Hillbilly travels: Krakow, Poland

Sun 24th – Tues 26th Aug

So....sick....of...sight-seeing. No....more....castles. No...more...museums.... PLEEEASE.

I never thought I could tire of touring European cities but 5 months of seeing one UNESCO world heritage site after another and I've reached my limit. We arrived in Krakow feeling completely burnt out and uninspired, especially since Lonely Planet said the main attraction was another bloody palace.

So if you're not the castle or museum type, here's what made Krakow stand out:

Wieliczka Salt Mine – who thought you could spend 3 hours underground looking at salt? Well they've managed to do it and make it interesting! Salt statues, huge caverns, and even a huge chapel all made entirely out of salt. There's even a bar and restaurant 130m underground.

Chapel made entirelz of salt in the Wieliczka Salt Mine

Krakow's Kazmierez neighbourhood was previously one of the largest Jewish communities in Europe but nearly completely desecrated by the Nazis in World War II. Many of the original buildings are still standing and you can really get a feel for the hustle and bustle of this once vibrant neighbourhood 60+ years on. It was also the set for filming Schindler's List.

I could have cared less about seeing another old town square, but Krakow has managed to retain a community feel with it's market stalls, folklore dancing and the Cloth Halls. Plus we found what may have been the yummiest sausages of the entire trip here.

Pigeons in the old square

Whatever you do, do not get injured or need a doctor while you're in Krakow. Or at least have plenty of time available if you do. We were sent on a wild goose chase around the city with no one wanting to help us or claiming that we needed a surgery. Two hours of waiting and a very nice doctor prescribed Bevan with anti-biotics to fight the infection in his hand, then sprayed the wound with incredibly stingy anti-septic and sent us on our way.