Our day started in the high 30's, so bottles of chilled water were essential, plus jackets as we were to descend into the earth to examine the excavations in the old salt mine in Slanic, the biggest mine in Europe. The Slanic salt mine is a popular destination for locals, tourists and people who visit for health reasons.
We thought that this structure was an antique lift shaft, but as we queued and got closer, it seemed that we were expected to enter the rickety old 'lift' with wooden doors that did not quite meet in the middle or at the top of the lift. Anyway as children and old ladies did not seem scared, we shut our eyes and braved the descent into the 'salt cellar'!
The lift shaft looks as if it is made of bamboo, like most things in our villa.
We emerged into a dimly lit Cathedral of Salt, complete with a cross lit up on high.
The scale of the mine is soaring, with the walls and floors having the appearance of dull white and charcoal grey marble,which catches the light in places and invites you to touch it.
There are various caverns to explore, containing a playground for young children, a cafe and a 'hospital'.
The constant 12 degree temperature,the humidity rate and the air quality is reputed to be beneficial for respiratory and rheumatic conditions, and patients have been prescribed 3 weeks of daily treatment at the salt mine to improve health.
We saw children playing football and adults playing badminton, while others went to the cafe or sat on wooden swing seats thoughtfully provided.
Our Romanian hosts say that the idea is to spend a few hours down the mine to benefit from the air. The games that people play are to encourage excercise and inhalation of the air. On a hot day when the heat is unbearable outside, the children can play freely in the 12 degree temperature.
There is a statue carved from salt of Decebalus, the ruler of the indiginous people of Romania.
The area used to be called Dacia, and included Moldova and parts of Bulgaria, Sebia, Hungary and the Ukraine.
Decebalus was the last ruler of the Dacians until 106 AD when the area was conquered by Romans and the inhabitants became part of the Roman Empire. the modern Romanian language is the closest to Latin than any other Mediterranean language.
The most frequently seen car in Romania is called the Dacia.
For more pictures, Google 'Slanic Prahova salt mine pictures'.
Mined by slaves (Romans) or prisoners in Gulags ( Russians), salt mines now are often places of retreat for health spa relaxation. Salt spa rooms are even created artificially along with steam rooms and saunas, like here at the G Club Spa in Breaza.
I have been thinking about Solzhenitzyn's 'One Day in th Life of ' and Helen Dunmore's 'The Siege' The Betrayal'
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