Poland - Warsaw and Krakow

We spent a week in Poland and really loved it. Starting in Warsaw, we stayed in the old town, next to the main square.
We did a walking tour, ate Polish food and drank beer.
The old town is very new.
It looks old, is partly made from old material, but was built in the 1960's.
It's not fake or gimmicky. It's a statement of national pride.
This is the old Old Town in 1944.
This is the same street today.
The Nazis destroyed the town to punish the people of Warsaw for the Uprising. When they rebuilt they added little embellishments to honour people who lived there. One door had pigeons engraved in stone above because the occupant famously fed the local pigeons.
Krakow is a much older town, the original capital, it's main square is on a grand scale.
Cafes lined the 4 100m sides and you chose where to sit based on the weather. When it's 5° but sunny you choose one side, 9° with a wind and you choose another. I must say that the 5°sun in your face is very very pleasant. Horse drawn carriages compete with electric buggies for the tourist dollar or zloty.
We did tours over a couple of days.
The Salt mines were amazing. Valued at 1/4 of the price of gold, salt was a crucial commodity for survival. Preserving food for winter.
Started in the 1300's this area, an old sea bed with sandstone and 60-90% salt infusion, was mined until the 1900's.
The caverns were enormous.We took a day trip to the Tatras Mountains. One the way we ate local cheese and tasted vodka. A cable car gave us an amazing view into Slovakia.
The view from the hot springs was spectacular.We would come back here. Poland is a welcoming country. We loved their dry humour and philosophical view of life.
See you in England.

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