On Sunday 24/05/15 we visited the salt mine in Wieliczka city near Krakow by bus. It took us 1:30 hour to go there but it was worth it. The mine was inscribed on the UNESCO list in 1978 and from the 13th century the mine has been systematically expanded. Nowadays, there are 300-kilometres long galleries and about 3000 chambers extending to a depth of 327 meters, but we only reached  the depth of 140 m. Inside there are salt sculptures chapels and natural salt lakes. We saw some statues that were made of salt. We also saw old mining equipment which impressed us a lot! The mine is a huge tourist attraction so visitors can learn about the mine and the life of the miners. We would recommend it to our friends because it is a nice experience to see everything that is made of salt. It is amazing how they have accomplished it! We are thankful to the Comenius program for this outstanding experience.

Alexia Mavrantoni

During our meeting we made a trip to Krakow. First, we went by a bus to a city tour. We saw the Wawel Castle and the Cathedral, which is designed in renaissance and baroque style. Then we went to the main square and saw the St. Mary’s Church. At this church, a trumpet signal, which called “Hejnal”, is played on the top every hour. After that we went to the Maius Collegium, one of the oldest universities. The day was great. I think it is a very interesting city. I’m looking forward to visiting Krakow again.

Sabrina

On Sunday we visited a salt mine near Krakow. It was the first time I’ve been to a place like this and I was excited! We went down 135 meters! It was very cold and there were lots of narrow corridors. We had a great guide with us, who informed us about the history of the salt mine and about how the miners used to work. After that, we bought many souvenirs and especially salt!

Eleni Antoniou, Greece

In Krakow we visited the magnificent Wawel castle. We also saw a dragon statue and the tour guide told us the legend of the dragon. After that we visited the market square which is the second largest square in Europe. It was one of the most beautiful squares I had seen. There were lots of stalls and we bought some lovely souvenirs!

Mata Georgoudi, Greece

As Sunday creeped upon us, we knew that we had to decend into to the depths of Wieliczka Salt Mine.
Those were the salt mines, that were started in the 19 century,and you knew that, because the air in there was filled with a fresh smell of salt. As we walked down the endless staircase, it felt as if we decended to the bowls of the earth. The tunnels were narrow, but the largest galleries were as big as 50 m high.

Gytis Varnelis,  Lithuania

The visit to the Gothic Wawel Castle in Kraków in Poland was one of the best things that had ever happened to me before. Its massive scale was very impressive and you just have to experience it. It really gave me a glimpse to Poland’s glorious past. I tried to close my eyes and imagine myself living there in the Mediaeval times – that was an extraordinary feeling. I am sure I will come back there not once.

Ignas Sajatauskas, Lithuania

We had a farewell party in a farm house on the hill. We got there by coach. There was a DJ and a lot of Polish food. We also had the chance to ride horses and play badminton. In the evening we had a big camp fire where we all sat around, barbecued sausages and talked to each other. We had a great time and I made friends with my host. I will go back to Skawina with my family in the summer.

Johannes Thies