Phil and Alison's European Adventure: A Polish Wedding, Cracow and Prague

One of the people I met during my study abroad travels ended up being a great friend who I stayed in touch with over the past 5+ years. This past weekend, Marek married the love of his life, Dominika. Phil and I were thrilled to be invited and flew up to Cracow for a week of vacation time. We arrived on Wednesday and spent the days up to the wedding checking out the city. Cracow is beautiful and one of my favorite cities in Europe. I was happy to be able to explore it again with Phil. We went to the Salt Mine in Wieliczka, spent time eating authentic polish fare, and hanging out in the main market square.

The wedding took place a little bit outside the city at the Benedictine Monastary. It was pouring rain as we arrived but as the ceremony ended, the sun was shining and the sky was blue! Marek and Dominika walked down the aisle hand in hand and the ceremony began. It was all in Polish so Phil and I were pretty clueless as to the exact words, but the music was beautiful and the emotion was palpable. After the ceremony, we gathered in the courtyard and everyone lined up to wish the couple well and present gifts to them.

The reception was next and we piled on a bus to ride over. We gathered for a champagne toast as Marek carried Dominika into the party. Everyone just downed the champagne in one gulp, so Phil and I did the same. A live band played a song that everyone sang along to, and we went into the dining area for the dinner that never ended! The tables were set with 3 glasses at each place: wine glass, water glass, and a shot glass. They told us they had purchased a half liter of vodka per couple! Besides bottles of vodka, the table had a couple small bottles of sprite, coke, fizzy water, and pitchers of apple juice and water. It wasn't long before shots of vodka were being poured.

The dinner started with soup in bread bowls for everyone. It was delicious and we dug in. Next came the main meal which consisted of rosemary roasted potatoes, salad, and pork. It too, was delicious! After this, the band started up and people went to dance. They played a mix of traditional Polish music and random popular music. Everyone got involved in the dancing. Next, more shots and trays of desserts were brought out. We thought this was it, but we were mistaken! Next came slices of a rich cake. Then a break for more dancing and vodka shots. Basically this repeated between the following meal courses lasting well after midnight. The last meal came after 1am! After the cake there were trays of salads and cold cuts brought out and a table of cheeses, meats, and breads was set up. Then later there was a bowl of a beet soup and a large egg roll type, deep fried thing stuffed with ground meat. This was one of my favorite things! After that was neopolitan ice cream. This was followed by the last course of pinwheels, rice shaped like a pear, and something else I can't remember. It was a TON of food and it was all delicious. The funny thing is that with all the vodka shots and dancing, the food really makes sense. We had no idea what we were in for but it was spectacular. We left around 2 or 3 in the morning and the party was still going strong. The band was still playing and we were told that sometimes these parties go until 7am!

On Sunday we flew to Prague for 2 nights. Phil and I had both been there 5 years earlier and were surprised by what we found. Things there have become much more touristy, busy, and a little more expensive. The city is still so beautiful though. We were a bit disappointed by the sheer volume of tourists, but we still were able to see things we missed the first time around. We are going back in September when some friends visit, so maybe it will be a bit less busy then!

Cracow main market square

The church in the main market square. Marek proposed to Dominika at the top of one of the towers!

The main building in the square houses many merchants selling some typical Polish items like Amber in all forms, pottery, dolls, wooden items, and much more.

Here are some more pictures from around the market square

The old town hall tower

Looking back at the old town gate, which was part of the city wall

MJ lives! Or at least lives on through the marionette performance in the town square!

We met Marek and Dominika the night we arrived for some drinks. Afterwards they took us to a little "mini bar" to get Zapiekanke, a typical snack. It was sort of like a french bread pizza, but with ketchup, green onions, ham, cheese, and mushroom spread. Delish!
Snack bar

Zapiekanke!

Salt Mine entrance

Looking down the shaft at the over 350 stairs we had to descend to get to the first level of the salt mine tour.

Me, being a nerd. The statue behind me is just one of the many carved of salt in the mines. The miners would carve statues and other things on their time off.

More salt statues. Many of these date back to the 17th century. It is hard to appreciate the details unless you are there in person.

Looking down one of the many passageways. The tour took about 3 hours and we only saw 1% of the mine!

The most impressive room in the mine at about 120 meters below the surface. This is a huge chapel carved entirely of salt. It took over 60 years to complete and was made by only 3 miners. Even the chandeliers are made of salt! The floor tiles are carved of salt, the murals and statues are made of carved salt. Breathtaking!