Dust from the Trail

The past two days have been pretty great in terms of exploration. I really like Krakow. Our hostel here has been pleasant with AMAZING breakfasts provided by the employees. Really, I can't believe how little we have to pay to stay here and get this fantastic stuff. For example, this morning we had homemade crepes covered in fresh fruit, fresh bread with meat, cheese, and butter, coffee, cereal, etc. Oh, well, the beds themselves might be lacking somewhat . . .my pillow is so flat that I boosted it up with my dirty clothes (in plastic bag) last night, and my blankets seem to not completely cover me, but minor details really.

Um, Monday, the four of us took a mini bus out to the Salt Mines which have been in operation for hundreds of years. We went under ground about 120 meters and saw these amazing figures of miners, saints, and yes, gnomes under the ground. It was pretty great to say the least.

In the evening we went to the Krakow town square where there are old Gothic churches, a huge wide open space with a statue perfect for people watching, dozens of restaurants, and a great market place with tons of little stalls filled with things to buy . . .which of course I did buy some;) I absolutely loved it.

Today, Suzanne and I, after a very hastled running around, found our way to a bus that could take us to Auschwitz-Birchenau. We had to hurry through it so we could make it back in time to see a few things in Krakow still, as we are leaving town early tomorrow morning. The most chilling parts of it for me was an exhibit an entire room length (picture classroom size) that had human hair in it left over from the ovens. S and I also walked through a barrack left over from the actual camp. The reality of the suffering is so much more real when you can see the actual places. Very affecting for me.

We rushed to the bus to try to get back to Krakow in time to see a few churches and things before they closed for the day, but apparently the bus has to wait 30 minutes to allow for the slow people. Ironically, S hd been anxiously watching for the bus to arrive while I hurridly purchased a few postcards. It pulled up as I dropped my 8 zlotels on the counter and rushed out . . .only to chase after it with hands full as the bus pulled away again almost immediately. S and I screamed for it to wait, and then realized it was just trying to turn around. We sat for 30 sweating minutes on that bus observing others meander over without any concern they would miss their ride. Then we ran 1/4 of a mile to the next mini bus that would take us back to Krakow. (It's a 1 1/2 hour ride). We sat on that bus waiting for others for at least 10 minutes, arrived back too late to make it to St. Mary's Basilica to take pictures, although we were allowed to pray. Obviously, you won't be seeing pictures of that.

Then we made up for our disappointment by getting dinner from a Kebob stand . . .very popular here, very tasty, and quite cheap. What more could a poor traveler want? The seller of the food was so friendly. We wanted water, which you can't get on tap here (and thus not for free), and he asked us if we wanted "gas or no gas." Unsure of the correct answer, we blinked at him. Finally, we realized he meant soda water, and thus ordered "no gas." As we ate our meal in the square again, we enjoyed a group of about 8 Polish guys who did some break dancing to some American music (a lil Christina Aguilera in the mix) for the pleasure of the crowd. It was pretty fun to watch.

Presently I'm doing my laundry and getting ready for bed. Such a blast. Now what shall I do for pillow support tonight as my dirty clothes bag is now as flat as my pillow itself?