Salty Underground Exploration (Krakow)

Near Krakow is the famous Wieliczka Salt Mine. When I got there, I read a sign that advised to wear warm clothing as we were about to head down to into the cold underground mines. Having just a light shirt, I was worried I'd be shivering the whole 3+ hour tour, so I downed 3 cups of hot coffee in hopes it'll keep me warm.

After going down a never-ending staircase (constantly wondering whether I should brace myself in having to climb back up the 100+ flights of stairs), we finally reached the underground tunnels. Caffeinated and jittery, and feeling a bit claustrophobic, we set off to explore the tunnels.

The Salt Mine was huge! It was a town itself, underground, with places to work, sleep, relax and pray.

The Weiliczka Salt Mine is one of the oldest in the world. Back when the tunnel was operable, people would live and work in these underground tunnels.

All the tunnel was had salt walls, floors and ceilings. Statues and sculptures were built out of salt. The chandeliers were made out of salt. The underground lake was filled with salt. You could even lick the salty walls to get a taste. 

As we wandered through the maze with our guide, I realized I was the only one traveling by myself. Everyone else traveled as a couple. Mostly all old couples and a handful honeymooners. This made me realize that no matter the age group, the male was always the woman's personal photographer.

Oh, btw, I didn't freeze to death because I had way too much energy and was literally bouncing off all the walls. And thank goodness for the elevator that shot us back up to ground level, otherwise I don't think I would have made it out from underground...

Underground Salt Walls