Paris - ring o ring the (roundabout) rosie

Things that make Hel laugh - sirens and burping irons that sound like growling lions! What a laugh huh! She was ironing her jeans when she came out with that little gem. Not a big brekky today - gosh, we were still full from the cheese last night - no, make that earlier this morning!

Planned for a big day today - over to the Arc de Triomphe travelling by metro and then down the Champs Elysee. Hels is not a fan of the underground rail system - whether it be the RER or the local metro. She finds it grubby and smelly and crowded - not good for someone who can get a little claustrophobic at times. All of a sudden I realise that she has never spent any significant time in anywhere with an undergound rail system - unlike Michael and I who commuted in Sydney for years and years. Now I am thinking that I should plan our trips around the bus network, but she insists she is OK - very brave of her (I am not being condescending).

You emerge from the subway onto the Champs Elysee facing the Arc de Triomphe - and what an awesome sight it is. Helen had no idea how big it was - I think I felt the same the first time I saw it. And the traffic that rushes around it put her hearth in her mouth just like it did mine! You hold your breath thinking there is going to be one huge pile-up, but there isn't. It is just so crazy and frenetic. There are a couple of German girls from near Stuttgart of all places trying to get a photo and I offer to take one for them. And they are more than happy to reciprocate. They are excited - they leave the for the US tomorrow and I can't resist giving them a little advice to make dealing with the entry requirements a little easier.

Last night the American couple we met had given us their tickets for one of the open bus tours - the tickets are valid for 2 days and they were leaving today. As luck would have it, the correct bus was sitting at the bus stop at the Arc. Now, Michael and I have used these buses in many cities - some are great, some are very ordinary. I wasn't sure if Helen would be happy to do a tour - it limits you to the main sights route - according to someone else. But no, she suggested that we use the tickets.

It was the best thing we could have done. With the limited time that we have in the City of Light, this was a great way to see all the major sights - and especially those that we knew we are not going to have time to visit seperately. And it gives you a bigger look - you are off the ground and can get a clearer impression of the siting and impressiveness of a place this way. She moved from awed silence, drinking in the atmosphere and the magic of this place and verbal excited chatting. I am so glad that I have her here in Paris with me. I really don't think that there is another person on this globe who sees so close to what I see (and then some I suspect).

When I was downloading the photos we took today (733 between us - her 440 of them!), we have unknowingly taken so many the same or similar in terms of the style, subject and perspective of a photo. Wow, thats my friend, mon ami!

You know there was so much to take in. Helen more than me was in visual overload and I am so glad that she has so many pics because she won't really be able to process them mentally until she is back at home in Australia and over her trip. Been there, happenend to me too. So, what did we see?

So, we left the Arc de Triompe and headed bravely across the intersection where there are up to five lanes of traffic, no lines and almost no rules. But as I said to Helen, the bus is bigger than the rest of the traffic, so we are pretty safe!

The route we follow is:
- down the Champs Elysee, into Winston Churchill Avenue to the Grand and Petit Palaces
- across the Seine to the back of the Trocadero then crawled slowly past so that we could all get a photo with the Eiffel Tower in the background
- around the front of the Trocadero and across the Pont d’Iéna to outside the Eiffel Tower where today there are thousands of people queueing for tickets
- through the Champ de Mars looking on one side back to the Eiffel Tower and on the other to the Ecole Militaire
- around to the Musée du Louvre where we are going tomorrow, admiring the space and use of architecture
- onto the Ilse de Cité to the Notré Dame
- down the Rue Lille to the Musée d'Orsay where the statues on the outside of the building are amazing
- around pass the stunning Opera House with all its gilded statues atop the corners that gleam in the sun
before we turn back onto the Champs Elysee for the journey back up to the Arc de Triomphe. It was quite a journey and the fact that we took so many photos is testament to the amazing sights that the City of Light provides.

By the time we got off the bus a couple of hours later we needed to make a comfort stop. We are passing McDonalds on the Champs Elysee and off Helen trots to join a pretty long looking queue. I didn't expect her back any time soon. After quite a while, she comes out all flustered - she had been stuck, locked in the toilets in Maccas! Hot ladies room, dark walled loos and my poor claustrophobic friend. Gosh, why did it have to happen to her. Anyway, we leave and get her some air outside and look for a nice open cafe to have a coffee. A little further down the Champs Elysee we find it.

We sit inside at the Cafe George V (little tip guys, terrace or pavement orders cost considerably more and I am sure the waiters knowingly encourage tourists to sit outside!) We even managed to order and repsond to our very obliging and engaging waiter in understandable French (wow, I am impressed with us!). We ordered Cafe au Lait and Crepes - mine with Grand Manier and Helen's with Creme Marron - both with Chantilly cream - yu-um! He very kindly offers to take a photo for us as soon as we have the camera out! But it paid off - he got a nice tip!

Cross the road to get a better photo of the Arc de Triomphe at the top of the road and find the banks are all on this side of the street - hurrah, we can replenish our dwindling cash! Then it is back across the road to go to the Virgin MegaStore so we can pre-buy our tickets for the Louvre tomorrow and so avoid the queues - we pay a tiny bit more, but well worth it. Continue down to get photos of the amazing gardens at Franklin Roosavelt Avenue - even though it is now winter and the blossoms are past their best, but the gardens are still stunning.

Then its on to the Metro to go back and have a look at Notre Dame and get there literally 5 minutes after they have closed. Helen had her first encounter with Gypsies around Paris today. Merv (the travel agent back in Maryborough) had warned her about the Africans selling souvenirs near the Eiffel Tower. But the Gypsies are another thing altogether. They are persistent and niggly - they invade your 'space' and here, the opening line is "Speak English?" so if you look dumb, don't make eye contact and just keep walking, the soon lose interest. I have been told by people in a number of cities as we have been travelling that the clever ones can bank up to €2,000 a week!

Afterwards we had a very ordinary dinner at Quasimodo Notre Dame. Guess that close to the Cathedral they serve a-la-tourist food - quick to cook, quick to serve. Get em in, get em fed, get em out!

So what stood out today? Gosh, what a stupid question - we are in Paris for gods sake! But the monuments and fountains are amazing as is the Paris skyline in general. And the Iron Lace on balconies gives the Parisian buildings a look of not only completedness, but also of eternal elegance. It does not matter that it differs from building to building. Because it all follows the same line, they look seamless. Absolutely fabulous!

We see the tunnel where Princess Diana met her death and remember where we were on that day. We hear the bells of the Cathedral chime out across the City.

The dinner cruise boats on the Seine are unbelievable. I mean there are boats running up and down all day long, but those at night have these incredibly strong lights that are directed to the shore. From the Eiffel Tower the other night they are so strong that when the are passing, you lose all your night vision. And when we are in the apartment, they light up both sides of the riverbank. I am so suprised that the powers that be have not legislated against them. It is the arrogance of the tourist industry and visual pollution at its very worst.

So a huge day and we get home knackered. Helen goes to bed early and will no doubt be up halfway during the night! Another big one tomorrow with the Louvre planned.

Köln

Oh, I am so tired. Michael wakes me at 9:30 am. "Do you want to come down to breakfast?" "Uh uh" I groan as I pull the doona higher and snuggle in. Bugger I thought, I really should eat something - "Hang on, I'm coming". In for a quick shower to a bathroom that is the size of a postage stamp! The room we have here at Hotel Friends is lovely - 6th floor, looking out over parklands towards the spires of the Köln Dom (not back over the chemical park), it is very tastefully decorated - modern and large. The beds are so comfortable and the pillows wonderful - don't laugh, we get good pillows in maybe 1/4 hotels only! (Yes, Hels, bring your microfibre pillow!!)

But the bathroom is tiny. The door opening almost touches the toilet seat next to that is the shower and between the shower and the door is the basin. It measures literally 4' x 4'!

Breakfast at €10 a head is on the upper end of what we have been paying, but it is worth it. Juices, hot and cold dishes including a hot vegetable medley, nice rolls and croissants, fresh fruit - and a good selection of it, plus the usual cereals, toast and nutella! Coffee is good - in fact this morning coffee is very good! (If you get my drift!)

Breakfast over it is back to the room to finalise the blog and upload the photos, time also to print the details of my rail ticket and our accommodation for the next couple of days while we know we can have access to a printer. Michael strolls down to the local Aldi to replenish or water and snack supplies. We check in with Gen on Skype - thanks DM who has just taken her and the mower down to have it repaired. And then Hels is online. 50 minutes later, lots of giggles and some half plans made, we sign off. Yep, she is just as excited as me!

This afternoon we go in to Cologne. Kaiser Wilhelm is riding confidently into the City atop one of the bridges over the Rhine. Gosh he gets around. Truly he must have been 'the Great' to have such an outpouring of sentiment that is reflected in all the memorials around. Too bad our leaders of today do not command such respect!

And while like all the other major cities in Europe, the roads are a mess, there is plenty of underground parking in Cologne - like under the Kölner Dom (Cathedral)! We have no trouble negotiating the dug up streets and signage is very clear which is a lovely change. So down into the depths under the 175m towers we go. Plenty of parking here and close to the lifts as well.

You come up from the carpark right next to the south tower of the Dom. It literally takes your breath away as you step into the square and have this tall edifice tower over you. To see the top of the tower up this close you have to throw your head back - all the way back! You can go up this tower to see the Dom and the city from on high - and so off Michael goes to climb the 509 steps! There as no way I was going to be able to climb up that many (and make it down to the bottom alive - hm, what would they do if someone had a heart attack halfway up, or at the top - bugger, should have gone - maybe I could have been rescued by some hnadsome fireman!!)

On the way up he passes the belfry with the huge bells ready to peal out the quarter hours and sing the hours to the heavens. The largest is the St Peter Bell that weighs in at a very hefty 24,000 kgs. And still up he goes until he is at the very base of the spire itself. Fascinating to look up from here too. The photos of the bells are not clear enough to put on here.

Michael complains that it was hard to get a good photo from up top because of the safety cages and the bird wire - however, I don't think he has done such a bad job!

We are peckish after our first look through the Dom. Initially we head out to the plaza to get some tourist information from the Visitor Centre and we stop for a coffee, then looking at the menu at the Cafe Reichard decide to have something to eat. We are contemplating that we might try for a river cruise by night tonight and so decide to just have something light. Michael opts for Berner rösti mit gebratenen, mageren Speckstreifen und Spiegeleiern (Swiss rösti with slices of bacon and fried eggs) while I choose Genfer Rösti mit frschen Kräutchampignons und Crème fraîche (Swiss rösti with herb mushrooms). It was perfect - enough to fill the hollows without being too heavy. The service is great too - Michael's gross black coffee is in a silver pot!

We were going to head back to the hotel, but the light has changed and the front of the Dom is now bathed in the late glow of the afternoon, so we dash back in for a few last pics. It is amazing how different a space can look given changing light! The rays of light that are streaming through the window spaces without stained glass are surely the light from on high, beckoning us to reflect.

In our travels around the various cathedrals and churches we have collected a great number of photos of gargoyles and grotesques. The difference being that gargoyles gush water from the guttering systems while the grotesques are merely ornamental and have no practical purpose. Today is no different. I think that this could easily be yet another book that is printed when we return! This one on the western facade of the Kölner Dom is a little different - a shy mermaidish type of charachter with her arms across her breast.

Driving an English car on the continent draws lots of looks. Whenever there is a double take, Michael usually pretends to be driving as well in an exaggerated form of oversteering! It always gets a laugh and today was no different - there was this young lass on the tram travelling next to us who was getting such a kick out of it that she started to take a video of him - and so, he promptly took her photo, taking the video! What a dag.

On the drive back to the hotel we get a chance to see a little more of Köln and realise that there is a real juxtaposition here in this city - the industrial and the green parks, large suurbs and a tight inner CBD area, stately old buildings that sit comfortably aside new gleaming examples of modern architecture!

Anyhow, we got back to the hotel just after 7:30pm and promptly set about continuing the planning of our respective journeys for the next few days. So, until next issue...auf weiderschein.

be. Berlin

I had tried to find out what the marketing tag for Berlin last night and couldn't find it anywhere on the web. But when we went in to Berlin this morning, it is everywhere (as well it should be!) - it is simply: be. Berlin

Doing the bus tour yesterday gave us a better idea of what we wanted to make sure we got to see today. So we spent a little time this morning planning a route. Given that they were scattered all over the city we decided to take the car in, knowing that if we could not find parking that we could bring it back only partway to one of the big rail parking stations. But you would not have believed how little traffic there was! Anywhere!!

First on our list was the Oberbaumbrücke Bridge. We had seen this bridge on the way through yesterday and it looked so amazing! When the Berlin Wall was built in 1961, the bridge became part of East Berlin's border with West Berlin and beginning in 1963, the Oberbaumbrücke was used as a pedestrian border crossing for West Berlin residents only - even though it is a two tier rail and pedestrian bridge with a road bridge joining it. Because of its length and the busy road at the end it is almost impossible to get a photo of the full bridge, but this one isn't too bad.

And for a length of 1.3 kms from the bridge, there is part of the former wall still standing. After the fall of the wall in 1989, artists began to paint messages and pictures. Today, it is the longest piece of the wall still standing where it had been situated and more than 118 artists from 21 countries have left their messages on this stretch. The story of the Berlin Wall and the Berliner people's determination not to let it tear them apart is very interesting reading. The link is above! This section of the wall is now known as the East Side Gallery and is a protected monument. There are conservation and rehabilitation works underway to minimise the affects of weather and dirt. Unfortunately, there are some pieces that have been vandalised with meaningless spray can graffiti tags - bloody blighters, lets hope that they never have the need to leave messages as those before them here had to.

From here we set Kate to take up to the ruins of the Franziskaner Klosterkirche. In the twilight of last night when we were trying to find it, we had actually driven straight passed it, but as its not lit, we didn't see it! We are a little disappointed to find it locked up tight. After being struck by bombs in WWII and almost totally destroyed, it was never rebuilt. Now it has become a venue for the arts - we can see various sculptures both inside the former church ruin and in the grounds and there are advertisments for musical concerts on the front of the building remains. It is is a beautiful setting and must have once been a lovely piece of Berlin's architecture.

We are lucky enough to park the car in the street beside the ruins. Surprisingly, we are having absolutely no trouble either moving through the city, or finding (cheap) street parking. You would hardly know that you are in a capital city! But remember what I said yesterday about the lack of a single business area. That is coming though! In the area of Potsdamer Place which was the no-mans land between the east and west, there are multiple projects building a new commercial centre for the reunified Berlin. It will take some time to complete though - maybe another ten years?!

So once we had finished admiring the kloster ruins we were ready for some lunch. There is a shopping complex across the road (an 8 lane major road - Grunerstraße) so we dash across when the lights allow us to find a café. We figure that this will be cheaper than a restaurant. And it is. We sit on the sidewalk in the shade and have our lunch (we forgot to write the name of the cafe!) Michael has Hungarian Goulash with rice and I have chicken and peaches in curry sauce. Not big meals, but very tasty and enough to fill the holes. From here we can see a steeple which is very close to the television tower we went up yesterday (gosh, can't help but compare our small lunch with the magnificent meal yesterday). So lunch down, we go off to take a look.

This is the Marienkirche (St. Mary's Church) and while the exact age is unknown it was first mentioned in German chronicles in 1292 and is presumed to date from earlier in the 13th century. It was originally a Roman Catholic church, but has been a Lutheran (Protestant) church since the Reformation. There are major conservation works underway as we walk through.

So this was an added bonus as it wasn't on our list of to-does for today, but as we are so close, we can't leave without taking a look. It sits in Alexanderplatz along with the very impressive Neptune Fountain that the Italians are all climbing over making it hard to get a photo, and it is bordered by the Rathaus. When we walk in to take a look, we can't help but be reminded of the simple beauty of the Maryborough City Hall and Council Chambers. The Berlin Rathaus is much much more ornate, but in a dignified way that despite its glitz and bling manages to retain an air of glamour not gaudiness. It contains beautiful architectural touches such as highlighted capitals and ribbed vaulting, plus stunning stained glass window panels and cool marble floors.

So back out into a warm sunny day - although at 24.5°C, late summer in Berlin is proving cooler than late winter back home. I'm finding it hard to get my head around temperatures in the low 30's in August. What on earth will it be like next summer when we have to come home from the European winter? Yuk!

We walk back through the cool of the park around the kloster to the car to head for something totally different. While its nice to see the historical and cultural side of a city, its great also to get a sense of the today. And on an artificfal 'beach' established by the River Spree, we are lucky to visit the Sandsation - World Solo Championship. Lucky because the displays will only be up for another week! This is the result of a competition for solo sand sculptors. And what they have made out of sand with a little fixer and water is amazing. The theme for 2009 was 'City of the Future' and some of the artist's statements are truly thought provoking when you read their interpretation of the theme and the message they are portraying. There was an Australian entrant for the first time as well. Set against the backdrop of the Hauptbahnhof - the new Berlin central rail station, they looked quite stunning.

We continue to the last of the places that we had planned to go to today and for the first time since arriving here encountered real traffic. And this was on top of road closures for events and road works. Gosh, it was a total shambles. We wanted to go to the Brandenburg Tor (Gate) and then drive Straße des 17. Juní travelling through the Großer Tiergarten towards the Großer Stern (the Great Square) with its imposing Victory Column. And although we finally managed to get up close and personal with them both, it was the hardest thing we did today!

There has been some sort of event at the Brandenburg gate and the roads leading into it are congested as nothing we have seen yet in Berlin while the scaffolding that rings the edge of the Tiergarten and that has closed the Straße des 17. Juní is dismantled. The worker ants (cos that is what they look like!) are scurrying busily, working efficiently and quickly - but there is so much to do. The local drivers are as impatient as some angry hornet - they don't like not being able to travel their normal routes and you can feel the road rage building as we crawl forward inch by small inch. And it is truly a pity as we cannot get a photo of this impressive reminder to the might of Germany as a nation from back. It is hard to demonstrate its size with the ones we can get, but hopefully you will be as impressed as we were.

The Victory Column at this hour of the day casts it shadow and points towards the east as if it is the needle of some huge sundial. Yes, 5:50 pm - right on the mark! Now, THIS is some monument - built in the days when honour and pride in the achievements of a nation were paramount in demonstrating might and power to others, and engendering the soul of a nation. This column commemorates the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian War, but by the time it was inaugurated in 1873, Prussia had also defeated Austria (Austro-Prussian War,1866) and France (Franco-Prussian War, 1870–71), giving the statue a new purpose.
It is magestic sitting in the middle of the round square of the only major intersection in the Großer Tiergarten - meaning that you look down a wide avenue to see it in the centre of this magnificent park. This monument is a masterpiece of design and construction - check out the link if you want the details, but you have to see the mosaics that form the entire wall of the monument inside the collonaded portal - artistically and aesthetically these are just stunning.

What is disgusting is the lack of respect sho to the monument by many many visitors. You see you can climb up 301 steps to the top of the monument for amazing views over the Großer Tiergarten and up the Straße des 17. Juní to the Brandenburg Tor and indeed right across the city skyline. And the inner stairwell from bottom to the very top is covered with graffiti - as though adding your name to an immortal statue brings one a place in history - NOT. Absolutely disgusting (in my humble opinion).

London has Harrods. Berlin has Ka De We (Kaufhaus des Westens). But here the comparison ends. While Harrods relies on its name and its 'connections', it is old and dated with threadbare fittings and a desperate need for a makeover. Ka De We on the other hand is total chic.
There are two restaurants here and as the one on the lower floor is closed for the day, we head for the 7th floor and the Wintergarten International Buffet. You can choose from an incredible array of foods all cooked to order (except the roasts) - from fish and shellfish to steaks, from salads to asian, from pizza to crépes to cakes and coffee. We are hungry and so decide to have dinner - well, it is just before 7pm!
Mains:
Lamb shaslick auf Rosmarin Kartoffeln backen und Gemüse überbacken (Lamb shaslick on rosemary potato bake and vegetables au gratin) Michael
Gegrilltes Rumpsteak mit Whisky-Pfeffersauce, Pommes backen und Gemüse überbacken (Grilled rump steak with whisky pepper sauce, potato bake and vegetables au gratin) Maria
Frische Brötchen mit Butter, Knoblauch und Zitronen-Butter (Fresh breadrolls with garlic butter and lemon butter - savoury not sweet and oh-so-yummy!)
Dessert:
Erdbeer-Gelee Scheibe mit Kiwis (Strawberry jelly slice with kiwifruit) Michael
Fresh Krepp gefaltet mit Kirschen (Fresh crepe folded with cherries) Maria

And as we are leaving we get a little treat for later - fresh marshmallows, nougat and licorice! The lady in the confectionary sales area tells Michael that I am 'just like a little girl' as I giggle and grin with our selection. Yep, thats me!!

And just when we thought the day was as full as, we are caught in the middle of a VIP (very important politician) motorcade. We are not sure that the German Chancellor is in one of the cars, but it is a pretty safe bet as there are police and military police cars and motorcyles surrounding two cfars travelling at speed, ignoring traffic rules and almost bludgeoning other traffic into pulling aside to let them continue unimpeded (albeit with a polite bitte over their loudspeaker as they rush past). Wen the motorcade pulls into the grounds of the German Federal government building - we just put two and two together.

Once back at the hotel (via the motorway this time which took us through places we had not yet seen), we spend the rest of the night booking accommodation through to the end of the month, making plans to visit Felicitas (our last exchange student) and her family, and planning for the Western Front tour!

Hi ho, Hi ho, it's off to the mine we go !

Thank god. We have finally managed to make direct contact with Michael's mum. She has been very unwell with the flu and staying with Maria and Robert. It makes it easier for us knowing that they keep such a close eye on her and are so good to her. They will never really appreciate just how much we value what they do for her (and us). Thanks guys - you are worth your weight in gold.

And so today we are off to the mine - not the gold mine unfortunately, the Wieliczka Salt Mine. We start though with the Cloth Market Square in Kraków. The Cloth building is a wonder in itself; architecturally and aesthetically appealing. Seeing this building in the centre of the market square (from up upon high, I'll get to that shortly...) surrounded by throngs of people, one can visualise those artists and artisans, traders and brokers from ages past plying their various trades. It must have been as exciting as Kraków's centre is today. However, the roof line is adorned by sculptured heads in various expressions of mirth or jeers - welcoming passers-by to enter if they dare.

Now, the view of the Cloth Market hall and indeed the rest of the Square is just stupendous. Michael has climbed the City Hall clocktower to get some great views not only of the Square, but beyond to other areas of Kraków as well. You can really appreciate the size of the square and in the minds eye, can see the traders from eons past jostling and shouting, contradicting and trying to out-bid each other as they desperately try to maximise their incomes! Those twin towers you can see are of the St Marys Church.

And what a church this Kosciól Mariacki or Church of Our Lady or St. Mary's Church is! We feel that we now know what the interior of the old churches looked like. All others that we have seen have small pieces of their original wall decorations intact, but most lost. This one is different - it is such a vibrant place, filled with warmth and light - even though it is quite dark. The walls have been maintained since it was constructed in the 12th century. It is almost impossible to describe in words the amazing beauty of this place.

There is not one space that is not painted or decorated in some rich fashion - all under a starry blue vaulted ceiling that recalls the starry heavens above. And the crowning glory so to speak is the altar retable - a huge timber construction. This magnificent 15th-century wooden altarpiece is by the master carver Wit Stwosz (Veit Stoss). Incorporating more than 200 carved and painted figures, this huge work of art depicts the Dormition of the Virgin while also showing medieval life in detail. Carved in 1477-89 and about 13 metres high and 11 metres wide, it is the largest piece of mediaeval art of its kind in the world.

It has four wings with the outer two being fixed. When closed, the scenes depict Mary's sorrows. But when the two centre panels are opened, it reveals Mary's joys as well with figures 2.7m high! The altar is opened daily at noon and we were lucky enough to be there when a nun solemnly approached and to a fanfare slowly opened the panels to the collective gasp of us and those all around.

Another major highlight is the lone trumpeter in the high tower, who plays a strange hourly call known as the "Hejnal Mariacki." Ringing out to mark each hour, it breaks off on an abrupt half-note to commemorate an unknown bugler who was struck in the throat by a Tartar arrow as he tried to warn the city of the invaders. As there were queues to buy tickets to have a look at the Church, we almost gave it a miss. Boy, are we glad we didn't - it was one of those rare masterpieces we will never forget.
And today, Michael is collecting the stickers that you buy to permit you to take photos!

Hi ho, hi ho its off to the salt mine we go!
The Salt Mine in Wieliczka is supposedly 13kms and 22 minutes from Kraków, but whoever timed it did not make allowance for the miles and miles of traffic jams. It took us just under the hour to drive those 13 kms! Once there, we paid for our parking (7 PLN for as long as we are there = €1.75). A walk up a gardened hill brings us to the entrance - and another queue for tickets. The wait isn't too long and we begin another wait for enough english speaking tourists to warrant a guided tour beginning. Not long, its only another 10 - 12 minutes and we set out. Many of the locals we have spoken to in the past week or so have all told us that we must not miss this mine.

Our guide is the lovely Izabella (yes, with the same spelling as our little grand-daughter!) She explains the WH&S apects to us before leading us down down down. Down an intial and never-ending 378 steps in tight turns of 7 steps. Wooden steps in a shaft (the Daniłowicz shaft) that was sunk in 1635 - 1640! And this just takes us to the first level at 64 m underground. During our trip, we will progress to 135 m underground! Salt was mined here at Wieliczka from the Middle Ages until 1996. Nowadays, this facility is just a tourist operation - one of the best known in all of Poland and with around 1.2 million visitors a year.

I won't go into all the details - if you want to know the history, click on the link above - it is very interesting. But I will tell you a few things. Much of the bracing is original. Huge timber logs lain one on one in a criss-cross pattern that have been here for hundreds of years. And they look like they were laid yesterday. Izabella puts it down to the preserving aspect of the salt that has now impregnated these logs. The air is very dry and is used in the treatment of respitarory and pulmonary conditions (but she explains later is not great for the guides throats!) in a natural micro-climate that cannot be replicated above the ground. Izabella tells us that our visit to the mine today, breathing the beneficial air, will add three days to our lives - so breathe deeply everyone!

But most of us have not come to 'take the airs', but rather, to see the work of the miners who over time have carved out of the solid rock salt, the most amazing statues and chapels. We are constantly reminded that nearly all these works have been done by the miners - not trained artists (and we need the reminding!) There are statues and panels and chapels galore - I guess that the early miners in particular knew how hazardous their jobs were, albeit well paid, and needed to pray for or give thanks for their safety.

And from an organisational perspective the tour has been set up to display the history and workings of the mine and indeed the tools of the miners over time. We see how they went from using picks and hammers, hauling the salt by hand in barrells, then on rails and carts (dog carts because of the 'barking' sound they made when pushed over the timber rails) and then finally using horses that were lowered by straps (and later in timber crates when the 'lift' system was installed) and spent most of their lives underground. Guess that they must have lived a very long time!!!

We see the primitive but effective timber drains constructed to keep the water that seeps from the surounding sandstone away from the rock salt. We see the huge timber winches that were used to lift first ground salt, and then later, larger and larger blocks of salt to the surface. In times past, salt was as valuable a commodity as gold! One 3 ton block of rock salt was the equivalent value of a village! We see created brine lakes, one of them 9 metres deep, but so clear that you can see the złoty coins on its bottom that people have tossed in with a wish. (Michael added one too, but won't tell me the wish.)

But mostly, we admire the artistic works of the miners. The most impressive are two:
The Janowice Chamber that tells the legend of the finding of salt in the region; and
St Kinga's Chapel that is dedicated to the patron saint of miners. Now, this is no little chapel that you might peer in to. It is a massive chamber that measures 54 metres long, 18 metres wide and 12 metres high! All carved from the walls of the chamber excavated for salt. The floor is polished to a high sheen - by the feet of the millions of people that have walked over it. And this work is attributed to just three miners, who in succession, over a total period of 70 years carved this elaborate and elegant chamber.

So, 800+ steps and 2½ kilometres and 3 hours later my hip and legs are screaming at me, calling me every name under the sun! But it has been worth every cramping fibre. The work of those miners is inspirational. And really, I am not complaining too much - the early miners carried the salt out in barrells on thier backs up short, narrow little steps that they cut into the rock salt face - NO handrails, no nothing!

And now? Well, now we head for Warszawa (Warsaw), the capital of Poland. A longish drive ahead of us 4:45 hours. Huh! The horror traffic jam we crawled through on ouy way to Wieliczka is still in existence as we leave as this pic shows! Those roadworks just go on for ever and ever and ever. You get a run of full speed for maybe 20 or 30 kms and then we are back to a crawl - sometimes at 40 kph for another 20 or so kilometres. And so, you can imagine what that does to the traffic - it bunches it up, creating even slower stretches. Through the edges of some towns, we are lucky to do 10 kph! But believe us, they desperately need to be working on these roads. The ruts from trucks run for most of the trip in the outside lane - I mean real, deep ruts. Its impossible to show with a photo just how bad they are.

At every road crossing, or small town (like every 4 - 5 kms) we have to slow down. Many don't and pay the price. Every second one is equipped with a speed camera, and today every other one has a policeman with a mobile radar waiting for those trangressing motorists. And I am not exaggerating - every other one. And they are reaping in the fine income as though they are printing the złoty bills themselves!

So the trip lengthens, time and time again. It eventually takes us just over 6 hours and we arrive at 10 pm, totally stuffed. We check in to our accommodation at the Castle Inn after parking the car about a block away (phew) and are shown in to the most amazing room. We are on the corner room with three huge windows looking out over the Warsaw New Town Square with the Royal Palace a spit away. Oh wow - so magic!

But no time to sit and gaze. We need to find somewhere to have some dinner. There are a couple of restaurants facing the square that are still open. As we get downstairs, one is closing and so we stop at the first one that is still open - Restauracja Przy Zamku. On enquiring if there was still time to have a meal, the waiter says "Sure!" What luck, we have happened on a really nice restaurant and when we are having trouble deciding (at so late, I am having trouble just putting one word before the other!), Robert, our waiter suggests that we have just a main. Some more knowledgeable advice and we finish up ordering:
Sola na asparagus łóżko z kurkami, podawana z ryżem (lemon sole in chantrelles and asparagus bed served with rice) Michael
Polędwica ͵͵Zygmunt IIIʹʹ podawana z kurkami duszonymi w śmietanie I ziemniakami opiekaymi (Beef fillet “Zygmunt III” served with chantrelles in cream and deep-fried potatoes) Maria which I wash down with a small (but still expensive) bottle of Châteauneuf de Pape (Domaine Barville, 2005 Grenache, Syrah & Mourvèdre)
The food is delicious - up there with the best we have had on our trip. By the time we have our meals it is almost midnight and closing time, so we skip dessert and just have coffee.

And so to bed . . . another Ab Fab day!