Trip Journal Part 3: Kracow Continued...

This is a long post, as it continues my journal of Krakow, Poland. If you are not interested in my personal thoughts on the city and are looking for a recipe, scroll down to the bottom where there is a Hungarian recipe, Haluska, as a preamble to the next posting about Budapest.

Our last day in Krakow was another busy day. Our departure Sunday morning led the group ten miles southeast of Kracow to the Wieliczka Salt Mine,a mine that began producing salt in the 11th century and was a functioning mine until 1996. Underground passageways and chambers cover over 150 miles, but don’t worry – we didn’t walk the whole mine. Our tour began in a very small, dark, and somewhat ominous elevator which took us to the first underground level. From there, our guide walked us through the history of the mine... and down more than 400 stairs and 450 feet below the surface (not always thrilling for those of us who fear heights). How the workers were productive in such surroundings is unbelievable, especially after being told the majority of the workers’ days were spent underground.

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We walked on the salt floors, some salt stairs, and through salt hallways, all of which were supported by wooden beams (metal would rust). Figures, scenes, exhibitions, monuments, and even giant chandeliers made of salt whispered the stories of the miners’ realities over the centuries. The stunning chandeliers, in the Chapel of St. Kinga, illuminate the 3-D wall carvings that the depicted biblical scenes, including the Last Supper, reminding us of the spirituality of Poland’s residents.

After the Salt Mines and a short lunch break, we headed to Kazimier – the location of The Jewish Quarter, Galicia Museum, Remu Synagogue, and Schindler’s Factory. Kazimier, about 20 minutes from Kracow, is the historic center of Kracow’s Jewish community. Once an autonomous community with its own Town Hall, Market Square, and city walls, Kazimier’s walls came down in the 1800s making it part of Kracow. Sixty-five thousand Jews lived in Kracow, mostly in Kazimier, when WWII began. Once the Nazis arrived, most of the Kazimier Jewish community was sent to a Ghetto in Lunlin, an Eastern City in Poland. Thanks to Stephen Spielberg and the making of Schindler’s List, Kazimier has seen a bit of rebirth. Although there is not a very large Jewish presence, traditions are seen with the synagogues, restaurants, and hotels. (Ariel was the first Jewish restaurant to open back up in the square.)

Schindler's Factory Entrance

On the far edge of the Quarter square, The Remu Synagogue sits as a reminder of once was and is a holy place to which visitors frequently travel. The old Jewish cemetery next to the synagogue, Mentaz, is from 1552-1800, and once showed extreme depreciation after the start of a new cemetery. It was restored in the 50s, yet many of the broken tombstones were unidentifiable. Therefore, a stunning mosaic wall was erected.

In the cemetery, behind the synagogue, is the location of Moses Isserles’s (Rabi Remúh) grave, in which its Hebrew inscription reads : “No greater Moses has ever been born since Moses’ time, up until Moses’ time”.

Isserleso ben Joseph, grandson of Moses Auerbach (an émigré from Ratisbone) built the synagogue, after King Sigismund II Augustus’ consent. The synagogue was for the King’s son Moses Isserles, nicknamed Remu, the Rabbi of Kracow (who died in 1572).

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Tomorrow....Budapest....so here's a Hungarian dish (with an idea for leftovers).

Or, check out my other trip posts! Warsaw, Kracow (1), Budapest, Vienna, Prague, and my final thoughts...Café Demel.

Haluska

Cabbage and Noodles

For 2

½ stick of butter
1 small (or ½ large) onion, peeled & cut in strips
½ small head of cabbage, cut into strips
½ tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
2 cups egg noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup of sour cream

For a Family

1 stick of butter
1 large onion peeled and cut in strips
1 small head of cabbage OR 1/2 large head of cabbage, cut into strips
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 box or bag of large egg noodles, cooked and drained
1 pint of sour cream

Melt the butter in a large pan or pot, large enough to hold the chopped cabbage. Sauté the cabbage and the onion in the butter until glossy and tender. Now add the salt, pepper. Cover and let the cabbage mixture cook over low heat for about 15 minutes. Add cooked drained egg noodles and mix. Add salt to taste. Serve with bowl of sour cream (I left this out part).

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Have leftovers? I mixed the Haluska with 4 eggs, topped it with a shredded Mid Cheddar/Monterey Jack mix, and baked it at 350 degrees for 1 hour. While the casserole was baking, I also roasted some plum tomatoes. Yum!