafes and pubs. Firstly walked around the Main Square (largest in Europe), Wawel Castle and Cathedral (where homegrown hero Karol Wojtyla was Archbishop before becoming Pope JP2), and Kazimierz (old Jewish quarter). Then took a bike tour of Krakow. Visited a lot of interesting places, in particular the Jewish ghetto from World War II and Oscar Schindler's factory. Interesting to hear about the real events as opposed to the Hollywood version. Apparently the largest number of descendants from the Jews saved by Schindler live in Melbourne.

Also went to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. With over 600 stairs and being 135 metres below the surface it isn't the place for the disabled or claustrophobic. The guide kept on inviting us to lick anything we wanted to prove that everything was made of salt, and a few larrikins took her up on it by licking the walls. Fairly interesting, but couldn't comprehend why people were raving about it.

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Photos

Dragon's Den
Symbol of Krakow

JP2, we love you
Krakow's favourite son

JP2's former residence
He lived at 19 Kanonicza from 1952 - 1967. It's now a museum.

Wawel Cathedral
Where Archbishop Karol Wojtyla (JP2) served as a clergy member

Main Square
St Mary's Cathedral on the right. Every hour a trumpeter calls from the tallest tower and cuts off suddenly in memory of one who was shot through the throat (damn good shot) as he tried to warn the city of invading Tatars in 1241.

D'oh!!!
This is supposed to be named after a guy called Kup. The additional "a" on the end is supposed to be Kup's street. Except "kupa" means SHIT in polish, so everyone knows it as Shit Street

Pierogi
Had to come to Poland for some decent dumplings. Fillings included potato and cottage cheese, or cabbage and mushrooms, or meat, or fruit, or sweet cheese

Extreme rivalry
There is a huge rivalry in Krakow between 2 soccer teams to the extent that people proudly show their support by putting graffiti on the walls. It has been known for people to be asked what team they support, and if they give the wrong answer they are bashed up.

Jewish cemetery
This was a sad and haunting sight. All these graves have fallen into disrepair as there are no longer any descendants to take care of them.

Podgorze ghetto
Nazis moved all the Jews to this area in 1941 and cordoned it off, until they deported them to the camps in 1943

Ghetto hospital
Doctors attempted to spare the lives of their patients by injecting them with cyanide rather than having them shot by the Nazi's

Ghetto main square
This is where the Jews were assembled to catch the trains to the concentration camps. Controversial memorial with the empty seats commemorating the people that would never return.

Schindler's List
Office where the list was made up for the approx 1100 Jews that would be taken with him to work in a new plant in Czechoslovakia

St Kinga's Chapel
Altar, carvings and bas reliefs made entirely from salt.

JP2 salt statue
Move over Madame Tussaud's