Krakow, Poland

City Center

It was good for our souls to spend the day after our Auschwitz trip in the city center of Krakow. Krakow quickly became one of my favorite cities I’ve ever been to; it feels as though it is directly out of a fairy tail. We took our time strolling along the river, and I was amazed that I could capture a group of swans, a castle, and a hot air balloon in the frame of one photo. 

The streets are true cobblestone (not smoothed over at all – easy to trip!) Horse-drawn carriages and groups of nuns are a common sight. The statue representing the castle’s mythical dragon is a sight to see when flames shoot out from its mouth every fifteen minutes. 

Krakow is known as the “Rome of Poland,” as it is filled with beautiful Catholic cathedrals, and quite a large convent. It was fun to constantly here the church bells, discover the beauty of so many churches. The main Cathedral lies within the castle grounds along with places to eat, beautiful gardens, and look out points over the river and the city. 

Many of the restaurant doors lead you to a set of stairs that take you underground, where walls of stone make for a medieval feel and cozy European environment. 

Sights on the streets of Krakow: 

Polish Salt Mines

Another day off in Krakow took us to the Polish Salt Mines. I never knew such a thing existed, but just outside of the city, miles underground lies a different world carved into walls of salt (seriously, we licked the walls). Yet, these mines are infamous for the fact that the Polish government hid much of its precious artwork in these mines during WWII, and miners (and their work horses) could live under the grounds of salt for days at a time.

Amazingly, to allow for a good quality life amongst the salt underground, it was necessary for men to build areas of worship in the mines. Several chapels and a huge cathedral are carved into the salt; hundreds of meters underground, people celebrated the sacraments and worshipped. I was blown away by the beauty and intricacy of the salt carvings that created a space big enough to serve as an incredible Cathedral.