SALT MINE & OTHER PLACES, KRAKOW, POLAND A great surprise awaited me upon my first entry to Krakow,Poland. It was in the month of May 2010. The surprise was from my Poland Lady colleague whom I met in March 2010 at Hamburg just two months before during my previous visit to Europe. She had just invited me to Krakow, Poland. It became so soon a reality and none of us had any idea about it. After. I arrived I happened to meet this Poland Lady.She just gave a handshake and spoke for two minutes and wished me Good Day. Thats it. It was Tuesday.She did not speak to me on Wednesday & Thursday at all. I just thought, what is this? She told so many things last time and she is not even speaking to me when I arrived here and I did not bother much. To my surprise, it was just on Friday afternoon,I had been to a meeting in the morning and came to my seat by lunch time. I had a real surprise.She had placed here mobile contact number on my desk. Also, informed through her two colleagues that she is waiting for a special lunch for me. I was so excited and afraid for a reason I am a pure vegetarian.But,I had never discussed with her before about my food preference.But,she had prepared pure-veg food(Bisi-Bele-Bhaath) by referring to some Indian Recipe and brought it for me to eat.I had been to some Indian Restaurants at Poland. But, none of them were good. But, Poland Ladys food was amazing. I just liked it a lot. She also wanted me to say few Indian Recipe downloads and she is going to prepare it for me for my lunch daily. I just told her dont take strains. But, she never allowed me to stop. I had to give internet link for some Indian recipes. After lunch, she asked me my engagement for Saturday, I told I and colleagues Mahesh Nagaraja & Anil Sivamogga are free and planning for some sightseeing. She just went to her desk and after sometime, she informed me that she is arriving at my hotel at 11 in the morning next day to take me out for sightseeing. I was thrilled and Mahesh & Anil started teasing me that she is only talking to me and they would prefer to stay back or go on their own for sightseeing for entire day. Later got adjusted and she arrived. When I casually told her that “it seems you were busy for last two days, she said that she thought I was busy and did not disturb” God only knows and made me to firm up my feeling world is small. I just laughed at myself looking at the eyes of Anil & Mahesh. Their eyes were making me to remember one of the old Annavras movie song-Poland Lady(Modern Lady) mojanu maadalu kan kan bida bedi................But, she spent one full day with us, took around and made our day memorable. Her name is Agnieszka Surdziel. Well, I just want to state that Poland is just famous for Miss World/ Miss Universe contestants and event management shows. Some good looking fair girls at India behaves indifferently or feel great because they are good looking/beautiful. But, trust me friends, beauty is just common/plenty on this part of world. Right from very low profiled jobs to high ended jobs across various service segments, you will find beauty and it is just universal and no discrimination from this beautiful world towards non-beautiful segments. So, good - bad - ugly is all same and common is my another understanding of life. Krakows world-class attraction, the Salt Mine of Wieliczka. One travelled Frenchman observed in the 18th century that Krakows Wieliczka salt mine was no less magnificient than the Egyptian pyramids. Millions of visitors, the crowned heads and such celebrities as Goethe and Sarah Bemhardt among them, have appeared to share his enthusiasm when exploring the subterranean world of labyrinthine passages, giant caverns, underground lakes and chapels with sculptures in the crystalline salt and rich ornamentation carved in the salt rock. They have also marvelled at the ingenuity of the ancient mining equipment in the Wieliczka salt mine. And the unique acoustics of the place have made hearing music here an exceptional experience. The Wieliczka Salt Mine, nowadays practically on the southeast outskirts of Krakow, has been worked for 900 years. It used to be one of the worlds biggest and most profitable industrial establishments when common salt was commercially a medieval equivalent of todays oil. Always a magnet, since the mid-18th century Krakows Wieliczka salt mine has become increasingly a tourist attraction in the first place. Today visitors walk underground for about 2,000 m in the oldest part of the salt mine and see its subterranean museum, which takes three hours or so. Nine centuries of mining in Wieliczka produced a total of some 200 kilometers of passages as well as 2,040 caverns of varied size. The tourist route starts 64 m deep, includes twenty chambers, and ends 135 m below the earth surface, where the worlds biggest museum of mining is located with the unique centuries-old equipment among its exhibits. Occasionally concerts and other events take place in the Wieliczka mineâ biggest chambers. There is a sanatorium for those suffering from asthma and allergy situated 135 meters deep underground in the Wieliczka Salt Mine. UNESCO has entered the Wieliczka Salt Mine in its World Heritage Register. Chapel of Saint Kinga, the largest among underground chapels in the Wieliczka Salt mine, is actually a sizable subterranean church carved in rock salt and embellished with salty sculptures and bas-reliefs. Temperature in the Wieliczka Salt Mine stays uniform 15 degrees Celsius, i.e. 59 Fahrenheit, round the year. Travel Salt Mine in Wieliczka is situated some ten kilometers from the center of Krakow. One may get there easily by car or taxi. Also, can take a commuter train from the citys central Krakow Glowny rail station, a bus, or one of numerous minibuses that cruise Krakows streets. Apart from SALT Mine, I had been to Krakows famous Market Square, City Centre,Castles(VVIPs Samadhis of Royal families of Poland and President/PM of the country with greater achievements) and covered all parts of the city and difficult to name many. I should not forget to state that Pope John Paul II of Vatican city is native of Krakow and world famous Polish Poets are from Krakow.I can say Krakow is colorful, very very colorful and the Jurassic park fame dinosaurs long time back existed in this part of the world.
Posted on: Tue, 24 Jun 2014 12:37:50 +0000
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