 |
| Salt chandelier |
Weds 25 April 2018
We collected our brand new Fiat Tipo 50hp rental motor at the train station - and headed south out of Krakow towards the Tatra Mountains. But first stop was the incredible salt mines at Wieliczka. You have to book a tour - which lasts about 2.5 hours - but it’s definitely worth doing.
They have mined salt here for over 700 years, and there are over 300km of tunnels going down to 327m, and 2000 caverns, but luckily the tourist route only reaches 135m below the ground...
 |
| Wooden stairway down.... |
There are lakes, amazing chambers hewn out of the salt, and almost more impressive is the extensive timber supporting structures.
 |
| Chapel of St Kinga: all hewn out of salt. 30 years of work by one man and then his brother - both miners, not sculptors. |
 |
| Salt wall carvings |
 |
| Salt chandelier |
 |
| Vast chamber 135m below ground - and phenomenal timber support structure! |
We emerged blinking back above ground after the scary lift ride and drove south towards the mountains.
 |
| Snapped from car window by Jess: heading towards the snow-capped Tatras in the distance. |
The town of Zakopane is a ski resort / hiking destination - and is incredibly busy in the summer. We went for a lovely evening walk
Jess had pulled a blinder and got us a 3* hotel for £32, including access to the adjoining 5* hotel pool and sauna! Perfect end to the day, finished off with black pudding, sauerkraut and a beer !!
Comments
Post a Comment