Sausage,Pierogi's, and Vodka. Oh my!

Kraków

Chapel of St. Kinga

This past weekend I had the opportunity to visit Krakow, Poland on a class field trip. I wasn't sure what to expect from the city, or even from the country on the trip, but ended up having a wonderful time. We started our trip at the Wieliczka Salt Mines. I was little nervous about entering due to my claustrophobia, but took the voyage down 53 flights of stairs hoping for the best. I was pleasantly surprised with wide open spaces on the tourist route of the mine which only travels through 1% of the mines total area. The thought of only seeing 1% of the mine after a 3 hour tour was baffling. The mine is not used only for the escavation of salt but it is also used for medical treatment. The depth and the aroma of the mine aides those with respiratory issues. Once a year groups of children venture in to the mine to spend a week clearing out the bacteria in their lungs simply but breathing in the air. The mine also holds the Chapel of St. Kinga which is still in operation every Sunday morning at 7:30am(too early for me to visit) but still amazing to see such a beautiful place of worship.

St. Mary's Basilica in the City Center

Breakfast of Champions 

After leaving the salt mines we headed to dinner, being the picky eater I am I didn't try the traditional Polish pierogies  but tried a bite of Sami's. The different cuisines of countries are so fun to try but it is also very interesting to see how the cultures of different countries have been absorbed into ours. That evening we experienced the Krakow night life and had a few samples of the Wodka(Vodka) that the Poles are famous for. The next morning we visited the castle state rooms, armory, and treasury. I didn't think I would ever feel this way, but I am a little bored with castles. I love looking at the outside of them but beyond that, Princess Brianna is just ready to live in her own and stop visiting other peoples. Following the castle we ventured to the city center. I enjoyed a Polish sausage for lunch and an afternoon of walking through the beautiful markets. The best part of Krakow, especially for my wallet, was how inexpensive the city was. 1zt = .25 of a USD so we divided prices by 4 to know roughly what we were spending. These low prices led us on an adventure to get piercings (yay the nose ring is back) to my mother’s dismay a tattoo was not added on this trip but maybe before I leave. Post piercings we spent a night in to catch up on some much needed sleep. The next morning I woke up refreshed and ready for the day after a yummy eggs benedict breakfast. We spent our last hours in Krakow at Schindler's Factory. As a class we have discussed and visited many outcomes of the Holocaust, but this museum was very different than I expected. The factory led us through the entire process of Hitlers take over of Poland to the liberation after the war. It gave me an entirely different view on such a dark part of the worlds history. I am very happy with my weekend trip in Krakow, next stop the land of champagne and love, I’ll only be partaking in the champagne, Paris!