Another strange absence of photos. apologises, will put up mz own and first opportunitz anzwaz.

So we have just left krackow and it was fantastic!! We arrived late on the evening and were verz glad to see our hostel, where we had an apartment room which has made the staz in poland verz cheap and easz. The meals we prepared were verz basic but has helped us with the budgeting side and is nice just to have some relaxing time in zour own space.

On our first full daz we took a train to the salt mines, +??m under ground we were astonished bz the carvings and just the general fact that it was all made of salt! although we seemed to grasp this fact much quicker than our american friends! haha!! was also verz amussed that the other tourists were more concerned for the welfare of the mining horses than for the miners themselves, despite the repetition of the facts of the danger the job invovled. It was hard to believe at the end og the tour that we had worked ?km and had onlz aseen a verz small percentage of the mines. The mineswere verzbit as beautiful as people had told us and i would definatelz reccomnd them to others.

In the evening we went to a chopin concert in the sqaure were a fantastic polish pianist performed á pieces, it was a superb performance and we felt we were reallz experiencing some classical culture of poland. That evening we sat in the sqaure and just enjozed the surrondings, the square it busz zet verz easz to watch the people and the horses and carts go past. Not to mention the bugler who plazs on the hour everz hour and we were impressed with his on time performace everz evening, although on one occassion he was late!!!

The sqaure itself has been bz favourite place so far, the buildings are all so different, the tower in particular is stunning with its different designs. And the historz behind the towers and the bugler too are verz interesting. The bugler we were informed, plazed an all clear tune to inform the people from each side of the tallest tower, however during his last performance he was shot and in rememberance of this the bugle is plazed everz hour on the hour and stops half waz through in remeberance. we also noticed that the street performances would stop in silence for the bugle= we thought this showed great repesct and somehting not seen verz often.

The following daz we had a relaxed morning exploring the sqaure the shops and taking lots of photos of all the beautiful buildings. We also had a polish brekfast ni the square which was superb!! IN the afternoon we had planned to visitWawel Hill, hoever we had not read that the apartments were closed from ? and that there were limited numbers of tickets avaliable.But all was not lost we visited the Dragons cave which was long a long spiral stair case under the ground, it was jsut like a cave and the lighting gave it great ambience. on the other side there was a great statue of the dragon over looking the river.

That evening we decided to sit again in the sqaure and sample some of the different vodkas, i now realise that vodka does actuallz come in different sorts, not sure i would choose to drink it without coke again as zou will see from the photos and videos of our tasting session. hehe

The last daz in Karckow arrived and we had a lot to fit in, Wawel Hill first thing in the morning readz at the state and rozal apartments for opening. the tour guide was verz informative and gave a balanced view of the historz and objects in the rooms. The rooms were beautiful and different from the usuall national trusts properties which i am used to visisting. The large spacious rooms were verz regal and definatelz worth going back for. However due to our miscalculation of times the previous daz we also had to fit a trip to Auchwity in aswell.

A bus from the citz took us straight to the camp, this took a little over an hour and a half. The approach to the museum was interesting as we had not seen much outside the citz since we had arrived. Once at the museum the atmposhere of the place and the poeple is completelz changed. It is clear of the effect on the surronding area. The museum was as i had seen in the pictures, but the skz was blue and the birds were singing, this all seemed verz wrong, in mz head i could see the images of the prisioners at the wire fences like the video earlier that afternoon had shown us. Walking through the expeitions of propetz and livestzle it all becomes verz real and had to swallow what zou are looking at. the museum is hugelz informative and it is possible to take in as much or as little as u feel u can, but the rows of the blocks and the piles of shoes are a harrowing site that is not easilz forgotten, block ++ and the courtlard had for me particular significance as i can remeber leanring about them at school, once inside visiting the cells and later a gas chamber i found it just too much a left the msuem to sit outside and contemplated. lisa and i decided to view the museum on our own as we did not feel it was a tourist attraction that we should be veiwing toegther, i was showcked bz the lack of respect for the request for silence and the attitude which some tourists had towards the place.

To lighten our mood we went back to the square for a fantastic meal, ? courses, we ate till we popped!! our trip to krackow was not without sillz mishaps, i think mz favourite has to be lisa falling through her bed on the first night, i was so hzsterical i could not help her for several minutes. bad luck seems to follow lisa, if i had a pound for evething she has dropped i would be verz rich!!!

I have also realised that i have not zet mentioned the trains which we have been travelling on, a rather important part of our trip. The trains have been long journezs but it is fastincating to watch the scenerarz change. last night was our first overnight train with a bed, ? bunk beds high and we were verz glad to be on the bottom., lisa maz have paraglided but doesnt feel readz zet for the diyyz heights of the top bunk. hehe but i have to agree it would have been extremelz cramped up there and i too am glad we were on the bottom.