11th day - Friday (piontek)

Mammoth Bones

On the last day, I go to the most dangerous place in Krakow, namely under the mammoth, whale and rhinoceros bones, held together by an iron chain, under the portal of the Wawel Cathedral:

As long as this structure holds, the cathedral stands, they say. So better not stay here for too long.

Among Hindus - Wawel Chakra

The Wawel, from which the Christian Polish kings once ruled the country, is one of the seven points in the world where the earthly and cosmic chakras intersect (this is not a joke, you can google it). It is therefore a place that emits powerful spiritual energy - according to the Hindus. Here comes another group..

..apparently looking for the Wawel Chakra..

I discreetly follow them, because I'm interested in what kind of rituals they perform at the Chakra point..

To my disappointment, they then disappear into the Christian Wawel Temple, of course not without looking a bit nervously at the mammoth bone..

But maybe those weren't Hindus after all.

Royal Casket

Well, alright. I have a full agenda today:

The Royal Castle and chambers, as well as the Crown Treasury and Arsenal. What's left after 10 days in Krakow. But everything only with prior registration and partly only as a guided tour, every 10 minutes. Questions unwelcome, photography prohibited.

Only a brief glimpse was granted into the Royal Casket - and it seems to be quite well filled ;-)

So now my visit program to the Wawel is finished.

Kościuszko Mound

What to do if you still have about 3 hours of daylight left in Krakow? I decide on the Kościuszko Mound (not to be confused with the Krag Hill), far away from here.

The Kościuszko Mound is a 34m high hill in the west of Krakow, which was built in honor of the national hero Tadeusz Kościuszko. Earth from battlefields and ash from soldiers who died in the freedom fights of the 18th century was mixed into the building material, exactly at a time when Poland no longer existed on the map.

Maybe I'll be able to see Krakow illuminated by the evening sun from the hill before sunset. Nice idea. Unfortunately, there is no cable car up to the Kościuszko Mound, so it's back to walking again. So first take the tram back to Kazimierz. Others think the same..

..then work out the plan..

..then off we go.

..someone, other than me, has to dodge (orange arrow is the bike path)

..finally no more cyclists ;-)

Next obstacles..

Reached cruising altitude..

Then the disillusionment..

..too late, too dark, no sun and too far away, also a bit hazy. Particularly beautiful? At least it's Krakow with a view of the Mariacki Church. A matter of taste.

The other direction. Could that be the High Tatras in the distance? Could be.

Vater Bernatka Wooden Footbridge

Off we go, back to Kazimierz. One last picture of my favorite bridge with the acrobats in the ropes, Kładka Ojca Bernatka, the pedestrian bridge to Podgórze.

From now on, no more photos will be taken. The roll of film is full ;-)

The End

That's it. I'm very glad that you followed my third trip to Poland, and I hope you had a bit of fun.

Maybe you even got some ideas if you ever want to visit Krakow yourself - and specifically off the beaten tourist track, as they say. It's definitely worth it!

So until soon - I already see some of you tomorrow!

Picture of the Day

Luggage storage..

..in Polish ;-)

Back to Day 10

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This is what it was like in 2016 in Silesia

This is what it was like in 2017 in Warsaw