St Edmund's
The cast for this years production ‘Remember’ are currently away in Krakow, Poland. Check back here and on social media to follow their journey leading up to the production.
DAY 2 – You can lick the walls but please don’t lick our King!
After a hearty breakfast and a good night’s sleep, it was time to board our coach and head for the Wieliczka Salt Mine, active since the Middle Ages and one of the first sites to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
We descended 135 metres underground to explore walkways and ramps, magnificent chambers, lakes and breathtaking art, sculptured throughout many centuries of laborious salt mining. At the heart of it lies the Chapel of St. Kinga; with its salt Crystal chandeliers, a salt floor polished like marble, and its religious sculptures carved by just three men taking turns, it is a truly atmospheric place, full of real beauty. The smell of salt wafting through the air, the therapeutic microclimate and the sound of silence, kept us enrapt as we passed through 20 beautiful chambers, surrounded by salt in all shades of grey, black and white. Quite simply everything you can see is carved from salt! Everything. Then, after a quick lick of the walls – and with gifts of rock salt crystals, bath salts or scrubs in our bags, we boarded the coach back into Krakow, heading for our host school.
The most memorable moment down in the mines for me was when our guide, after saying we could lick the walls as salt kills all bacteria, reprimanded our kids for licking the salt statue (obviously) of a revered Polish king (Kazimierz Wielki). ‘Don’t lick the King!” echoed out across the chamber. Funny! After the salt mines we made our way to the host school – and what a beauty it is; a new bespoke building, that exudes creativity in every classroom. Our kids were most impressed with a salt grotto (what else) where all Polish pupils spend an hour a week for their wellness. It is made from salt bricks, which are lit with atmospheric LED lighting and relaxing music is played through a state of the art sound system – all very spa-like.
After a truly delicious lunch cooked by the school chef everyone was given a tour of the school and then participated in a drama workshop, with Polish pupils, led by yours truly. I was immensely proud of our kids who shone and supported their new Polish friends admirably. The highlight of the afternoon was to follow – a dance workshop celebrating traditional Polish folk dancing. Just fabulous. And very very funny! Everyone dressed up and took part…with aplomb. One of our boys twirled past me and shouted, “ I am so outta my comfort zone, Sir, but I’m lovin’ it!” Said it all really. Well done kids!
After a lovely supper, provided by our hosts, of foraged wild mushroom pasta and sweet cheese and plum pancakes, we hopped on a bus back to the main square where an hour of free time for the kids away from us oldies worked wonders – especially for us!
