rubbing salt in the wound

by now, it was approaching 5pm. we haven't had much sleep at all since the beginning of our trip. my flat iron died earlier that morning due to the different voltage here in europe. i did not handle the death very well and was dealing with some major hair issues because of it.

as a couple, we both have traveled an excessive amount of miles/kilometers at this point. we were slowly starting to unravel and tempers were getting flared. chad was beginning to wear me down by asking me to repeat myself over and over again. i was annoying him by not speaking loud enough for him to hear. our communication was getting crossed time and time again. i would say one thing, and he would hear another. mentally, physically, and emotionally we were drained. we were just about to rub some salt in our already sore wounds!!!

the commonly known term, to rub salt in someone's wounds, derived from the stingingly painful sensation of table salt deliberately being rubbed into an open, bleeding wound, as for torture, interrogation, etc. rubbing salt in a wound basically means to make an injury feel worse. we were heading 200 feet down below into one of the world's oldest salt mines. with no where else to go, while traveling through narrow dark tunnels, "rubbing" was inevitable. we were in for some trouble!

our first part of the tour involved our group climbing down 378 wooden steps. if you are like me, climbing down stairs doesn't nearly sound as difficult when compared to climbing up the same amount and i'm sure it's not. however, once you reach the bottom level, your legs immediately tell you otherwise. they were very shaky and tired. my legs are starting to reject this new work load they have been given since arriving in this country. they want to go on strike, but i refuse them the chance!

the mine features an underground lake; and the new exhibits on the history of salt mining, as well as a 3.5 kilometer (2.2 mi) touring route (less than 2% of the length of the mine's passages) that includes historic statues and mythical figures carved out of rock salt in distant past.

 the wieliczka mine is often referred to as "the underground salt cathedral of poland." in 1978 it was placed on the original unesco list of the world heritage sites. even the crystals of the chandeliers are made from rock salt that has been dissolved and reconstituted to achieve a clear, glass-like appearance. it also houses a private rehabilitation and wellness complex. also the wieliczka was one of world 12 tourism rankings.

there is a legend about princess kinga, associated with the wieliczka mine. the hungarian noble was about to be married to bolesław v the chaste, the prince of kraków. as part of her dowry, she asked her father for a lump of salt, since salt was prizeworthy in poland. her father king béla took her to a salt mine in maramureş. she threw her engagement ring from bolesław in one of the shafts before leaving for poland. on arriving in kraków, she asked the miners to dig a deep pit until they came upon a rock. the people found a lump of salt in there and when split it in two, discovered the princess's ring. kinga had thus become the patron saint of salt miners in and around the capital.

while purchasing some table salt at the gift shop located deep within the mine, chad and i reached our boiling point. the argument itself was stupid. i showed him specifically the salt shaker i wanted even including the price and then moved out of the crowd's way while chad purchased it. when it was his turn he was agitated when the worker asked him which one. there were only 2 choices to pick from, but he panicked and began searching for me in the crowd because there was a long line of people waiting. as i approached him, i began calling out the price of the one i wanted and he was throwing his hands up in the air angry that i didn't prepare him better. 

(we collect heart rocks and had to take one of these home with us)

the fight continued for quite sometime after the purchase of the salt. he continued to defend his side and i defended mine. i felt he was not giving a good effort to hear me and he felt i never told him which one. we went round and round until i couldn't take it any longer. we sat quietly stewing beneath our angry and disappointed faces. we would stay this way only looking towards each others direction to deliberately send deathly laser beams out from our eyes to penetrate the heart of the other. 

why did i even come with him on this trip in the first place if he was going to embarrass me and shame me in front of all these people. why was i here if he could care less what i said or wouldn't even make an attempt to listen.

in his defense i'm sure he was wondering the same type of things. to him i'm sure i was being impossible and maybe to some extent i was. we weren't ourselves. we were barely keeping it together.

i pouted and stayed my distance from him as we slowly continued our tour through the salt mine. some of us got separated from our original tour guide, and we were one of them.

at some point, the new tour guide mentioned something in the mine that was exclusive to lovers. it might have been a certain bench to sit on. right then chad made some sly remark asking if we fell in that category, and i immediately laughed even though the stubborn mad part of me wasn't ready to forgive him. i tried responding no, but could not keep a straight face. chad knows me too well.

i love my husband. we hate being at odds with one another. it's not us. we later walked through the remainder of the mine hand in hand. our next visit at one of the souvenir shops was handled in a classier way. we finally came to an agreement that we need one another. our communication during our stay got stronger the more rest we received. 

an elevator provided access to the surface. the elevator held 36 people (nine per car) and it took about 45 seconds to reach the surface.

we joke saying, "what happened in the mine stayed in the mine." as funny as it sounds, it really was true. the salt in our wound wasn't stinging anymore. the salt finally began to work it's healing. in just a few seconds, we reached the surface and we had our fresh start again.

our frustrations needed to be out in the open, but after they were it was time to move on. chad and i truly believe that we are better together as a couple than we would ever be as individuals on our own.
it would remain this way during the rest of our trip. our eyes filled with love towards each other for the rest of the trip instead of the lethal death rays they once were before.