Kraków, Poland

This has been the most "painless" flight to Europe that we have done.  Flying business class (row 2 seating) may have something to do with it, but Lufthansa has always been enjoyable.  Being lactose intolerant, airlines usually feed me their vegetarian meals; I was stuffed with vegetables.  Next we fly LOT (Polish), then TAP (Portugese), Azores, Jet Blue, and finally United.

Every time we visit Europe, we are impressed by how civilized/ organized it is.  Displays are neat and attractive; products are high quality, and prices are fair.  You feel safe walking the streets at night.  We love our USA, but the history, various cultures, and scenery here hold great attraction.  The Polish language has some similarity to Russian (actually closer to the Slovak language), but the Poles have no love for Russia.  Poland 400 years ago, was a large and powerful nation; the only nation to successfully invade and seize Moscow.  More recently it has served as a battleground between Russia and Germany.  Russia seeks to keep Poland weak and subservient.

The view from our hotel window looking toward the Jewish Quarter of Krakow.  Great restaurants close at hand in the Jewish section.

Carriages in the main market square of Krakow; the square is large, 200 meters square.

 Cloth hall; an indoor bazaar with many booths selling interesting handcrafts of wide variety.

Our taxi driver from the airport told us that he was born here in Kraków and hopes to live his entire life here; he considers it to be the perfect city for him.  The atmosphere here seems to be one of guarded optimism.  Poland is not a rich country, but things are improving; people have a positive outlook.  Everyone seems very helpful.  We visited the salt mines today.  The mine has been in continuous operation for many centuries and is a UNESCO historic site. Over a million people per year tour the mine. The three-hour tour covers less than one per cent of the actual mine.  Amazing sculptures have been created in the rock salt formations, but what impresses me was the extensive wooden engineered supports in place for centuries and still holding up the over-lying stone formations.

 

Just one of many sculptures in the salt mines.  There are even large chapels created in salt chambers.

We also visited Auschwitz-Birkenau.  Done more from a perspective of obligation and respect. Inhumanity of world-wide concern happened here and must be remembered.  Previously, I had visited Dachau, Theresienstadt (north of Prague), and Dora (eastern Germany) so the reality of concentration camps was not new to me.  I took almost no photos; not pleasant or scenic. Birkenau was the largest of all these camps; its vastness is the most impressive aspect.

We did an enjoyable group bicycle ride which went all the way around the city proper.  Our guide provided interesting commentary.  He teaches English, so he was very understandable.

 The remaining city gate of Krakow.  Originally Krakow was a walled city with a moat around it.  Much of the wall was taken down and the moat was filled resulting in parkland surrounding the entire old central city.