Salty Wieliczka: Afield in Krakow Part 1 of 3

We landed at John Paul II airport early on Thursday morning, not completely sure how we will get into the city center of Krakow, or ultimately find our hotel.   But, as experience has shown, these types of things have a way of sorting themselves out, usually.  Therefore, we decided against buying a local SIM cards for the iphone; arming ourselves only with the tourist map from the information desk at the airport.

I constantly read that the best way to change money into the local currency is to use your debit card at the ATM to get the best rates, rather than go to the booth where they charge a hefty commission to exchange currency.  The ATM typically dispenses only the larger bills - in the case of zloty that would be 100s and 50s.  Of course, the first thing I need to buy are bus tickets into the city for 8 zl, from a machine that won't accept my credit card and will not dispense change for a 50 (the guy behind me in line laughed out loud).  Luckily Kerry remembered that the newsstand in the airport also sold tickets, so we were able to get our bus tickets (and some small currency amounts), and get on our way.  Hey, at least we weren't as bad as the lady who tried to pay the 1 zl toilet fee with a 50, but I get ahead of myself.

On the bus ride, we decided to not waste time and go directly to the famous salt mine in Wielicszka, a city just southeast of Krakow.  This meant we had to figure out how to store our bags and find transportation to the mines.  We felt like we were on the Amazing Race, a show where contestants have to travel to different countries and solve clues to get to the next pitstop.  Usually they just annoy strangers who have iphones with google maps.  Except Kerry and I are usually too timid to approach strangers; we'd likely be the first pair eliminated.

Not having enough coins for the lockers at the train station (surprise surprise) and after about 5 failed attempts to change my 10 zl note for coins from various street vendors (you'd think they were asked to make change all the time!), we ended up checking our luggage with some dude who charged 5 zl per bag for up to 24 hours.  Perfect - while this seemed like a lot compared to the cost of a locker, 1 zl is only $0.33, so we're making out like bandits.

About 90 minutes after landing and another 7 zl later, we're on a train to Wieliczka.

Now how do we know when to get off?

Luckily Wieliczka was the last stop, because I could not see station names from our seat (not that any of the intermediate stops looked all that inviting to alight).  On a summer day, the salt mine can see thousands of visitors, so it was quite a touristy area and the directions to get to the mine were more than clear.

"Dzien Dobry" A phrase I was glad I practiced ahead of time

We began our tour with a long stairway descent into the mine, 54 flights of 7 steps each.  Being the nerd that I am, here's what I was thinking about.

You fear to go into those mines. The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness.

 But it turns out they call the dwarves "brownies" here.

Brownies - my picture is better than the one from Wikipedia

The mines have excellent accent lighting for all the rock salt statues and hollowed caverns, so I took all the photos without flash.  Usually it ended up in a blurry mess but there were a few favorites which I'll share here. I heard that the mine officially don't produce salt anymore, but there were tons of guys with hardhats looking like they just put in a solid day's work.  Maybe it was just for maintenance purposes.

The tour guide told us to touch the wall and lick our fingers to taste the salt.  I said "the snozzberries taste like snozzberries!"

A large collection of salt statues

Our English-speaking tourguide was very knowledgeable

Descending down to 135 meters

Most of the lasting structure is made from wood.  They had metal rails which used to run the carts to transport salt, but that would corrode quickly.  The salt helps preserve the wood.  Also, the air quality was excellent, no mold!  In fact, people go spend time at the underground health spa to alleviate their asthma symptoms.

The underground cathedral carved out of salt.

The cathedral was very impressive.  The workers in the salt mine (and Poles in general) have a very spiritual history, and worship would take place before every shift.  The statues carved into the wall are from 4 different artists over a span of 100 years.  Also, there are excellent acoustics here, so I was euphoric.   They have chamber music events here on occasion.  It was such an interesting contrast to La Sagrada Familia and York Minster; in terms of extreme houses of worship I think we've covered the spectrum.

A fully salt-saturated underground pond - does not corrode the salt walls but no floating allowed.

After a solid 2 hour tour, the way back up was through an elevator; they did not make us climb the steps.  Even after all we saw, I was informed we saw about 1% of the mine passages.  We descended to the 3rd level of the mine, but there are 9 levels!  The bottom level flooded some time ago and has experienced some problems from that.  Divers must use heavy ballast to descend down and make repairs in pitch black.  Talk about claustrophobia.

Salty dining hall

After the train dropped us off at the main Krakow station, I officially gave up.  I could not find the local stop nor the bus/tram number that would get us from the station to our hotel in the old Jewish quarter, Kazimierz.   Tired and hungry, we caved and spent 23 zl to get a taxi to the hotel  (a tram costs 7).

Let me talk about the amazing experience that is Polish food.  Let's just say it agrees with my hearty sensibilities.  Beef, pork, venison, boar, organ meats...it's all here.   Served with potatoes, cabbage and vodka.   I did have perogies and borscht already for lunch at the salt mine, so for dinner I opted for the pickled herring starter with a Zywiec beer and the mutton for a main, along with two Wyborowa vodkas and a piece of raspberry cake.  Kerry had the apple cinnamon duck, a glass of wine, and tasted both honey and cherry vodkas to complement her apple pie with cream.  The damage?  200 zl - or $66, basically half the cost of the same meal in the States.  That was our most expensive meal here.

Wodka and Wino

We were off to a good start in a beautiful city.  Day two is next.

Bath Time

We were blessed with some excellent weather this weekend.

Beautiful sunny skies!  Oh, and just the mysterious remains of a prehistoric culture, no big deal.

That's right, we hit up one of the most famous sites in the world on the way to Bath.  This time we used some faster roads, but still some great views of English countryside.  Actually the route took us through a designated "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" called the Cotswolds.  I really didn't mind the drive at all - we listened to Gangnam Style and One Direction on BBC Radio 1 until Kerry fell asleep, then I switched to my Joe Rogan and Adam Carolla podcasts.  We'll certainly be back for more of this area.

View Larger Map

340 miles!

We got an early start since we had quite a full day ahead of us.  We were out the door by 7:15 on our way to Stonehenge.

Driving through a morning fog in the Cotswolds.

I appreciated Stonehenge more than I thought I would.  It was fun to imagine how I might survive if I lived in England circa 1300 B.C. in a culture with no written record.

 "Any news from the Middle east?"  

"Well, there are reports that a man parted the Red sea and freed the Isrealites, anything you want me to deliver back that way?"  

"Nah, we're good."

My personal theory is that Stonehenge is just an early model sundial.

I couldn't help but notice how the birds were attracted to the monument, mainly starlings and crows.  There are no trees around, but as I let my imagination run wild, I can't help but think they know something we don't.

We got there at a perfect time.  As we were leaving, the coaches full of annoying American tourists all showed up.  The line to get into the monument area was spilling out into the parking lot as we were making our way back to our car (free parking!).

Our luck continued when we got to Bath - we opted to use the Park and Ride per the recommendation from Mr. Fodor.  Free parking again, and the bus ticket was 2.50 each with the return.   Good deal, because Bath was crazy busy, and I really didn't want to deal with that traffic.

So, after an hour's drive and some tasty Hong Kong stir fries, we fast-forwarded 1374 years from Stonehenge, and we find ourselves hottubbing with Emperor Claudius himself.  I think I really would have enjoyed hanging out in the bath in Roman times - except you had to have a slave watch your gear, due to high rates of theft and a shortage of lockers.  I don't know if anyone has thought of making a functional replica of the Roman Baths at Ceasar's Palace in Vegas yet, but it's a damn good idea. 

Julias Ceasar's foot and the Great Bath from above.  The pillar bases and floor are original Roman era.

The sacred spring (entrance for gods only)

Bummer, couldn't taste the water

As an archaeological site, the Roman baths are well done.  They've been able excavate the pieces of the original structure and build around it to give an idea of what it might have been like as a whole.  I really respect these guys, it must be terribly boring day-to-day, but very rewarding in the end, to figure out what is an old worn piece of handmade stone building block and what is just rocks.

After the visit to the Roman baths I had a hankering for some spa time myself.  But first we walked around the city.

The Crescent

Pulteney bridge

The Circus

We thought it be fun to get a taste of the Roman experience ourselves at Thermae  Bath Spa - England's only thermal spa.  Of course, everyone else had the same idea on a Saturday afternoon (no reservations taken).  I wonder how the Romans kept their bath from turning into a tourist trap - or maybe it was?  There were no museum exhibits depicting Romans lining up at the entrance, but it can't be far from truth - it was a popular place after all.

Expectation

Reality

LOL
 (I'm still used to the driver being on the left)

So we ended up saving some money by going to a bar for some light snacks and a drink instead of spa treatments, and then back home it was.  But now we need to find a hot tub ASAP.

The best part about Bath was that I had no idea it was so hilly.  Spectacular views, and a lot of fun carving down the sloping highway with the A3.  Unfortunately I was not able to capture the splendor with my camera.

Bus ride views

My POV for the next few hours

To the Sea

"To the Sea, to the Sea! The white gulls are crying,
The wind is blowing, and the white foam is flying." - Tolkien

Just a few weeks ago, we spent a good portion of the day on the Mediterranean coast, enjoying sun and sand.  But this trip I had envisioned something else all together.   We took the shortest route east (by distance, not time) to the North Sea, and I did not bring my swim trunks.  However, a trip to Skegness will dash to pieces any poetic thoughts of the grandeur of English seaside.

Expectation

Reality

The first picture is from Flamborough Head, the second is from Skegness, about 100 miles south.  The funny thing about British roads is that from our bungalow near the roundabout of the M1 with the A52, I could have got to Flamborough in the same amount of time as Skegness, even though the trip would be 30 miles longer.  However, per the advice of R.W. Emerson, the goal of this trip was not the destination, but the journey.  I wanted to drive through countryside with hedgerows and steeples and plenty of green fields.  We'll go to Flamborough (or other equally picturesque coastal towns) taking the boring old motorway some other time.

To back up a bit, I gotta mention that we went out to eat with our American friends Doug and Tara, who are living here for two years (nearly to the halfway mark).   They are like our weekend travel idols, and we try to learn from their sage traveler advice.  Check out their crazy exploits here:  http://schetzelsintheuk.wordpress.com/  

Jamie Oliver is huge out here, and we went to his Italian kitchen restaurant in Nottingham, where I had squid pasta - the ink dyed the noodles black.  Very cool.

Squid ink has no nutritive value, but adds a great sea flavor

Then, we hit up a bar to celebrate the birthday of our friend Rob from Crossfit Nottingham.    The bar really stood out - it was in old church, complete with stained glass.  I guess Britain is so littered with 17th century historic churches that they have extras to convert to bars.

The Chapel-turned-bar 

Fellow expats!

Me with the birthday boy

We bowed out early (by the British party-goer standard), to catch our bus home, which happened drop us off next to a kebab shop.  Dinner had worn off by this point, so it was time for the doner kebab experience (one of Doug's recommendations)!  I would call this a gyro in the states.  For 3 pounds you get a giant pile of shaved gyros meat, but it leaves a bit of a film on your mouth that you don't notice after a few drinks.

Simple menu for the early morning crowd

The next morning we didn't get the earliest start... But I'll blame the Robin Hood marathon street closures as much as having a "lie-in" from the late night before.  The route was to take the A52 from home all the way to the seafaring town of Skegness, with a waypoint in OG Boston, and hit up Lincoln on the way home.

Trip looked something like this - 175 miles of beautiful Lincolnshire countryside.

 

OG Boston was the home of St Boltoph, ans supposedly St. Boltoph's Town was too much of a mouthful.  I paid for 1 hour of pay-and-display parking and we got out to stretch our legs, and see what there was to see.  We did hit up the parish church, named "The Stump" - the largest in England.  I might even call it a small cathedral.  It's not a popular tourist stop, so everyone was pretty cool, it was as if you stepped inside any other church on a Sunday afternoon.  

 No one told me I blinked

The fun thing about visiting old churches is spotting details

You're not going to make many friends with that face

I'll admit we knew going into this that Skegness is a corny tourist trap, and has seen better years.  That was kind of the point though - it reminded me of Myrtle Beach

Panorama view of the beach, highlighting the Skegness Eye

I won't give Skegness more explanation than it deserves, so on to Lincoln.  

Lincoln is as medieval as it gets for a modern town. So after we shared a roast chicken at Nandos, we decided to walk around.  It was getting to be late Sunday evening everything was closed, but we walked up a cobblestone hill lined with quaint shops to see the castle and cathedral (which were closed).  We had the area to ourselves, which was fun.  Here's a taste.

Transported back to the 16th century

A drizzly English evening

Accent lighting goes a long way

The imposing cathedral on a hill

On a final note, I'd like to discuss a victory my old nemesis, pay-and-display parking.  I lost a pound to the machine in Skegness, adding to the pain of wasted parking fare.  I was totally redeemed in Lincoln.   As I stared at the machine figuring that since I arrived at 6:30, but evening rates don't start until 7, that I'd have to pay for the whole hour PLUS the evening rate (even though we'd only stay for a few hours), a kind woman gave me here ticket as she was leaving which was good for the whole night!  I paid the gesture forward when we left a few hours later to another guy heading toward the pay machine.   Oh the sweet taste of victory over pay and display meters.  

Free Art (London Trip #2)

Last Saturday we went to London for a day trip, the plan was to go visit some museums that have free admission.  Hit up the National Gallery, find some lunch (not free...), then swing by Tate Modern.   Deep down, I wanted to get some sort of art head rush by looking at the old oil paintings in the National Gallery and then shock the system with some new age modern exhibits.  Like how one might jump from a hot tub to an ice bath to stimulate blood flow to tired and aching muscles; I was hoping this would be refreshing for my creative side, or something.  Of course I didn't tell Kerry any of this.

Since the last trip to London I asked a lot of friends and coworkers for advice on proper travel to get there.  We settled on driving to the Highgate underground tube station (Northern Line) in Zone 3.  It has the triple advantage of being close to the M1, cheap parking, and proximity to the city (lower tube fare).  In fact, it is the last exit before you hit the congestion charging zone.  I'll admit I was feeling pretty savvy about this plan.

There were a few minor hiccups. First of all, we took to long too long to leave in the morning.  I was enjoying some eggs and coffee and realized it was nearly 9 am, and we have a 2 hour drive ahead of us.  Secondly, I had no exact change.  Gah!  This gets me every time.  Those parking pay stations require exact change in coins, and they don't accept 1, 2, or 5p.  I stopped for some [more] coffee at what I would call a truck stop, but it has a different name here, only to get change that was not exact.  I believe my total in parking overpayment is 4 pounds  so far.  Sting!  That's a pint's worth.  I promised not to gripe about it anymore, so I appreciate this public outlet.

Since we had a late start, and because a section of the underground was closed, we got to the National Gallery at Trafalgar Square around 11:30, so 2.5 hours doorstep to doorstep.  Funny, because back in Indianapolis I was constantly correcting people who thought I was moving to London.  Yep, and you all live in Chicago!

So we decided to eat first at our favorite British chain restaurant we've found so far:  Wagamama.  We kept the tradition of being the only patrons in the restaurant with a very American 11:30 lunch.

Wagamama cafeteria-style seating

Of course you can't take pictures of National Gallery art; we saw quite a few people get scolded.  There were some great paintings, though.  We agreed that our favorite collection was the impressionist style.  I can just imagine an an artist conversation from the 16th century:  "Oh, you call this 'Virgin with Child'?  That's so 1553..."

Reminiscing about my favorite NG art

We walked through Piccadilly Circus and hopped on a train to the Borough Market at the London Bridge.

Who cares about oil paintings when these places exist?

I'll admit to being a bit of a foodie, and honestly the "art" on display in these markets win over half the paintings I saw earlier.

 Roughly $5000 worth of Parmigiano Reggiano (by my guess)... Stunning

A very artistic meringue treat

So we figured it out - for us, food is art.  It beats most of the BS in the Tate Modern.  No offense, but to say this was not a letdown would be a lie.  The giveaway?  They allow pictures.

Flooring art - I swear I saw this at the home improvement store.

I wish I could say more positive things about the art here but I can't.  The redeeming quality is the building itself - a renovated power station.  Very cool, spacious design.  We walked to the top for a nice view of London along the south bank.

I don't think I gave Kerry enough warning on this one

Before we headed home, I found one last bit of free art, the party hat building!