Dreamscapes Travel & Lifestyle Magazine
Issue link: http://read.dreamscapes.ca/i/889690
Arabian astrolabe from 1054; a set of cryo- genic instruments; instruments for surveying and demonstrating physics and optics; and gold university scepters from 1406. We explored the royal chambers, suites and towers of Krakow's 14 th -century Wawel Castle. Highlights were the "Wawel heads" on the coffered ceiling in the Parliamentary Hall; the 136 Arras tapestries that survived World War II after being shipped to Ottawa for safekeeping; and Leonardo da Vinci's spectacular Lady with an Ermine. In Krakow's Main Square, St. Mary's Basilica's altar is one of the finest in Europe. Its stunning polyptych measures 11 x 13 metres and was carved in limewood between 1477 and 1489. We climbed 200 steps to the top of a Basilica tower where a bugler plays every single hour, as happened in ancient times to warn citizens of approaching Tatars. Ten kilometres from Krakow we visited the extraordinary Wieliczka Salt Mine. The underground complex has 2,400 chambers on nine levels ranging from 64 to 327 metres in depth, connected with corridors 245 kilo- metres long. The mine's museum, on three levels from 64 to 135 metres deep, has 18 chambers connected by 1.5 kilometres of corridors. We discovered salt lakes, cham- bers with incredible religious sculptures, reliefs, and ornate chandeliers all created out of salt. There were replicas of horses that lived entire lives in the mine, trans- porting carts of excavated material and turning the treadmills. GDANSK More unique museums greeted us in Gdansk on the Baltic Sea. It was thrilling to walk through the shipyard where Lech Walesa's "Solidarity" movement began to dismantle Poland's communist regime. Walesa still maintains his office in the Euro- pean Solidarity Centre next door, which is a modern, multimedia exposition of Poland's and other countries' fights for freedom. Gdansk is the "World Capital of Amber." The Amber Museum in the city's historic Dungeon Tower houses artifacts and jew- ellery commissioned by royalty, nobility, clergy and wealthy bourgeoisie. This fos- silized resin of ancient coniferous trees comes in dozens of varieties, colours and degrees of transparency. At the Marine Sta- tion in Gdynia, on Gdansk's outskirts, is the Emigration Museum. Its interactive gal- leries trace backgrounds of 20 million Poles who emigrated from 1797 to now. As this visit to Poland ended, we paused to appreciate the country's turbulent and tragic past, along with its people's resilience. TRAVEL PLANNER LOT Polish Airlines (lot.com) flies daily from Toronto to Warsaw and serves the entire country with local flights. Restaurants are ubiquitous and offer excellent Polish delicacies such as borscht (beet or white), savory and sweet pierogies, pork and everything duck. Fish dishes by the sea are a must. Polish vodka goes with everything. DREAMSCAPES FALL/ WINTER 2017 48 ABOVE: The Wieliczka Salt Mine in Krakow. Rafal Starchurski DS