Wednesday 2nd August 2006

The Salt Mines
מכרות המלח בוויליצ'קה



























My lovely guide
המדריכה החמודה שלי



This morning I am picked up from the apartment to go on the other guided tour I have booked on my arrival at Krakow, to the salt mines of Wieliczka, a small town just outside the city. Today's minivan is a slightly larger Chrysler Grand Voyager (yesterday's was a Seat Alhambra), the driver doesn't crave my company next to him, but politely opens a middle door and I sit behind, quite content to do so after yesterday's experience. Turns out I am in fact the entire group. At the mines I arrange to meet my driver at around midday, and he attaches me to an existing group and takes his leave. The visit proves to be fascinating. Our guide, a young, enthusiastic local girl who lived here all her life - she even studies locally - is simply charming. Her English is limited: most of the commentary she provides is read out of memory, I reckon, and her way of mispronouncing almost every other word, yet never losing track of her speech, never faltering, is at once illuminating and hilarious. Never mind - any imperfections are completely made up for by her natural charm and sincerity. The mines are very impressive. First the climb down a seemingly bottomless staircase, flight after flight of wooden stairs. Then the walkways, various chambers carved out in rock salt, including chapels - one enormous one: at that stage you are told you can no longer take photos unless you buy a special permit. As my crappy camera doesn't perform well in the dark I simply put it away (having already taken some pictures before it became "restricted"). the statues carved in salt are eerily beautiful - look and feel like granite or marble, but a little translucent when you shine a light through them. At the end of the tour I find myself the only person lining up for the additional tour of the mine's museum. I then am treated to a personal tour through the archaeological finds from the mines and the area. That is also where my doubts about my guide's command of English are confirmed, but that doesn't stop us from having a good communication and she skips effortlessly between the official mode (declaiming fluently and clearly her knowledge of the subject matter) and the informal (struggling to express herself on general subjects such as her studies and work). We end our stroll by ascending back to the surface in an old looking (but modern and fast) workmen's cage-lift. I am squashed into a corner by three big fully uniformed guides, my tiny little guide is in there somewhere too - I can hear her - but totally obscured by her large mates. Out side, it still rains, lightly but I am wet before I reach the car. I now look forward to my simple Polish lunch at the local greasy spoon!
After lunch the weather brightens up. I go back to the apartment, check out and take my suitcase to the station. My night train to Vienna is not till 10:25pm. I want to be so tired by then, that I should sleep the whole journey!