Historic houses, a huge underground market with an ancient market, churches, shops, stalls with local specialties, a Jewish quarter, a beautiful castle... But above all, a quarter of an hour's drive from the absolute sensation - the Wieliczka salt mine. Wieliczka is a salt kingdom, a salt fairy tale, but also an incredible piece of human work everywhere you look, the result of which is "ordinary salt"... All this is the Polish capital Krakow.
Why KRAKOV?
It's becoming a tradition... Every trip lately is basically a replacement for some other cancelled one. Krakow is no exception. So originally it was going to be Madrid for the weekend. Although the flight held, we agreed not to take (and pay for) the mandatory covid test because of the two days. Seeing it today - it was probably deja vu... So I blew off Madrid and gratefully accepted the offer of a carpool to Krakow. After all, I had wanted to go to Krakow since my trip to Lviv. Then, after my enthusiasm for this Ukrainian city, my friend Jox told me that Krakow was just as beautiful. And since Lviv was a total sensation for me, I immediately put Krakow on my list of next destinations.
TRAVEL TO KRAKOW
As I mentioned, this trip was offered to me by my friend Martin. We've never met in our lives, but we've been friends for over a year now. This friendship was brought together by one thing - travel. Specifically, the web portal Cestujlevně, where Martin started commenting on my travelogues. Later on we found each other on Facebook, and that's how we started sharing our travel experiences and information. Within a short while, Martin was joined by his wife Andrejka, and I in turn was able to follow their travels through photos on social media. And the last time Martin suggested in the comments under my travelogue (where I mentioned that I would like to see Krakow as soon as possible) that he would take a car and that all I had to do was move to Ostrava, there was nothing to think about. Madrid cancelled, so free weekend...it will be Krakow! I had my ticket from Flixbus to Ostrava bought within minutes.
COVID SITUATION - MEASURES
We drove, so no border checks, questionnaires, etc. In Poland the same as here - veils and disinfection before entering buildings (shops, monuments..). But what left a really bitter taste in my mouth and is probably the worst thing about Covid for me - is the limited number of visitors, the need to book entry in advance and if you don't think of it - the fact that you are standing in front of the concentration camp in Auschwitz, which is the absolute ceiling of the whole trip, and they just won't let you in because the daily capacity is full...
BRNO - OSTRAVA - KRAKOV
Transportation was by car. The start of my journey began on Friday morning in Brno near Grand, where I boarded again the green Flixbus fleet towards Ostrava. Connection as always 1A, on time arrival and departure, nice drivers and in the bus not only a double seat just for me, working wifi, socket to charge your phone, but also a table for wine - what more could you ask for, right?!
The ticket to Ostrava was 199 CZK one way, 398 CZK return. I left at 11am on Friday from Brno, arriving in Ostrava at 1.20pm. Return from Ostrava on Sunday at 9.30 pm, arrival in Brno at midnight.
As mentioned before, I'm leaving Brno at 11 AM towards Ostrava. Traveling with Flixbus 1A. I have arranged with Martin and Andy to pick me up around 4 PM. I'm asking a few friends what can be done in Ostrava in about 3 hours and what is worth seeing. It's quite amusing that I get the same answer – nothing. Still, I can't help but believe that on the way to the center and the famous Stodolní street, I will certainly see some gems. After all, there is something beautiful everywhere, right…
They perform at the main train station in Ostrava. The last step that separates me from the inside of the bus and the street sort of stops on its own. Looking around, I really feel like I'm somewhere in the Bronx. I ask the people in the doorway of the bus who are about to board if this is really Ostrava Central Station. They all laugh amusedly and assure me that I am really at my destination. So I really get off... Google maps shows two kilometers to the city center, specifically on Stodolní Street. I'm off on a march. A few dozen metres and my idyllic romantic feelings turn into real fear. I must say that even the main station in Naples is not equal to what I was confronted with in Ostrava. Anyway, I won't denigrate Ostrava and describe here the tortuous journey where a local group of pofidérní individuals charged at me every 100 meters, and skip straight to Stodolní.
First of all - I got there, alive and well, and I consider that a huge success. Otherwise, Stodolní may be an interesting place at night, but in the daytime there is nothing to stand for at all. Since I don't feel any sense of safety here either, I google the nearest American embassy (McDonnald), where I am determined to spend time until I meet my partners. Google maps sends me to the mall, where I finally get some respite. Here, things are looking pretty normal already. I have to say, getting off at Ostrava Central Station was a real culture shock. I'm still about an hour's drive away trying to get out of it.
Martin and Andrejka pick me up at the agreed time. Within a few minutes, it's clear that we're of the same mind and that the trip will be great. We get in and head towards Krakow. It's Friday afternoon, so we're stuck in traffic for a while, and our arrival in Krakow isn't until around 7 p.m.
We find accommodation without any problems, park in the reserved parking space and go to check in. Since we don't know each other very well, it's high time to cement our friendship. In other words, we load up the first seven of wine. Before we check in, we visit the local Lidl and buy a decent supply for the upcoming weekend🍸😂
Martin and Andy are a really cool couple. They reassured me once again that people who travel always have something to talk about.. we talk about all our travels, and that will last us all weekend. I think if we were somewhere together for a month, we still wouldn't run out of travel topics. Martin and Andrea touch me within moments in the hostel because after the first seven wines, they pull my book out of my backpack and ask me to sign it. I'm really touched. I know that they have read most of my travelogues on the web, so the content in the book is not that beneficial for them, yet they bought the book for me and still dragged it all the way to Krakow. Very nice!
For the third seven of wine, we acknowledge that it is high time to head to the city at night. The journey to the city takes about 30 minutes, but unfortunately, the journey back to the accommodation takes three times as long. Maybe a little extra alcohol, but mainly our Google Maps went crazy. We wandered around our accommodation for almost an hour before we really found it. But we managed it, and the party was luxurious.
Yesterday's Krakow is an absolute sensation! Especially the "main square", a beautiful square dominated by a huge church with two towers. All the businesses are alive at night, millions of people in the streets. It's as if no covid existed...God's feeling! Of course we have cherry wine at Pijana Wisnia and the aforementioned gyros just across the street at Akropolis. All the sights are beautifully lit, the evening atmosphere of the city is indescribable. I recommend everyone to experience it.
KRAKOV
Wake up at 7, after about 5 hours of sleep. Well, not everyone gets up easily... 😂
After 8 o'clock we head out towards the city. We included in our itinerary everything we found worth seeing. The route is about 10 kilometers, which is ideal for a day. Of course, in the end, we've covered once that much...
I would divide Krakow into three parts. Firstly, the Old Town, which is basically around the main square, then the Jewish quarter Kaziměř and the Royal Castle.
We start our tour of the Old Town first.
From the accommodation we head to the Main Square, i.e. the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny). This place is the most beautiful in all of Krakow. A huge square, with a market in the middle, and beautiful historical buildings all around. The most beautiful is of course the Church of the Assumption. The market is full of cafes, restaurants, flower stalls and last but not least a huge pigeon base. I mean, at the same time, a lot of pigeon shit...
In the centre of the square stands not only the tower of the old town hall, but mainly the Sukiennica market. It's a huge building really in the centre of the city. The building is beautiful, historic.
We were very lucky to come here early in the morning when the shops were not yet boarded up. Not only did it offer us a glimpse of stylish wooden stalls, side by side, but it also allowed us to admire things that might not have stood out among the trinkets and junk. By this I mean, in particular, the beautiful emblems of all the Polish cities that line the perimeter of the market. On the other hand, in the afternoon we saw this place besieged by shops or goods of all kinds. While it was also beautiful, it was even prettier when empty.
The market building itself has two floors. On the ground floor are the aforementioned markets, and on the first floor is the National Museum exhibition.
In the olden days, fabrics were mainly sold here, with the main item being cloth imported from England. Hence the name of the market derives from cloth. In the 16th century there was a fire here and the whole building was burnt down. A year after the fire, construction of a new building began and it still stands today. The building is elongated, made of stone and brick and is accessible from all 4 sides.
Right below the market on the main square is another tourist attraction - the Krakow Underground. A ticket costs 24 Polish zloty and is bought on the opposite side of the market from the entrance.
This is an interactive exhibition that was created based on archaeological research. This research was carried out here until 2010 and many traces of the history of this city were discovered. On this basis, a unique archaeological reserve of almost 4000 m² was created. The underground hiking trail leads between the stone and brick walls of the cellars of former commercial buildings. There are also fragments of paved roads, as well as medieval tools, antique coins and other paraphernalia used more than 600 years ago. Andrejka and Martin were quite excited about the underground, but for me it was a place I wouldn't need to see again. I wasn't particularly impressed and probably wouldn't recommend the trip to my friends.
And it is part of the main market. It is basically the main dominant feature of the whole square. It is beautiful both in daylight and at night.
This castle is basically in the center of the city. From the main square you can be there in 10 minutes. It's definitely the main landmark and certainly one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the whole of Krakow. No wonder, the castle is really beautiful! Even though we didn't go inside, there is so much to admire. You can get to the courtyard without any problem and you can see the castle from all sides.
Below the castle is the river Vistula, which is a beautiful view not only from the walls, but also directly from the river. It is a nice place where many families spend their free time.
Not only in the castle, but in general around the river is fine..
This is a district that is about a kilometre walk from Wawel Castle. It used to be a separate town with its own administration, founded in the 14th century by King Casimir. Although it is known as the centre of the Jewish community, there are also Catholics living here. After the Second World War, the composition of the population in this district is actually completely different, and more or less only the Jewish architecture remains of the "Jewish spirit". There is an old synagogue and a Jewish cemetery. There are supposed to be 9,000 Jewish tombstones, but at the time of our exhibition the cemetery was closed.
As for the Jewish community here, it was decimated during the war from 64,000 people to just 6,000 survivors.
This name seems to be on all of us. Oskar Schindler, a Czech-German, born in Svitavy, was the owner of a cookware and arms factory, also a member of the Nazi Party.
He set up his factory at the beginning of the war and employed Jews mainly because they were the cheapest labour. But later he began to protect his own always. He referred to women, children, the old or the disabled as indispensably skilled workers and at the same time bribed high-ranking officials to save them. In particular, he managed to save 1,200 Jews, whom he essentially bought out of his accumulated wealth - in fact, Schindler spent almost the entirety of the enormous fortune he managed to amass during the war on bribing the Nazis and finding goods for his employees. He even set up a new factory in the Czech village of Brněnec, where he managed to move a number of Jews, thus saving them from certain death. The factory was a sham, and by the end of the war it had not produced a single working weapon. It was thanks to this deed that Oskar Schindler, as the only member of the NSDAP, was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations in Israel. This title was only awarded to non-Jews who contributed to saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler is buried in Jerusalem in the Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion.
The site of Oscar Schindler's original factory is now a museum documenting the shocking fate of Jews throughout Poland during World War II. It's a place that's definitely worth a visit. The exhibit is partially interactive, it's really impressive, and while it doesn't match the size of Gdansk and its museum, it's a place where this whole crazy time comes at you with all its weight. Price: 26 zlotys.
KRAKOW - WIELICZKA - OSVĚTIM - OSTRAVA - BRNO
Today we are not stretching the wake-up call, there are only two destinations on the plan and there is plenty of time until half past nine, when the bus from Ostrava goes home. We have some wine for breakfast, find the only open Zabka in the area (on Sundays the shops are usually closed), buy some food and souvenirs and rush to the first destination today.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine...
When Martin told me before the trip that we were going to put in a salt mine, I didn't go crazy with excitement. I had visited one in Austria 4 years ago and.... nothing for me.
Wieliczka is over and for myself I have to say one thing - the absolute ceiling of the whole Krakow!!!
This salt mine is just outside of Krakow, about 15 minutes away by car and it's a place I really wish everyone could see. A roughly 2.5 hour tour for about 400 CZK - so it was the best money spent of the whole trip! Except for the wine, that is 😁
Wieliczka has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and traces salt mining from the Middle Ages to the present day. The path to the mine leads up over 380 steps. Steps downwards, specifically to the 54th floor underground.
The total length of all the passages of the mine is more than 300 km! What we covered in 2.5 hours was less than 1%!!! Unreal! The temperature in the mines is between 14 and 16°C (all year round), I personally did the tour in short sleeves and shorts and did just fine! So ditch the down jackets, yeah. Otherwise, there is one stop in the underground with souvenirs, toilets and refreshments (even a phone signal). There's an Ikea-style restaurant just before the exit above ground. Prices are great - I tried the bigos for 16 gold coins and I recommend it.
The accessible hiking trail is about 3 km long (the aforementioned 1%) and starts after descending 64 m of stairs (the aforementioned 380 steps). The deepest point of the route is 130 m underground (every claustrophobic's dream). Along the way you enjoy the sight of salt of all colors...from white,black...to red along the electricity wires. Salt is absolutely everywhere, often in the form of almost marble pavement underfoot. You can see the complete machinery used to extract the salt, mannequins of the miners at work, wooden structures, ponds with brine, decorated halls... Interestingly, horses worked underground. Their fate was sad, however, because they never returned alive from the mines (they worked until their death). And thanks to them, there is only one animal in the mine... a mouse. We didn't see them (thankfully).
The St. Kinga Chapel is the absolute ceiling of the salt mine. It is the largest room in the accessible part of the mine at 101m underground. The view of the entire hall is breathtaking. There are several chandeliers above all that salt splendor, which give the place a truly fairy-tale atmosphere. There are also sculptures and reliefs carved into the walls, including The Last Supper of the Lord after a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Also the lowest statue of the Pope in the world!
This mine was, in a word, a sensation. A place where 2.5 hours go by in 30 minutes! A place where you go back in time and where you understand the phrase "salt over gold". A place where you marvel at what man can do...
I was lucky enough to have a great guide who, even in Polish (30 Polish zlotys cheaper than the ANJ version, by the way), understood almost everything. And also a huge luck to my god partners who not only translated every unclear word for me, but thanks to whom I could experience this underground salt perfect world 🙏💛
Auschwitz was my main goal of this Krakow trip, but unfortunately it was also my biggest disappointment.
The reason was not Auschwitz as such, a sad and certainly depressing place, but the fact that thanks to the covid there are restrictions on the number of visitors. If you don't book in advance online, you simply can't get in. I wasn't the only one who found out this information outside the gates of the concentration camp. I wasn't the only one who was absolutely heartbroken.
It's strange to say that I was looking forward to the concentration camp, but I can't think of another more appropriate word. It's been a few years since I visited Mauthausen, and there I promised myself that from time to time I would remember this cruel time in our history, so incredible and yet so recent. I promised myself that I would visit each concentration camp in turn, and Auschwitz was first on the list. Unfortunately, there was no way around it until this time. Martin and Andrejka indicated that they would skip Auschwitz because places like that just don't do them any good. They offered to drive me there and make their own plan. I was very happy, because I admit - you want to visit such a place preferably alone. As we agreed, so it happened. They dropped me at the gate of the concentration camp and went to soak up the atmosphere of the surroundings. Well, after a while, that is, after trying to get in, I found that I couldn't get in. At the entrance were two young, adamant ladies whose arrogant and inhumanly indifferent attitude literally took my breath away. I tried to reason with them, to explain how important this visit was to me. Also, how many kilometres I had travelled to get here. Even though unguided entry is free after 4pm, you still have to book a ticket online. Free ticket. I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I offered to pay the regular admission fee, no help. Most of all, I think I resented the indifference on these girls' faces. Just as coldly and impersonally as they had rejected me, they rejected a few other people. I sat there for a good hour before I got my shit together and could call my partners to pick me up. I didn't want to ruin their mood with my disappointment and sadness. I'll admit it quite frankly - standing at the gate of a concentration camp you've been going to for years, and then not getting in because of the bureaucracy and indifference, also because of the damn covid and all the restrictions that don't make any sense anyway - it cut me to pieces. I regularly cried like a little girl. As silly as it sounds, it was at this point that the greatest feeling of helplessness came over me.
An hour later, Martin and Andrejka picked me up, and we set off on the road back home. Or rather, to Ostrava. A bottle of rosé brightened the clouds on my face, and around 8 PM, we arrived in Ostrava.
I confess that after arriving in Ostrava on Friday morning I was extremely grateful that my partners promised not to leave me alone at the station until the bus left. Since we arrived an hour and a half early, they came up with a "little" plan. That plan was to visit the Vítkovice area. Exactly where the Colours of Ostrava is held every year. It's a place I've heard a lot about and I've always wondered what it looks like, but I've never been there. I must say it was a great idea! The spaces shrouded in darkness looked absolutely perfect and for me it was probably the best part of the whole trip.
There is a tall tower called Bolt Tower in the complex. Personally, I had never heard of it, which made this industrial building all the more surprising.
This is a unique furnace extension that rises more than 20 meters high, towering almost 80 meters. An external catwalk wraps around the glass cylinder, suspended from the original blast furnace structure, connecting the different height levels. The solid core of the superstructure is made of steel and houses the elevator, spiral staircase and visitor facilities. The rooftop observation deck, equipped with telescopes, offers a unique (and at night only!!) view of Vítkovice, but also of Ostrava itself. It is named after the runner Usain Bolt, the very man who regularly ran the Ostrava Tretra. He personally christened the tower and also signed his name on the top of it.
It is possible to get to the top of this tower in the evening only after making a reservation at a local restaurant. There is an entrance fee of 200 CZK, and you can eat and drink 100 CZK. Anyway, we are not in Poland here, but in the Czech Republic and as they say - lazy mouth, bare misfortune. After ringing the bell a young lady came into the restaurant and of course repeated the rules to us. We try to persuade her that we can have something in the restaurant and pay the entrance fee to the viewpoint... She still resists. I can't accept the fact that I'm staying "outside the gate" for the second time today. I'll tell her straight up that she can do a really good deed today. I'll mention the situation in Auschwitz today and the fact that seeing Ostrava from above and in the dark would really blow my mind. I have to say that this moment will be one of those that I will remember for a long time in connection with Ostrava. The most beautiful moment. I'll remember the young lady who had her heart in the right place, and even though she was shaken with fear and uncertainty, she took us personally to the observation tower. Of course, I know that rules must be followed. That to make exceptions is to give in all the time, and then actually all the rules become meaningless. In a way, I even agree with that. On the other hand, I think that we are all human beings first and foremost and that there are times and situations when humanity is above any rule. When humanity and helpfulness is the most important thing and the most important thing. And maybe it was here that I realized why I shouldn't have gone to Auschwitz today. I can't escape Auschwitz. I didn't make it today, I know I'll go another day. However, looking at that shaken good girl, I realized that I should have realized right here and now how important said humanity is. If I hadn't experienced the opposite of that, i.e. the absolute indifference at the gates of Auschwitz, I might never have thought of it.
I'm sorry I didn't get her name. The name of the lady who gave me genuine and sincere joy and made one grim impression absolutely gloriously trumped by a heap of goodness. She made me happy not only with a wonderful outlook, but more importantly with the realization that there are really good and kind people in the world. The whole time I was on that lookout tower, I had one thing on my mind. That maybe one day my Miki will experience something similar, a moment when he can make someone's day better by some personal discomfort, and I hope with all my heart that he will behave just like this young lady. Sensitively and humanely. Even though I know these words won't reach this young lady, I feel obligated to mention it here. Sometimes it's not the places that make our journeys special. Often, it is the people who cross our paths (not only on our journeys) and make the biggest stomp, even with a single sentence, a gesture...an open gate.
Well, and the night view? In a word, beautiful! If you haven't been to Vítkovice yet, make sure you go there! I don't know what kind of goodies they serve or what they pour there, but anyway, the café must be great if they have people like that working there!
Well, and then there's Brno...
Back to Krakow? I have often read that Krakow is the most beautiful city in Poland. Personally, I think Krakow is really beautiful and worth a visit. However, the most beautiful city for me so far remains Gdansk. The absolutely inimitable, perfect Gdansk.
In Krakow I was slightly disappointed by the Jewish Quarter, which didn't feel very authentic and still had a closed cemetery... As well as the underground, which I guess I expected something a bit different. What I really liked was the Main Market Square and the Old Town. And of course the Royal Castle. The absolute most beautiful part of Krakow, and the greatest experience in general, was the one I was looking forward to the least - the Wieliczka Salt Mines. A complete surprise for me, an experience I would recommend to anyone in the first place. To find myself 130 meters underground and see 3 kilometers of tunnels around me, the incredible amount of human labor that was able to support the ceilings and extract "ordinary" salt from the ground, it really blew me away. Even more so the fact that 3 kilometres is only one percent of the actual area of the mine. It's not just this that got me, but the beauty that salt can create. All the colors from black, white through red... All the "marble" paving underfoot that isn't really marble, but salt... It was truly a salt fairy tale. Oh, and the biggest chapel in the salt mine - the salt castle - it was a real dream. A place I will definitely return to again. Well, a huge thanks to my partners for that. Because without them I would probably have missed this place. But thanks to them not only for the mine, but for the whole trip. For the idea. And that's not all. Thank you also for more than a year of friendship, which came from nothing. Just based on my writing and their reading. Based on our shared passion, which is travel. I'm glad to have confirmed face to face once again that people who have travel and travel in their blood are perfect partners not only for travel, but also as friends for life. I feel incredibly lucky to have added two more special people to this "collection."
If I had to rate the 3 most places - moments of the entire trip, it would be as follows:
1/ Wieliczka Salt Mine2/ the night view from the Bolt Tower in Vítkovice and the lady from the café
3/ the friendship with Martin and Andy that started in Krakow and I think will take us to many more places...
Well, as I said in the poignant goodbye - it was divine and I'll say it again whenever - we have another jointly purchased ticket today, the second day since our trip was realized. Enjoy Portugal!
Historic houses, a huge underground market with an ancient market, churches, shops, stalls with local specialties, a Jewish quarter, a beautiful castle... But above all, a quarter of an hour's drive from the absolute sensation - the Wieliczka salt mine. Wieliczka is a salt kingdom, a salt fairy tale, but also an incredible piece of human work everywhere you look, the result of which is "ordinary salt"... All this is the Polish capital Krakow.
Why KRAKOV?
It's becoming a tradition... Every trip lately is basically a replacement for some other cancelled one. Krakow is no exception. So originally it was going to be Madrid for the weekend. Although the flight held, we agreed not to take (and pay for) the mandatory covid test because of the two days. Seeing it today - it was probably deja vu... So I blew off Madrid and gratefully accepted the offer of a carpool to Krakow. After all, I had wanted to go to Krakow since my trip to Lviv. Then, after my enthusiasm for this Ukrainian city, my friend Jox told me that Krakow was just as beautiful. And since Lviv was a total sensation for me, I immediately put Krakow on my list of next destinations.
TRAVEL TO KRAKOW
As I mentioned, this trip was offered to me by my friend Martin. We've never met in our lives, but we've been friends for over a year now. This friendship was brought together by one thing - travel. Specifically, the web portal Cestujlevně, where Martin started commenting on my travelogues. Later on we found each other on Facebook, and that's how we started sharing our travel experiences and information. Within a short while, Martin was joined by his wife Andrejka, and I in turn was able to follow their travels through photos on social media. And the last time Martin suggested in the comments under my travelogue (where I mentioned that I would like to see Krakow as soon as possible) that he would take a car and that all I had to do was move to Ostrava, there was nothing to think about. Madrid cancelled, so free weekend...it will be Krakow! I had my ticket from Flixbus to Ostrava bought within minutes.
COVID SITUATION - MEASURES
We drove, so no border checks, questionnaires, etc. In Poland the same as here - veils and disinfection before entering buildings (shops, monuments..). But what left a really bitter taste in my mouth and is probably the worst thing about Covid for me - is the limited number of visitors, the need to book entry in advance and if you don't think of it - the fact that you are standing in front of the concentration camp in Auschwitz, which is the absolute ceiling of the whole trip, and they just won't let you in because the daily capacity is full...
BRNO - OSTRAVA - KRAKOV
Transportation was by car. The start of my journey began on Friday morning in Brno near Grand, where I boarded again the green Flixbus fleet towards Ostrava. Connection as always 1A, on time arrival and departure, nice drivers and in the bus not only a double seat just for me, working wifi, socket to charge your phone, but also a table for wine - what more could you ask for, right?!
The ticket to Ostrava was 199 CZK one way, 398 CZK return. I left at 11am on Friday from Brno, arriving in Ostrava at 1.20pm. Return from Ostrava on Sunday at 9.30 pm, arrival in Brno at midnight.
As mentioned before, I'm leaving Brno at 11 AM towards Ostrava. Traveling with Flixbus 1A. I have arranged with Martin and Andy to pick me up around 4 PM. I'm asking a few friends what can be done in Ostrava in about 3 hours and what is worth seeing. It's quite amusing that I get the same answer – nothing. Still, I can't help but believe that on the way to the center and the famous Stodolní street, I will certainly see some gems. After all, there is something beautiful everywhere, right…
They perform at the main train station in Ostrava. The last step that separates me from the inside of the bus and the street sort of stops on its own. Looking around, I really feel like I'm somewhere in the Bronx. I ask the people in the doorway of the bus who are about to board if this is really Ostrava Central Station. They all laugh amusedly and assure me that I am really at my destination. So I really get off... Google maps shows two kilometers to the city center, specifically on Stodolní Street. I'm off on a march. A few dozen metres and my idyllic romantic feelings turn into real fear. I must say that even the main station in Naples is not equal to what I was confronted with in Ostrava. Anyway, I won't denigrate Ostrava and describe here the tortuous journey where a local group of pofidérní individuals charged at me every 100 meters, and skip straight to Stodolní.
First of all - I got there, alive and well, and I consider that a huge success. Otherwise, Stodolní may be an interesting place at night, but in the daytime there is nothing to stand for at all. Since I don't feel any sense of safety here either, I google the nearest American embassy (McDonnald), where I am determined to spend time until I meet my partners. Google maps sends me to the mall, where I finally get some respite. Here, things are looking pretty normal already. I have to say, getting off at Ostrava Central Station was a real culture shock. I'm still about an hour's drive away trying to get out of it.
Martin and Andrejka pick me up at the agreed time. Within a few minutes, it's clear that we're of the same mind and that the trip will be great. We get in and head towards Krakow. It's Friday afternoon, so we're stuck in traffic for a while, and our arrival in Krakow isn't until around 7 p.m.
We find accommodation without any problems, park in the reserved parking space and go to check in. Since we don't know each other very well, it's high time to cement our friendship. In other words, we load up the first seven of wine. Before we check in, we visit the local Lidl and buy a decent supply for the upcoming weekend🍸😂
Martin and Andy are a really cool couple. They reassured me once again that people who travel always have something to talk about.. we talk about all our travels, and that will last us all weekend. I think if we were somewhere together for a month, we still wouldn't run out of travel topics. Martin and Andrea touch me within moments in the hostel because after the first seven wines, they pull my book out of my backpack and ask me to sign it. I'm really touched. I know that they have read most of my travelogues on the web, so the content in the book is not that beneficial for them, yet they bought the book for me and still dragged it all the way to Krakow. Very nice!
For the third seven of wine, we acknowledge that it is high time to head to the city at night. The journey to the city takes about 30 minutes, but unfortunately, the journey back to the accommodation takes three times as long. Maybe a little extra alcohol, but mainly our Google Maps went crazy. We wandered around our accommodation for almost an hour before we really found it. But we managed it, and the party was luxurious.
Yesterday's Krakow is an absolute sensation! Especially the "main square", a beautiful square dominated by a huge church with two towers. All the businesses are alive at night, millions of people in the streets. It's as if no covid existed...God's feeling! Of course we have cherry wine at Pijana Wisnia and the aforementioned gyros just across the street at Akropolis. All the sights are beautifully lit, the evening atmosphere of the city is indescribable. I recommend everyone to experience it.
KRAKOV
Wake up at 7, after about 5 hours of sleep. Well, not everyone gets up easily... 😂
After 8 o'clock we head out towards the city. We included in our itinerary everything we found worth seeing. The route is about 10 kilometers, which is ideal for a day. Of course, in the end, we've covered once that much...
I would divide Krakow into three parts. Firstly, the Old Town, which is basically around the main square, then the Jewish quarter Kaziměř and the Royal Castle.
We start our tour of the Old Town first.
From the accommodation we head to the Main Square, i.e. the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny). This place is the most beautiful in all of Krakow. A huge square, with a market in the middle, and beautiful historical buildings all around. The most beautiful is of course the Church of the Assumption. The market is full of cafes, restaurants, flower stalls and last but not least a huge pigeon base. I mean, at the same time, a lot of pigeon shit...
In the centre of the square stands not only the tower of the old town hall, but mainly the Sukiennica market. It's a huge building really in the centre of the city. The building is beautiful, historic.
We were very lucky to come here early in the morning when the shops were not yet boarded up. Not only did it offer us a glimpse of stylish wooden stalls, side by side, but it also allowed us to admire things that might not have stood out among the trinkets and junk. By this I mean, in particular, the beautiful emblems of all the Polish cities that line the perimeter of the market. On the other hand, in the afternoon we saw this place besieged by shops or goods of all kinds. While it was also beautiful, it was even prettier when empty.
The market building itself has two floors. On the ground floor are the aforementioned markets, and on the first floor is the National Museum exhibition.
In the olden days, fabrics were mainly sold here, with the main item being cloth imported from England. Hence the name of the market derives from cloth. In the 16th century there was a fire here and the whole building was burnt down. A year after the fire, construction of a new building began and it still stands today. The building is elongated, made of stone and brick and is accessible from all 4 sides.
Right below the market on the main square is another tourist attraction - the Krakow Underground. A ticket costs 24 Polish zloty and is bought on the opposite side of the market from the entrance.
This is an interactive exhibition that was created based on archaeological research. This research was carried out here until 2010 and many traces of the history of this city were discovered. On this basis, a unique archaeological reserve of almost 4000 m² was created. The underground hiking trail leads between the stone and brick walls of the cellars of former commercial buildings. There are also fragments of paved roads, as well as medieval tools, antique coins and other paraphernalia used more than 600 years ago. Andrejka and Martin were quite excited about the underground, but for me it was a place I wouldn't need to see again. I wasn't particularly impressed and probably wouldn't recommend the trip to my friends.
And it is part of the main market. It is basically the main dominant feature of the whole square. It is beautiful both in daylight and at night.
This castle is basically in the center of the city. From the main square you can be there in 10 minutes. It's definitely the main landmark and certainly one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the whole of Krakow. No wonder, the castle is really beautiful! Even though we didn't go inside, there is so much to admire. You can get to the courtyard without any problem and you can see the castle from all sides.
Below the castle is the river Vistula, which is a beautiful view not only from the walls, but also directly from the river. It is a nice place where many families spend their free time.
Not only in the castle, but in general around the river is fine..
This is a district that is about a kilometre walk from Wawel Castle. It used to be a separate town with its own administration, founded in the 14th century by King Casimir. Although it is known as the centre of the Jewish community, there are also Catholics living here. After the Second World War, the composition of the population in this district is actually completely different, and more or less only the Jewish architecture remains of the "Jewish spirit". There is an old synagogue and a Jewish cemetery. There are supposed to be 9,000 Jewish tombstones, but at the time of our exhibition the cemetery was closed.
As for the Jewish community here, it was decimated during the war from 64,000 people to just 6,000 survivors.
This name seems to be on all of us. Oskar Schindler, a Czech-German, born in Svitavy, was the owner of a cookware and arms factory, also a member of the Nazi Party.
He set up his factory at the beginning of the war and employed Jews mainly because they were the cheapest labour. But later he began to protect his own always. He referred to women, children, the old or the disabled as indispensably skilled workers and at the same time bribed high-ranking officials to save them. In particular, he managed to save 1,200 Jews, whom he essentially bought out of his accumulated wealth - in fact, Schindler spent almost the entirety of the enormous fortune he managed to amass during the war on bribing the Nazis and finding goods for his employees. He even set up a new factory in the Czech village of Brněnec, where he managed to move a number of Jews, thus saving them from certain death. The factory was a sham, and by the end of the war it had not produced a single working weapon. It was thanks to this deed that Oskar Schindler, as the only member of the NSDAP, was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations in Israel. This title was only awarded to non-Jews who contributed to saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler is buried in Jerusalem in the Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion.
The site of Oscar Schindler's original factory is now a museum documenting the shocking fate of Jews throughout Poland during World War II. It's a place that's definitely worth a visit. The exhibit is partially interactive, it's really impressive, and while it doesn't match the size of Gdansk and its museum, it's a place where this whole crazy time comes at you with all its weight. Price: 26 zlotys.
KRAKOW - WIELICZKA - OSVĚTIM - OSTRAVA - BRNO
Today we are not stretching the wake-up call, there are only two destinations on the plan and there is plenty of time until half past nine, when the bus from Ostrava goes home. We have some wine for breakfast, find the only open Zabka in the area (on Sundays the shops are usually closed), buy some food and souvenirs and rush to the first destination today.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine...
When Martin told me before the trip that we were going to put in a salt mine, I didn't go crazy with excitement. I had visited one in Austria 4 years ago and.... nothing for me.
Wieliczka is over and for myself I have to say one thing - the absolute ceiling of the whole Krakow!!!
This salt mine is just outside of Krakow, about 15 minutes away by car and it's a place I really wish everyone could see. A roughly 2.5 hour tour for about 400 CZK - so it was the best money spent of the whole trip! Except for the wine, that is 😁
Wieliczka has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and traces salt mining from the Middle Ages to the present day. The path to the mine leads up over 380 steps. Steps downwards, specifically to the 54th floor underground.
The total length of all the passages of the mine is more than 300 km! What we covered in 2.5 hours was less than 1%!!! Unreal! The temperature in the mines is between 14 and 16°C (all year round), I personally did the tour in short sleeves and shorts and did just fine! So ditch the down jackets, yeah. Otherwise, there is one stop in the underground with souvenirs, toilets and refreshments (even a phone signal). There's an Ikea-style restaurant just before the exit above ground. Prices are great - I tried the bigos for 16 gold coins and I recommend it.
The accessible hiking trail is about 3 km long (the aforementioned 1%) and starts after descending 64 m of stairs (the aforementioned 380 steps). The deepest point of the route is 130 m underground (every claustrophobic's dream). Along the way you enjoy the sight of salt of all colors...from white,black...to red along the electricity wires. Salt is absolutely everywhere, often in the form of almost marble pavement underfoot. You can see the complete machinery used to extract the salt, mannequins of the miners at work, wooden structures, ponds with brine, decorated halls... Interestingly, horses worked underground. Their fate was sad, however, because they never returned alive from the mines (they worked until their death). And thanks to them, there is only one animal in the mine... a mouse. We didn't see them (thankfully).
The St. Kinga Chapel is the absolute ceiling of the salt mine. It is the largest room in the accessible part of the mine at 101m underground. The view of the entire hall is breathtaking. There are several chandeliers above all that salt splendor, which give the place a truly fairy-tale atmosphere. There are also sculptures and reliefs carved into the walls, including The Last Supper of the Lord after a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Also the lowest statue of the Pope in the world!
This mine was, in a word, a sensation. A place where 2.5 hours go by in 30 minutes! A place where you go back in time and where you understand the phrase "salt over gold". A place where you marvel at what man can do...
I was lucky enough to have a great guide who, even in Polish (30 Polish zlotys cheaper than the ANJ version, by the way), understood almost everything. And also a huge luck to my god partners who not only translated every unclear word for me, but thanks to whom I could experience this underground salt perfect world 🙏💛
Auschwitz was my main goal of this Krakow trip, but unfortunately it was also my biggest disappointment.
The reason was not Auschwitz as such, a sad and certainly depressing place, but the fact that thanks to the covid there are restrictions on the number of visitors. If you don't book in advance online, you simply can't get in. I wasn't the only one who found out this information outside the gates of the concentration camp. I wasn't the only one who was absolutely heartbroken.
It's strange to say that I was looking forward to the concentration camp, but I can't think of another more appropriate word. It's been a few years since I visited Mauthausen, and there I promised myself that from time to time I would remember this cruel time in our history, so incredible and yet so recent. I promised myself that I would visit each concentration camp in turn, and Auschwitz was first on the list. Unfortunately, there was no way around it until this time. Martin and Andrejka indicated that they would skip Auschwitz because places like that just don't do them any good. They offered to drive me there and make their own plan. I was very happy, because I admit - you want to visit such a place preferably alone. As we agreed, so it happened. They dropped me at the gate of the concentration camp and went to soak up the atmosphere of the surroundings. Well, after a while, that is, after trying to get in, I found that I couldn't get in. At the entrance were two young, adamant ladies whose arrogant and inhumanly indifferent attitude literally took my breath away. I tried to reason with them, to explain how important this visit was to me. Also, how many kilometres I had travelled to get here. Even though unguided entry is free after 4pm, you still have to book a ticket online. Free ticket. I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I offered to pay the regular admission fee, no help. Most of all, I think I resented the indifference on these girls' faces. Just as coldly and impersonally as they had rejected me, they rejected a few other people. I sat there for a good hour before I got my shit together and could call my partners to pick me up. I didn't want to ruin their mood with my disappointment and sadness. I'll admit it quite frankly - standing at the gate of a concentration camp you've been going to for years, and then not getting in because of the bureaucracy and indifference, also because of the damn covid and all the restrictions that don't make any sense anyway - it cut me to pieces. I regularly cried like a little girl. As silly as it sounds, it was at this point that the greatest feeling of helplessness came over me.
An hour later, Martin and Andrejka picked me up, and we set off on the road back home. Or rather, to Ostrava. A bottle of rosé brightened the clouds on my face, and around 8 PM, we arrived in Ostrava.
I confess that after arriving in Ostrava on Friday morning I was extremely grateful that my partners promised not to leave me alone at the station until the bus left. Since we arrived an hour and a half early, they came up with a "little" plan. That plan was to visit the Vítkovice area. Exactly where the Colours of Ostrava is held every year. It's a place I've heard a lot about and I've always wondered what it looks like, but I've never been there. I must say it was a great idea! The spaces shrouded in darkness looked absolutely perfect and for me it was probably the best part of the whole trip.
There is a tall tower called Bolt Tower in the complex. Personally, I had never heard of it, which made this industrial building all the more surprising.
This is a unique furnace extension that rises more than 20 meters high, towering almost 80 meters. An external catwalk wraps around the glass cylinder, suspended from the original blast furnace structure, connecting the different height levels. The solid core of the superstructure is made of steel and houses the elevator, spiral staircase and visitor facilities. The rooftop observation deck, equipped with telescopes, offers a unique (and at night only!!) view of Vítkovice, but also of Ostrava itself. It is named after the runner Usain Bolt, the very man who regularly ran the Ostrava Tretra. He personally christened the tower and also signed his name on the top of it.
It is possible to get to the top of this tower in the evening only after making a reservation at a local restaurant. There is an entrance fee of 200 CZK, and you can eat and drink 100 CZK. Anyway, we are not in Poland here, but in the Czech Republic and as they say - lazy mouth, bare misfortune. After ringing the bell a young lady came into the restaurant and of course repeated the rules to us. We try to persuade her that we can have something in the restaurant and pay the entrance fee to the viewpoint... She still resists. I can't accept the fact that I'm staying "outside the gate" for the second time today. I'll tell her straight up that she can do a really good deed today. I'll mention the situation in Auschwitz today and the fact that seeing Ostrava from above and in the dark would really blow my mind. I have to say that this moment will be one of those that I will remember for a long time in connection with Ostrava. The most beautiful moment. I'll remember the young lady who had her heart in the right place, and even though she was shaken with fear and uncertainty, she took us personally to the observation tower. Of course, I know that rules must be followed. That to make exceptions is to give in all the time, and then actually all the rules become meaningless. In a way, I even agree with that. On the other hand, I think that we are all human beings first and foremost and that there are times and situations when humanity is above any rule. When humanity and helpfulness is the most important thing and the most important thing. And maybe it was here that I realized why I shouldn't have gone to Auschwitz today. I can't escape Auschwitz. I didn't make it today, I know I'll go another day. However, looking at that shaken good girl, I realized that I should have realized right here and now how important said humanity is. If I hadn't experienced the opposite of that, i.e. the absolute indifference at the gates of Auschwitz, I might never have thought of it.
I'm sorry I didn't get her name. The name of the lady who gave me genuine and sincere joy and made one grim impression absolutely gloriously trumped by a heap of goodness. She made me happy not only with a wonderful outlook, but more importantly with the realization that there are really good and kind people in the world. The whole time I was on that lookout tower, I had one thing on my mind. That maybe one day my Miki will experience something similar, a moment when he can make someone's day better by some personal discomfort, and I hope with all my heart that he will behave just like this young lady. Sensitively and humanely. Even though I know these words won't reach this young lady, I feel obligated to mention it here. Sometimes it's not the places that make our journeys special. Often, it is the people who cross our paths (not only on our journeys) and make the biggest stomp, even with a single sentence, a gesture...an open gate.
Well, and the night view? In a word, beautiful! If you haven't been to Vítkovice yet, make sure you go there! I don't know what kind of goodies they serve or what they pour there, but anyway, the café must be great if they have people like that working there!
Well, and then there's Brno...
Back to Krakow? I have often read that Krakow is the most beautiful city in Poland. Personally, I think Krakow is really beautiful and worth a visit. However, the most beautiful city for me so far remains Gdansk. The absolutely inimitable, perfect Gdansk.
In Krakow I was slightly disappointed by the Jewish Quarter, which didn't feel very authentic and still had a closed cemetery... As well as the underground, which I guess I expected something a bit different. What I really liked was the Main Market Square and the Old Town. And of course the Royal Castle. The absolute most beautiful part of Krakow, and the greatest experience in general, was the one I was looking forward to the least - the Wieliczka Salt Mines. A complete surprise for me, an experience I would recommend to anyone in the first place. To find myself 130 meters underground and see 3 kilometers of tunnels around me, the incredible amount of human labor that was able to support the ceilings and extract "ordinary" salt from the ground, it really blew me away. Even more so the fact that 3 kilometres is only one percent of the actual area of the mine. It's not just this that got me, but the beauty that salt can create. All the colors from black, white through red... All the "marble" paving underfoot that isn't really marble, but salt... It was truly a salt fairy tale. Oh, and the biggest chapel in the salt mine - the salt castle - it was a real dream. A place I will definitely return to again. Well, a huge thanks to my partners for that. Because without them I would probably have missed this place. But thanks to them not only for the mine, but for the whole trip. For the idea. And that's not all. Thank you also for more than a year of friendship, which came from nothing. Just based on my writing and their reading. Based on our shared passion, which is travel. I'm glad to have confirmed face to face once again that people who have travel and travel in their blood are perfect partners not only for travel, but also as friends for life. I feel incredibly lucky to have added two more special people to this "collection."
If I had to rate the 3 most places - moments of the entire trip, it would be as follows:
1/ Wieliczka Salt Mine2/ the night view from the Bolt Tower in Vítkovice and the lady from the café
3/ the friendship with Martin and Andy that started in Krakow and I think will take us to many more places...
Well, as I said in the poignant goodbye - it was divine and I'll say it again whenever - we have another jointly purchased ticket today, the second day since our trip was realized. Enjoy Portugal!
itinerary by cestujizakacku
Historic houses, a huge underground market with an ancient market, churches, shops, stalls with local specialties, a Jewish quarter, a beautiful castle... But above all, a quarter of an hour's drive from the absolute sensation - the Wieliczka salt mine. Wieliczka is a salt kingdom, a salt fairy tale, but also an incredible piece of human work everywhere you look, the result of which is "ordinary salt"... All this is the Polish capital Krakow.
Why KRAKOV?
It's becoming a tradition... Every trip lately is basically a replacement for some other cancelled one. Krakow is no exception. So originally it was going to be Madrid for the weekend. Although the flight held, we agreed not to take (and pay for) the mandatory covid test because of the two days. Seeing it today - it was probably deja vu... So I blew off Madrid and gratefully accepted the offer of a carpool to Krakow. After all, I had wanted to go to Krakow since my trip to Lviv. Then, after my enthusiasm for this Ukrainian city, my friend Jox told me that Krakow was just as beautiful. And since Lviv was a total sensation for me, I immediately put Krakow on my list of next destinations.
TRAVEL TO KRAKOW
As I mentioned, this trip was offered to me by my friend Martin. We've never met in our lives, but we've been friends for over a year now. This friendship was brought together by one thing - travel. Specifically, the web portal Cestujlevně, where Martin started commenting on my travelogues. Later on we found each other on Facebook, and that's how we started sharing our travel experiences and information. Within a short while, Martin was joined by his wife Andrejka, and I in turn was able to follow their travels through photos on social media. And the last time Martin suggested in the comments under my travelogue (where I mentioned that I would like to see Krakow as soon as possible) that he would take a car and that all I had to do was move to Ostrava, there was nothing to think about. Madrid cancelled, so free weekend...it will be Krakow! I had my ticket from Flixbus to Ostrava bought within minutes.
COVID SITUATION - MEASURES
We drove, so no border checks, questionnaires, etc. In Poland the same as here - veils and disinfection before entering buildings (shops, monuments..). But what left a really bitter taste in my mouth and is probably the worst thing about Covid for me - is the limited number of visitors, the need to book entry in advance and if you don't think of it - the fact that you are standing in front of the concentration camp in Auschwitz, which is the absolute ceiling of the whole trip, and they just won't let you in because the daily capacity is full...
BRNO - OSTRAVA - KRAKOV
Transportation was by car. The start of my journey began on Friday morning in Brno near Grand, where I boarded again the green Flixbus fleet towards Ostrava. Connection as always 1A, on time arrival and departure, nice drivers and in the bus not only a double seat just for me, working wifi, socket to charge your phone, but also a table for wine - what more could you ask for, right?!
The ticket to Ostrava was 199 CZK one way, 398 CZK return. I left at 11am on Friday from Brno, arriving in Ostrava at 1.20pm. Return from Ostrava on Sunday at 9.30 pm, arrival in Brno at midnight.
As mentioned before, I'm leaving Brno at 11 AM towards Ostrava. Traveling with Flixbus 1A. I have arranged with Martin and Andy to pick me up around 4 PM. I'm asking a few friends what can be done in Ostrava in about 3 hours and what is worth seeing. It's quite amusing that I get the same answer – nothing. Still, I can't help but believe that on the way to the center and the famous Stodolní street, I will certainly see some gems. After all, there is something beautiful everywhere, right…
They perform at the main train station in Ostrava. The last step that separates me from the inside of the bus and the street sort of stops on its own. Looking around, I really feel like I'm somewhere in the Bronx. I ask the people in the doorway of the bus who are about to board if this is really Ostrava Central Station. They all laugh amusedly and assure me that I am really at my destination. So I really get off... Google maps shows two kilometers to the city center, specifically on Stodolní Street. I'm off on a march. A few dozen metres and my idyllic romantic feelings turn into real fear. I must say that even the main station in Naples is not equal to what I was confronted with in Ostrava. Anyway, I won't denigrate Ostrava and describe here the tortuous journey where a local group of pofidérní individuals charged at me every 100 meters, and skip straight to Stodolní.
First of all - I got there, alive and well, and I consider that a huge success. Otherwise, Stodolní may be an interesting place at night, but in the daytime there is nothing to stand for at all. Since I don't feel any sense of safety here either, I google the nearest American embassy (McDonnald), where I am determined to spend time until I meet my partners. Google maps sends me to the mall, where I finally get some respite. Here, things are looking pretty normal already. I have to say, getting off at Ostrava Central Station was a real culture shock. I'm still about an hour's drive away trying to get out of it.
Martin and Andrejka pick me up at the agreed time. Within a few minutes, it's clear that we're of the same mind and that the trip will be great. We get in and head towards Krakow. It's Friday afternoon, so we're stuck in traffic for a while, and our arrival in Krakow isn't until around 7 p.m.
We find accommodation without any problems, park in the reserved parking space and go to check in. Since we don't know each other very well, it's high time to cement our friendship. In other words, we load up the first seven of wine. Before we check in, we visit the local Lidl and buy a decent supply for the upcoming weekend🍸😂
Martin and Andy are a really cool couple. They reassured me once again that people who travel always have something to talk about.. we talk about all our travels, and that will last us all weekend. I think if we were somewhere together for a month, we still wouldn't run out of travel topics. Martin and Andrea touch me within moments in the hostel because after the first seven wines, they pull my book out of my backpack and ask me to sign it. I'm really touched. I know that they have read most of my travelogues on the web, so the content in the book is not that beneficial for them, yet they bought the book for me and still dragged it all the way to Krakow. Very nice!
For the third seven of wine, we acknowledge that it is high time to head to the city at night. The journey to the city takes about 30 minutes, but unfortunately, the journey back to the accommodation takes three times as long. Maybe a little extra alcohol, but mainly our Google Maps went crazy. We wandered around our accommodation for almost an hour before we really found it. But we managed it, and the party was luxurious.
Yesterday's Krakow is an absolute sensation! Especially the "main square", a beautiful square dominated by a huge church with two towers. All the businesses are alive at night, millions of people in the streets. It's as if no covid existed...God's feeling! Of course we have cherry wine at Pijana Wisnia and the aforementioned gyros just across the street at Akropolis. All the sights are beautifully lit, the evening atmosphere of the city is indescribable. I recommend everyone to experience it.
KRAKOV
Wake up at 7, after about 5 hours of sleep. Well, not everyone gets up easily... 😂
After 8 o'clock we head out towards the city. We included in our itinerary everything we found worth seeing. The route is about 10 kilometers, which is ideal for a day. Of course, in the end, we've covered once that much...
I would divide Krakow into three parts. Firstly, the Old Town, which is basically around the main square, then the Jewish quarter Kaziměř and the Royal Castle.
We start our tour of the Old Town first.
From the accommodation we head to the Main Square, i.e. the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny). This place is the most beautiful in all of Krakow. A huge square, with a market in the middle, and beautiful historical buildings all around. The most beautiful is of course the Church of the Assumption. The market is full of cafes, restaurants, flower stalls and last but not least a huge pigeon base. I mean, at the same time, a lot of pigeon shit...
In the centre of the square stands not only the tower of the old town hall, but mainly the Sukiennica market. It's a huge building really in the centre of the city. The building is beautiful, historic.
We were very lucky to come here early in the morning when the shops were not yet boarded up. Not only did it offer us a glimpse of stylish wooden stalls, side by side, but it also allowed us to admire things that might not have stood out among the trinkets and junk. By this I mean, in particular, the beautiful emblems of all the Polish cities that line the perimeter of the market. On the other hand, in the afternoon we saw this place besieged by shops or goods of all kinds. While it was also beautiful, it was even prettier when empty.
The market building itself has two floors. On the ground floor are the aforementioned markets, and on the first floor is the National Museum exhibition.
In the olden days, fabrics were mainly sold here, with the main item being cloth imported from England. Hence the name of the market derives from cloth. In the 16th century there was a fire here and the whole building was burnt down. A year after the fire, construction of a new building began and it still stands today. The building is elongated, made of stone and brick and is accessible from all 4 sides.
Right below the market on the main square is another tourist attraction - the Krakow Underground. A ticket costs 24 Polish zloty and is bought on the opposite side of the market from the entrance.
This is an interactive exhibition that was created based on archaeological research. This research was carried out here until 2010 and many traces of the history of this city were discovered. On this basis, a unique archaeological reserve of almost 4000 m² was created. The underground hiking trail leads between the stone and brick walls of the cellars of former commercial buildings. There are also fragments of paved roads, as well as medieval tools, antique coins and other paraphernalia used more than 600 years ago. Andrejka and Martin were quite excited about the underground, but for me it was a place I wouldn't need to see again. I wasn't particularly impressed and probably wouldn't recommend the trip to my friends.
And it is part of the main market. It is basically the main dominant feature of the whole square. It is beautiful both in daylight and at night.
This castle is basically in the center of the city. From the main square you can be there in 10 minutes. It's definitely the main landmark and certainly one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the whole of Krakow. No wonder, the castle is really beautiful! Even though we didn't go inside, there is so much to admire. You can get to the courtyard without any problem and you can see the castle from all sides.
Below the castle is the river Vistula, which is a beautiful view not only from the walls, but also directly from the river. It is a nice place where many families spend their free time.
Not only in the castle, but in general around the river is fine..
This is a district that is about a kilometre walk from Wawel Castle. It used to be a separate town with its own administration, founded in the 14th century by King Casimir. Although it is known as the centre of the Jewish community, there are also Catholics living here. After the Second World War, the composition of the population in this district is actually completely different, and more or less only the Jewish architecture remains of the "Jewish spirit". There is an old synagogue and a Jewish cemetery. There are supposed to be 9,000 Jewish tombstones, but at the time of our exhibition the cemetery was closed.
As for the Jewish community here, it was decimated during the war from 64,000 people to just 6,000 survivors.
This name seems to be on all of us. Oskar Schindler, a Czech-German, born in Svitavy, was the owner of a cookware and arms factory, also a member of the Nazi Party.
He set up his factory at the beginning of the war and employed Jews mainly because they were the cheapest labour. But later he began to protect his own always. He referred to women, children, the old or the disabled as indispensably skilled workers and at the same time bribed high-ranking officials to save them. In particular, he managed to save 1,200 Jews, whom he essentially bought out of his accumulated wealth - in fact, Schindler spent almost the entirety of the enormous fortune he managed to amass during the war on bribing the Nazis and finding goods for his employees. He even set up a new factory in the Czech village of Brněnec, where he managed to move a number of Jews, thus saving them from certain death. The factory was a sham, and by the end of the war it had not produced a single working weapon. It was thanks to this deed that Oskar Schindler, as the only member of the NSDAP, was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations in Israel. This title was only awarded to non-Jews who contributed to saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler is buried in Jerusalem in the Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion.
The site of Oscar Schindler's original factory is now a museum documenting the shocking fate of Jews throughout Poland during World War II. It's a place that's definitely worth a visit. The exhibit is partially interactive, it's really impressive, and while it doesn't match the size of Gdansk and its museum, it's a place where this whole crazy time comes at you with all its weight. Price: 26 zlotys.
KRAKOW - WIELICZKA - OSVĚTIM - OSTRAVA - BRNO
Today we are not stretching the wake-up call, there are only two destinations on the plan and there is plenty of time until half past nine, when the bus from Ostrava goes home. We have some wine for breakfast, find the only open Zabka in the area (on Sundays the shops are usually closed), buy some food and souvenirs and rush to the first destination today.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine...
When Martin told me before the trip that we were going to put in a salt mine, I didn't go crazy with excitement. I had visited one in Austria 4 years ago and.... nothing for me.
Wieliczka is over and for myself I have to say one thing - the absolute ceiling of the whole Krakow!!!
This salt mine is just outside of Krakow, about 15 minutes away by car and it's a place I really wish everyone could see. A roughly 2.5 hour tour for about 400 CZK - so it was the best money spent of the whole trip! Except for the wine, that is 😁
Wieliczka has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and traces salt mining from the Middle Ages to the present day. The path to the mine leads up over 380 steps. Steps downwards, specifically to the 54th floor underground.
The total length of all the passages of the mine is more than 300 km! What we covered in 2.5 hours was less than 1%!!! Unreal! The temperature in the mines is between 14 and 16°C (all year round), I personally did the tour in short sleeves and shorts and did just fine! So ditch the down jackets, yeah. Otherwise, there is one stop in the underground with souvenirs, toilets and refreshments (even a phone signal). There's an Ikea-style restaurant just before the exit above ground. Prices are great - I tried the bigos for 16 gold coins and I recommend it.
The accessible hiking trail is about 3 km long (the aforementioned 1%) and starts after descending 64 m of stairs (the aforementioned 380 steps). The deepest point of the route is 130 m underground (every claustrophobic's dream). Along the way you enjoy the sight of salt of all colors...from white,black...to red along the electricity wires. Salt is absolutely everywhere, often in the form of almost marble pavement underfoot. You can see the complete machinery used to extract the salt, mannequins of the miners at work, wooden structures, ponds with brine, decorated halls... Interestingly, horses worked underground. Their fate was sad, however, because they never returned alive from the mines (they worked until their death). And thanks to them, there is only one animal in the mine... a mouse. We didn't see them (thankfully).
The St. Kinga Chapel is the absolute ceiling of the salt mine. It is the largest room in the accessible part of the mine at 101m underground. The view of the entire hall is breathtaking. There are several chandeliers above all that salt splendor, which give the place a truly fairy-tale atmosphere. There are also sculptures and reliefs carved into the walls, including The Last Supper of the Lord after a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Also the lowest statue of the Pope in the world!
This mine was, in a word, a sensation. A place where 2.5 hours go by in 30 minutes! A place where you go back in time and where you understand the phrase "salt over gold". A place where you marvel at what man can do...
I was lucky enough to have a great guide who, even in Polish (30 Polish zlotys cheaper than the ANJ version, by the way), understood almost everything. And also a huge luck to my god partners who not only translated every unclear word for me, but thanks to whom I could experience this underground salt perfect world 🙏💛
Auschwitz was my main goal of this Krakow trip, but unfortunately it was also my biggest disappointment.
The reason was not Auschwitz as such, a sad and certainly depressing place, but the fact that thanks to the covid there are restrictions on the number of visitors. If you don't book in advance online, you simply can't get in. I wasn't the only one who found out this information outside the gates of the concentration camp. I wasn't the only one who was absolutely heartbroken.
It's strange to say that I was looking forward to the concentration camp, but I can't think of another more appropriate word. It's been a few years since I visited Mauthausen, and there I promised myself that from time to time I would remember this cruel time in our history, so incredible and yet so recent. I promised myself that I would visit each concentration camp in turn, and Auschwitz was first on the list. Unfortunately, there was no way around it until this time. Martin and Andrejka indicated that they would skip Auschwitz because places like that just don't do them any good. They offered to drive me there and make their own plan. I was very happy, because I admit - you want to visit such a place preferably alone. As we agreed, so it happened. They dropped me at the gate of the concentration camp and went to soak up the atmosphere of the surroundings. Well, after a while, that is, after trying to get in, I found that I couldn't get in. At the entrance were two young, adamant ladies whose arrogant and inhumanly indifferent attitude literally took my breath away. I tried to reason with them, to explain how important this visit was to me. Also, how many kilometres I had travelled to get here. Even though unguided entry is free after 4pm, you still have to book a ticket online. Free ticket. I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I offered to pay the regular admission fee, no help. Most of all, I think I resented the indifference on these girls' faces. Just as coldly and impersonally as they had rejected me, they rejected a few other people. I sat there for a good hour before I got my shit together and could call my partners to pick me up. I didn't want to ruin their mood with my disappointment and sadness. I'll admit it quite frankly - standing at the gate of a concentration camp you've been going to for years, and then not getting in because of the bureaucracy and indifference, also because of the damn covid and all the restrictions that don't make any sense anyway - it cut me to pieces. I regularly cried like a little girl. As silly as it sounds, it was at this point that the greatest feeling of helplessness came over me.
An hour later, Martin and Andrejka picked me up, and we set off on the road back home. Or rather, to Ostrava. A bottle of rosé brightened the clouds on my face, and around 8 PM, we arrived in Ostrava.
I confess that after arriving in Ostrava on Friday morning I was extremely grateful that my partners promised not to leave me alone at the station until the bus left. Since we arrived an hour and a half early, they came up with a "little" plan. That plan was to visit the Vítkovice area. Exactly where the Colours of Ostrava is held every year. It's a place I've heard a lot about and I've always wondered what it looks like, but I've never been there. I must say it was a great idea! The spaces shrouded in darkness looked absolutely perfect and for me it was probably the best part of the whole trip.
There is a tall tower called Bolt Tower in the complex. Personally, I had never heard of it, which made this industrial building all the more surprising.
This is a unique furnace extension that rises more than 20 meters high, towering almost 80 meters. An external catwalk wraps around the glass cylinder, suspended from the original blast furnace structure, connecting the different height levels. The solid core of the superstructure is made of steel and houses the elevator, spiral staircase and visitor facilities. The rooftop observation deck, equipped with telescopes, offers a unique (and at night only!!) view of Vítkovice, but also of Ostrava itself. It is named after the runner Usain Bolt, the very man who regularly ran the Ostrava Tretra. He personally christened the tower and also signed his name on the top of it.
It is possible to get to the top of this tower in the evening only after making a reservation at a local restaurant. There is an entrance fee of 200 CZK, and you can eat and drink 100 CZK. Anyway, we are not in Poland here, but in the Czech Republic and as they say - lazy mouth, bare misfortune. After ringing the bell a young lady came into the restaurant and of course repeated the rules to us. We try to persuade her that we can have something in the restaurant and pay the entrance fee to the viewpoint... She still resists. I can't accept the fact that I'm staying "outside the gate" for the second time today. I'll tell her straight up that she can do a really good deed today. I'll mention the situation in Auschwitz today and the fact that seeing Ostrava from above and in the dark would really blow my mind. I have to say that this moment will be one of those that I will remember for a long time in connection with Ostrava. The most beautiful moment. I'll remember the young lady who had her heart in the right place, and even though she was shaken with fear and uncertainty, she took us personally to the observation tower. Of course, I know that rules must be followed. That to make exceptions is to give in all the time, and then actually all the rules become meaningless. In a way, I even agree with that. On the other hand, I think that we are all human beings first and foremost and that there are times and situations when humanity is above any rule. When humanity and helpfulness is the most important thing and the most important thing. And maybe it was here that I realized why I shouldn't have gone to Auschwitz today. I can't escape Auschwitz. I didn't make it today, I know I'll go another day. However, looking at that shaken good girl, I realized that I should have realized right here and now how important said humanity is. If I hadn't experienced the opposite of that, i.e. the absolute indifference at the gates of Auschwitz, I might never have thought of it.
I'm sorry I didn't get her name. The name of the lady who gave me genuine and sincere joy and made one grim impression absolutely gloriously trumped by a heap of goodness. She made me happy not only with a wonderful outlook, but more importantly with the realization that there are really good and kind people in the world. The whole time I was on that lookout tower, I had one thing on my mind. That maybe one day my Miki will experience something similar, a moment when he can make someone's day better by some personal discomfort, and I hope with all my heart that he will behave just like this young lady. Sensitively and humanely. Even though I know these words won't reach this young lady, I feel obligated to mention it here. Sometimes it's not the places that make our journeys special. Often, it is the people who cross our paths (not only on our journeys) and make the biggest stomp, even with a single sentence, a gesture...an open gate.
Well, and the night view? In a word, beautiful! If you haven't been to Vítkovice yet, make sure you go there! I don't know what kind of goodies they serve or what they pour there, but anyway, the café must be great if they have people like that working there!
Well, and then there's Brno...
Back to Krakow? I have often read that Krakow is the most beautiful city in Poland. Personally, I think Krakow is really beautiful and worth a visit. However, the most beautiful city for me so far remains Gdansk. The absolutely inimitable, perfect Gdansk.
In Krakow I was slightly disappointed by the Jewish Quarter, which didn't feel very authentic and still had a closed cemetery... As well as the underground, which I guess I expected something a bit different. What I really liked was the Main Market Square and the Old Town. And of course the Royal Castle. The absolute most beautiful part of Krakow, and the greatest experience in general, was the one I was looking forward to the least - the Wieliczka Salt Mines. A complete surprise for me, an experience I would recommend to anyone in the first place. To find myself 130 meters underground and see 3 kilometers of tunnels around me, the incredible amount of human labor that was able to support the ceilings and extract "ordinary" salt from the ground, it really blew me away. Even more so the fact that 3 kilometres is only one percent of the actual area of the mine. It's not just this that got me, but the beauty that salt can create. All the colors from black, white through red... All the "marble" paving underfoot that isn't really marble, but salt... It was truly a salt fairy tale. Oh, and the biggest chapel in the salt mine - the salt castle - it was a real dream. A place I will definitely return to again. Well, a huge thanks to my partners for that. Because without them I would probably have missed this place. But thanks to them not only for the mine, but for the whole trip. For the idea. And that's not all. Thank you also for more than a year of friendship, which came from nothing. Just based on my writing and their reading. Based on our shared passion, which is travel. I'm glad to have confirmed face to face once again that people who have travel and travel in their blood are perfect partners not only for travel, but also as friends for life. I feel incredibly lucky to have added two more special people to this "collection."
If I had to rate the 3 most places - moments of the entire trip, it would be as follows:
1/ Wieliczka Salt Mine2/ the night view from the Bolt Tower in Vítkovice and the lady from the café
3/ the friendship with Martin and Andy that started in Krakow and I think will take us to many more places...
Well, as I said in the poignant goodbye - it was divine and I'll say it again whenever - we have another jointly purchased ticket today, the second day since our trip was realized. Enjoy Portugal!
Historic houses, a huge underground market with an ancient market, churches, shops, stalls with local specialties, a Jewish quarter, a beautiful castle... But above all, a quarter of an hour's drive from the absolute sensation - the Wieliczka salt mine. Wieliczka is a salt kingdom, a salt fairy tale, but also an incredible piece of human work everywhere you look, the result of which is "ordinary salt"... All this is the Polish capital Krakow.
Why KRAKOV?
It's becoming a tradition... Every trip lately is basically a replacement for some other cancelled one. Krakow is no exception. So originally it was going to be Madrid for the weekend. Although the flight held, we agreed not to take (and pay for) the mandatory covid test because of the two days. Seeing it today - it was probably deja vu... So I blew off Madrid and gratefully accepted the offer of a carpool to Krakow. After all, I had wanted to go to Krakow since my trip to Lviv. Then, after my enthusiasm for this Ukrainian city, my friend Jox told me that Krakow was just as beautiful. And since Lviv was a total sensation for me, I immediately put Krakow on my list of next destinations.
TRAVEL TO KRAKOW
As I mentioned, this trip was offered to me by my friend Martin. We've never met in our lives, but we've been friends for over a year now. This friendship was brought together by one thing - travel. Specifically, the web portal Cestujlevně, where Martin started commenting on my travelogues. Later on we found each other on Facebook, and that's how we started sharing our travel experiences and information. Within a short while, Martin was joined by his wife Andrejka, and I in turn was able to follow their travels through photos on social media. And the last time Martin suggested in the comments under my travelogue (where I mentioned that I would like to see Krakow as soon as possible) that he would take a car and that all I had to do was move to Ostrava, there was nothing to think about. Madrid cancelled, so free weekend...it will be Krakow! I had my ticket from Flixbus to Ostrava bought within minutes.
COVID SITUATION - MEASURES
We drove, so no border checks, questionnaires, etc. In Poland the same as here - veils and disinfection before entering buildings (shops, monuments..). But what left a really bitter taste in my mouth and is probably the worst thing about Covid for me - is the limited number of visitors, the need to book entry in advance and if you don't think of it - the fact that you are standing in front of the concentration camp in Auschwitz, which is the absolute ceiling of the whole trip, and they just won't let you in because the daily capacity is full...
BRNO - OSTRAVA - KRAKOV
Transportation was by car. The start of my journey began on Friday morning in Brno near Grand, where I boarded again the green Flixbus fleet towards Ostrava. Connection as always 1A, on time arrival and departure, nice drivers and in the bus not only a double seat just for me, working wifi, socket to charge your phone, but also a table for wine - what more could you ask for, right?!
The ticket to Ostrava was 199 CZK one way, 398 CZK return. I left at 11am on Friday from Brno, arriving in Ostrava at 1.20pm. Return from Ostrava on Sunday at 9.30 pm, arrival in Brno at midnight.
As mentioned before, I'm leaving Brno at 11 AM towards Ostrava. Traveling with Flixbus 1A. I have arranged with Martin and Andy to pick me up around 4 PM. I'm asking a few friends what can be done in Ostrava in about 3 hours and what is worth seeing. It's quite amusing that I get the same answer – nothing. Still, I can't help but believe that on the way to the center and the famous Stodolní street, I will certainly see some gems. After all, there is something beautiful everywhere, right…
They perform at the main train station in Ostrava. The last step that separates me from the inside of the bus and the street sort of stops on its own. Looking around, I really feel like I'm somewhere in the Bronx. I ask the people in the doorway of the bus who are about to board if this is really Ostrava Central Station. They all laugh amusedly and assure me that I am really at my destination. So I really get off... Google maps shows two kilometers to the city center, specifically on Stodolní Street. I'm off on a march. A few dozen metres and my idyllic romantic feelings turn into real fear. I must say that even the main station in Naples is not equal to what I was confronted with in Ostrava. Anyway, I won't denigrate Ostrava and describe here the tortuous journey where a local group of pofidérní individuals charged at me every 100 meters, and skip straight to Stodolní.
First of all - I got there, alive and well, and I consider that a huge success. Otherwise, Stodolní may be an interesting place at night, but in the daytime there is nothing to stand for at all. Since I don't feel any sense of safety here either, I google the nearest American embassy (McDonnald), where I am determined to spend time until I meet my partners. Google maps sends me to the mall, where I finally get some respite. Here, things are looking pretty normal already. I have to say, getting off at Ostrava Central Station was a real culture shock. I'm still about an hour's drive away trying to get out of it.
Martin and Andrejka pick me up at the agreed time. Within a few minutes, it's clear that we're of the same mind and that the trip will be great. We get in and head towards Krakow. It's Friday afternoon, so we're stuck in traffic for a while, and our arrival in Krakow isn't until around 7 p.m.
We find accommodation without any problems, park in the reserved parking space and go to check in. Since we don't know each other very well, it's high time to cement our friendship. In other words, we load up the first seven of wine. Before we check in, we visit the local Lidl and buy a decent supply for the upcoming weekend🍸😂
Martin and Andy are a really cool couple. They reassured me once again that people who travel always have something to talk about.. we talk about all our travels, and that will last us all weekend. I think if we were somewhere together for a month, we still wouldn't run out of travel topics. Martin and Andrea touch me within moments in the hostel because after the first seven wines, they pull my book out of my backpack and ask me to sign it. I'm really touched. I know that they have read most of my travelogues on the web, so the content in the book is not that beneficial for them, yet they bought the book for me and still dragged it all the way to Krakow. Very nice!
For the third seven of wine, we acknowledge that it is high time to head to the city at night. The journey to the city takes about 30 minutes, but unfortunately, the journey back to the accommodation takes three times as long. Maybe a little extra alcohol, but mainly our Google Maps went crazy. We wandered around our accommodation for almost an hour before we really found it. But we managed it, and the party was luxurious.
Yesterday's Krakow is an absolute sensation! Especially the "main square", a beautiful square dominated by a huge church with two towers. All the businesses are alive at night, millions of people in the streets. It's as if no covid existed...God's feeling! Of course we have cherry wine at Pijana Wisnia and the aforementioned gyros just across the street at Akropolis. All the sights are beautifully lit, the evening atmosphere of the city is indescribable. I recommend everyone to experience it.
KRAKOV
Wake up at 7, after about 5 hours of sleep. Well, not everyone gets up easily... 😂
After 8 o'clock we head out towards the city. We included in our itinerary everything we found worth seeing. The route is about 10 kilometers, which is ideal for a day. Of course, in the end, we've covered once that much...
I would divide Krakow into three parts. Firstly, the Old Town, which is basically around the main square, then the Jewish quarter Kaziměř and the Royal Castle.
We start our tour of the Old Town first.
From the accommodation we head to the Main Square, i.e. the Main Market Square (Rynek Główny). This place is the most beautiful in all of Krakow. A huge square, with a market in the middle, and beautiful historical buildings all around. The most beautiful is of course the Church of the Assumption. The market is full of cafes, restaurants, flower stalls and last but not least a huge pigeon base. I mean, at the same time, a lot of pigeon shit...
In the centre of the square stands not only the tower of the old town hall, but mainly the Sukiennica market. It's a huge building really in the centre of the city. The building is beautiful, historic.
We were very lucky to come here early in the morning when the shops were not yet boarded up. Not only did it offer us a glimpse of stylish wooden stalls, side by side, but it also allowed us to admire things that might not have stood out among the trinkets and junk. By this I mean, in particular, the beautiful emblems of all the Polish cities that line the perimeter of the market. On the other hand, in the afternoon we saw this place besieged by shops or goods of all kinds. While it was also beautiful, it was even prettier when empty.
The market building itself has two floors. On the ground floor are the aforementioned markets, and on the first floor is the National Museum exhibition.
In the olden days, fabrics were mainly sold here, with the main item being cloth imported from England. Hence the name of the market derives from cloth. In the 16th century there was a fire here and the whole building was burnt down. A year after the fire, construction of a new building began and it still stands today. The building is elongated, made of stone and brick and is accessible from all 4 sides.
Right below the market on the main square is another tourist attraction - the Krakow Underground. A ticket costs 24 Polish zloty and is bought on the opposite side of the market from the entrance.
This is an interactive exhibition that was created based on archaeological research. This research was carried out here until 2010 and many traces of the history of this city were discovered. On this basis, a unique archaeological reserve of almost 4000 m² was created. The underground hiking trail leads between the stone and brick walls of the cellars of former commercial buildings. There are also fragments of paved roads, as well as medieval tools, antique coins and other paraphernalia used more than 600 years ago. Andrejka and Martin were quite excited about the underground, but for me it was a place I wouldn't need to see again. I wasn't particularly impressed and probably wouldn't recommend the trip to my friends.
And it is part of the main market. It is basically the main dominant feature of the whole square. It is beautiful both in daylight and at night.
This castle is basically in the center of the city. From the main square you can be there in 10 minutes. It's definitely the main landmark and certainly one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the whole of Krakow. No wonder, the castle is really beautiful! Even though we didn't go inside, there is so much to admire. You can get to the courtyard without any problem and you can see the castle from all sides.
Below the castle is the river Vistula, which is a beautiful view not only from the walls, but also directly from the river. It is a nice place where many families spend their free time.
Not only in the castle, but in general around the river is fine..
This is a district that is about a kilometre walk from Wawel Castle. It used to be a separate town with its own administration, founded in the 14th century by King Casimir. Although it is known as the centre of the Jewish community, there are also Catholics living here. After the Second World War, the composition of the population in this district is actually completely different, and more or less only the Jewish architecture remains of the "Jewish spirit". There is an old synagogue and a Jewish cemetery. There are supposed to be 9,000 Jewish tombstones, but at the time of our exhibition the cemetery was closed.
As for the Jewish community here, it was decimated during the war from 64,000 people to just 6,000 survivors.
This name seems to be on all of us. Oskar Schindler, a Czech-German, born in Svitavy, was the owner of a cookware and arms factory, also a member of the Nazi Party.
He set up his factory at the beginning of the war and employed Jews mainly because they were the cheapest labour. But later he began to protect his own always. He referred to women, children, the old or the disabled as indispensably skilled workers and at the same time bribed high-ranking officials to save them. In particular, he managed to save 1,200 Jews, whom he essentially bought out of his accumulated wealth - in fact, Schindler spent almost the entirety of the enormous fortune he managed to amass during the war on bribing the Nazis and finding goods for his employees. He even set up a new factory in the Czech village of Brněnec, where he managed to move a number of Jews, thus saving them from certain death. The factory was a sham, and by the end of the war it had not produced a single working weapon. It was thanks to this deed that Oskar Schindler, as the only member of the NSDAP, was awarded the title of Righteous Among the Nations in Israel. This title was only awarded to non-Jews who contributed to saving Jewish lives during the Holocaust. Oskar Schindler is buried in Jerusalem in the Catholic cemetery on Mount Zion.
The site of Oscar Schindler's original factory is now a museum documenting the shocking fate of Jews throughout Poland during World War II. It's a place that's definitely worth a visit. The exhibit is partially interactive, it's really impressive, and while it doesn't match the size of Gdansk and its museum, it's a place where this whole crazy time comes at you with all its weight. Price: 26 zlotys.
KRAKOW - WIELICZKA - OSVĚTIM - OSTRAVA - BRNO
Today we are not stretching the wake-up call, there are only two destinations on the plan and there is plenty of time until half past nine, when the bus from Ostrava goes home. We have some wine for breakfast, find the only open Zabka in the area (on Sundays the shops are usually closed), buy some food and souvenirs and rush to the first destination today.
The Wieliczka Salt Mine...
When Martin told me before the trip that we were going to put in a salt mine, I didn't go crazy with excitement. I had visited one in Austria 4 years ago and.... nothing for me.
Wieliczka is over and for myself I have to say one thing - the absolute ceiling of the whole Krakow!!!
This salt mine is just outside of Krakow, about 15 minutes away by car and it's a place I really wish everyone could see. A roughly 2.5 hour tour for about 400 CZK - so it was the best money spent of the whole trip! Except for the wine, that is 😁
Wieliczka has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978 and traces salt mining from the Middle Ages to the present day. The path to the mine leads up over 380 steps. Steps downwards, specifically to the 54th floor underground.
The total length of all the passages of the mine is more than 300 km! What we covered in 2.5 hours was less than 1%!!! Unreal! The temperature in the mines is between 14 and 16°C (all year round), I personally did the tour in short sleeves and shorts and did just fine! So ditch the down jackets, yeah. Otherwise, there is one stop in the underground with souvenirs, toilets and refreshments (even a phone signal). There's an Ikea-style restaurant just before the exit above ground. Prices are great - I tried the bigos for 16 gold coins and I recommend it.
The accessible hiking trail is about 3 km long (the aforementioned 1%) and starts after descending 64 m of stairs (the aforementioned 380 steps). The deepest point of the route is 130 m underground (every claustrophobic's dream). Along the way you enjoy the sight of salt of all colors...from white,black...to red along the electricity wires. Salt is absolutely everywhere, often in the form of almost marble pavement underfoot. You can see the complete machinery used to extract the salt, mannequins of the miners at work, wooden structures, ponds with brine, decorated halls... Interestingly, horses worked underground. Their fate was sad, however, because they never returned alive from the mines (they worked until their death). And thanks to them, there is only one animal in the mine... a mouse. We didn't see them (thankfully).
The St. Kinga Chapel is the absolute ceiling of the salt mine. It is the largest room in the accessible part of the mine at 101m underground. The view of the entire hall is breathtaking. There are several chandeliers above all that salt splendor, which give the place a truly fairy-tale atmosphere. There are also sculptures and reliefs carved into the walls, including The Last Supper of the Lord after a painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Also the lowest statue of the Pope in the world!
This mine was, in a word, a sensation. A place where 2.5 hours go by in 30 minutes! A place where you go back in time and where you understand the phrase "salt over gold". A place where you marvel at what man can do...
I was lucky enough to have a great guide who, even in Polish (30 Polish zlotys cheaper than the ANJ version, by the way), understood almost everything. And also a huge luck to my god partners who not only translated every unclear word for me, but thanks to whom I could experience this underground salt perfect world 🙏💛
Auschwitz was my main goal of this Krakow trip, but unfortunately it was also my biggest disappointment.
The reason was not Auschwitz as such, a sad and certainly depressing place, but the fact that thanks to the covid there are restrictions on the number of visitors. If you don't book in advance online, you simply can't get in. I wasn't the only one who found out this information outside the gates of the concentration camp. I wasn't the only one who was absolutely heartbroken.
It's strange to say that I was looking forward to the concentration camp, but I can't think of another more appropriate word. It's been a few years since I visited Mauthausen, and there I promised myself that from time to time I would remember this cruel time in our history, so incredible and yet so recent. I promised myself that I would visit each concentration camp in turn, and Auschwitz was first on the list. Unfortunately, there was no way around it until this time. Martin and Andrejka indicated that they would skip Auschwitz because places like that just don't do them any good. They offered to drive me there and make their own plan. I was very happy, because I admit - you want to visit such a place preferably alone. As we agreed, so it happened. They dropped me at the gate of the concentration camp and went to soak up the atmosphere of the surroundings. Well, after a while, that is, after trying to get in, I found that I couldn't get in. At the entrance were two young, adamant ladies whose arrogant and inhumanly indifferent attitude literally took my breath away. I tried to reason with them, to explain how important this visit was to me. Also, how many kilometres I had travelled to get here. Even though unguided entry is free after 4pm, you still have to book a ticket online. Free ticket. I wouldn't have dreamed of it. I offered to pay the regular admission fee, no help. Most of all, I think I resented the indifference on these girls' faces. Just as coldly and impersonally as they had rejected me, they rejected a few other people. I sat there for a good hour before I got my shit together and could call my partners to pick me up. I didn't want to ruin their mood with my disappointment and sadness. I'll admit it quite frankly - standing at the gate of a concentration camp you've been going to for years, and then not getting in because of the bureaucracy and indifference, also because of the damn covid and all the restrictions that don't make any sense anyway - it cut me to pieces. I regularly cried like a little girl. As silly as it sounds, it was at this point that the greatest feeling of helplessness came over me.
An hour later, Martin and Andrejka picked me up, and we set off on the road back home. Or rather, to Ostrava. A bottle of rosé brightened the clouds on my face, and around 8 PM, we arrived in Ostrava.
I confess that after arriving in Ostrava on Friday morning I was extremely grateful that my partners promised not to leave me alone at the station until the bus left. Since we arrived an hour and a half early, they came up with a "little" plan. That plan was to visit the Vítkovice area. Exactly where the Colours of Ostrava is held every year. It's a place I've heard a lot about and I've always wondered what it looks like, but I've never been there. I must say it was a great idea! The spaces shrouded in darkness looked absolutely perfect and for me it was probably the best part of the whole trip.
There is a tall tower called Bolt Tower in the complex. Personally, I had never heard of it, which made this industrial building all the more surprising.
This is a unique furnace extension that rises more than 20 meters high, towering almost 80 meters. An external catwalk wraps around the glass cylinder, suspended from the original blast furnace structure, connecting the different height levels. The solid core of the superstructure is made of steel and houses the elevator, spiral staircase and visitor facilities. The rooftop observation deck, equipped with telescopes, offers a unique (and at night only!!) view of Vítkovice, but also of Ostrava itself. It is named after the runner Usain Bolt, the very man who regularly ran the Ostrava Tretra. He personally christened the tower and also signed his name on the top of it.
It is possible to get to the top of this tower in the evening only after making a reservation at a local restaurant. There is an entrance fee of 200 CZK, and you can eat and drink 100 CZK. Anyway, we are not in Poland here, but in the Czech Republic and as they say - lazy mouth, bare misfortune. After ringing the bell a young lady came into the restaurant and of course repeated the rules to us. We try to persuade her that we can have something in the restaurant and pay the entrance fee to the viewpoint... She still resists. I can't accept the fact that I'm staying "outside the gate" for the second time today. I'll tell her straight up that she can do a really good deed today. I'll mention the situation in Auschwitz today and the fact that seeing Ostrava from above and in the dark would really blow my mind. I have to say that this moment will be one of those that I will remember for a long time in connection with Ostrava. The most beautiful moment. I'll remember the young lady who had her heart in the right place, and even though she was shaken with fear and uncertainty, she took us personally to the observation tower. Of course, I know that rules must be followed. That to make exceptions is to give in all the time, and then actually all the rules become meaningless. In a way, I even agree with that. On the other hand, I think that we are all human beings first and foremost and that there are times and situations when humanity is above any rule. When humanity and helpfulness is the most important thing and the most important thing. And maybe it was here that I realized why I shouldn't have gone to Auschwitz today. I can't escape Auschwitz. I didn't make it today, I know I'll go another day. However, looking at that shaken good girl, I realized that I should have realized right here and now how important said humanity is. If I hadn't experienced the opposite of that, i.e. the absolute indifference at the gates of Auschwitz, I might never have thought of it.
I'm sorry I didn't get her name. The name of the lady who gave me genuine and sincere joy and made one grim impression absolutely gloriously trumped by a heap of goodness. She made me happy not only with a wonderful outlook, but more importantly with the realization that there are really good and kind people in the world. The whole time I was on that lookout tower, I had one thing on my mind. That maybe one day my Miki will experience something similar, a moment when he can make someone's day better by some personal discomfort, and I hope with all my heart that he will behave just like this young lady. Sensitively and humanely. Even though I know these words won't reach this young lady, I feel obligated to mention it here. Sometimes it's not the places that make our journeys special. Often, it is the people who cross our paths (not only on our journeys) and make the biggest stomp, even with a single sentence, a gesture...an open gate.
Well, and the night view? In a word, beautiful! If you haven't been to Vítkovice yet, make sure you go there! I don't know what kind of goodies they serve or what they pour there, but anyway, the café must be great if they have people like that working there!
Well, and then there's Brno...
Back to Krakow? I have often read that Krakow is the most beautiful city in Poland. Personally, I think Krakow is really beautiful and worth a visit. However, the most beautiful city for me so far remains Gdansk. The absolutely inimitable, perfect Gdansk.
In Krakow I was slightly disappointed by the Jewish Quarter, which didn't feel very authentic and still had a closed cemetery... As well as the underground, which I guess I expected something a bit different. What I really liked was the Main Market Square and the Old Town. And of course the Royal Castle. The absolute most beautiful part of Krakow, and the greatest experience in general, was the one I was looking forward to the least - the Wieliczka Salt Mines. A complete surprise for me, an experience I would recommend to anyone in the first place. To find myself 130 meters underground and see 3 kilometers of tunnels around me, the incredible amount of human labor that was able to support the ceilings and extract "ordinary" salt from the ground, it really blew me away. Even more so the fact that 3 kilometres is only one percent of the actual area of the mine. It's not just this that got me, but the beauty that salt can create. All the colors from black, white through red... All the "marble" paving underfoot that isn't really marble, but salt... It was truly a salt fairy tale. Oh, and the biggest chapel in the salt mine - the salt castle - it was a real dream. A place I will definitely return to again. Well, a huge thanks to my partners for that. Because without them I would probably have missed this place. But thanks to them not only for the mine, but for the whole trip. For the idea. And that's not all. Thank you also for more than a year of friendship, which came from nothing. Just based on my writing and their reading. Based on our shared passion, which is travel. I'm glad to have confirmed face to face once again that people who have travel and travel in their blood are perfect partners not only for travel, but also as friends for life. I feel incredibly lucky to have added two more special people to this "collection."
If I had to rate the 3 most places - moments of the entire trip, it would be as follows:
1/ Wieliczka Salt Mine2/ the night view from the Bolt Tower in Vítkovice and the lady from the café
3/ the friendship with Martin and Andy that started in Krakow and I think will take us to many more places...
Well, as I said in the poignant goodbye - it was divine and I'll say it again whenever - we have another jointly purchased ticket today, the second day since our trip was realized. Enjoy Portugal!
