May 4: Krakow

Going down to the salt mine....

 We left Friday morning for the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Our group had a tour guide and we began the tour by descending almost 600 stairs into the mine. Our guide took us around to several chambers. There were salt rock statues in several of the chambers. We were encouraged to put our finger on the wall and taste it. It was really salty! At the lowest point of the mine, probably 400 feet below ground, there was an absolutely huge chapel. It took years to finish. On certain Sundays they hold mass there. We took an elevator back up and I was happy to see daylight again.

Wall of the mine, it definitely tasted salty!

Krakow main square

 Unfortunately, I had been suffering from an allergic reaction since the previous weekend. It seems I walked through some sort of plant and reacted by developing a rash. My feet were swollen and extremely itchy. That evening (Friday) I went to the hospital for treatment. We waited almost three hours to see a doctor. I received a shot and had blood work done. It took another two hours to get the test results back, which were normal. Finally, I could leave. It was a rough night. The next day I stayed at the hostel while everyone else went to Wawel Castle. I went to dinner that evening but came back early to rest. By Sunday I was feeling much better. The swelling had gone down and my feet didn't itch as much. We went to the main square and a museum of pharmacy.

Cloth Hall that now houses souvenir and amber shops

 Afterwards I went to lunch with some of the girls and then shopped around in the old cloth hall. The cloth hall is a long building now full of little booths selling amber and souvenirs. Poland is known for its amber. There is a certain type of tree resin that hardens over hundreds of years and becomes fossilized. The resin is hard as stone and is called amber. There is the normal yellowish orange amber, but there are also many other colors. The amber is used for jewelry, medicine, and perfumes.  Our last night in Krakow was spent eating food. Of course. We dined at a traditional Polish restaurant. I had white borsch soup and a potato pancake. Our waiter also gave us complimentary Polish cherry vodka. The vodka is very smooth and you sip on it throughout dinner. We had a great time sitting in the garden, eating great food, and enjoying each other's company.  The next day we stopped at Auschwitz and Birkenau on our way back to Czech.