Photo Overload: Krakow, Poland

The City

Pope John Paul II's apartment back when he was Karol Józef Wojtyła. They idolize this guy.

Best Cathedral EVER! Somehow this hodge-podge actually works.

I'm getting these gutters when I grow up.

The City (at night)

Some statue

They love the Wawel ("Vavel") dragon. Supposedly there was this dragon who kept eating girls from the town. Despite attempts by the best of knights, no one could defeat the dragon. No one, until a cobbler named Skuba (...Steve perhaps?). The cobbler put a bunch of sulfur inside a fake sheep. The dragon ate the sheep and suddenly got really thirsty. He drank half the Vistula River before exploding from too much water.

And "important" church that I didn't go into.

Wieliczka (I dare you to try and pronounce that) Salt Mines

Salt mining is apparently really big in Poland. I don't really understand the allure of mining salt. I'd definitely want to mine crystal or diamonds instead. But I guess that's why Poland isn't a world super power. They've wasted their time mining a table condiment. I think they realized their poor choice of minerals about 150 years ago, when the miners decided they needed to supplement their mining with a museum of the tunnels. So they made this huge, tourist museum. They sculpted gnomes and other random fantastical creatures. This got so popular that the museum now does a 3 hour tour!

The largest Underground chapel in the world. (I'm still wondering who really cares...are their actually contests to see who can build the largest? Who are the other competitors?)

This is actually crazy. DaVinci's Last Supper carved in salt...i licked it. A whole new take on holy communion.

After three Chinese guys completely blew me off, I finally found a girl who would take my picture.

This guy is supposed to be an indigenous person from this area of Poland. But all I can think is that someone thought it was a good idea for the mannequin to have tattoos. And I'm pretty sure sleeping pants are a relatively recent fashion.

Auschwitz

“Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work makes one free)

The crematorium.

There were big glass cases with the belongings of those exterminated in Auschwitz and Birkenau. Hair, clothing, shoes, luggage.

Starvation cell.

Birkenau

The buildings where the prisoners stayed were made of wood and were burned down. All that remains are the brick ovens from each building.

The Jewish Passage--where many of the Jews walked before being exterminated. After getting off the train, the Jews would stand in line, where the head doctor would evaluate their health (in less than a minute) and send them to the right (to the work camp) or to the left (to the crematorium).

Other Holocaust Sites

Schindler's Factory

During WWII, Nazi forces destroyed the New Cemetery in Krakow. After the war, the community tried to restore the graves. Some were replaced, but most were unable to be recovered. Their remains were put together into this monument at the entrance to the cemetery.

Food

Pierogies!! I'm obviously excited about eating them.

Some coffee shop action.

Random

There is one American city on this sign...and they chose Rochester, NY. I don't understand.

I found this license plate randomly on top of a museum sign.

And then I took it.

Handball World Championships...apparently they care about that in Eastern Europe.

Parking on the sidewalk is commonplace.

Just to prove that parking on the side walk actually happens EVERYWHERE!

Off to Budapest!!!! My room for the night!