How (not) to bore your children while traveling

When you travel with children to the Places-Of-Significance there is often the dilemma of what to show them.  How to show them history or art without boring them to death?  When I was a kid, my parents took me all over Europe, but all I wanted was to stay on the beach.  However, even if I don't remember everything (I wish they took more pictures), as I become older, I realized that it thought me some important lessons.  I think traveling made me realize that there is always a different way to look at things (because of cultural differences), that we have things in common and can communicate even without the language and also that learning the language(s) would definitely help.  I also took in the sights, the beauty of nature and the competing attempts of humans to create the beauty themselves.  Sightseeing definitely contributed to my love for arts and, of course, left me with a travel bug, always longing for the new vistas.

So here I was, taking my daughter down the memory lane to the place of my birth and my most beloved city, that she knew nothing about it. What do I show her without too many 'oh no Mom, not another church' moments?
    

First of all, I wanted her to experience the feel of the town.  Just wander around ancient streets, discover hidden corners and plazas, eat ice cream in the outdoor cafes, feed pretzels to the pigeons, climb the monuments, feel the water in the fountains, skip on the cobblestones and ride the trolley.

But of course we had to see the Royal Wawel Castle.  This was the old residency of Polish kings and queens, located right on the Wisla river.

Source

Castle insides were not not a big hit (no surprise here, but it had to be done), but my daughter enjoyed climbing the bell tower and visiting the famous dragon's den, a cave under the castle and a stage of the most popular Krakow's legend.  We also went to see Leonardo's 'Lady with Ermine' that was on the display at the time.

She is something else...

It is easy to fall under the spell of the fairytale quality to the castle...

Then, I had to take her to see the Jagiellonian University, one of the first universities in Europe and the school I went to.

Collegium Maius

 They have a museum with interesting Copernicus exhibit, since he went there too.

At noon, a procession of University officials emerges through the clock doors...

The building where I attended many of my classes 

Before WWII Krakow's population was about one third Jewish and the Jewish Quarter (Kazimierz) is definitely worth a stop.

Many visitors to Krakow take a side trip to Auschwitz, located about 30 minutes from the city. We didn't go, I already visited twice and I thought my daughter was still too young to face the horror of it. You can also tour the Schindler's factory in Krakow.

We loved the Chagall-esque mural.

Another interesting side trip was a visit to the Wieliczka Salt Mine.  It is also about 30 minutes bus ride from the center of the town.  The mine has been used since XII century until very recently (2010?). What is interesting, is that the miners were not only working there, they also created many monuments out of salt and built several cathedrals and places of worship, all underground and well preserved. 

You have to take about 400 steps to go down but it feels like descending into Jules Verne fantasy world.  Even the chandeliers are made of salt.  

Guess what was my daughter's favorite?  Well, none of the above.  It was our visit to the indoor waterpark (sigh).  Now you know why I brought a bikini.

Oh well, cannot beat this thrill :)

 

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If you are still reading, it means you took the trip too, hope I did not bore you too much ;)

not another church Mom...

  
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Where do you drag your children (or reluctant others) on your trips?
Do you have any tips to m make it more fun?