Our last day and half were jammed packed with two great experiences. First, we visited the 700 year old Wieliczka Salt Mine; a must see. Yesterday, we traveled two hours out of Krakow to visit the resort town of Zakopane, a charming mountain village. Last night our farewell dinner which was bittersweet. As I have mentioned before, the 23 of us truly enjoyed one another’s company; a most compatible group. We had very little down time, so sleep was deep & restful, but now I need a vacation from my vacation.
Salt sculpture from the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site. Mine over 700 years old, & one of oldest in Europe. Miners sculpted these statues during their free time. This was a favorite stop of mine.Wood foundation of the mine. Salt gray instead of white & used for preserving. The route of the tour took us through three levels of underground galleries & chambers.67 years to decorate the chamber. Largest underground chapel where about 25 weddings a year take place. Picture hardly does it justice.Salt sculpture of Last Supper which is on the wall of the Chapel. I selected just one sculpture of the many on the walls here to photograph.Pope John Paul sculpted by miners in 1997 after one of his three visits back to his homeland of Poland.Note beautiful chandelier, of which there are many in the salt mine.Canal & bridge on our way to the funicular in Zokopane. Village of Zakopane after leaving the funicular. Tatar Mountains, are small in comparison to the Canadian or Colorado Rocky Mountains, but certainly tranquil & beautiful.Riding the luge during our visit to Zakopane in the Tatra Mountains. Ophelia & I are training for the 2026 senior olympics. Ophelia was a true trooper to agree to do this ride with me.Traditional Highlander costume. Had to sneak this picture. He wanted payment for his modeling, & a credit card wouldn’t do.. Zolty, Polish money, was hardly necessary to have as used a credit card for most everything. To make it easy, figured 4 Zolty to the $ when converting.Zakopane cheese with cranberry jam & a local beer. Then a potato pancake with cold slaw & shredded beets. Traditional Highlander fare.Seeing the Tatar Mountains when heading back to Krakow.Anna, with another one of her stories. Just finished lunch & leaving the Tatra Mountain region, heading back to Krakow.Fun to see young people carrying on the traditions even though they are not brimming with enthusiasm. Performance during our farewell dinner.
Traveling has become for me the ultimate traveling experience. These past 13 days have just confirmed for me the parallels of what the Polish people endured under an autocratic regime & what we are seeing in our country today.
Autocratic/dictatorial President.
Yes Men in government.
Suppression of the press.
Propaganda in the form of lies.
Prejudice of anyone who is different.
The outcast of the so called Undesirables.
Dictating what is taught/learned in our schools.
The end of FREE SPEECH.
”Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana
Until my next adventure, I am signing off. Again, thank you for traveling with me.
Traveling with Judy 
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