We wake up to rainy skies and fog… Not what we had hoped for and the beautiful mountains that were visible last night are now all covered in clouds. Our Polish friends get going early while we are still debating what to do.
![Krzysztof getting ready in the morning Krzysztof getting ready in the morning](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-mWVPnSB/1/L/i-mWVPnSB-L.jpg)
Back in Truskavets we had booked an appartment for the weekend through AirBnB. We had planned to spend another day here in the Tatra mountains before heading up to Krakow on Saturday and then further to Auschwitz on Monday. We decide to check if the appartment would be available today already. While we wait for the answer from the owners, it starts drizzling. A few minutes later we get confirmation that we are welcome tonight so we start packing as fast as we can. Still, by the time we are ready to go, the drizzle has become full on rain and we are soaked. The KLIM suits do what we paid them for, but water is just flowing down our necks and up our sleeves. Not a nice feeling to put on a helmet when your hair is wet, or wriggling wet hands into your gloves. And it is cold up here!
So we get going, wet or not, heated grips on full whack!
By lunchtime we reach Wieliczka. We dive into the first place we come across that looks warm and dry. The rain has eased of but we are still wet and cold. One hot soup later we feel a lot better and head for the salt mines. They are not hard to find as it is the main reason the city is on the map. We park the bikes and we can even leave our helmets in the office to dry! Nice!
We arrive just in time for the 1PM guided tour. I go to buy the tickets and when I ask the lady at the counter how long it will take, she lets me know it’s about 3 hours. Seriously?!? Ok, you get value for money but we had planned to be in Krakow around 4PM so we make a quick telephone call to our hosts for the night before we head underground.
![New spa resort at Wieliczka Salt Mine New spa resort at Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-fdRXnG8/1/L/i-fdRXnG8-L.jpg)
The tour starts with stairs, lots of stairs! The tour takes us from 64m deep down to 135m with stops at different places so we get a good view on the grandeur of the place and the harsh conditions in which the miners had to work.
![Walking down to level 1 of the Wieliczka Salt Mine Walking down to level 1 of the Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-MXLKxVH/1/L/i-MXLKxVH-L.jpg)
Our guides tells us stories of legends related to the place and the history of the site.
![Copernicus, One of many salt carvings in the Wieliczka Salt Mine Copernicus, One of many salt carvings in the Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Df5T85L/1/L/i-Df5T85L-L.jpg)
![The pure salt is translucent The pure salt is translucent](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-K6NJVsq/1/L/i-K6NJVsq-L.jpg)
![Myth of the engagement ring of Saint Queen Jadwiga of Poland Myth of the engagement ring of Saint Queen Jadwiga of Poland](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-dWNLvkk/1/L/i-dWNLvkk-L.jpg)
![Salt cauliflowers on the walls Salt cauliflowers on the walls](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-kznDqS8/1/L/i-kznDqS8-L.jpg)
![A dangerous profession: burning pockets of methane gas in the mine A dangerous profession: burning pockets of methane gas in the mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-KBHW5Kf/1/L/i-KBHW5Kf-L.jpg)
![King Casimir the Great King Casimir the Great](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-fcksxF7/1/L/i-fcksxF7-L.jpg)
![The mine goes way down The mine goes way down](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-dWkxFMk/1/L/i-dWkxFMk-L.jpg)
![Human powered lift system Human powered lift system](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-9Qjq9KT/1/L/i-9Qjq9KT-L.jpg)
![Old stairs carved out of the salt rocks Old stairs carved out of the salt rocks](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-gQVBrwk/1/L/i-gQVBrwk-L.jpg)
![Piston driven water pump in the Wieliczka Salt Mine Piston driven water pump in the Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-b7dKWtD/1/L/i-b7dKWtD-L.jpg)
![Water drainage inside the mine Water drainage inside the mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-fW25z39/1/L/i-fW25z39-L.jpg)
![Gnome light show Gnome light show](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-FwvcKMR/1/L/i-FwvcKMR-L.jpg)
The tour ends in the bigest and most impressive of the numerous chapels underground.
![Salt crystal chandelier Salt crystal chandelier](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-NxxKt5M/1/L/i-NxxKt5M-L.jpg)
![Salt carving of the last supper Salt carving of the last supper](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Fpn6nj3/1/L/i-Fpn6nj3-L.jpg)
![Chapel inside Wieliczka Salt Mine Chapel inside Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZwVHdmL/1/L/i-ZwVHdmL-L.jpg)
![Escape from Bethlehem salt carving Escape from Bethlehem salt carving](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-xmLqWvk/1/L/i-xmLqWvk-L.jpg)
![Salt carving of the last supper Salt carving of the last supper](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-bSq5n8g/1/L/i-bSq5n8g-L.jpg)
![Salt mine chapel Salt mine chapel](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-9MKhC65/1/L/i-9MKhC65-L.jpg)
![Solid salt rock floor with tile pattern cut out Solid salt rock floor with tile pattern cut out](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-7jJQQjV/1/L/i-7jJQQjV-L.jpg)
![Special salt mine camo suit Special salt mine camo suit](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-JmjxGgZ/1/L/i-JmjxGgZ-L.jpg)
![Pope Jan Pawel II Pope Jan Pawel II](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-wTTVXjR/1/L/i-wTTVXjR-L.jpg)
![Lake inside the salt mine, created especially for the tourist visitors Lake inside the salt mine, created especially for the tourist visitors](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-LFbhXHb/1/L/i-LFbhXHb-L.jpg)
![Salt mine roof supports Salt mine roof supports](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-76CNMKW/1/L/i-76CNMKW-L.jpg)
![Salt mine roof supports Salt mine roof supports](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-jpQfFVp/1/L/i-jpQfFVp-L.jpg)
![Communist statue inside the Wieliczka Salt Mine Communist statue inside the Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-cCVN2VJ/1/L/i-cCVN2VJ-L.jpg)
![Checking out one of the many souvenir shops inside the mine Checking out one of the many souvenir shops inside the mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-tRwrrXb/1/L/i-tRwrrXb-L.jpg)
![Deadly boat ride inside the salt mine Deadly boat ride inside the salt mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-wLTCCZJ/1/L/i-wLTCCZJ-L.jpg)
![Unesco was here Unesco was here](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-cTwsT8F/1/L/i-cTwsT8F-L.jpg)
![Drill marks Drill marks](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-7TgKBG9/1/L/i-7TgKBG9-L.jpg)
![Level 3 of the Wieliczka Salt Mine Level 3 of the Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-gbqTcZp/1/L/i-gbqTcZp-L.jpg)
And then it goes up again…
![Taking the elevator back up to the surface Taking the elevator back up to the surface](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-vWtf9WX/1/L/i-vWtf9WX-L.jpg)
![Still 100m to go Still 100m to go](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-3G9hpzT/1/L/i-3G9hpzT-L.jpg)
When we get out, it’s still cloudy but dry. And so are we thanks to the warm dry air inside the mine.
![Wieliczka Salt Mine shaft Wieliczka Salt Mine shaft](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-QkSMmk3/1/L/i-QkSMmk3-L.jpg)
![One of the 2 main shafts at Wieliczka Salt Mine One of the 2 main shafts at Wieliczka Salt Mine](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-PzqZwdr/1/L/i-PzqZwdr-L.jpg)
We arrive exactly at 5PM at the appartment in Krakow. It’s our first AirBnB experience and we are just stunned! The owner is there to greet us. We park the bikes in the secure underground parking lot, he quickly shows us where everything is and then we have the place to ourselves. The appartment is just increadible!
We have a big living room.
![Appartment in Krakow Appartment in Krakow](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-bdK9Zzx/1/L/i-bdK9Zzx-L.jpg)
There is a fully equipped kitchen! Including dishwasher and a fridge that is already cold!
![Kitchen Kitchen](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-L4fcZZf/1/L/i-L4fcZZf-L.jpg)
2 bathrooms and a washing machine which we put to good use immediately.
![Large bathroom Large bathroom](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-CxkbW62/1/L/i-CxkbW62-L.jpg)
And a huge bedroom in the eaves with one of the best matrasses I ever slept on.
![Main bedroom Main bedroom](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-bpCwM2H/1/L/i-bpCwM2H-L.jpg)
We quickly head down to the supermarket for some dinner and we spend the rest of the evening on the couch enjoying the fast internet and sorting through the images.
![Day 14 - June 19 - Route Day 14 - June 19 - Route](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-tVjqXjC/1/L/i-tVjqXjC-L.png)
![Day 14 - June 19 - Elevation plot Day 14 - June 19 - Elevation plot](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-qV5D4hP/1/L/i-qV5D4hP-L.png)