Christmastime in Krakow

As I will be missing Christmas with family for the first time ever, my mom decided to make the transatlantic trek a few weeks before so that we could celebrate early.  Instead of exchanging a lot of things that I would eventually have to ship back to the USA, we thought we give each other a trip as our main present.....destination?  Krakow, Poland.

We set out on our journey east not quite sure what to expect.  I had been told that Krakow is the jewel of Poland, and as for mom....well, Poland has not quite cracked the top ten of must see destinations for her.  However, we were excited to see how Europe does Christmas.  Arriving on Thurs afternoon, we dropped our bags, bundled up (it was -2 C) and headed to the Rynek Główny (market square).  Here we were greeted with the Christmas Market, complete with mulled, spiced wine and various Polish treats roasting on grills and cook-tops.  One hardly noticed the chill as the sights and smells warmed on contact.  Watching over the festivities was the Basilica of the Assumption of Our Lady...a magnificent church with unequal towers serving as a sentry protecting the medieval town square.  We ended up spending a good bit of time in the Market Square, which was the focus of the evening activities.

Our trip was not all shopping and soaking up Christmas cheer.  On Friday, we heading out to Wieliczka to visit one of the largest salt mines in Poland.   The mine operated for over 700 years before being shut down in 1996 due to economic reasons.   The mine continues to a depth of 327 m, although the tourist route covers only 1% of the mine.  The mine consists of chambers that have been created by the process of mining, and in which the miners themselves carved elaborate statues and sculptures from the rock salt during their "down" time.   Their artwork is amazing, and in many cases, the statues could be mistaken for professional artists.

Perhaps the highlight of the journey below terra firma was the Chapel of St Kinga, a massive santuary carved entirely from rock salt by 3 different miners.  This santuary is a working church, with amazing accoustics and it hosts concerts, masses and even weddings (nope, not gonna get married in a mine in Poland).

Our Saturday excursion took us farther out of the revelry of Yuletime Krakow to a town named Oświęcim, which is more commonly known by its German name, Auschwitz.  Auschwitz is officially named Auschwitz-Birkenau and consists of about 50 seperate sites in the area.  We visited the areas called Auschwitz I and Auschwitz 2 (Birkenau).  Its hard to explain the emotions and thoughts that occur setting foot on the grounds of the largest Nazi extermination camp.  It was snowing during the visit, sometimes lightly, sometimes quite steadily.  In anywhere else, the snowfall would have added an element of beauty to the outdoor scene.  At Auschwitz, it only added to the overwhelming feeling of loneliness and isolation.   While I feel its important to reflect on the past, including all good and bad, successes and failures, it was a difficult struggle to be in the presence of such horrific acts on people by people.  

With the impression of the past on our minds, we finished a both joyous and somber holiday to Krakow, and returned to the UK to celebrate the season of peace.