Krakow, a little too cold for a light jacket...

I made it to Krakow early in the morning and decided to head straight for the Auschwitz bus. It was quite a long bus ride out there, but well worth the trip. I got to Auschwitz I and went to the visitor center to organize a tour. After watching the little 15 minute video (that I think they use to put everyone in the mindframe of the time)my tour started. Below are a few pictures of what I saw. We went through a few of the buildings that were set up like museums and then we went through one that was unaltered since the 1940s. It was an amazing walk and overwhelming to hear what the guide had to say and reading the signs in the buildings.

Gas Chamber and Crematorium at Auschwitz I




Auschwitz II - Birkenau

We had some time to look around before the bus came to take us to Auschwitz II - Birkenau. I have to admit that Auschwitz I was not what I expected though still moving. As we were driving toward the second camp the railway entry came into focus and I knew this was what I was expecting.




Our first stop once we got over the inital view of the entrance was to see were the male workers lived...or were enslaved.







It was extremely cold and even though I was bundled up I still thought I was going to freeze to death. I was also very hungry as I had only a small pastry and a coffee seven hours previous...but can you imagine what one December day would have been like at Auschwitz? My cold and hunger feelings are nothing in comparison. Perpective has its place to show us how good we have it!


The last place on the tour was the ruins of Gas Chambers 2 & 3 which were destroyed by the Nazis when they realized they were losing the war. The ruins remain today as a reminder of their prior purpose. It was a long walk back to the front gate; one of contemplation and thankfulness for the blessings in my life and thinking about what we all take for granted.

I made my way back to the bus stop and headed back into Krakow. I found my hostel and checked in...I have stayed in better places, but the guy at the counter was nice. I headed out to the streets and found some dinner and looked at all the old city.





The next morning I went to the Wielickza Salt Mine and went on a tour. The mine was awesome, but pictures were horrible! There were carvings, statues, reliefs, and chandeliers made of salt. We had to go down over 400 stairs to begin the tour and we went down another 400 over the course of the tour. Luckily we got to take the eleator back to the surface. There were four chapels inside the mine and one is still used today. The process was amazing and the amount of work that used to go on there is overwhelming and the people were rich. In those days salt=money!! Today, salt=sodium and cholesterol! hehehe I walked around the city when I got back to Krakow and eventually made my way back to the train station. I found my railcar and was headed for home. I did not sleep well, maybe because the train was a little rough, maybe because of the anticipation of the next day's flight to Paris! I made it home safe and went straight to bed!!