Poland: Krakow and Auschwitz

First of all, allow me to apologize for the long absence of updates on the Blague. Life has been just crazy over here in past couple weeks! The weekend after the Parisian adventure, all of the AIFS group was off to Krakow, Poland. This was followed by a week of midterms (UGH SCHOOL) and a weekend here in Prague with lots to do!

I shall start with a quick bit on Krakow! I had absolutely no expectations for this trip, because I had no idea what to expect from a place I had never been and never really heard about. And as I had no expectations, I could not be disappointed! Nobody was in the best mood upon arrival, because we spent nine hours on a cramped bus to get there. However, once we got into the city center (which was conveniently close to our hotel) everyone brightened up a bit - including me! We did not get there until Friday evening, so we had just enough time for a dinner of traditional Polish food and a cocktail before resting up for the next day of tours. For dinner, we had perogies which are stuffed little dumplings! Very delicious indeed. Alex and I split a platter that had some with meat, cheese, and veggies. The next day we did two different city tours. The first was around the town center and main square, where Z showed us countless old churches and things. After a lunch break, we saw the castle area and the old Jewish Quarter. It was pretty gloomy and rainy, but I still really enjoyed the tours and thought Krakow was very cool.

Here's some pictures!

This is the main church in the castle area (equivalent to Prague's St. Vitus).

Just another view of the castle area!
Statue of St. Andrew in the main square of Krakow.
Old fortification right outside the city center! Fun stuffs.

On our long journey back to Prague the next day, the whole group stopped at Auschwitz for a few hours. I didn't realize before, but there are actually multiple Auschwitz Camps - Auschwitz II or Birkenau being the most famous and recognizable of the bunch. At this extermination camp, historians estimate that over 1 1/2 million people were murdered. I have decided not to put up any pictures of Auschwitz, because it was a very difficult experience for me. I did take some pictures, but there is no way they can express the feeling of overwhelming sadness and hopelessness that lives in the air there. To be in a place that knew such horror and saw the ultimate low of humanity is a very sobering experience. As we walked around Auschwitz I, almost no one spoke a word for the whole two hours we were there. There is no way I can describe the feeling of such a truly horrible place. One of the most disturbing exhibits was a room just filled with human hair, more than you can imagine. It was shaved off most of the women before they were sent to the gas chambers, and the Nazis kept it with the intention of making various materials out of it. Now, however, it simply stands alone as evidence of the atrocities committed at Auschwitz. After a very emotionally draining day, we all returned to Prague not quite ready to face midterms.

Although the experience was very difficult, it is important to pay respects and keep the memory of Holocaust victims alive. The historian in me rejoices in the salvage of places like this - a place that forgos entrance fees and gift shops, and had the sole aim of preserving the memory of Auschwitz. It was a very difficult experience, but I am very glad to say I have done it.

So that was my trip to Poland! Very fun and interesting, as well as sobering. But all in all a great trip before I was off to the next adventure!

This is Julia Miller reporting for the Blague!