Witnessing History: Auschwitz

I'm back! Next trip to discuss with you all is the trip I made with Carolyn to Krakow, Poland. It was a very last minute trip, and we booked it due to the VERY cheap airfare. We both also wanted to see Auschwitz, which is about an hour outside the city of Krakow. We went for a short weekend, left Friday evening and flew home Sunday night.

Carolyn and I had a slight heart attack as we attempted to make it to the plane on Friday. The airport we flew out of, Brussels-Charleroi is our LEAST favorite airport. We have to take 2-3 different trains to get there, and then wait for a shuttle bus. THAT shuttle bus was VERY late that day, and Carolyn and I were getting very close to missing our plane! We ended up taking a taxi from the train station to the airport, which was NOT in the budget. If the shuttle bus would have arrived, I would have kicked it. We made our plane, no thanks to the shuttle bus.

We got into Poland in the early evening, and found our way into Krakow by way of the train. The train station we ended at in Krakow was attached to the LARGEST mall I've seen in Europe! It rivals the bigger ones back home, bigger than Rosedale for sure. Carolyn and I were blown away, and also blown away by how cheap everything was! We were using the Polish zloty for the weekend, which was extremely good for the trip budget. :)

We found the way to our hostel, and were excited to see how nice, clean and QUIET the hostel was! Each room had its own theme - and Carolyn and I had the 'Mint Sorbet' room - a five person room - all to ourselves (see left). It was GREAT! We hit the sack early as the next day we wanted to see Auschwitz. We signed up to go with a tour group, as the train system to get there is a bit complicated.

We were picked up by our driver the next day, and we were the first stop of the day. Our fellow group members were subsequently picked up - and the majority were British tourists. One large group of guys from Britain were QUITE hungover. Two of them didn't even make the bus. Why would one drink the night before going to see Auschwitz? Hmm...I don't get it.

Our bus ride was accompanied by a video about Auschwitz. It was really hard to watch at parts, as they would show images of the camp, or the survivors, and even, the poor victims of the twisted experiments that happened there. Many of those experiments were done to children too, which for parts I literally had to look away. So hard to grasp the sickening torture those people endured. Needless to say, we were all silent as the bus drove into the Auschwitz I parking lot. The whole place has remained the same as it was 70 years ago, but they added on a visitor's center which was PACKED when we got there. Our group was added to a bunch of others, and we all received headphones so we could hear our tour guide.

We started by walking underneath the famous sign, Arbeit Macht Frei (which was actually not the real one; the real one is being put back together after being stolen a few months ago)(See upper left). We were told about the way the camp was laid out, and the statistics about the amount of people that came into the camp. We were taken into one of the 'bunk houses' where we saw exhibits containing the items that were taken from the people when they arrived. Mountains of shoes, luggage, and even hair that was shaved from the victims heads. There were 2 tons of hair that we saw in the exhibit, but apparently the Russians found over 6 tons when they liberated the camp. That means that's how much was LEFT OVER, as the Nazi would use the hair in rugs or simply burn it. That was the oddest thing to see.

We then walked down to the building #11 - the camp prison (see right). Not the place anyone wanted to be sent. There were many different torture rooms that we walked by, which just made my stomach turn over. I couldn't even fathom those people being in those rooms. We also walked down a hallway lined with pictures of the some of the victims of Auschwitz. It showed the date they arrived, and their date of death. Most didn't live longer than two months. We were even taken downstairs to see the room where the Nazi's first experimented with Zyklon B (the gas used). Apparently it worked.

We were then shown the execution wall outside, which had flowers and scented oils all over in rembrance of the people who were killed there. We also were taken to the gas chamber I (see left) and went inside. I was not thrilled about going IN the gas chamber, I already felt weird enough. Just standing in there made my skin crawl. That gas chamber could kill 600 people in 15 minutes (if I recall the statistics correctly), which wasn't efficient enough for the Nazis. They then built gas chambers II, III, and IV. Right next to gas chamber I is the gallows where Rudolf Höss was executed post-Nuremburg. He was the camp 'director' and the only Nazi to be hung in the same camp where he had killed so many.

We were then taken to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, which was created after Auschwitz I, and is MUCH larger. It could hold 100,000 people at once! That is over double the population of Mankato! This is where the scene from Schindler's List is filmed, when the women from Schindler's factory arrive at the camp. We were taken to see the bunk rooms - which are what we think of when we think of concentration camp bunk beds. We also saw the 'sanitation' room - a long cement slab with holes in it. Everyone went together, and only got to go twice a day, if that. Crazy. (Pictures clockwise from top left: view down one side of the camp; inside one the 'bunk houses'; where 'selection' would take place - on the gravel inbetween the tracks; where the train came into the camp - scene in Schindler's List was actually shot here)

The ride home was VERY quiet, as everyone tried to stomach what we had just seen. Carolyn and I grabbed lunch when we got back - which was extremely tasty AND extremely cheap! (See right). Then we both napped when we got home, and neither of us felt very positive about life. We decided to venture into Krakow to try to raise our spirits - which it did. The city is a beautiful one, with old buildings, small shops, and a very friendly population. We had a great day once we got out into the town. We made friends with one lady who owned a souvenir shop, and she gave us each a stem of lilies of the valley - which I carried around the rest of the day. When dinner time rolled around, we both wanted something very 'Polish'. The restaurant we picked looked great, but was packed. We were asked if we would mind eating in the basement... ha, nope! We had the basement to ourselves, which was great. We could chat and be loud and not bother anyone. I had something very good, but unexpected for anyone who knows me: Polish cabbage rolls! They were VERY filling, as were the bread and spread we had as an appetizer. The spread had chunks of potato (I think) in it, which was filling enough to be the main meal (Both can be seen below and below right)! We left feeling VERY full. It was a long, educational day.

The next day we spent out exploring Krakow, again. We toured parts of Wawel Castle (see below), which sits in the middle of town. It was fun to see all the old regal decorations, furniture and paintings. We even toured the 'Dragon's Den' (see below) which is where the mythical dragon of Poland lived (the cave is below Wawel Castle). Sadly, there was no dragon there. We enjoyed wandering around the town, especially through the open air markets where they had LOTS of fun jewelry for sale. I'm such a sucker for jewelry! We left Krakow for the airport in the late afternoon.


Our plane ride was smooth and we landed late that night. That's when the fun started. We knew we were going to spend the night in the airport before we left on the trip - because the trains had stopped running by the time our plane landed. We found a little corner in the airport and attempted to catch some Zzz's. More in the Top Five, but that was a very unsuccessful attempt. We did have a fun part of night - also covered in the Top Five. The next morning though Carolyn and I were on the FIRST (STUPID) shuttle bus to the train station - at 5:30 AM. We were home that morning by 10:30. (Picture at right of our 'spot')

I was exhausted - so napped for a good while before waking up to work on a project for class that was due that same day at 4:00. I was a real happy camper! :) BUT - the very next day we were leaving for Italy, so I found some energy!

All in all, Poland was an 'interesting trip'. My stomach was twisted the whole time, whenever my mind would wander back to what I saw in Auschwitz. It was a place I had always wanted to see, but now that I have, I never want to go back. Once was enough. I hope that anyone that is able to go see Auschwitz CAN do so - I think it's important to go see what our species did to our own. Hopefully by seeing such atrocities, and learning about it, the current events of our time will never get to that point ever again. Humans aren't perfect, but we all have a conscious. It's just the choice to listen to it, or not.

Look forward to the Top Five - which will be more uplifting, promise!