missprint

Are you impressed by my Polish? I don't think the Polish people are, I keep
on getting replies in English. Second day in Krakow and I already like it
better than Warsaw. Although Warsaw is the capital of Poland, Krakow feels
much more metropolitan and, well, fun than Warsaw. Warsaw still feels and
looks like it's under communist rule (apart from the chocolate-box
picturesque Old Town. For you Fact Fans out there, Warsaw Old Town is the
newest Old Town in the world. It was rebuilt after the war according to old
paintings and plans and is still listed as a UNESCO historical site due to
the circumstances.) I think I have enough time for a super-quick bout of
listmania...

All Time Top Five...Things To Do In Poland

One // Wilenicza Salt Mines
There's nothing I can say to make salt mines sound fun because frankly, a
salt mine is a salt mine. The copious pictures that I took don't do it
justice either but it really is one of the most fun things I've done on
holiday. The miners who lived down there carved out figures, monuments and
chapels out of salt. There's a giant hall with ornate chandeliers and basque
reliefs of Biblical scenes that are entirely made out of salt. It is
possibly also the only tourist attraction that I know of where you are
encouraged to lick the walls.

Two // Auschwitz & Birkenau
It seems a little grim to visit this as a tourist but I can't really say
much because this is what I spent yesterday doing. It's hard to make the
connection between this quiet and leafy avenue of dilapidated blocks with
the atrocities that occurred there. There blocks that are still in tact have
been converted into exhibitions and tributes. There was an unsettling moment
when I walked into the last block and realised that the empty room I was
standing in was a disused gas chamber.

Three // Lazienski Park, Warsaw
I guess this is the equivalent of Hyde Park for Warsaw but it's nothing like
Hyde Park. For one thing, it is incredibly green and verdant, it's more like
a forest than a park. You can visit the Palace on the Water which is very
Pride-and-Prejudice-esque; the impressive Chopin monument (although Chopin
is buried in Paris, his heart lies in Warsaw. Literally.) and there are
peacocks (who nestle in the trees when it rains.)

Four // Pope John Paul II Art Collection
A rather small and eclectic collection which is housed in a quaint litle
church off Jana Pawla II (they love the Pope here. I was this close to
buying a Pope tea towel.) It contains a few pieces by well known artists (a
Dali, a Constable etc) but it is mainly comprised of portraits, mythology
and Biblical pieces. Good if you have a spare hour to fill.

Five // Wawal Castle, Krakow
The old Royal Castle from Krakow's reign as capital city. By the time I got
there today, most of the exhibits were sold out but I did manage to visit
the free things like the impressive Gothic cathedrel (complete with a woolly
mammoth bone hanging outside the entrance) and the famous Wawal dragon which
breathes real fire. Unfortunately, I was a little too dehydrated from my
pretzel to fully appreciate it.

Anyway, I am being promised beer and am also trying to belatedly book
accommodation for next week (all the 'B' cities - Bratislava and Budapest!)
so I am going to take my leave of you dear readers. Pip pip.