Day 10 - Salt Mines, Krakow

Today was another travel day.  We left Levoca at 9 a.m. and drove off on a side trip to see Spiš Castle (Spišský hrad).  We didn't get to drive up to it but we drove around it and took pictures; we also stopped at Spišská Kapitula and looked around a bit.  Then we came back then way we'd come, and after a "Bio-Technical break" as Juraj calls them we were on the road to Krakow.

The road was a fairly narrow one through the Tatra mountains.  The mountains are just gorgeous -- really, really beautiful.  It wasn't long before crossed the border into Poland and after a bit more traveling (about 3 hours total) we arrived in the outskirts of Krakow at the Wielizcka Salt Mine.  We had 90 minutes for lunch, then we had our tour of the salt mine.

It's amazing.  A lot of walking ( we eventually walked down a total of 135m).  The carvings and large rooms and art that the miners created is just astonishingly beautiful.  Eventually we made it to the largest of the 3 chapels, where we sang:

• Adoramus Te
• Beati Quorum Via
• Parce Domine
• Cornerstone
• Ain-a That Good News

The acoustics were pretty good, and those present seemed pleased.  Later on we came on a big open room (not a chapel) where we were permitted to sing one of our secular pieces, Yo m'Enamori d'un Aire.  The tour was about 3 hours total.  Pretty cool.

After the tour we loaded up the bus and drove about 25 minutes to our hotel and checked in.