Poland Blog 4

Today we emersed ourselves in the culture of Poland.  We went on a tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine, a UNESCO site.  The mines began 700 years ago and was considered an excellent place to work at the time.  The workers earned good money and the air in a salt mine is good for your health.

We began by going down around 800 stairs/steps.  Almost everything we saw as salt – some of it had debris in it to make it different colors.  And it was incredible how the sculptures, cathedrals, and chandeliers were all made from salt.  The picture of Pastor Adam, LaVon, Pastor Adrian, and Agata (our 2 amazing hosts) is taken in the largest cathedral where 3 different miners came to sculpt in their free time. Weddings are being held there still today.  Pastor Adam reminded us of Matthew 5:13-16 – that we are called to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.  And when we do that, we are one step closer to preventing things like what we saw yesterday.

After the salt mine, we had a traditional Polish sandwich at Zapiekanki and then headed to the Museum Obwarzanka.  There we learned how to make this official Krakow bread.  It’s similar to a pretzel & bagel, but they cook it on a grill.  Everyone did so well, we received a Certificate of Competency.  I’d encourage you to ask your student to make you one at home, but for them to be authentic, they must be made in Krakow.

This afternoon, the group headed to the Wawel Castle (and took the train to get there because most are pretty tired of walking 😉), sat near the bank of the Vistula River, and are headed to a Polish restaurant this evening.

Tomorrow, we head to Warsaw. Once we are settled, we’ll take a tour of the space where we will lead youth, children, men, women, and (Adam will speak to) the large group for Renewal Days (their annual revival).  We’ve loved learning about and experiencing the Polish culture in preparation for our time together in Warsaw.

PS – at the salt mine, they encouraged us to lick the walls… and never fear… Braxton was happy to give it a go… several times.  I think we’ll need to add, “don’t lick walls” into our training now.  (and in case you were wondering, yes, it was salty)