Poland Day 4- Wieliczka Salt Mines and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska

On the 4th day, we left the house later than intended and headed to the Wieliczka Salt Mines. This mine is 1,073 feet deep and over 178 miles long. It's massive. The mine has been open since the 13th century producing table salt, but stopped production of table salt in 1996 because of the low cost of salt. It is on the UNSECO list of world heritage sites.

Info for anyone going: They do English tours every 30 minutes. There is a family ticket for 2 adults and 2 kids, so we had to buy an extra kid ticket. I think under 5 was free. No backpacks, but there is a luggage room. Plenty of parking available. The tour begins with you getting your own headpiece that the guide speaks in. The tour lasts 2 hours, and then there was also a museum available that was included in the price of the ticket. Because our day got started so late, and we were all getting tired, we skipped the museum.

The tour was amazing. You got to see different statues all made out of salt, walk through the mines like the miners, even along the tracks they used. There were 3 artificial lakes made for the tour, but they were cool. There was a small chapel we got to walk through. At this point, we learned there were 26 chapels total throughout the mines (Hello Catholic country!) Then we got to see the most beautiful of chapels that was huge and beautiful. My husband and the kids loved touching the walls and licking their fingers, and that's how we kept the 2 year old happy. It tasted just like you'd expect salt to taste.

An example of some of the statues and scenes in the mines

Some of the support beams within the mine. They were massive.

More statues... You could touch all of this and lick your fingers and taste the salt.

The mines

There was a very large church inside. It was all built out of salt and absolutely amazing.

The altar in the church. The chandelier is even made out of salt. 

Family in front of the salt altar.

In front of the salt statue of St. Pope John Paul II.

An amazing Last Supper picture carved into salt.

Mary in the chapel.

Afterwards, we ate lunch at the mine with some traditional Polish food that was yummy- Periogies, Cabbage leaf rolls, and bigos (sauerkraut with sausage). It was fun to try these foods! They also had a kids play area, so we let the kids play for 15 minutes, then headed out of the mine. I also purchased a few bath salts, foot scrub, and body scrub for super cheap.

By this point, it was already 4pm. We had wanted to visit Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, a Catholic shrine that sees tons of visitors each year. It is 8 miles from where St. Pope John Paul II grew up, and him and his father spent a lot of time here. He even went back many times as Pope to walk the paths and pray alone. I totally recommend this place for Catholics, especially with children. There is the main Basilica, and then tons of chapels all over the hill. Here is a map (notice you can move the map to see all of them) We walked to a few of the chapels,but not many since it was so late. It was incredibly peaceful and quiet, even with the kids. They loved running through the woods, trying to find the next chapel. It was nice to give them that freedom, while we walked along quietly meditating on God's creation and getting the chance to view some of the chapels. I can completely see why the Pope would sneak back here to walk and pray. Most of the chapels weren't open, but you could still peak in. We are unsure if they were closed because of the time of day/time of year or are always. We got back to the car, made sandwiches for dinner, and headed home.

The main Basilica.

Basilica from a different angle.

My baby girl and I in front of the church.

The girls taking a peaceful moment to teach their baby sister a prayer.

An example of one of the small chapels. They have outside amboes and the kids loved getting up in them.

Who is this handsome young man??

sweet sisters

Us girls with Saint Pope John Paul II. No doubt about it, Poland loves this great man.

Part of the beautiful grounds.

This is love.

If you missed the other posts, here they are:


Day 1: Reservations and Day 1
Day 2: Bastei Bridge
Day 3: Old Town, Krakow
Day 4: Salt Mines and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Day 5: Shindler's Factory and Shrine of Divine Mercy
Day 6: Auschwitz Memorial

Denial and little acceptance

Denial. It's not just a river in Egypt, that's for sure. This whole week has been a week of denial for me, and a week of trying to find acceptance, trying to find the belief that Jesus, I trust in you. And trying to put aside my selfishness.

On Monday, while sitting in the Atlanta airport, I called my husband for the first time in a week. I had been in Washington DC attending a Catholic military conference for women. We chatted, I made sure he remembered the housekeeper was coming in the morning, and I said "Oh, by the way, I can't wait to tell you my exciting news. During the discernment process at conference, I was discerned back in to the finance manager position and accepted. I'm really excited about how God will use me in this organization." Instead of electing or voting people in to leadership rolls, we go through a process where we meet together and let the Holy Spirit guide us to who He wants where and where they can best be served. It's a beautiful way of finding leadership, and very humbling and honoring.

So how does my husband respond? "Oh! That's great. Congrats. Well then, I have something to tell you too. We got our notice of assignment. We're going to Idaho." .... dead silence. I was speechless as I felt tears well up in my eyes. I had known that we had 1 spot in NJ and 3 spots in Idaho available, and I had prayed and prayed for NJ and asked everyone else to do the same. I really and truly thought we'd get NJ. NOT Idaho.

The town in Idaho is a super small town. Population 14,000. Now, I'll be honest, I grew up in a town of 13,000. But, everything I possibly needed was within 30 minutes still. Except my church. That was an hour away, and I hated that drive. I was never really a fan of the small town feel. When I moved to the city for college, and even further when I lived in Chicago for 3 months, I was so happy! I loved it! I clearly wasn't a small town girl. When we were first married, we lived in a town with population 40,000 and I really struggled there. In other words, population 14,000 sounds horrible. The town has an albertsons and Walmart. ::chirp chirp:: yeah. That's it. Everything else is an hour away to the big city. AN HOUR AWAY.... I know people from the west think that's nothing, but for ME, that's forever.

I had these big, grand dreams that we'd move back to the states and have easy access to Target and Cosco, that I'd finally get a Kohls card, and that we'd eat Chic Fila every other week and be a part of a Catholic co-op for homeschooling. I would be able to live a more civilian lifestyle where everything we did was not 100% with other military people, as it has been living here. And now, those dreams are shattered. In the words of my husband "I think this is going to be a humbling assignment."

Church...Aside from the base chapel, which I can find zero information about, other than someone telling me they had about 12 people including babies, there is one church in town. It's small. Someone told me "it's mostly older people, but they're really great if you let them get to know you." Uhh... Church has always been my source for friendships. I grew up in a church that sat 10,000 people. (Yes, it was a mega church!)... But that means almost the entire population of the city we're moving to could fit in my hometown church! I am not a small town girl. I don't do things small. I'm a go-big or go-home type girl. And I'm going to have to attend a small church. This breaks my heart and I'm really struggling with it.

There was a notice that if you're interested in connecting with other Catholic homeschoolers, contact the email. I did. There is no Catholic homeschool group. She and another lady tried to start something up, but nothing came of it, and that lady's son has graduated. She is however part of a Christian group. Which is fine, It just makes me nervous after meeting so many Christians that try to get Catholics 'saved'. I'll probably get involved there, but I'll miss celebrating the Feast Days with my Catholic friends and the times we enjoy after every Friday Mass together. And having so many Catholic girlfriends to talk about the struggles of NFP, kids pulling your veil off, other with lots of kids, which Mass are you attending on the Holy Day, etc. There's also no Catholic Women of the Chapel or Military Council of Catholic Women.  And no, I'm not in a place to start one up.

Then housing... We are given a VERY small basic housing allowance while stationed there. So small, that Militarybyowner.com had none in our price range. A few other websites have one or two that are apartments, or else 2 bedrooms, or around 1200 sq ft. Since we homeschool, 1200 sq ft would be VERY difficult. We felt cramped in our on-base apartment, which was bigger than 1200 sq ft. So then we're left considering buying, which is difficult in the time of year we're moving and nerve-wracking knowing we might be leaving in 3 years. Or we're left with choosing base housing. Please Lord, don't send us there! Been there, done that, NOT something we want to do again.

Then medical. With my high-risk pregnancies, I'd have to drive an hour to the city for OB care if we get pregnant again. Plus I'll have to drive that far for my diabetes care. Have I ever mentioned I hate driving? And I just don't feel comfortable having to drive that far alone while very pregnant.

Deployments. My husband will be gone for 6 months, get home, then a year later deploy for another 6 months, home for a year, then another 6 months the entire time we're there. He's done 6 deployments in his 14 year career already. He'll be up to 8 at least by the time we leave.

I've tried to find the positive. I've asked what people love about it. There's never traffic. Ok, that barely bothers me, and CO barely ever had traffic. So, not enough for me. It's quiet. Well, unless you live on base, then you hear the planes. Yeah, no to both of those. On base, you know all your neighbors. Yeah, thanks but no thanks. I like knowing one or two, but I don't want to know everyone. The military is so small and gossipy. I really don't want to do that any more. I like having a full 6 degrees of separation, not just 3. It's beautiful and there's so many nature things to visit 'close by'. I couldn't care less about nature and science. Like, I abhor science. In other words, I seriously can't find anything positive. I was finally looking forward to leaving Germany, and now I'll be leaving kicking and screaming and crying.

So all of this said, I'm really struggling. Yesterday I was at a point where I thought Mary rode on a donkey pregnant to a town she did not want to go to... Then they had to flee to Egypt and I'm sure they didn't want to go to Egypt. And Jesus had to go in to Jerusalem and I'm sure He didn't want to go, knowing what was waiting for him. So I can do this. Then today, while sitting at our rather large parish, I thought about the small church and just lost it.

There's still a very small chance that it could change due to my diabetes, but it's pretty doubtful. The hour drive seems to be no big deal to most people. So we wait, and try to rush the medical stuff as fast as possible and see what they say.

The whole point of this post is really just a way for me to vent and get it all out at once. Please don't try to offer words of encouragement about how you're sure i'll come to love it, you've heard people love it, it's really not that bad driving an hour, or that sort of thing, because there aren't many things that can change my feelings and attitude. I wish I could just 'let it go' and leave it to God. But I'm really struggling with that right now. The unknown causes me so much anxiety, and this seems to be the worst ever for me. I think I was less nervous about Germany than I am about middle-of-no-where Idaho. Prayers are welcome though as I try to deal with my fears and knowing it's the complete opposite of everything I imagined.

Poland Day 3- Old Town, Krakow

Day 3- Polish love color and it's very evident in their churches and pottery. We did not take pictures inside of the churches, as it wasn't allowed, but I did include some links to beautiful images I found online.

First we walked through the gate, then through the Cloth Hall. Nothing too exciting even though this is aparently a very popular destination. Lots of stalls of vendors selling junk we didn't need or want.
St. Francis Basillia (?)  Included a 10 min audio guide for free that was really well done and told a lot about the church. The kids all got one as well, and really enjoyed it and it helped them. This church was beautiful. No pictures inside, but you can see an image of how colorful and gorgeous it is here. Then we got to go to adoration with the exposed Blessed Sacrament.

Then we went to St. Mary's in the square. Walked in and Mass was still going on. Therefore, we went to Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. Then we went back to St. Mary's. There's an entrance to the church to pray, then there's an entrance for tourists who have to pay. We went in to pray. We got to walk through Holy Doors while here. During the year of Mercy, if you walk through Holy Doors, say the Creed, think about the Lord's Mercy, pray for the Pope's intentions, and receive the Eucharist, you get a plenary indulgence. We were able to do all but receive Communion. This Church was beautiful from what we could see. We stayed in the prayer area and prayed and looked around while praying. We weren't that interested in paying to see the rest. We also got to go to adoration here. There is a famous altar piece that is beautiful and I believe was lost/stolen during WWII, but we did not pay to go see it up close. Again, as you can tell, lots of color.

Afterwards, we sat in the square for a while and heard the trumpeteer of Krakow. Legend has it that the firemen would climb the tower and blow the bugle to sound a fire alarm, or if an enemy was attacking. Once, when the city was under attack, a man sounded the alarm, and was either shot by an arrow, or had his throat slit mid-melody. So to this day, they stop in the middle of the tune.  The kids loved listening to it. It plays in each direction.

Then we headed to Wawel castle, with a stop in St. Peter's and St. Paul's. We got to pray in the Blessed Sacrament chapel while here. As we were exiting, they had some very graphic anti-abortion pictures. We ended up having a long discussion about abortion. We weren't exactly ready, but it opened up the door.

We finally arrived at Wawel Castle. We were too late to visit the treasury and other things (That are free on Monday, but only until 1pm), but we were fine with this. We then went in Wawel Cathedral, where yet again, we got to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. It was just after 3pm, the time of our Lord's Death, so we lead the kids in a decade of the Divine Mercy Chaplet (Their attention spans were done at this point in the day, and we were lucky to get one decade!) We could have paid to see the crypt and bell tower, but we decided not to. We later regretted this when we found out John Paul II said his first mass in the crypt. We also could have paid for an audio guide, but realized it after the fact. I love audio guides, so was a bit disappointed. Truth is, by this point in the day, we were pretty tired and warn out.

Afterwards, we walked out of the castle and down to the Vistula (the river). There is a legend of a dragon in the dragon's cave that Hannah knew all about and wanted to tell us about, so we went down to find the cave. It was closed up, but there were some awesome rocks to climb. The kids spent a good 45 min climbing them and having a blast, while I sat with our stuff and people-watched. Then we headed back, grabbing ice cream on our walk to keep the kids walking without complaining. Eggy burritos for dinner with discussion of concentration camps, Oscar Shindler, and how everyone is important and God made everyone for a reason (The kids' conclusion after discussing more about the camps). Then baths and bed for exhausted kids.

A daddy and his girls

The Cloth House in the background

St. Mary's Basilica. The tower on the left is where the trumpeteer still plays every hour.

Wawel Castle

How Beka rolls on vacation.

Wawel Cathedral. So many different styles for one church!

Yes, she just had surgery two weeks ago. She looks so grown up with the side ponytail!

Our family with St. Pope John Paul II

Climbing on the rocks of the cave of the fire-breathing dragon

It breathes fire about every 5 minutes. 

Day 1: Reservations and Day 1
Day 2: Bastei Bridge
Day 3: Old Town, Krakow
Day 4: Salt Mines and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Day 5: Shindler's Factory and Shrine of Divine Mercy
Day 6: Auschwitz Memorial

Poland-Day 2 Bastei Bridge

Day 2- We left Dresden, and went to the Bastei Bridge- a rock formation that towers 194m over the Elbe River. There was a bridge built in 1824 to link all the rocks together. It was about an hour from Dresden, then Krakow was 5 hours from there. We had all intentions of just seeing the bridge, then leaving, and making it to the 7pm Mass at the Shrine of Divine Mercy for the Divine Mercy Mass (It was Divine Mercy Sunday). However, we had gone to Mass the night before in Dresden just in case we didn't make it. This was wise, as the bridge was so amazing we spent longer than we thought, and did not make the mass.

We all LOVED the bridge and rock formation. It was a great start to the day, taking a good 3 hours walking through the rocks. The rock formations are breathtaking. It is said that it use to all be under a large sea bed and this is what is left behind. The other great thing was that it gave all of us something "fun" to do for the day instead of 5 hours of driving, and it made the kids a bit tired for the 5 hour drive. After visiting the rocks, we got some ice cream for the kids, a coffee for Jon and a cake (due to low sugars) for Aimee.

We were able to make the long drive to Krakow with only one stop to stretch legs and use the bathroom. We found our apartment and parking, which was a struggle to some degree. I said in my last post it was not a place I would recommend. We made the reservation through booking.com. I normally have great experience through the rentals. This one said all children 6 and under stay free. When I entered our numbers, booking charged me for the two under six, so I booked for 4 and immediately sent the owner a message verifying that we had 6, and was this ok. He said not a problem, let him know a few days in advance. I let him know 5 days in advance, then again 2 days in advance when I heard no reply. He replied to that message telling me parking was available. Also, it said that our card would be charged prior to arrival, and the fee of parking was included in the total.

When we checked in, he had his friend show us the apartment. NOT what we were expecting. There was a bed made up, and blankets laying out for another. He said they did not know we were a party of 6, so only had 4 pillows. We said that was fine, as we brought our own. After he left, we realized there was a set of sheets for one pull out couch, but those sheets 1- did not fit that couch, and 2- there was none for the other couch. We made due, using duvet covers to cover the beds, and the duvets as blankets themselves. When we pulled one of the couches out, it was so incredibly gross I about gagged. They had three gross mattress in a balcony area that we used one of to make the nasty, sagging couch a bit better. There was also only 4 bath towels and 1 kitchen towel for our 5 night stay. I put fresh socks on one morning, and by the time we left, the bottom of my feet were b;ack. The rug was covered in spots. The apartment had the potential to be really nice, but they didn't try very hard. Broken pieces were just laying in corners. Good thing was it was super cheap (you get what you pay for!) and it was super close to the downtown area. Also, we were asked for cash when we arrived. Thankfully I had read a review from 3 days before we left that said they expected cash and didn't charge the card like it said, so I was prepared. Parking was in a guarded lot a block away, and we had to pay them, so it was not part of the rent. The apartment met our needs, but I was very excited to go to our next hotel that was spotless and clean.

Day 1: Reservations and Day 1
Day 2: Bastei Bridge
Day 3: Old Town, Krakow
Day 4: Salt Mines and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Day 5: Shindler's Factory and Shrine of Divine Mercy
Day 6: Auschwitz Memorial

The bridge that was built in 1824 from the other side of the rocks.

From the bridge looking down at the rocks you can walk through.

Looking how far down it goes.

Stretching their legs at the rest stop.

Poland-Reservations and Day 1

Knowing that our time in Germany and Europe is ending pretty soon, I set out in January to plan one trip we'd been wanting to make-Poland. I wanted to get to Krakow before World Youth Day, so I planned for April. I knew it'd be rough, because I had a personal trip planned for the end of April, but we went for it anyway.

Things we did before we left-made reservations at Auschwitz and at Shindler's Factory, an apartment in Krakow, and hotels in Dresden and Boleslawiec. I will not share the Krakow apartment, as I would not recommend it. But I will share hotels.

Dresden apartment was wonderful. Easy parking behind the hotel that was suppose to be €6, but we were not charged. It had an optional kitchen, but we did not know this when we booked the hotel. Their website does have information about it though. We had this booked for 5, and asked for a cot for the 2yo. There wasn't a cot, but the bed was plenty big for the 3 girls to share, and our son had a single bed alone. There was also a couch that looked like it could fold out. Apparently breakfast may have been included, but again, did not know this, so we had cereal in our room for breakfast.

The Boleslawiec hotel, Hotel Ambasada, was a fancy hotel with a huge super king bed, and 4 single beds. We really enjoyed it. It included a nice huge breakfast.

Important things we packed, that I'm sharing because it's good info if you stay in apartments-kitchen scrubbies and soap, kitchen towels and washcloths (because they always seem to give ONE kitchen towel for you to use all week!) and a few regular washcloths because Europeans don't use them apparently. I wish we had packed a few extra blankets and towels, as our apartment was crap and lacked on linens (not even really enough for the beds, but we made do) and only gave us 4 towels for 5 days. Note to self, you get what you pay for. I don't recommend the apartment where we stayed.

Day 1-We got on the road by 10am, which was my goal. We drove to Dresden and checked in to our hotel. It had great parking behind the building and was very nice and cozy. The ONLY complaint was there was no coffee in the room. :) We drove in to the downtown area, parked in a garage and attended Mass in the Cathedral in Dresden. It was Divine Mercy Sunday, the day that 8 years ago, I entered the church. Mass was in German, but we understood enough of it to follow along. Jon had downloaded the readings on his ipod, so we all shared the ipod to know what the readings were. Afterwards, we walked around until we found somewhere to eat dinner- an american style restaurant called "Alex". It was decent, but took forever and our food was not made the way we ordered, We left after 9pm to head back and get some sleep for the next day of driving.

We did not get to see much of Dresden, but what we did see was very beautiful. If we have the chance, I would love to go back and see more of it, and would easily stay in the same hotel.

Here are all of the other blog posts:

Day 2: Bastei Bridge
Day 3: Old Town, Krakow
Day 4: Salt Mines and Kalwaria Zebrzydowska
Day 5: Shindler's Factory and Shrine of Divine Mercy
Day 6: Auschwitz Memorial

This Year's Homeschooling Journey

This year, I have really struggled with homeschooling. I haven't found the passion I use to have. I've felt overwhelmed, tired, burnt out. It has been all school year that I have felt like this. Many people I know have put their kids in school this year. That has been hard for me as well. Yet, I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we were not suppose to be doing that. I knew God had called us to homeschool, and He wasn't calling us away, just because He was calling others away. My husband so kindly reminded me that many people don't always like their jobs (in an office, etc), and I tried to find some solace in that.

I tried (That's the operative word here) to give up complaining for Lent. Ok, let's be honest. I tried to complain less for Lent. In doing so, I've really tried hard not to complain about homeschooling, or the 2yo that creates complete mayhem throughout our school day. And you know what has happened? My heart is shifting again.

I'm realizing the reasons I do love homeschooling. Like hearing H read to the toddler today. Or coming down stairs at 7:45 to find the older two are almost completely done with their individual work, and we can actually attend Mass at lunch time on a Tuesday. Or listening to them take in where Lebanon, Syria and Palestine are on a map, because that's where the Canaanites came from. Or jumping for joy because one finished Dr. Doolittle and another read Sarah Plain and Tall in one day. Or when I walk in to the living room like I did last week, and find everyone together, as they tell me "We're doing our school work". Like a picnic.

God has shown me this Lent why He has called me here, and I am where I belong. 

I think some other things have helped as well. I found out I had severely low Vitamin D, and got that taken care of. Hello Germany and the land of no sun! 

I also took on a position for an organization that I am very fond of. This organization has me working many hours doing what I love-administration work. It feels like a 'job' that I am able to do from home, while homeschooling, and it gives me that purpose that I felt I was missing. It's funny, because when approached about the job, I was very unsure, but I had a peace, I felt God was saying "If I've called you, I will make a way." And He has, and it has been one of the biggest blessings in my life this past year. 

You know the verse in Ruth 1:16 "But Ruth said, 'Do not press me to leave you and to stop going with you, for wherever you go, I shall go, wherever you live, I shall live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God." She was talking to Naomi, who had a different God than her, but she was a dedicated friend to Naomi. I was reading "You Can Understand the Bible" last night and it said "Like Mary, Ruth was a kind of co-redeemer... Ruth's bond...expresses the same state of soul, the same essential core of the spiritual life, the same secret of sanctity, as Mary's fiat "Be it done unto me according to thy word." Both of these should be my prayer. Whatever God wants of me, let it be done. Even if that means homeschooling. I am so thankful and glad that He has helped me find the joy in homeschooling again, and that I am noticing more of the little reasons that I know this is where I'm suppose to be. It's still a struggle at times, but I"m definitely in a better place.