Cracking on in Krakow

"Here. Hold my clown"

Only 2 more days left of my Poland adventure - time has flown by really quickly!  Today, we said farewell to Zakopane and headed back to Krakow.  Ala gave us a quiz of all our newly acquired knowledge of Poland and the Polish language on the bus ride back which was quite fun.  I still can't remember any of the words she taught us - but fortunately my question was to name a famous Polish scientist who came from Krakow - which I did know!   Copernicus, of course!   My prize was a little bottle of lemon flavored vodka - not bad work for 8.30am!

On Wawel Hill

We stopped a couple of times en route to Krakow to refuel the bus and for bathroom breaks.  That is one of the downsides of traveling with a pack of a dozen Adventure Women - we come with our own built-in bathroom line!  Any time we stop then pow!  Instant pee queue!  But stopping at the service station did give me a chance to check out the local snacks - no Maltesers, alas, but I did buy the entertainingly named Knoppers bar as well as some potato "long chips". I figured if anyone was going to be good at Pringles knock-offs, it would be the Poles.  The Knoppers was surprisingly tasty (light, crispy, a bit like a Toffee Crisp) while the Long Chips were passable, in a pinch, but not really worth the calories.  Sarna (one of the other local guides) had also bought cheese for us to try which she handed round in a white plastic carrier bag.  PSA for you all  - Warm Bus Cheese paired with chocolate isn't really to be recommended!  Its a bit like drinking champagne after cleaning your teeth.  Both things in isolation are absolutely to be encouraged.  Doing one after the other, not so much.

The famous golden domed chapel

We arrived back in Krakow just after 11am, so Ala then took us on a walking tour round the old city.  Krakow is an absolutely beautiful city that, somehow, was spared the ravages of the Second World War and escaped any significant damage from bombing (the local population, as you know, not so much...). We walked through the park just by our hotel (we're staying in the sister property to the one we stayed at before - just round the corner - the Wawel Queen - (fortunately no beds tucked up in the ceiling this time) and the weather had cleared up again, so it was a glorious day, sunshine and blue skies.  We walked through the old Market Square (where I'd visited on my first day trying to find something clean to wear!) and made our way up to Wawel Hill, the historic heart of the city where the huge castle is situated.  It was incredibly busy - for some reason, today is the day that all the students from the local schools come to visit the museums, so there were hoards of kids of all ages running around in big packs!  We didn't actually go inside the castle as there isn't a huge amount to see, unless you are super interested in old tapestries - of which they apparently have the largest collection in Europe.  We obviously didn't look like a group of ladies obsessed with needlepoint, so we next headed off to the main cathedral in Wawel Square. 

waterspouts as dragons - hence the nickname
puking dragons when it rains!

The cathedral was originally built in the 11th century then destroyed and rebuilt in the 12th century before being destroyed again by fire and rebuilt in the 14th century.  It served as the coronation site of Polish monarchs and was subsequently expanded by successive rulers, in the same style of the Egyptian pharaohs.  So its now a hodge podge of incredible architecture with multiple chapels and mausoleums, the most notable being the golden dome of Sigismund's chapel.  https://www.katedra-wawelska.pl/en/ Unfortunately we were not allowed to take any pictures inside, which was a shame as it was really interesting as it contained very elaborate tombs of many of the former kings and queens of Poland.  If you want to take a look, here is the Wikipedia link, which has some great pics of the interior: click here

After the main Wawel Cathedral, we then walked back into the old Square where we visited St Mary's Basilica - where this time pictures were allowed.  The main feature of this church was the colorful interior and soaring ceilings - I can imagine how much of a contrast it must have presented during the drab, grey years during which Poland was under Communist rule.  It was also famed for the elaborate carved gilded altar - considered one of the most impressive examples of late Gothic European art, built from 1477 to 1489.  Ala told us the story of how the altar had been looted during the Second World War by the Nazis, broken up and removed - but that it had been found after the end of the war and then returned to the city and restored. 

The understated altar

Following the Basilica, we then got back on the bus and headed for our next stop of the day - a vineyard about a half hour's drive out of the city were we were to enjoy a wine tasting and lunch.  Its one of the largest vineyards in Poland, with 30 hectares that were planted fairly recently in 2012.  We met with one of the owners who took us into the vineyards, where he then proceeded to talk to us in a LOT of detail about the founding and all the various steps that were involved in getting going (including leasing the land from the hermitic monastery that owned it, sited just up the hill).  It was a bit too much and after half an hour, the group was getting antsy - but finally he got the hint and led us to the building were we were to have lunch and taste some wines.  Lunch was good - and the wines were surprisingly good too (we tasted 3 whites and 2 reds).  But it did all take quite a bit of time, so we didn't get finished until almost 5pm.  

Apparently watch out for the GIANT
 bees they have here - the size of Krusty!!

The vineyard we visited - they don't yet
export to the US, just to Austria (I think)

Vines for days

Site of the hermitic monastery, surrounded by the
vineyard

Beetroot tart, hot cabbage (yuk), celeriac
salad and celery salad.
Maybe I should have had the chocolate...

We waddled back down the hill to where Tomas had parked the bus for the 30min ride back into town.  Many of the other ladies had decided to go to the chocolate shop on the square for "dinner" of hot chocolate and dessert.  I passed and instead visited a cute little place that Ala had recommended called Chimera restaurant where I had a very light supper.  It was canteen style where you pay for a certain number of items - most of which were vegetarian or vegan,  It wasn't bad but wasn't great either, so I didn't feel too bad leaving a lot of it.  I also tried a chimera spritz - I have no idea what went into it, but it tasted very green, so I'm assuming it was healthy!  As much as I would have loved to have joined in the chocolate frenzy, I fear my digestive system would have completely rebelled, so I decided to be kind to myself instead and refrain!

Mystery green spritz

The next day was the last full day of our Adventure Women trip with three main activities penciled in the itinerary - the first, a trip to a local market so we could poke around all the various food stalls and see all the local produce.  I've been to many markets in my time, all over the world - the most memorable ones in South East Asia where refrigeration is optional and you NEVER EVER wear sandals or flip flops as you walk round.  The floor juices simply need to be seen (and smelled) to believe.  So this market was very tame in comparison to those - there were tons of little wooden hut shops where people with clean hands or food gloves served customers in an orderly manner from kitchens or prep areas that were sanitary and not piled high with unidentifiable organs.  I know, I know - where's the fun in that, right?   Wandering around, there were also a few shoes and clothing stalls - if you need a frumpy housecoat and some orthopedic sandals, these ladies have got ya covered!  I didn't buy anything other than a Nice Cup of Tea, having already purchased probably too much Ozempic cheese for US customs to handle already.

You can have any cake you like - as long as its
square and filled with cream

Cheese please!

Mum - this one is for you.  Delicious
new potatoes

Apparently this is dough for some
type of Moroccan soda bread

Watching the guy make these was
mesmerizing - his crimping skills? 
"chefs kiss"

GIANT burritos

The orderly nature of these stations belied
the chaos that was about to follow

After that slice of local life, it was time for another cooking class at a kitchen in Krakow, followed by a trip to the famous Wieliczka salt mine https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/.  I had been looking forward to the cooking class - this time, it was more the usual type of class - the ones in a fancier kitchen, where you each have your own station, as a team-building type activity.  There were a dozen stations set up and I just picked one of the ones on the end, closest to the chef (so I could hear and see his demo) and not really paying that much attention to the ingredients in front of me.  

Rookie move.  

So many fucking radishes

The stations were grouped into whether you would be working on the appetizer, main course or dessert - so I had unwittingly picked a station in front of the appetizer, where we would be prepping the ingredients for a cold Lithuanian borscht soup.  Which, for me, meant grating by hand two big bunches of radishes.  Ugh.  Not anybody's favorite prep job!  And, of course, while I was doing that, I didn't get to see what anyone else was doing on the more interesting stations (FOMO!).  What I struggled with, more than that, though was the overall general cacophony and utter chaos that comes with a dozen women, all in the kitchen at the same time, shouting over each other, asking questions loudly and repeatedly to the chef, who would then answer and Sarna would translate.  There was simply just Too Much Noise for me.  I love to cook - but my kitchen is nice and orderly and quiet - I really do struggle with multiple competing loud conversations (probably one reason I never had kids!) so honestly, it wasn't the most enjoyable experience for me.  And to top it off - after I had finished finally grating the radishes - I was then awarded the prize of ...... herb prep!  Stripping the fronds from two big bunches of dill and then trying to chop it so it wasn't too "wet" for the chef's liking.  I could barely contain my excitement by this stage - but wait!  After I had chopped the dill - I had one further task!  I had to then boil the eggs for the soup - on an induction stove that was as temperamental as I felt - and apparently did not do a great job in hiding, according to a picture taken by Gwen from across the room.  I know I'm sounding a bit of a grouchy grump - but we all have our limits triggered by various places and situations, and I guess this was just one of mine.

Ricing the potatoes for the dumplings

But once all the cooking was well underway, the mayhem did subside somewhat so I did rally and recover.  The food itself was pretty good - although I have to confess to being a bit disappointed by the potato dumplings as I found the texture to be unpleasantly gluey with very little taste.  The best bite was the flour-free chocolate and rhubarb cake - not two flavors I would have thought to put together, but it was surprisingly light and tasty.

They looked great - but tasted bleh.

Pretty in pink - surprisingly tasty
Lithuanian Borscht but which I will likely 
never make again cos it was a colossal
ass ache!

Duck breast with potato dumplings and
a redcurrant based sauce

Tastiest bite of the day

Watching the eggs boil and being 
generally Over It.  
My lack of Poker Face strikes again!

By 1pm, Sarna was herding us out of the door, so that we would be on time for our 2.30pm entry time at the salt mine, a 30 min drive out of town (we'd said farewell to Ala the day before).  I was looking forward to the salt mine as it had been pumped up as "absolutely incredible" with an "amazing structures carved underground".   I hate to say it, but I was a teeny tiny bit underwhelmed, to be honest.  Yes - it was impressive in places - particularly the famous St Kinga's Chapel and there were some huge caverns with soaring high ceilings and turquoise saline pools, but overall it was a bit of a meh from me.  I don't think our guide was all that great and he didn't do the best job of bringing it all to life (we could overhear snippets of other tour guides and they seemed to be giving much more interesting anecdotes) so perhaps the experience would have been better with more compelling commentary.   To access the mine, you had to descend about 800 steps, winding round and round a wooden staircase dozens of times.  

There were lots of intricate
carvings throughout the mines

Deep saline pool

Highest cavern in the mine - site of the only ever 
recorded hot air balloon ride inside!

Mighty impressive chandelier - all the 
crystals are made from rock salt

dizzyingly high ceiling

step 558 of 800

What

Inside the famous chapel

was impressive was the sheer scale of the place - we would access about 3.5km over 2-3hrs (via the tourist route https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/individual-tourist/tourist-route) at depths ranging between 64 - 134m below the surface - but the whole network of tunnels encompass about 250kms!!  We would walk through these big tunnels, bolstered by countless giant logs, and often go past other tunnel shafts that were roped off - those were the ones I wanted to explore!!  As I had a look on the website after we visited, I noticed there was a different style of tour you could have taken called the "Miner's Route" where you dress up in overalls, with a hard hat and a lamp, and basically recreate the experience of being a novice miner.  Now THAT would have been a ton more fun for me than shuffling along with a group of 40 other people! https://www.wieliczka-saltmine.com/individual-tourist/miners-route

But, it was good to have done it nonetheless and it is certainly still worth seeing, although my feet were throbbing by the time we finished - walking on unforgiving hard bed salt rock takes it toll after a while!  All that was then left was to gather for our farewell dinner at this lovely restaurant off the old square in Krakow (called Wesele or "wedding" in Polish).  We had the sauerkraut soup once again with the hard boiled egg and sausage, followed by beef and then finally cheesecake.  It was all very tasty - but I think I'll be done with heavy Polish food for a bit by the time I leave.  I am craving something light and leafy!!  

Wesele restaurant

Lets get married again!

After dinner, both Sarna and our Adventure Women ambassador Margie said a few words about how fun the trip had been and how they hoped we'd enjoyed Poland as well as each other's company.  And - on the whole - I had a great time (luggage stress aside).  As you know, I don't often go on organized trips like this, preferring to travel independently (and with ManpanionTM where possible) but it was actually a nice change to not have to worry about any of the logistics or timings or tickets or whatever.  It was all very well run, with a nice diversity of experiences and - importantly - it never felt as if we were being patronized or "talked down to" as tourists.  I've been on those types of tours that aim for the lowest common denominator in terms of quality of food, quality of accommodation and treat their guests as basically cattle, to be herded on and off buses and carted round "local experiences" that are clearly fake and inauthentic and manufactured purely to extract tourist dollars.  This trip was not that - at all.  After 4 days of touring round Zakopane, particularly, I really did feel as if we had been exposed to how life actually is for people living here - and gained a better appreciation and understanding of the Highlander way of life and their customs.  I guess it must be a bit of a remnant from the communist era, but Poland has always had a bit of a grey reputation in my mind - solid, humorless, gloomy.  While Ala did self-describe the Polish people as a "bit melancholy", the place itself was bright, vibrant and colorful.  The countryside was stunning - every bit as beautiful as Slovenia or Switzerland.  (You may have noticed that I made a decision not to visit Auschwitz during this trip - that's because I can see myself returning in the future with ManpanionTM (who has yet to visit) and I suspect that is a visit you only do once, so I decided to "save" it for when we can see it together).  So Poland was a lovely surprise - and the experience with Adventure Women was also one I could see myself repeating in the future.   The only question is - where to next??   https://adventurewomen.com/