Off to Istanbul in a few hours. Yesterday Richard and I visited St. Mary's Basilica (Church of our Lady Assumed into Heaven ... the trumpeters church). Amazingly opulent, 262 ft tall with a carved wooden alterpiece (pictured). The church is designed in the Polish Cathedral Style. We also visited Wawel which was the former home of Polish Kings, an architectural complex which have been added to over the centuries, including a cathedral and Royal Palace. Some of th...

Morning all, arrived here in Krakow after leaving Barcelona yesterday afternoon, not without minor dramas at the airport either. Here now. Had a stroll around the old town square last night, the picture is the Church of Our Lady Assumed into Heaven. Every hour a trumpet signal sounds called the Hejnal Mariacki (sounds a bit like the last post). The tune breaks off mid-stream to commemorate the 13th century trumpeter who was shot in the throat while sounding the ...