Friday, Feb 17th, was my 34th Birthday. It was a very low key birthday without any big celebrations. My cousin Ewa put on a small family birthday for me the weekend before, and my friend Kasia offered to come and visit me during my birthday, but we didn't want to stay in Krakow and so we declined her offer and decided to skip town and go some place else for a change. By the way, Kasia has promised that we will "make up" my bday when she sees me next!
So, we went to a town called Bochnia, about 40 km south of Krakow. Here is what it says about Bochnia on Wikipedia:
The Bochnia Salt Mine (Polish: kopalnia soli w Bochni) in Bochnia, Poland is one of the oldest salt mines in the world and the oldest one in Poland.[1] The mine was established between the 12th and 13th centuries after salt was first discovered in Bochnia, and became part of the Royal mining company żupy krakowskie (Krakówsalt works). The mine was closed some time after World War I. In 1981 it was declared a heritage monument.
The mine shafts measure 4.5 kilometres (2.8 mi) in length at about 330–468 metres in depth below the surface, at 16 different levels. Excavated chambers, shafts and passages form an underground town, which is now open to sightseers. The largest of the preserved chambers has been converted into a sanatorium.
We stayed in the hotel that contained the sanatorium. It wasn't the most high end place I have ever stayed in and the food was certainly mediocre, but we had fun nonetheless. Joe and I each treated ourselves to a massage and a therapeutic bath soak for me and a paraffin back treatment for Joe. On our last day there we toured the mine itself. We went 300m underground in a tiny dark metal elevator where they squeezed more of us than they should have. The elevator was slow and I started to panic at one point. I think that if Aria wasn't there and I didn't have to keep my cool for her, I probably would have broken down screaming for them to let me out :) The tour was long (2hr) and boring at some times. I was very impressed with how well Aria behaved. I thought for sure we would have to leave early, but she lasted the entire time. The tour ended in a fun way. We got to slide down an 50yard long slide with a playground and a snack bar at the bottom. Going back up in the elevator wasn't as bad as going down. Here are some pictures of the weekend:
Happy Birthday Mama!
800 year old wood Basilica (attached to a much bigger stone, medieval looking church)
Bochnia even named a street in my honor :)
The small sleepy town was full of these beautiful old wood and stone buildings. Too bad a lot of them look as run down as this one.
Entrance into the mine
Once in the mine, we took a ride to the end of the shaft- which was the beginning of the tour. 1km long. Yes, that guy in front of us was really that red looking!
Carvings made by the miners out of salt rock
More salt rock carvings (this one depicts the miners)
End of the tour and a long slide down!
Joe by a giant salt rock
Funky statues outside of the mine
Even though it was snowy outside, Aria refused to wear a jacket... she is a hot blooded little girl!
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