Salt mines and street art

Continuation on the coffee saga! As you know we decided to brew our own coffee and we had picked up what looked exactly like ordinary semi-skimmed milk. At breakfast Viggo poured it over his cereal, paused for a moment and said, "I think I need to shake the milk first." When Bengt tasted it and looked equally confused, we decided to investigate.

It wasn't milk at all- it was buttermilk.

Apparently, buttermilk is much more common in Poland than it is in Sweden where we mostly use it for baking. Needless to say, its slightly tangy, yoghurt-like flavour wasn't quite what any of us were hoping for in our morning coffee or on our cereal. So... caffeine fix failed.

Today we set off on an early adventure to Wieliczka Salt Mine, the largest and most famous salt mine in Poland. We booked our tickets through GetYourGuide which meant meeting our group at 7:00 a.m. Sharp. Unsurprisingly, this was received with very little enthusiasm from the teenagers, but considering how popular the attraction is, an early start turned out to be a smart decision.

Located about twenty minutes outside Krakow, the Wieliczka Salt Mine has been in operation since the 13th century, producing salt continuously until 1996. Today it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and welcomes well over a million visitors every year.

The tour began with a descent of around 380 wooden steps taking us roughly 60 metres underground. From there, we followed a maze of surprisingly spacious and well-ventilated tunnels. The walls were reinforced with peeled but otherwise untreated timber, giving the mine a rustic and authentic feel.

Our guide explained that the miners built 14 chapels throughout the mine. Mining was dangerous work and faith played an important role in everyday life underground. These small places of worship gave the workers somewhere to pray before beginning another day beneath the surface.

While an occasional statue of Jesus had been carved from wood, almost everything else was sculpted from the salt itself. Statues, reliefs resembling paintings, staircases, altars, chandeliers: even entire chapels were carved directly into the rock salt. It was remarkable how much detail could be created from what most of us only think of as something to sprinkle on dinner.

Along the way we passed underground lakes, old stables, carpentry workshops, and even a grand ballroom. One fact that stuck with us was that the horses used for the heaviest work often lived underground for years at a time, rarely seeing daylight.

After about two hours, the tour came to an end. Instead of climbing those hundreds of steps back up, we squeezed into the miners' lift for a rapid ride to the surface. According to the children, this slightly cramped elevator was the highlight of the entire experience. Apparently, all those centuries of history couldn't quite compete with a fast lift.

Back in Krakow, we had lunch at a Mexican restaurant on our square, where quesadillas and mango lemonade disappeared quickly after the early start. Afterwards everyone appreciated a bit of downtime back at the apartment.

Later in the afternoon, Bengt and I slipped away for a visit to the Banksy Museum. Banksy, whose true identity remains unknown, is probably the world's most famous anonymous street artist. His work combines humour with sharp social and political commentary, often addressing issues such as war, inequality, consumerism, surveillance, and human rights.

The exhibition turned out to be surprisingly moving. While there was plenty of wit, many of the pieces reflected recent events- the war in Ukraine, the refugee crisis, police brutality, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine. It was one of those exhibitions that leaves you thinking long after you've walked out.

In the evening, we met up with the children for dinner before sending them back to the apartment for a quiet evening. Bengt and I stayed behind for a mojito in the square.

For several days, we'd been receiving text messages warning of severe storms and possible power outages, but apart from a few dark clouds, nothing much had happened. This evening, however, the forecast finally caught up with us. Strong gusts of wind swept through the square, the temperature dropped noticeably, and suddenly everyone seemed eager to head indoors.

Our mojitos became considerably shorter than planned, and by 9 p.m. the entire family was safely tucked into bed, listening to the weather outside and wondering what tomorrow would bring.Read more