Tag: poland

Kopiec Kościuszki

On By paulmackeyIn TravelLeave a comment

Aug 26 2025

A Kosciuszko day. Started out before 7 walking around the old town before the crowds to get some photos and video. Was rather novel to also FaceTime with my Dad in Melbourne as I wandered.

Decided we’d head out first to Kosciuszko’s mound via tram then a pleasant hike up a wooded lane. The pre-mound museum was quite educational. Kosciuszko was quite an enlightened individual with a storied history. Honoured as a hero in two countries (Poland and the USA) And memorialized on a third (Australia)

Up the lane
Kosciuszko’s Mound
Kosciuszko’s oath in the Market Square
Kosciuszko’s philosophy
Atop the mound
Back at the castle with the mound in the distance

Back to the AirBNB for a toilet and water refresh then it was off to try and do the underground museum. Booked out. Next the St Mary’s church and altar but mass was still going. So instead lunch at a quirky “toast” cafe called Butter. Lori had the mushroom toast, I the bulgogi. The toppings were stuffed into an exceptionally thick piece of toast! 

This time we struck ok with the Pharmacy Museum. Apparently Pliny recommended the fat of the crocodile as a remedy for fever, fried body for the cure of sciatica, lumbago and chronic coughs, the gall for the treatment of cataract, the intestines  for diseases of the eyes and as a cosmetic that restores the natural tints of the skin.

Then back to St Mary’s this time to wander the church and view the impressive altar which was dismantled and hidden during the war. 

Butter toast
Muzeum Farmacji
The locked drugs cabinet?
Seeking out the crocodile gall
The herbarium
Ceiling of St Mary’s

After another recharge it was back up to the Castle (via the Griffin Head pharmacy in hour of Paul’s mum) to tour the Cathedral and Cathedral museum. Visited  the tomb of the aforementioned teenage female King St Jadweiga, whose dying wish was to fund the university. Also the tombs of Kosciuszko and Chopin. 

Jadweiga
Kosciuszko
Chopin

Back to the AirBnB for another rest and recharge before back to the Market Hall for the free entry into the Polish art museum. Well renovated space. The story of the restoration of “Four in Hand” was fascinating. 

Then a delightful drink on the terrace overlooking the square before back for another rest and recharge. 

Dinner was at a Georgian restaurant which a very meek and petite street spruiker enticed us into. Sat next to a young couple visiting from Ukraine. Caught us both by surprise as we were under the (obvious erroneous) assumption that the war would have restricted movement. 

Four in hand
On the terrace
Dessert


Another r&r then off to snuggle in on our overnight train to Budapest. Was so great that our host let us use the place all day!!! 

Farewell to Krakow
Settled in
Snug as a
Krakow Morning

Dashing Through the Salt

On By paulmackeyIn TravelLeave a comment

Aug 25 2025

Thirty years ago we’d also toured the salt mines but recalled very little of it as the tour was in Polish. We also had no pictures as we thought we weren’t allowed to take photos (and obviously couldn’t ask our guide). Anyway this time we had booked an English tour and had the camera. 

But first it was coffee and breakfast… where we discovered pistachio heaven. The delight of a croissant filled with pistachio cream. And the nice thing about setting out early is that we got to enjoy the square and the town sans crowds.

Pistachio
and more pistachio

The one thing we did recall about the salt mine was the three story mining elevator we had been crammed into, in the dark, to descend down to the mine. This time, thankfully, it was stairs. 

While it was definitely better to have an English guide we feel that we could have been imparted a little more useful information other then the rapid fire script we were given as we almost raced through the 7000 steps we walked (almost jogged) through the mine. 

The elevator we didn’t have to use this time
Salt Cathedral

The dash through the museum was no slower. 

But it did mean we made it back in time for the earlier train back to Krakow which meant we had a decent time for our lunch before our walking tour. 

Didn’t start well. The guide started with a 51st state joke, and the group was worryingly large. But in the end what was to be 90 minutes ended up 2&1/2 hours of lots of interesting and entertaining information. 

Of course the question will be how much we retain (amount rapidly dwindling). 

Who doesn’t like a good diorama?
Several layers of walls integrated into a modern building
Jagiellonian University. Poland’s oldest
Jagiellonian rainwater management
Alumnus
Alumnus
Wawel Castle
Wawel Cathedral
Wawel Cathedral

Based on our Air BnB host’s recommendation we had booked dinner at a restaurant in the Jewish quarter which distilled their own vodka. Given the hype “we have squeezed you in at the bar but you have to be out by 8” we thought it would be crowded and quite high brow. But it was quite relaxed and several families were there. Including a baby that drove away everyone at the table next to us. I enjoyed the duck.. and a vodka. Can’t say it’s really my preference. 

Vodka (and duck)
Vodka
Pre concert

On our way back we semi spontaneously attended another Classics Greatest Hits concert at the Church of Peter and Paul. But again no patter and no explanation of changes to the program. We assume the Mozart Trumpet Concerto was omitted: no trumpet.  The acoustics were a little better this time and certainly the organ was less muddy than in Berlin.  

Morning in the square