Rob's Roamings 2023

A morning walk took me up to the top of the hill that overlooks the city- Schloßberg.  A historical fortress which defended against invaders over the centuries - the Hungarians , the Ottomans and under Napoleon, the French. There were great views from the top and I spent a few hours pondering what life must have been like up here hundreds of years ago. There are two towers up here- a bell tower and a clock tower. The clock tower was saved from destruction after the French took over because the citizens paid a ransom to save it. The whole area is very pretty. Then it was down into the town to see the mandatory town square, but just beyond, a feature in the government buildings- a double spiral staircase carved in 1499. I'd had enough by early afternoon, so headed back to catch up on the sleep I lost the night before.

 The journey yesterday from Poland was long and surprisingly tiring. Even though I was sat in a comfortable seat for 10 hours, I think constant motion is in itself a tiring thing. Most of the landscape was similar to everything I'd seen on previous journeys- flat, agricultural pasture, interspersed with thick pine forests. That all changed on the journey from Vienna to Graz. Mountains reared up and the classic image of Austria and its picture book villages in the valleys appeared.  So different to the flat plains of Germany and Poland. After 3 hours, it was another slow walk with backpack to find the latest accommodation, which this time is a self contained 3 storey apartment!! Feeling pretty exhausted, I got an early night after some grocery shopping. I have a fully equipped kitchen  with dishwasher and washing machine. Needless to say, the few clothes that I have(apart from what I'm wearing!) went straight into the washing machine. Time to chill out after an exhausting ...

 If ever you're in Krakow, don't miss the Salt Mines. Truly amazing.  Some wonderful carvings, vast caverns and historically fascinating.  A massive underground chapel, carved in the miners' spare time: Underground lake of salt water: Chandeliers made from salt crystals: A cavern 36 metres in height: A great trade to be in if you live near the mine is to be a chippy.  All the stairs and steps are wooden. There are hundreds of staircases, and have to be replaced at regular intervals because of the over 1 million visitors the mines receive every year: The mines originally produced rocksalt. This is is of particular interest to me, as I was born in mid Cheshire, near the town of Northwich, which is situated above old rock salt mines. Historically, whole streets used to collapse by a whole storey overnight because of mine collapses. The rocksalt mined in Cheshire is like this piece of Rocksalt found also here in Krakow. I somehow managed to get a one to one guide to a de...

 I guess that anyone who comes to Krakow will have Auschwitz on their list of visits. Although I took a lot of photos, what took me aback was how it affected me emotionally.  As I walked through the gate to the whole compound I was overcome with the same dread and upset that all those millions must have felt as they were herded through. Several times during the 3 hour visit , I felt quite upset.  We were walked through the abysmal accommodation buildings where they were all crowded in, and also walked through the gas chamber, where even the guide stopped talking.  No photos taken inside it, it was too overwhelming . I'll let the pictures do the talking- for now.  If we meet, I'll tell you how it all felt, and what it should mean to the world