Krakow - Nuns, Vodka, Flowers and Tonsilitis

Tee hee.... I went to type in a Title into this blog entry, and it was auto-filled with what some other person using this computer typed in before me... so I thought I'd keep it. Makes for an intriguing juxtaposition of images... nuns, vodka, flowers and tonsilitis... what on earth was this person doing?!

My impressions so far are a little different. My string of words would be: "Corpses, cobblestones, castles and computers". Why?

Corpses
One of the attractions of Krakow is the Church of the Reformed Christ (strange name for a church, eh?), which besides being stunning inside, with its vaulted roof painted with stars and clouds, also has a crypt where dead monks were laid in state. What is absolutely fascinating about this is that for some unexplained reason, instead of decomposing, they mummified themselves! The proposed reason is that the crypt has its own microatmosphere which has kept the bodies from rotting. Tanya and I were curious, so went to have a look, but found the crypt locked. Luckily, a small group of Polish people were also waiting and managed to communicate to us that a monk would soon take them personally down into the crypt. So we waited, and aren't we glad we did! We eventually had a small private guided tour by a monk in a brown tunic (yes, that still wear them!) into a dark vaulted underground crypt with piles of coffins, and a few open ones, where yes indeed, lay corpses, out in the open, there for me to touch if I wanted! They still had skin, albeit black and flakey, and teeth, and fully formed hands. It was the most eerie and intriguing thing I've seen! Wandering about seeing corpses out in the open, that are 500 years old... crazy! Once we finished, the crypt was locked and we left - it was pure chance we were able to see this amazing sight!

Cobblestones
Speaks for itself really - Krakow is a beautiful old city and full of darling cobblestones streets and ancient ornate facades. Its just stunning. Everything you have heard about Krakow is true - its spell-binding.

Castles
This is my favourite story about Krakow so far. As legend has it, the Hindu god Shiva cast to earth seven stones of spiritual power, akin to the chakras in our bodies. They landed in seven places in the world, and bestowed these places with spiritual and restorative powers. One of these places is the north-east corner of the courtyard within the Wawel Castle in Krakow! People supposedly come here and rub their backs to the wall, hoping to glean some of its enlivening powers. However, our tour guide this morning said that some workers restoring the castle accidentally found the stone, and unaware of its legendary status, cast it away casually, lost forever...

Computers
I have been in Krakow a little over 24 hours, and have spent over 6 hours in front of a computer. Why? Because I am the worlds biggest faffer. I faff - as anyone waiting for me to get ready will attest. I have been trying to decide on my Africa itinerary, and have researched so exensively I can tell you the itineraries of every tour offered by every carrier, and have not been able to reach a decision. I decided I would make a decision yesterday, but faffed and researched more... after my first 3 hour stint, I left for dinner in a huff with myself, and said I would wait for a sign... should I do the Geckos tour or the African Travel Company tour? At dinner in the hostel, there were people talking, and I overheard one guy say "Oh, Jane is going to Africa for a safari, isn't that cool!", so I interjected and asked Jane (I'm making up her name): "Oh, who are you going with?". She responded: "With Geckos". I burst out laughing! There was my sign - thank you Powers that Be. So I went down to the Internet Cafe and finalised my entire 2 month itinerary in Africa. A lot of computer time, but a huge sense of satisfaction and closure at the end of it!

Now, surely that is more interesting that Nuns, Vodka, Flowers and Tonsilitis??!