Krakow & Zakopane

Hello! I am very behind on my blogging. We have been very busy and, when I get home to my hotel room in the evening, I am so tired. We moved to Krakow last Wednesday and I think it is my favorite city thus far. Yes...it is very touristy. It is much more common to hear English here on the streets, with various accents of course. However, even being touristy, the city has so much character. It was the capital of Poland for 500 years and was basically left intact during the war period. I will attempt to cover the last few days briefly so here goes!

Wednesday, July 1:
We arrived in Krakow midafternoon and took a short tour of the city upon arrival. Its a beautiful city and we are staying right in the center of the city near the Old Town. It is only a 5 minute walk to the main square where there is live music, restaurants, and street entertainment. After our tour, we headed to the National Museum in Krakow for the American Dream exhibit. They had a huge celebration because it was the opening of the exhibit and our Ambassador Victor Ashe was on hand to give a speech. It was unreal! Think Coca Cola, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, and lots of photos from the American past. Cowboys and Indians, Andy Warhol paintings, and even a Woodstock exhibit. Through the center of the main floor of the exhibit, there was a paved road which paid tribute to Jack Kerouac's novel and America's obsession with mobility. For food, Coca Cola, beer, and wine were served with a Polish version of pigs in a blanket. I accidentally bit into one that was more like salmon in a blanket. EEWW!

Thursday, July 2:
We started off the day with a tour and lecture at one of the oldest universities in Poland and Europe, Jagellonian University. It was the home school of Nicolas Copernicus! The school is beautiful! I think I would love to sit through lectures in the ornate halls and rooms. Only doctoral students actually have classes in the Collegium Mass, the main building. Most of the building is a museum which honors past scholars and materials used by the university. We also had an introductory course in Polish. Let's just say I am no where near fluent! :) Polish is a difficult language to learn but, luckily, many Poles speak English. It was fun to try and learn!

Friday, July 3:
We had a wonderful lecture on the history of Poland at Jagellonian University in the morning. In the afternoon, we took a tour of the Kazimierz district of Krakow, the old Jewish district. This was where Steven Spielberg shot the movie Schindler's List. There were 7 (I think) active synagogues in Krakow before WWII and now there are only 2 active. We toured one and the cemetary behind it. The cemetary was used as a dumping grounds by the Nazis during WWII so the headstones were destroyed. After the war, the fragments of headstones left were put into the surrounding walls. The headstones still intact were re-established in the cemetary but they were just put up on random lots. There were no records of where each headstone should go so the bodies buried there do not necessarily match the headstone. There was a man who helps run the tours through the cemetary and synagogue who had connections to Oskar Schindler. Schindler saved his father during the war! We walked all through the Jewish district and our guide pointed out more spots where Schindler's List was filmed. We also walked to Schindler's factory and past the Jewish ghetto in Krakow. The Nazis in Krakow left much of the city intact but were much more cruel about how they treated Jewish property, holy places, etc. For example, when they constructed the walls of the Jewish ghetto, they made them look like headstones from a Jewish cemetary so the Jews knew what was happening. We ate dinner in a Jewish restaurant in the Kazimierz district.

Side note- Colton's surprise birthday cake arrived in Crockett and he was definitely surprised! I am so happy I was able to do something for him, even if it was small.

Saturday, July 4:
Happy Independence Day! It was weird not celebrating the 4th of July with fireworks but we did get a chance to relax some. We headed for a quick weekend trip to Zakopane, up in the Tatras Mountains along the Polish-Slovakian border! We took a river raft ride on the Dunajec River and stayed at a wonderful resort with a beautiful view of the Tatras Mts. in Zakopane. Zakopane was the site of the Winter Olympics a few years ago. Saturday night we had dinner in a traditional highlander (Poles who live in the mountains) restaurant complete with highlander music, dancing, and tea! Now do not be fooled. Highlander tea has a homemade liquor in it that is 90% alcohol. We also played traditional highlander games (involving the homemade brew of course). I even danced a highlander dance with a man in wool pants! Haha! It was a lot of fun.

Sunday, July 5:
I challenged myself today by facing my fear of heights. I travelled up the Kasprowy Wierch Mountain (in the Tatras range) by cable car. I thought I would die! Heights is just not my thing! However, I did it and I walked around a little at the top. After that, I decided my adventuresome side had done enough for the day and I retreated to a cafe for some hot chocolate while the rest of the group went up to the summit!

We spent the afternoon shopping in Zakopane at the little booths along the main street. We traveled back to Krakow by bus in the evening.

Monday, July 6:
Today, I was very tired and homesick. It is day 20 of my trip and the exhaustion is beginning to set it. Skype is wonderful but I would love to see Colton, my family, and friends in person. I cannot wait to get back to Texas!

Today, we had two lectures this morning at Jagellonian University on Poland since communism and on Polish-Jewish relations. The latter was fascinating! I have really learned a lot about the Jewish community that I did not know before as well as about the Jews in Poland.

In the afternoon. we took a trip to the Wieliczka Salt Mine, the oldest in Europe. We went down approximately 900 steps into the mine. It was very beautiful inside. There were tons of sculptures made of salt and there was even a cathedral and a large ball room where you could hold weddings! How cool!

Tomorrow, we are going to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I know it will be an emotional day for me but I am excited to go, if that makes sense. I think it is important to visit this place as a reminder of what can happen without tolerance of others. On a lighter note, it is also Colton's 28th birthday! I will wish him good thoughts tomorrow and try not to be sad I cannot be there with him to celebrate. My family has graciously invited him to dinner.

I will post pics of the events of the last few days later! Good night from Krakow!