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My travel in Europe:
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Day 5: By train from Krakow to Bratislava:
Google Map over Krakow and Wieliczka: |
Wieliczka:At the main square of Krakow two days ago we saw there was a guided tour to a salt mine. It looked interesting and yesterday we bought the tickets for it and today is the day for the visit. 
The same procedure as yesterday, the bus picked up us at the hotel. Here we have just arrived to the salt mine, it's placed in the village Wieliczka. Less than 20 km away from Krakow in Southern direction. 
This is the office, Szyb Bamilowicza. Waiting outside here for our guide to show up. Salt mine:
Here they are, not only one but two guides. 
Watch up, don't touch the electric wires ! 
The guide told us that we start to enter the mine through a long deep staircase. 
The staircase is built of wood. See in the middle how deep it is. If I remember correct this first staircase was more than 80 meters, but the deepest point of the mine is more than 300 meters. We walk down the steps around, around, around ... 
At last we had come to the bottom of the staircase. 
These piles of wood are built like this to stabilize the mine. Without it the mine would colapse. |
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We follow several corridors to different chambers the guides take us to. All the passages are altogether 287 km ! 
This is what the salt mine is famous for, the salt statues. 
Mines are always dangerous and miners are superstitious, here is the Madonna that protects the miners. 
We come deeper and deeper into the mine. This was a very hot day, but here inside the mine the temperature is always 14 degrees Celsius. 
In a normal mine you use dynamite or something to blow the rock. But not here, salt is very soft and easy to get out. 
The salt they harvest must get up to the surface in someway. This is the machinery that does that, driven from a horse. The horses I have been told in Sweden was much more valuable than the workers. 
From here there are more staircases that take us even deeper down in the mine. Maybe we are now at the 200 meters level. 
The oldest part of the mine is from the 13th century. They have built many models of the workers so you can see how they worked here with their tools. |
Here we enter the cathedral, very impressive, it's enormous ! They arrange weddings here among other things. 
In the bigger chambers there are huge wooden constructions to support the mine. 
There is even a lake in the mine. 
Now we come to the end of the guided tour, I don't remember if we go even deeper or if we are on the way up. 
The elevator that we are waiting for, it didn't take many people each time. 
Up in the free air again. What a great tour down there and the guides were terrific. One thing they told us was that salt was very valuable in old times. One barrel of it could bought a hole village. At Wikipedia you find more information about Wieliczka Salt Mine:
Krakow, Jewish blocks:The bus take us, I almost said home, but to Krakow. It starts to feel like home because this is the fourth day in Krakow. 
We walk back to the Jewish district with all the restaurants. 
It has been very hot today and a glass of cold water was something we longed for. |
We are sitting at a restaurant at the square along the street Szeroka. We have been here before, but now for a dinner. I think we ate some fish for dinner. 
After the dinner we walk slowly through the alleys and looking at the buildings and the people what they are doing. 
I think the sign says something about apartments. 
The square Plac Nowy, here we find a lot of people. At Wikipedia you find more information about Krakow Ghetto:
Leaving the Jewish blocks and walk back to the hotel. Tomorrow we take the train to Bratislava. Will we manage to make it all the way to Bratislava ?
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