Kraków: July 2 - July 3
Thursday July 2, 2009
- Wawel Cathedral
The day begins with a guided sightseeing tour of the ancient capital of Poland, a royal city on a limestone hill on whose peak rises a splendid royal palace and the Cathedral of St. Stanislaw and St. Waclaw. Start with the Royal Castle and Cathedral on the Wawel Hill, remodeled according to the Renaissance taste in the 16th century. Afterwards, drive to the Old Town and Main Market Square with magnificent houses and palaces. In the middle of the square is the Cloth Hall, built around 1350 and later altered in the 16th century with numerous shopping opportunities. Evening concert as part of the American Celebration of Music in Poland.
- Underground Salt Mine
Friday July 3, 2009
Excursion to Wieliczka to see the underground world of the oldest salt mine in Europe. Admire the gorgeous underground world of salt lakes, galleries and chapels created by many generations of Polish miners. Afternoon transfer to Wroclaw by way of Auschwitz to take a tour of the infamous Nazi camp. The death camp at Oswiecim, known as Konzentrationslager Auschwitz, was the largest Nazi death factory where over four million people perished. Of the millions of people brought there between 1940 and 1944 only 60 to 70 thousand utterly emaciated victims were alive at the time of the camp’s liberation. Continue to Wroclaw for dinner and overnight.