With the team training slot allocated at 4pm, we had a sight seeing excursion to the Unesco World Heritage site of the Weiliczka Salt Mine. on the outskirts of Krakow. Production started in the 13th century and the mine produced table salt continuously until 2007.
The mine is 327 metres deep and has numerous chambers at every level. It has approximately 300 kilometres of tunnels. There are many statues and four chapels carved out of the rock salt as well as underground lakes of brine.
The miners used a variety of different methods to bring the 800 kilogram salt cylinders to the surface which included the Hungarian-type horse treadmill and Saxon treadmills. The salt is naturally grey in various shades and only becomes white when ground.
We also spent an afternoon in Krakow's old town & market square including a visit below the Cloth Hall which dominates the largest medieval market area in Europe. In 2005 a major archeological excavation took place in the town square uncovering layers of history dating back to the 12th century. The area was reinstated but retaining part of the excavation with the exposed layers of historical human habitation seen in the underground museum.
Due to being on the road for a good week or more for the team members, we had to come back into town another day to do laundry. Kelly joined this trip to replace her 4 month old Apple cell phone that stopped working and Theo came along to have a second visit with the dentist. A tooth that he had previously had work on in New Zealand became sore and infected. With the help of Agnieszka Grudzinska, the former CSNZ chairman who is Polish and here as an ICF international judge, found a dentist to relieve Theo's pain. In fact, Theo was quite impressed with his treatment and only had to pay for his two visits around $75 NZD (draining, drilling, antibiotics, and re-filling). Theo has had an unsettling first week with having to borrow boats from the British team and the Polaczyk's but after today is sorted and happy with a Galasport that just about fits him brought in from Prague which he will use for the racing. From the picture, you can see Theo, our gentle giant, is back on form and in his element.
A quick visit to Wawel Royal Castle including a viewing of Leonardo di Vinci's "Lady with an Ermine" painting being a national Polish treasure. No pictures were allowed but one was taken thru a crack in the door...only to be photo bombed by Kelly.
Gordon found a natural history museum which featured the worlds only complete Wooly Rhinoceros that was recovered from a Ukrainian swamp in 1929 along with mammoth remains from 30,000 years ago.
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