22.July.2010
So here is another update! Woot! Now we are in Krakow (this was a few days ago, but pretend it wasn’t!) We are staying in a hostel that caters to international students at Jagiellonian University called the Piast. It has a typical dorm feel to it, the small boxed sized rooms, narrow beds, desks, etc. We had a balcony as well. Great to stand out on for a breeze though. We had to sleep with the windows open the whole time, being on the seventh floor. It also happened to be three of the hottest days of the trip so far. We survived though!
On the first day we visited Jagiellonian University and sat for two lectures given by our same host professors who were with us in Czorsztyn. Katarzyna’s lecture about the environmental situation was very interesting. She talked about the rapid industrialization of Poland after WWII and the Black Triangle in Germany, Poland, and Slovakia in terms of the amount of pollution received by and created by Poland. Her main area of study concerns human health problems associated with the environmental pollution created during that time after the war: air pollution, groundwater and river contamination. Drinking water from a faucet is still unsafe, so bottled water is the only way to go.
Despite there being pollution still present, Poland has already done a lot in terms of cleaning up after the fall of communism. It’s amazing really, how much they have done and the plans they have. Since Poland has been a member country of the EU, there are environmental standards that need to be met by every country in the EU. The only hindrance at present is funding. They are still rebuilding their economy, which definitely takes time!
The afternoon after our lectures, we went to the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I have never been in any kind of mine or underground cave of any sort and I definitely found this to be one of the highlights of my trip thus far! I can’t really even begin to describe how cool it was! Just getting down to the first level of the mine was really neat! About 38 staircases traversed going down a very narrow wooden staircase!
The salt mine itself was just plain awesome, walking through all the shafts, seeing excavation sites, still life representations, all the chapels, restaurants. Yes, chapels and restaurants! It was literally an underground city. Of course, it’s been modernized, but many parts of the mine are still in-tact and have been rebuilt over the centuries it’s been utilized. If I remember correctly, the mine itself has been operating since about the 13th century and was instituted by Kasimir the Great. (He also founded the Jagiellonian University—fun fact!) The mine also has the largest underground cathedral—every sculpture carved from salt. Actually almost everything in the mine was made from salt, sculpture-wise, with the exception of the still-lifes.
The coolest part of the mine..? It was interactive!! We were given the opportunity to put ourselves in the miners (and horses’ shoes) and do what they used to do as they mined and transported the salt from one level of the mine to the next. There are also places where you could lick the walls as part of the tour. Kind of gross, considering everyone who’s licked it before you, but well, it’s all a part of the experience!
We ended the day with a little sightseeing in Krakow, walking down into the Main Square, which served as the main market square in the medieval times. The square is still covered with various vendors, as well as restaurants and lots of outdoor seating. Carriage rides around the square were also a big touristy thing to do. Regretfully, we did not take part in it :(
I forgot to mention up to now that we also have the nicest and down to earth guide with us: Kasia!!(pronounced like Kasha) She was the guide for the Europe group last year as well. She is one awesome gal and just plain fun to be around and do stuff with. Very knowledgeable about everything: history, cafes, the layout of the whole city, good and bad places to go, finding the best deals for anything really.
OK, on that side note, the square is very popular with students, especially with all the clubs, discos, and of course pubs! It’s also a big shopping district, so naturally, it’s always swarming with people. Speaking of clubs, I decided to go for the experience, which was not bad. A lot of fun with good music, people, and well, other good stuff! Before all of us decided which club to go to, we walked around the square surveying where all the best bargains were. All throughout the afternoon and early evening, there are people always handing out promotions for certain specials they have. In any case, we found a good deal and had a great time! A lot different than clubbing in Denver, that’s for sure!
More to come soon! Hopefully in the few days!!
Showing posts with label Krakow. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Krakow. Show all posts
26 July 2010
There ain't no mountain high enough
Goodbye Poland, hello Germany! We made it safely and arrived at Burg Hornberg about one yesterday afternoon.
Where to begin? Where to begin? So much in just the last few days! First things, first: Major, major apologizes once again for the delay! In our hostel, internet connection is almost non-existent! We had one Ethernet cable to share and now only one to use this time in Germany!
Ok, now onto the goods…
Our last day in Czorsztyn, we made the trek to Tatra National Park. The park was absolutely awesome! It was brimming with both wildlife and mosaics of wildflowers, and of course, mountains! It made me miss Montana that much more! The Tatras are the highest peaks within the whole Carpathian Mountain range. You could equate the height of the Carpathians to that of the Appalachians along the east coast in that they are not the tallest in the world, yet still breathtaking. Along with us on our hike was, Tomasz (Toe-mak), who was probably the most interesting, exciting, and entertaining guide we could have asked for. Tomasz is one of the rangers in the park and so, was very enthusiastic about everything, not to mention, fit to leave us all in the dust on the way up the mountain!
Polish national parks, or at least this one, are somewhat different from U.S. parks in that everywhere you looked, turned, or walked there were always about 5-10 people headed in your direction. According to Tomasz, Tatra is one of the most visited parks in Poland, mostly because that is the only place where the good skiing in the winter is! On top of that it IS a very beautiful park. The trails were also very unique and different that what we’re used to as we hike, which is basically a gravelly path. In Tatra and other parks, the trails are made entirely of stones fitted together. The purpose of this was to help prevent erosion since the slope is very steep as you climb. Every trail in the park was this way and crossed over wide streams and rivers, so you are playing hopscotch and trying not to slip on the wet stones!
The overall hiking in the park was great! The change in elevation was fairly gradual until we reached a small alpine lake about half way up. After that it went up! Straight, straight up!! Literally. The trail was made up of stepping stones almost the entire way, save for a few spots of actual climbing! I had to catch my breath quite a few times along the way up to the top, which made me question what I was doing, but there was never a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t go in the first place. I’m very glad I did it, even when I had minor heart palpitations at brief moments of slippage.
Ironically getting up was the easy part of the journey. Going up you can see exactly where to place your feet, which was crucial at some points when there were loose stones. Coming down was almost a nightmare. It was much more difficult seeing where to place your feet, and it began to rain just as we starting climbing down. The pressure on the knees also killed, but despite all the obstacles we all (the 28 of us who climbed to the top) made it back down safely.
From Tatra, we went to Krakow and spent a few days exploring the city there! More to come on that!
Again, sincere apologies. There will be a string of updates soon hopefully! We have learned we will be getting very limited time to use the internet! Trouble when people are trying to plan weekend trips... Are there pictures flashing across the top?
Where to begin? Where to begin? So much in just the last few days! First things, first: Major, major apologizes once again for the delay! In our hostel, internet connection is almost non-existent! We had one Ethernet cable to share and now only one to use this time in Germany!
Ok, now onto the goods…
Our last day in Czorsztyn, we made the trek to Tatra National Park. The park was absolutely awesome! It was brimming with both wildlife and mosaics of wildflowers, and of course, mountains! It made me miss Montana that much more! The Tatras are the highest peaks within the whole Carpathian Mountain range. You could equate the height of the Carpathians to that of the Appalachians along the east coast in that they are not the tallest in the world, yet still breathtaking. Along with us on our hike was, Tomasz (Toe-mak), who was probably the most interesting, exciting, and entertaining guide we could have asked for. Tomasz is one of the rangers in the park and so, was very enthusiastic about everything, not to mention, fit to leave us all in the dust on the way up the mountain!
Polish national parks, or at least this one, are somewhat different from U.S. parks in that everywhere you looked, turned, or walked there were always about 5-10 people headed in your direction. According to Tomasz, Tatra is one of the most visited parks in Poland, mostly because that is the only place where the good skiing in the winter is! On top of that it IS a very beautiful park. The trails were also very unique and different that what we’re used to as we hike, which is basically a gravelly path. In Tatra and other parks, the trails are made entirely of stones fitted together. The purpose of this was to help prevent erosion since the slope is very steep as you climb. Every trail in the park was this way and crossed over wide streams and rivers, so you are playing hopscotch and trying not to slip on the wet stones!
The overall hiking in the park was great! The change in elevation was fairly gradual until we reached a small alpine lake about half way up. After that it went up! Straight, straight up!! Literally. The trail was made up of stepping stones almost the entire way, save for a few spots of actual climbing! I had to catch my breath quite a few times along the way up to the top, which made me question what I was doing, but there was never a doubt in my mind that I wouldn’t go in the first place. I’m very glad I did it, even when I had minor heart palpitations at brief moments of slippage.
Ironically getting up was the easy part of the journey. Going up you can see exactly where to place your feet, which was crucial at some points when there were loose stones. Coming down was almost a nightmare. It was much more difficult seeing where to place your feet, and it began to rain just as we starting climbing down. The pressure on the knees also killed, but despite all the obstacles we all (the 28 of us who climbed to the top) made it back down safely.
From Tatra, we went to Krakow and spent a few days exploring the city there! More to come on that!
Again, sincere apologies. There will be a string of updates soon hopefully! We have learned we will be getting very limited time to use the internet! Trouble when people are trying to plan weekend trips... Are there pictures flashing across the top?
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