Pigs Bum anyone?

After a dusty 3 hour train ride from Warsaw we arrived in Krakow. We spent most of the first day attending to business, including our lease agreement and new shoes for bec. Her 4 pound primark ballet slippers proved less of a bargain under the terrain of Polish weather. With that out of the way we explored part of the Old Market Square and started the hunt for a traditional polish dinner. After no help with directions from our hostel staff we came across a quaint lil cafe/bar style place that served a variety of Polish dishes. Bec had Perogi again, while Jarratt (the more adventurous of the pair) proudly ordered Pigs Bum. Both full we opted for an early night....

The next day fuelled on bum, Jarratt scrapped Bec out of bed to brave the mist of an early morning in Krakow. To then travel the advertised 1 and a half hours by bus out to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp. An hour and a half turned into just over 2 and we arrived shortly before 11am, just in time for the English documentry film and tour. Auschwitz, and Birkenau for that matter, are places that need to be seen to believe. Words can not describe the emotion and heart ache you feel standing in a place that took over a million lives. We had both been to concentration camps before but agreed that neither was as harrowing or as moving as Auschwitz-Birkenau. After we had finished our 4 hour tour of the area we headed back to Krakow this time it took just over 3 hours... and while Poland's public transport system is claimed to be the cheapest, it sure isnt the fastest!! More Polish food was eaten for dinner and washed down with a cold beer... or two ;)

Saturday saw us adventuring through the Jewish Quarter where we saw remains of the Ghetto Walls, a memorial to lost lives and various synagogues. We visited Wawel Hill, which includes Krakow Castel, Cathedral and a dragons den. After a polish kebab-y lunch we explored the Old Town and surrounding areas. We were also lucky enough to catch a brief peak at a wedding at the Gothic Church of St Marys. We ended the day with a lavish meal, where much to Bec's shock Jarratt ordered wine for two!!!!

On Sunday we decided on a sleep in before heading out to the Wieliczka salt mines. We slept in til 9am, had breakfast and headed to the train station to catch our 10:10 train to the mines. On the walk up we noticed that the hostel clock was wrong, the clock tower ...wrong, the town hall clock... wrong.... the train station clock.... wrong?! Unbeknown to us, daylight savings had just ended and we were an hour early for our train. Bec, amused once we figured it all out, was also upset that she could have snuck in another hour of sleep! The salt mines were good, but nothing to write home about.... so we wont! Haha!

We ended our time in Krakow with a late polish lunch which included (beet)Root Soup and Pork/Cabbage Wrap for Jarratt and a schab pieczony (roast loin of pork seasoned with herbs) for Bec. Afterwards we zipped out to the Airport on the express train and we boarded our plane around 7pm.

The end :)

CD J on the Train.

Between the electric fences at Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Birkenau Concentration Camp

Looking through the fence to the Barracks at Birkenau

Bec on the streets of the Old Market "Polish Style"

Bec hearts the Krakow Dragon!

Jarratt at the Krakow Cathedral on Wawell Hill

The Old Market Square
(St Marys Gothic Church is in the background)