Poland

After our last time in London (which there will be one more stopover before going home!!), we took an early morning flight out to Krakow.  Yes, a bit of a different destination, but we really wanted to get a bit of Eastern Europe into our trip, so Krakow it is!!

We had two quick days in Krakow as we were trying to visit a few different countries in a short period of time through central Europe.  As always, the food and drink were a fun part of visiting a different city and country.

For dining in Krakow we enjoyed the typical foods of beat root soup, perogies and sausages to name a few. The soups in Krakow were fantastic as we sampled many different combinations of compared to what we had back home.  

Our time in Krakow wasn’t filled with the fun and games of our last few stops—this stop was to focus on seeing some of the saddest sites of WWII.  We took a day trip out to Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest extermination camp of WWII.  This was a very moving day, and lets you know just how twisted the Nazis ideas really were.  They took us through buildings where prisoners were held, showed us some torture rooms for prisoners who weren’t behaving, which included a suffocation room (only a tiny window for air, when the room is full of men) and a standing only room (literally the size of a small closet, for four people to stand in).  They showed us rooms and rooms full of belongings that were confiscated by the Nazis—remember, the Jews brought all the belongings they could bring, because they were starting a new life, not being exterminated.  Auschwitz was one thing, but Birkenau, just a few kilometers down the road, was a whole other place.  This was seriously HUGE—land that housed little huts for the Jews as far as the eye could see.  You were able to stand on the unloading platform, where the trains came into, and walk from there to the gas chambers.  The Nazis were smart enough to try and cover their steps, blowing up the gas chambers before being found, but you can still see the pile of rubble and get out the basic floor plan of what the gas chambers were like.  As sad and moving as this day was, it was a real eye opener and we were glad to have gone to see this.

On our second day in Krakow we walked around ourselves for a large part of the day and then participated in an organized city tour in the afternoon. The main part of the old city itself is like other European cities that contained a medieval fort situated on top of the highest point in the area. The city square situated beside the fort had some beautiful cathedrals that we did not have time to visit on this trip.  We went into the castle in Krakow that is situated at the top of the hill to view the art, clothing, and weapons of the time period.

The city walking tour contained a visit to many of the Jewish sites of the city as Krakow was a major Jewish center for hundreds of years.  One of the more comical parts of the tour included a visit to a bridge that is now popular to hang locks. This trend is based on a book written in 2002 which included a romantic story which included the lock hanging. You hang your lock on the bridge with the one you love, and you’ll have love as long as the lock remains hanging.  The tour guide joked that part of the lock ritual is to throw the key into the river after locking it on to the bridge, but to make sure to keep the second key in case things do not work out.   

Also on the tour we visited the factory the Schindler’s List movie was based upon. It is now a museum. It was an interesting museum as it documented the occupation of Krakow during WWII and how the lives of the Polish people were changed. This was interesting as it had personal letters, pictures and first-hand information of people from the period.

We enjoyed the experience that the town had a minimal touristy feel to it except for the main square. It was great to visit somewhere and in most of the city experience the culture first hand and not in a way that is presented for tourists. 

One of many plazas throughout the town.  Always full with vendors, restaurant tables, and people just relaxing and enjoying the views.

Ang posing with a women pretending to be a statue.  People are getting pretty creative to get your money these days and this was one of the better ones we've seen--literally looks like a statue until you put money in and then they move.  Who can resist the lamb???

Only remaining portion of the wall to the Jewish Ghetto.  People use it as a memorial .

Pic of one of the streets of Auschwitz.  There were literally just rows and rows of these buildings that would house "prisoners" as well as used for Nazi work.

Pile of glasses confiscated from Jews when they arrived.  There were a few demonstrations like this in Auschwitz, one of the most moving was full of hair--after they had finished with the gas chambers, they shaved the women's heads and then packaged the hair up to be sent away for money.  When the camp was liberated, over 7 tons of hair was found, all packaged, ready to be shipped off for profit.

Picture of one side of Birkenau camp, view from the guard tower.  The camp went just as far in the other direction, amounting to a huge area.  You can see some whole buildings in the front, but behind is just chimneys of buildings that have since fallen over but just the chimneys remain.