Krakow, Poland

City number two for spring break was Krakow, Poland. Being the hard core back packers, we arrived in Krakow at 6:30 am from the previous night train, found our hostel, changed clothes and left for the 8:00 am tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. The bus there played a video about the liberation of the camp and it honestly made me question if I wanted to go through with the tour…because of the gruesomeness of it all. We pulled up to Auschwitz 1 and started the tour. It was a dreary rainy cold day which gave the site an even more eerie feel. We passed through the gate that reads “Arbeit Macht Frei” (work will set you free). The long brick barracks are now a home for the museum that holds pictures, diagrams, maps, etc., that explain what happened to the more than 1 million people that died in the Auschwitz camps. One building held mounds of uncountable pairs of shoes, eye glasses, suitcases, hair brushes, and other common items that were taken from the victims when put in the camps. Auschwitz 1 was not how I had pictured the camp. The brick buildings and insides were in better condition that I had imagined, with the exception of the punishment cells. Next we traveled to Auschwitz-Birkenau which is a much larger camp that was built later when the Nazis built a more horrifyingly “efficient” way of killing. The feel of this place is indescribable. There are rows and rows of wooden building with wooden bunk beds. Also there are the remains of the crematoria and gas chambers. The condition of this camp was much worse than Auschwitz 1. The train tracks laid there that brought so many people to the camp had a ghostly feel. As hard as it was to see this I am very glad I did.

That afternoon, my friend Athena and I went to Wieliczka to venture into the salt mines. To my surprise the mines seemed like a small village made of salt! Everything was of salt and our guide said it was very good air to breathe in the mines. Statues, walls, floors, and a chapel were all made of salt!! It was a fun place to visit after a somber morning.

Krakow has a small town feel, especially in Old Town. It was very cute and had lots of character. The Wawel Castel was enormous and sat on a hill. The entrance to the chapel was marked with “dragon bones.” It was cold in Krakow too while we were there. It snowed. Twice.

Food in Poland is some of the best I’ve had on my trip!!! When we asked a local what time we should eat (typical meal times), he said anytime! They eat breakfast, dinner at 4pm, supper from 7 to around 9 or so, and snacks in between. I knew I would like this country! Bagels began in Poland. Bagelmama had magnificent bagels with homemade cream cheese. I ate my first pierogi, Polish dumplings, and enjoyed them very much! The potato soup I had had a drop of mashed potatoes and was delightful! One place we ate at offered cow tongue so I had to try their style. Not as good as mom or dad does it, but tasty nonetheless. I had 3 courses and a drink for less than $10. I like how cheap Eastern Europe can be. ($1 = 2,25 zloty)