Wieliczka Salt Mine - Side Trip from Krakow

We are taking part of one day to travel outside of Krakow to visit the Wieliczka salt mine. The mine reaches a depth of 1,073 ft and is over 178 miles long - luckily the touring route is only 2.2 miles. I am reminded that the walk is less than 2% of the mine's total length of passages. The rock salt is naturally gray in various shades, resembling unpolished granite rather than the white or crystalline making it perfect for carving. The Wieliczka mine is known as "the Underground Salt Cathedral of Poland" because of the sculptures and chapels carved out of salt. In 1978 it was placed on the original UNESCO list of the World Heritage Sites - a must stop for me on visits. I hear that even the crystals of the chandeliers are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a clear, glass-like appearance. Pretty cool!