April 28: We took the train from Warsaw to Krakow so that we could see the country side. The stations on both ends are clean, and so are the trains. It was a rainy day so unfortunately we didn’t see much, but we did take note that there was lots of green space and that the Russian influence is very apparent in the architecture. Both of us felt unwell, so we never did leave the hotel after checking in.
April 29: I had arranged for us to do the Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour. On the van ride over we were shown a film to prepare and educate us on what we were about to see. We were lucky to get an English speaking guide. Although it was very crowded when we arrived, it didn’t take long to get our audio equipment and pair up with our tour guide. We started at Auschwitz, which is the smaller of the two facilities. Birkenau is mind-boggling large. The sampling of photos I include in this post don’t capture at all the size or devastation of either place. Before you go, you might want to prepare yourselves by reading Ravensbrück: Life and Death in Hitler’s Concentration Camp for Women. Its not about these camps, but the first person accounts of the history of what happened before, during and after these and other kinds of camps does include what went on at A-B. If you don’t like to read, or have the time, then I recommend watching at least one of the 50 Most Moving Holocaust Films. If you know someone who denies the Holocaust ever happened, or that ethnic, political, and morality “cleansing” didn’t occur, then I encourage you to arm yourself with well-researched and documented proof that it did by watching Denial, based on the book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier. As for the tour itself, here are just a few of the many random thoughts I had:
- Its fitting that the guard shacks are now watching over the memorial to their victims;
- I don’t get people taking selfies inside the camp;
- It was typical of arrogant Nazis to believe they could wipe their crimes from the face of the earth;
- The closest I came to losing it was in the hair room. I knew it existed, but to be in the same room with it all was overwhelming
When we returned from several hours of awfulness, we really wanted to end the day with a reminder of the strength and courage it took to survive the horrors of the camps, so we walked to Ghetto Heroes Square past the Schindler Factory.
April 30: We learned last night that a marathon was taking place in the city today and that it was going to go right past our hotel. I, of course, was tempted to run it, but I didn’t have along with me the proper clothes and accessories and it was too late to run out and purchase them. My feet were also sore from all the walking I did yesterday. Instead, we wandered aimlessly around Old Town and watched the tail end of them run down the finisher’s shoot. When we got back from our walking adventures we saw that there was a movie playing at a makeshift outdoor theater across the street from our hotel so we grabbed the spare comforter from our room and made ourselves at home.
Where we Slept:
Sheraton Grand Krakow
Where we Sipped and Supped:
Wierzynek Restaurant
Vodka Cafe Bar
Someplace Else: This was a good sports bar for a restaurant and the staff seemed to be friendly with the local regulars. We had an enjoyable time listening in on their conversations and watching them play games as we waited for our food. We drank quite a bit here, but didn’t have full meals … just snacks.
The Olive: We didn’t have dinner in the restaurant, but at the bar outside the restaurant. We weren’t looking for a full dinner because we had eaten a relatively late lunch. We shared a couple of appetizers and a bowl of soup and chatted with the bartender, who talked to us about some of the traditional Polish liquors.
Restauracja Max 18: We had spent the morning walking around sightseeing and wanted to get a small bite to eat. It was a fairly nice day, but still a bit chilly and the blankets that were draped over the chairs in the outdoor eating area looked welcome. We each had an adult beverage and shared two different kinds of dumplings. They were both good. It was nice to sit and people watch while we waited for our food
Arkady Cafe & Shotbar
What we Did:
Auschwitch-Birkenau State Museum, via Prime Tours Krakow
The Ghetto Heroes Square
Shindler’s Factory
Kazmierz The Former Jewish District
Planty Park
Magic in the Moonlight movie along the Bulwary Wisly
