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| Speed Limit Signs in Poland - I guess just pick a number |
Cautiously approaching the obstacle that lay between me, and
the final destination, a sense of fear came upon as I reminded myself of the
potential trouble that might lie ahead…..“Look kids, Big Ben! Parliament!” the
famous line said multiple times by Chevy Chase
in European Vacation, I was about to tackle my first roundabout. I conquered each roundabout with ease on
route to visit the city where my great grandparents were born in Krakow, Poland. Upon crossing the border into Poland, the recently
constructed highway was smooth, almost too smooth. Finally realizing that I had not seen a
single car on either side of the highway, I began to wonder what might happen
next. Was I getting the royal treatment
with a personal road for my journey into the country, or would I be awarded the
medal for christening a new highway? It
turned out that the bridge ahead was under construction, and a 20 minute detour
would take me through a small pot-hole filed town, with no Zloty (Polish
currency) or map adding an additional challenge in my journey to Krakow
(although I still have not attempted to conquer driving manual transmission). Apart from the multiple speed limits, two other experiences of driving
in Europe, neither of which involves driving on the other side of the road which is only in the UK
and Ireland. First, the street signs in all of the cities
are located on the 2nd floor of corner buildings, unlike the US that has
them posted on the corners, which makes finding avenues more difficult. Second, regarding the traffic signals, the colors go from green to yellow to red, then yellow before turning back to green. Basically drivers just accelerate at the
yellow either way.
Located on the banks of the Vistula
River, Krakow is the second largest
and one of the oldest cities in Poland
dating back to the 7th century. From
1038 to 1569, Krakow served as the capital of Poland,
and is the leading centers of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life and one
of Poland's
most important economic hubs. The city
has a population of approximately 760,000, with about 8 million people living
within a 100 km radius of its main square.
After the invasion of Poland
at the start of World War II, Krakow became the capital of Germany's General Government. Poles and Jews were classified as subhumans
by the occupiers and were targeted for eventual extermination. In 1978, Karol Wojtyła, archbishop of Krakow, was elevated to the papacy as Pope John Paul II
becoming the first Slavic pope ever, and the first non-Italian pope in 455
years.
Life in Krakow revolves around the historic center, which
includes Old Town
and Wawel Castle.
The entire medieval old town was among the first sites chosen for the
UNESCO's original World Heritage List. Surrounded
by old brick buildings and palaces, almost all of them several centuries old,
the main square dates back to the 13th century, and is the largest medieval
town square in Europe at roughly 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²). Today, numerous outdoor restaurants and bars
surround the outside border of the square, with St. Mary's Basilica and Town
Hall Tower standing high above the crowds the fill the area below.
Standing just off the river bank is Wawel, consisting of
many buildings and fortifications; the largest and best known of these are Royal Castle
and Wawel Cathedral which is the Basilica of St Stanisław and St Wacław). Some
of the Wawel's oldest stone buildings, such as the Rotunda of the Virgin Mary
can be dated to 970AD. There are also
wooden parts of the complex which date to about the 9th century. The castle itself has been described as
"one of the most fascinating of all European castles."
Located just south of Krakow is the town of Wieliczka, home to a famous salt mine built
in the 13th century, which produced table salt continuously until 2007. The Wieliczka salt mine reaches a depth of
327 metres (1,073 ft) and is over 287 kilometres (178 mi) long. The mine's attractions include dozens of
statues, three chapels and an entire cathedral that has been carved out of the
rock salt by the miners. The oldest sculptures are augmented by the new
carvings by contemporary artists. During
World War II, the shafts were used by the occupying Germans as an ad-hoc
facility for various war-related industries.
Not to end on a sad note, but any trip to Krakow should
include a stop to pay respect to the atrocity which occurred at the Auschwitz concentration camps. While it was not a very
pleasant tour, it was extremely important to understand the magnitude of the
events which happened there not too long ago.
