April Fool's Day is not celebrated in Krakow. Or perhaps it was just not this year. Things were really sombre. Let me explain...
By now, most of you (the world) has heard of Pope John Paul II's illness and declining health. Before he was the pope, he was Father Karol to many people in Krakow and then Archbishop Karol for all of Krakow. Needless to say, he was Polish before he was pope and his heart belonged not just to Poland but more specifically to the city of Krakow.
We (Richard/Kat and our friends Alice and Douglas) decided to see the sights of Krakow itself rather than the environs. We started off climbing up Wawel Castle (remember that in Polish, W's are pronounced as V's as in Victory). This castle (and the hill it sits upon) is the site of some of the most extraordinary views, sights and feelings/emotions in all of Krakow. (In my opinion anyway).
Wawel Cathedral sits within the castle walls. It's a beautiful cathedral that has been expanded over many centuries. So many important Poles have been buried there. In particular, just about every Archbishop of Krakow has been entombed within the Cathedral. Not just buried but each one is given a chapel. And if you look at the cathedral from the outside, you can see that each new chapel is appended to the main building. It's very obvious since the building materials differ. Also within the Cathedral are the relics of at least two saints. Most notably, the patron saint of Poland - St. Stanislav. His relics hold the place of highest honor (middle of the sanctuary). You could actually feel an almost electric feeling in this place. Something was going on within these walls. If only they could speak.
We the ascended up to the bell tower. It is said that touching the largest bell's "ringer" is a sign of good luck. (DONE - pic to prove it). Hope the luck will show itself soon. :) Then, we descended to the main sanctuary and then into the catacombs under the cathedral where even more past famous Poles now reside. Since I've mentioned that the religious figure prominently in the sanctuary itself, you can imagine that the catacombs are for the non-religious. Many are from the monarchy and those that have done great things for Poland (like fighting the Communist onslaught).
On to the treasury and armory museum in the castle. Richard wanted to see some swords so we had to indulge him but then again, Alice and I wanted to see some of the fine gold pieces. It's quite a sizable collection of gold and other "treasures". The number of gold tankards (yes BEER tankards) was amazing - and the sheer size of them. The Poles must have always loved their drink. I just hope they were in fact drinking beer and not vodka - that could have been REALLY disasterous. Funky swords and canons and guns OH MY!
Next on our list (well at least Alice and my lists) was to find the Wawel Chakra Stone. It's one of the 7 chakras (or spiritual energy points) in the world and in every living being. It's between the Cathedral and the courtyard so you can't see or get near it. It's supposed to give you a sense of inner peace and balance. Douglas and Richard were not into it so they just moved along. Alice and I did as the guidebooks mentioned and touched the wall closest to it. Perhaps that is what I was feeling within the cathedral along with the other spiritual forces within the walls of the holy house?
Lastly at Wawel, we visited the Dragon's lair. There are good legends about how a dragon lived under Wawel Castle. By the size of the limestone caverns we saw, it's plausible. :) You actually come out at the bottom of the hill next to the river so if you are planning on visiting the lair, leave it until the end. That way you don't have to climb back up!
On our way back to the centre of the city, we walked along the river for a bit and then through the greenery zone called the Planty that surrounds the entire central city. We heard beautiful music being sung. Gregorian Chant. So we followed the sound and ended up behind the Franciscan church. Behind you say? Yes. Behind. It was time for the afternoon Angelus prayers and all of the citizens were not facing the church but the building across the street. It's where the pope resided (as archbishop) before he moved to Rome. It was a solemn prayer vigil. News crews everywhere. I think our sneakers were taped for CNN or BBC or something... If you saw a couple of pairs of New Balance shoes in the news in reports about Krakow, it wasus. :)
For dinner that evening, we went to a French restaurant. The name escapes me. I will edit the post when I find it. The food was wonderful. Very french. But what was even more divine was the conversation between the 4 of us. With the decline of the Pope's health, we talked spirituality, religion, morality, and ethics. For HOURS! What is even more amazing is that only Alice and I are Catholic. That didn't stop Richard and Douglas from being VERY active participants (and in fact leading) in the conversations. One thing that came out of our discussion is that there is a real need for more of these types of non-judgemental open and frank discussions closer to home. Would anyone else be interested? Just a dinner once a month or something? Feel free to add a comment to this post if you are or for any other reason of course. It was amazing how invigorated I felt about my faith and my life after that evening.
Thank you so much Douglas and Alice for another absolutely amazing day in Poland! And of course my dearest Richard for sharing it all with me!
Tomorrow is the big day. Matthew's wedding to Marysia!
By now, most of you (the world) has heard of Pope John Paul II's illness and declining health. Before he was the pope, he was Father Karol to many people in Krakow and then Archbishop Karol for all of Krakow. Needless to say, he was Polish before he was pope and his heart belonged not just to Poland but more specifically to the city of Krakow.
We (Richard/Kat and our friends Alice and Douglas) decided to see the sights of Krakow itself rather than the environs. We started off climbing up Wawel Castle (remember that in Polish, W's are pronounced as V's as in Victory). This castle (and the hill it sits upon) is the site of some of the most extraordinary views, sights and feelings/emotions in all of Krakow. (In my opinion anyway).
Wawel Cathedral sits within the castle walls. It's a beautiful cathedral that has been expanded over many centuries. So many important Poles have been buried there. In particular, just about every Archbishop of Krakow has been entombed within the Cathedral. Not just buried but each one is given a chapel. And if you look at the cathedral from the outside, you can see that each new chapel is appended to the main building. It's very obvious since the building materials differ. Also within the Cathedral are the relics of at least two saints. Most notably, the patron saint of Poland - St. Stanislav. His relics hold the place of highest honor (middle of the sanctuary). You could actually feel an almost electric feeling in this place. Something was going on within these walls. If only they could speak.
We the ascended up to the bell tower. It is said that touching the largest bell's "ringer" is a sign of good luck. (DONE - pic to prove it). Hope the luck will show itself soon. :) Then, we descended to the main sanctuary and then into the catacombs under the cathedral where even more past famous Poles now reside. Since I've mentioned that the religious figure prominently in the sanctuary itself, you can imagine that the catacombs are for the non-religious. Many are from the monarchy and those that have done great things for Poland (like fighting the Communist onslaught).
On to the treasury and armory museum in the castle. Richard wanted to see some swords so we had to indulge him but then again, Alice and I wanted to see some of the fine gold pieces. It's quite a sizable collection of gold and other "treasures". The number of gold tankards (yes BEER tankards) was amazing - and the sheer size of them. The Poles must have always loved their drink. I just hope they were in fact drinking beer and not vodka - that could have been REALLY disasterous. Funky swords and canons and guns OH MY!
Next on our list (well at least Alice and my lists) was to find the Wawel Chakra Stone. It's one of the 7 chakras (or spiritual energy points) in the world and in every living being. It's between the Cathedral and the courtyard so you can't see or get near it. It's supposed to give you a sense of inner peace and balance. Douglas and Richard were not into it so they just moved along. Alice and I did as the guidebooks mentioned and touched the wall closest to it. Perhaps that is what I was feeling within the cathedral along with the other spiritual forces within the walls of the holy house?
Lastly at Wawel, we visited the Dragon's lair. There are good legends about how a dragon lived under Wawel Castle. By the size of the limestone caverns we saw, it's plausible. :) You actually come out at the bottom of the hill next to the river so if you are planning on visiting the lair, leave it until the end. That way you don't have to climb back up!
On our way back to the centre of the city, we walked along the river for a bit and then through the greenery zone called the Planty that surrounds the entire central city. We heard beautiful music being sung. Gregorian Chant. So we followed the sound and ended up behind the Franciscan church. Behind you say? Yes. Behind. It was time for the afternoon Angelus prayers and all of the citizens were not facing the church but the building across the street. It's where the pope resided (as archbishop) before he moved to Rome. It was a solemn prayer vigil. News crews everywhere. I think our sneakers were taped for CNN or BBC or something... If you saw a couple of pairs of New Balance shoes in the news in reports about Krakow, it was
For dinner that evening, we went to a French restaurant. The name escapes me. I will edit the post when I find it. The food was wonderful. Very french. But what was even more divine was the conversation between the 4 of us. With the decline of the Pope's health, we talked spirituality, religion, morality, and ethics. For HOURS! What is even more amazing is that only Alice and I are Catholic. That didn't stop Richard and Douglas from being VERY active participants (and in fact leading) in the conversations. One thing that came out of our discussion is that there is a real need for more of these types of non-judgemental open and frank discussions closer to home. Would anyone else be interested? Just a dinner once a month or something? Feel free to add a comment to this post if you are or for any other reason of course. It was amazing how invigorated I felt about my faith and my life after that evening.
Thank you so much Douglas and Alice for another absolutely amazing day in Poland! And of course my dearest Richard for sharing it all with me!
Tomorrow is the big day. Matthew's wedding to Marysia!
1 comment:
What an interestin time to be in Poland. And the castle sounds amazing!
-Rick
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