Tyniec Abbey (24/10/2016)

After class, today, I decided to rent a bicycle and head to the nearby Abbey of Tyniec located at about 13km from Krakow city center. Close to my apartment, was a bike rental place called Biketrip which for only 20zl let me rent bike for the rest of the day. After crossing the Debniki bridge I got on the bike path running along the Vistula's banks and left the city. Biking along the countryside I had nice views across the river towards the Las Wolski woods where the Camaldolese monastery could be seen on the hilltop. Around 40 minutes later I eventually reached the Abbey of Tyniec. The abbey itself was founded during the 11th century, however, throughout the centuries it was destroyed several times, first my the Mongols in the 12th century then by the Swedish during the 17th century and eventually by the Russians in the 18th century. It was thus consequently reconstructed so it now mainly consists of different styles intermixed. The church itself is mostly Baroque, particularly in the interior, but Gothic traces can also be found particularly in the outer defensive walls and in the cloister. Before heading in, I decided, to head around the abbey; I left the bike on a patch of grass and walked through some bushes until I reached the bank of the Vistula river. From there I could clearly see the fortress-like structure of the Abbey built on top of solid white rock. After enjoying the sun and view I got back on the bike and rode uphill to the Abbey's entrance. I left the bike against a wall and walked inside. I first entered the church with its Baroque altar built by the Italian sculptor Francesco Placidi. Then I came outside once again and headed to the small shop owned by the monks, who by the way produce beer and even some wine. I bought a dark beer and cider which I then later savored at home. The view from the Abbey was really nice, with the Vistula flowing right below and fields all around. It was then time to go; I exited the main gate, got back on my bike and pedaled 40 more minutes until I reached Krakow again.

View of the Abbey

The Abbey's facade

View from the Abbey

The Baroque pulpit

Abbey's beer and the church behind it

Częstochowa (23/10/2016)

Today I decided to head to the nearby town of Częstochowa located at about 1 hour and a half by train from Krakow. I took the train from Krakow Glowny at around 9:30 and reached Częstochowa  at around 11am. After getting off the train and out of the station I decided to head on foot to the town's main monument: the Jasna Gora Monastery. The monastery is Poland's main pilgrimage site, receiving around 4 to 5 million pilgrims a year and is home to the Black Madonna of Częstochowa; a revered icon of the Virgin Mary dating probably to the 14th century which received a canonical coronation by three different Popes the last of which was John Paul II. The walk from the station took around 30 minutes; I then arrived at a large avenue sided by tall trees at the end of which stood up high at the top of a low sloping hill the monastery itself. I headed towards the entrance which was guarded by a stone baroque gate. Once inside I followed the signals heading into the main church building. Though initially constructed during the 14th century the monastery received later refurbishments and now it features mostly baroque architecture. The interior of the church was a lavish baroque example, with incredible colors, painting and particularly beautiful were the main altar and the organ. As it was a Sunday, the church was quite full despite there being no mass at that moment, but the real chaos came when I decided to see the Black Madonna itself. Housed in the chapel next door, the Black Madonna stands behind a chancel; at that time a mass was taking place and the room was packed with people. It was so hard to just get in the room itself that I gave up just trying to get closer and take a picture; I managed to take one from the distance but was soon pushed aside by new people who were pushing their way through to be able to see it too. I then proceeded to explore the rest of the site, by seeing the nicely painted corridors of the monastery and entering a small museum with liturgical objects such as goblets, chalices, vestments etc. There was also a small part dedicated to polish medieval armors which was quite interesting. From there I then decided to head up the tower of the monastery, the entry was free but donations were welcome. After reaching the top I had a splendid view over the monastery below and the city around it. It was a really nice sunny day and the weather was perfect so I decided to stay at the top for a while, enjoying the views and the refreshing air. Once back down, I headed out of the monastery and back into town to grab something for lunch. I tried to look up for places online but didn't manage to find anything apart from a polish restaurant which was unfortunately closed that day. A KFC was open in the main square, and despite me being against going to fast food places in general, I decided to grab something to eat nonetheless as I was quite hungry. As I had visited all I wanted to see it was time to head back. I walked back to the station and managed to get the 3pm train which took me to Krakow 1 hour and half later. 

The Jasna Gora Monastery

Baroque interior with the main altar

The organ

The crowd in front of the Black Madonna

The view from the top of the tower