Krakow, Poland and Auschwitz Concentration Camp

I am not sure if the word would be symbolic or eye-opening but there was something so strange about taking a train through the night to Poland from Prague. As we have all learned, millions of Jews were transported by train across various parts of Europe to concentration "death" camps. These trains however were so crowded that people were forced to stand for days at a time, face the winter cold, starvation, disease, and no bathroom use... you can imagine how that went. It didn't seem fair at all... here I was on a train along the same path but laying in a comfortable bed, warm, eating Burger King and drinking a cold Fanta. This was the first of many times over the less than 24 hours I spent in Poland that I wondered how to make my experience feel more authentic so that I could truly understand a glimpse of how they suffered. However, I quickly realized that it was 100% impossible to feel for even a second how these victims felt. I did not have to fear for my life or the lives of my loved ones. I was not stripped of everything I loved in life. There I was with a college education, food in my belly, and an iPod in my ear looking out the window of the train... all I could do was honor those who suffered because trying to comprehend their suffering was an impossibility. I was not en route towards the final destination of my life, the separation of my family, the sight of dead malnourished bodies or the gas chambers.

We arrived in Krakow, Poland quite early in the morning and our trip to Auschwitz started promptly. The day we visited blessed us with the nicest weather of the entire break however, again, this made it quite difficult to comprehend the devastation that had occurred there not too many decades before. We walked through the infamous "Arbiet Macht Frei" sign which means "work brings freedom". We entered the building where the first medical experimentations were performed as well as the tiny windowless cells where some prisoners were held if they misbehaved or didn't meet their work quota. These cells were so tiny that, in many cases, victims could not even sit down.

We then saw an exhibit of original suitcases, shoes, cooking supplies, and hair of the victims. When we learned that what we were looking at was taken from only a small percentage of Jews it really put into perspective how many innocent people had died. Afterwards we walked through the gas chambers and crematories. This was an experience that brings chills down my spine and a drop in my heart every time I think about it. So many Jews were told they were simply going to the showers when the door locked behind them and the chemicals were poured through the ceiling. I have spent years researching the Holocaust and even devoting a two year high school thesis to the medical experimentations during the Holocaust but no books or even photos can portray the feeling of standing in that dark death chamber. As I write this my heart is beating fast. It makes you appreciate how lucky you are.

Gas Chamber

Crematory

We then went from Auschwitz 1 to Auschwitz-Birkenau where we walked the exact path thousands of Jews had walked towards the gas chambers. Auschwitz, if you were unaware, continues to be known as the most famous of all of the concentration camps across Europe and was the site of more killings than any other known camp. We saw the inside of the barracks where victims lived. Their beds were made out of wood, some dirt and conditions were horrible. We learned that although rainwater leaked through the ceiling, the top bunk was the best. Because victims were highly malnourished they often suffered diarrhea and their excretions would leak from bed to bed. Also, there were rats the size of cats that would crawl on the bottom bunks. Their bathrooms were horrific however, the best job to get was cleaning fecal matter out of the holes because the guards did not like the smell, spent less time there, and thus, workers were less prone to abuse and beatings.

Bathroom

Barrack

It seems a little out of place to follow all of that with a love story but it touched me so I figured I would share: a young man and woman fall in love in Auschwitz Concentration Camp during the Holocaust. They realize their time is limited as their health is fading and the gas chambers haunt them every day. They make a plan to try and escape from the walls of Auschwitz disguised as Nazi officers. Long story short, the plan works and the couple runs into the woods very far from the camp where the go into hiding in a basement. Although their original plan was to wait it out until the Holocaust ended, the man decided he could not stay in the basement and not help fight against the Nazis. He leaves her in the basement and tells her he will be back. The war ends, the two are separated, and completely lose contact. Both move to the United States and a student of the man tells him that he learned Polish from his neighbor growing up... when he says the name his mouth drops... it is his lost love. The two are reconnected and visited Auschwitz together 6 times. They both died in the past five years.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Overall my trip to Auschwitz was very memorable. It was one of the things on my bucket list so I am very glad I had the opportunity to go and experience it first hand. It is something that I would suggest to every person. Since being in Europe I would 100% consider my day at Auschwitz to be top 3 things I have done or seen.

After the tour we walked around the city of Krakow which was very beautiful. I never thought I would ever go to Krakow in my life but was pleasantly surprised. Like Prague there were many outside sweet stands, the sun was shining, and the culture was rich. I think a couple of hours is more than enough time to spend in Krakow considering one of it's most famous attractions is a statue of a dragon that breathes fire every 5 minutes... extremely anticlimactic. Maxine, Kyle and I shared a wonderful dinner in town and then boarded an overnight train to Budapest.

The Square in Krakow

Anticlimactic Tourist Attraction?

Prague, Czech Republic

Our experience in Prague began with perhaps one of the most absurdly uncomfortably hilarious human exchanges I have ever experienced in my life. When we arrived at the Art Hole Hostel we were greeted by it’s owner, some man of about 50 years who must have been on some mix of highly illegal drugs… for his own sake I hope he was because if any human being normally interacted with other humans the way he did that day I would be worried for the future of our species. It is difficult to describe in words just how he was strange… I wish I had it taped. Whenever you asked him a question or attempted to make conversation he would stare at you for a good 10 seconds before bursting into laughter and delivering a string of barely coherent words completely unrelated to that being discussed. He insisted on showing us the artwork on the walls of the bedrooms and became overly excited when we entered the “black hole” room where we were pressured into staring at the wall for a moment of time that seemed like an hour.

After unpacking our bags (we had to ask where our room was and if we had keys… I think he forgot that was part of his job) we headed to a typical Czech restaurant that resembled a medieval pub. We ordered goulash, which, I wish I had enjoyed more. Afterwards we walked towards the center square of Prague and were met with live performances, music, sunshine, and roughly 30 different outside market stands selling everything from meticulously decorated Easter eggs to grilled sausage, to chocolate bananas on sticks. Safe to say that it was impossible to walk by the square without indulging in some sort of sweet.

Kyle and Maxine in the Czech Restaurant!

While in the square we met up with Bath and her sister and all ventured across the bridge to the John Lennon wall. If you know me well enough you know that in this moment I was as excited as a young toddler on Christmas. John Lennon is, in fact, my boyfriend… he just doesn’t know it yet… well, I guess he will never know until I pass through those pearly gates and we consummate our love. Needless to say, I enjoyed the wall.

The Famous Bridge in Prague (Charles)

John Lennon Wall

That night we climbed to the top of the famous clock tower that overlooks Prague and had an amazing view of the sunset and Prague by night! Each hour the clock does an intricate changing of the hands and is accompanied by a man at the top of the tower playing a trumpet. We ended the night at some sketchy Czech casino where Maxine bet it all on roulette and hit big while Quiño wasn’t so lucky… kid doesn’t know when to stop.

Beautiful View of Prague!!!

The next morning we did the New Europe walking tour of Prague (the same company I had recommended in my Berlin post). Perhaps the two most interesting things I learned about Prague were as follows, (1) Prague was intended to be Hitler’s city of retirement after the extermination of the Jews. For this reason the Jewish neighborhood, it’s buildings, etc were never destroyed during his reign because he hoped the neighborhood was serve as an exhibition of an exterminated race for centuries to come. (2) There is a famous cemetery in the heart of the Jewish district that is extremely elevated in comparison with its surroundings. Reason being, during the early stages of the Holocaust, the Jews were not allowed to leave their neighborhood. People continued dying and their request for the construction of an additional cemetery was rejected. Thus, they were forced to bury bodies on top of bodies on top of bodies. I found that the majority of my Semana Santa vacation around Europe was very influenced by the Holocaust and Hitler’s reign. Every city I visited, minus France, was crawling with memories of that time.

Later that day we walked around the Prague Castle and did a pub-crawl during the night for Krasker’s birthday. I had never done a pub-crawl before so it was really cool. A young American opened the first place so the place was full of tables for flip cup and pong! Perhaps my favorite was bar number three. The night ended at a night club in Prague! Because Art Hole Hostel overbooked, Kevin, Quiño, and I shared two mattresses on the floor of the living room. Below is what our bedroom for the night looked like! Haha.

What I like to call... Europe on a Budget

The next day we ate at a Mexican restaurant (when you’re in Europe for a while you begin to miss these things and eating locally becomes less and less of a priority). We enjoyed the sun on the Charles bridge, watched some more dance performances in the square and ended our Prague experience at a beer museum. Prague was probably, overall, my favorite European city we visited during La Semana Santa. It was absolutely beautiful, gave us two days of great weather, and was so authentic… so much so that the entire production of Euro Trip (the movie) was actually filmed solely in Prague. For a beautifully authentic Eastern European experience I would DEFINITELY recommend Prague!

Berlin, Germany

Five words to describe Berlin, Germany: guilt, hipster, frigid, graffiti, and historic.

My first day in Berlin started off with a free walking tour through New Europe company. If you plan on touring some of Europe's most famous cities I HIGHLY suggest taking the free walking tours through New Europe. The guide's work strictly off of tips so are always on top of their game, are extremely knowledgeable, and always super young. The know the best restaurants or bars to go to as well so it's always nice to have some local advice after the tour. Our first stop on the tour was the Brandenburg Gate which has become the symbol of Berlin. Unfortunately we were met with cold wind and rain for the majority of our time in Berlin, however, the city is filled with history and great donor kebabs so we got through it. At the Brandenburg Gate I ran into Darth Vader... clearly Darth and the Brandenburg Gate go together... like Peanut Butter and Jelly, Pooh and Tigger, Jessie and Adam Levine. But seriously, I get you have to make a living somehow but Star Wars and the gate are two completely unrelated things. This confused me. Before moving on we saw the famous window where Michael Jackson hung his child over the balcony as a creepy publicity stunt.

The next stop on our tour was the Holocaust Memorial which quickly became the most interestingly constructed memorial in the world, in my opinion. The memorial consists of a large maze of grey columns of various sizes. As you walk through you can get easily lost through it's dark passageways. The importance of the memorial is to present an interpretation of how the Jews may have felt during deportation and throughout the entire Holocaust. While walking through the memorial you are unable to hide, there is an extreme tension because you are constantly seeing glimpses of peoples faces which quickly disappear, there is a sense of isolation. These grey "tomb like" structures are also seen as nameless headstones which symbolize the millions of Holocaust victims... they were numbers, not names. 

Afterwards, we stood over the bunker where Hitler was married and later killed himself along with his wife and dog, Blondie. He body was later burned and poured into a hole to avoid a spectacle by the public of his corpse. For over 40 years people were not 100% certain is Hitler had in fact died... there were Tupac like rumors that he was living on some isolated island somewhere. Russians did, however, find his teeth in the hole and publicly declared his demise. The most interesting part about the ground above the bunker is that many Germans take their dogs to that section of the city to poop over it as a sign of their hatred towards Hitler. 

We then walked towards an original section of the Berlin wall and were taught about the death strip which was a few yards of space between the walls of East and West Berlin which acted as a literal "Death Strip" to those who tried to escape. Sharp Shooters would receive a bonus based on how many Germans they could kill in the death strip. The sand in this strip was also lined with metal spikes making it impossible to run on. Because of these difficulties many Berliners resorted to overnight projects such as the construction of hot air balloons or pole vaulting. Our guide told us the story of a couple separated by the construction of the wall which I have included for your enjoyment below:

One morning a man woke up in West Berlin and realized that his life had just completely changed. The love of his life awoke in East Berlin and realized the same thing... a wall had come between their love and there was nothing they could do to see each other. Instead of panicking the man thought long and hard about possible plans, however, it was not until he was walking down the street on a typical German day that he struck gold. This love-struck hombre sees a dime piece who resembles his lost love walking on the other side of the road and he wastes no time... he runs across the street, sweeps her off her feet with his witty humor and dangerously good looks and before we know it, the two are "going steady". One morning this man has a surprise for his new girlfriend... a trip to East Berlin! "Just be sure to bring your visa and passport to get over to the other side", he assured her. This was her opportunity to see old friends and family whom she had not seen in such a long time. His motives, however, were quite different. When the couple arrived in East Berlin he drives down a deserted road towards "the residence in which they will be staying" and without a second thought, he opened the door of the car, pushed his lady friend out, and continues to drive off with her passport and visa. This Einstein that he is has already discussed a time and meeting place for his lost love. He picks her up, and brings her back across the Berlin Wall border with the passport of the "girlfriend" who is left stranded and alone in communist territory. Long story short, the man ends up in prison for this act for 5 years and when he is released his love is waiting for him practically wearing her wedding veil. They, of course, lived happily ever after. I guess you could say they found love in a hopeless place..

Original Piece of the Berlin Wall

We then went to the square where the famous burning of the books took place. 20,000 books were burned in this square during the dark times in Berlin and there is a memorial underground which shows a plethora of empty bookshelves. Perhaps one of the best quotes that describes this event is, "This is just the beginning... for where they start by burning books, they end by burning people". Accurate. 

We also learned that a glorious man by the name of Gunter Schabowski brought about the end of the Berlin Wall... unknowingly. Extremely long story short... the man was completely unprepared for a press conference and out of nervousness he told the entire world that the Berlin Wall would be coming down... that day... at that moment (which was, of course, news to all government officials). The Celebration shortly after consisted of thousands of Germans running to the wall in a frantic excitement unable to be controlled by officials... that is how, my friends, the Berlin wall came down. 

After the tour was over we went to a bar called "The Pub" which they have in many Eastern European capital cities (we went in Prague too!)... in this bar you have a table for your group with four taps. Each person has a number which they punch in before pouring the keeps track of how much beer you have consumed. Your table competes against all other tables in the bar and results are continually displayed on a large projection screen. In addition, you are competing against "The Pubs" in other European cities. The concept is really cool and would make a KILLING in a college city like Boston but because the US government is comprised of a bunch of pansies who fear drinking games or all other activities that encourage binge drinking, it would never fly.

On our way back to PLUS Berlin hostel (the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in), we bought some curry worst (yum!) and a twelve pack of Dunkin Donuts... before getting lost in a station called Alexanderplatz of course. When we finally made it back we enjoyed the sauna and pool. The day was topped off by the best discovery in all of Europe, a chill bar that had MARACUYA JUICE. While in Ecuador I lived for this juice... it is absolutely amazing and the instant touch of it's sweet goodness to my lips brought back memories of yesteryear. 

Curry Wurst

The next day we saw a memorial called "Trains to Life, Trains to Death" showing how some Jewish children were taken in by families around Europe during the Holocaust (Trains to a new life), and how others were forced onto trains towards their inevitable demise (Trains to Death). It was apparent that Berlin is crawling with monuments, statues, museums, etc dedicated to the Holocaust. They carry a heavy sense of guilt regarding their past and the way they are viewed in society and it's completely understandable. When someone says Germany... the first thing that about 95% of the world population probably thinks of is Nazi or Holocaust or Hitler. In truth, they are defined by such a small era in their history and people forget about how much the Germans have contributed to the world in the fields of technology, science, and music. I personally thought of a frightening screaming man who lacks the ability to smile or the Holocaust when I thought of Germany but now... I think of the awesome time I had in Berlin!

The East Side Gallery Berlin Wall

During the afternoon of the second day we checked out the more artsy culture of Berlin from the graffiti to the art houses to the famous East Side Gallery, paintings on the Berlin Wall! That night we returned to the Brandenburg Gate where I experienced, by far, my favorite Berlin moment. We were lucky enough to go while WWF was hosting Earth Day so they were lighting hundreds of candles in the shape of the world. It made for a beautiful scene and the perfect ending to a great trip!

Paris, France: A Reunion After Five Years!

There are many reasons why one would love to travel to Paris, France... I mean it just seems obvious.. The Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, crepes, the romance in the air maybe. While all of these things were, of course, appealing to me, the number one thing I was looking forward to was a highly anticipated and longly overdue reunion with one my good friends Ryan who I had not seen in five years. Ryan and I met on Broadreach during the summer of 2007. We lived on a catamaran and sailed around the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean while scuba diving and sailing every day. He quickly became one of my best friends on the boat and after efforts on both of our parts of reuniting had failed, we knew Paris was our next opportunity. So, after five years I found myself sipping on wine and eating risotto stuffed peppers in a beautiful apartment in France with Ryan. It was a moment I thought may never come again but now that we have gotten back into better touch I look forward to running into him in other parts of the world in the future haha.

  

     Me and Ryan Circa 2007                                                     Me and Ryan Circa 2012

Our first night in Paris turned out to be my favorite night of the trip. Like I said, risotto stuffed peppers, some cheap wine and deep conversation and debate about the legalization of prostitution among other things with some of Ryan's friends from Germany and Australia. The next morning Ryan, legitimately the best host in the entire world, had croissants and strawberries waiting for us when we awoke. We then made our way to Versailles for the day which was ENORMOUS.

Versailles!

I am fairly certain and by that I mean 100% positive that Melissa and I completely missed entire wings of the chateau during our visit to Versailles... woops. Regardless, we saw the Hall of Mirrors and many other beautiful rooms in the palace before making our way outside to the gardens. While it was still a little cold outside, we lied down in the grass next to the fountains with the swans and felt the sun fall upon our faces. I kept peeping open my eyes to remind myself that I was actually at Versailles!

Gardens of Versailles!

We then walked through the gardens for what seemed like hours (like I said, if you have never been to Versailles, one cannot simply put into words the great expanse of the property, let alone the palace itself). We walked through Marie Antoinette's house and drank the best fresh orange juice in the world. We then made our way back towards Ryan's apartment where we had some Happy Hour drinks and made it to the Eiffel Tower in time to see the sunset. The Eiffel Tower has quickly become my favorite monument in the world (cliché, I know) and Paris, France my favorite large metropolitan city in the world. The Tower is incredible because although there may be taller buildings in the world that are more architecturally appealing, the tower is a giant among the flat Paris skyline. Paris was smart in implementing building codes regarding the high restrictions of buildings. In my opinion, the Eiffel Tower is so spectacular because of its intense presence.

Our last day in Paris was a guided tour by the lovely Ryan to the most famous spots in Paris. We started at the Eiffel Tower because I wanted to see it by day, then went to the Arc de Triomph, Champs- Élysées, and towards the Louvre. I would not say that Melissa and I are art people in the slightest so we skipped the Louvre and got coffee instead. We then visited Notre Dame and the famous love lock bridge. We walked over the bridge and to get to a falafel restaurant and on our way I could have sworn I was walking through the scenes of a movie or in Disney World. The music, the sunshine, the French people lounging and smoking at cafés. The scene was everything that one may expect Paris to be like. I fell in love with Paris for many reasons, that being one of them. When one thinks of Spain they think of bullfights and paella, Italy... pasta and pizza, Ireland... beer and gingers (sorry Bathleen)... but most of my experience has proven to me that these stereotypes don't actually exist... they are solely parts of the countries culture that are commercialized for identity and tourist motives. Paris, however, was everything that I pictured it to be. The atmosphere that surrounds you is full of romance and beauty. It is an ineffable feeling that one can only experience by traveling to Paris.

Me and Melissa at Notre Dame

Luckily, I had the opportunity to re-visit Paris two weeks after this experience and see Ryan one last time before another long stint of separation... This time hopefully not five years!

Bruges, Belgium: Chocolate, Waffles, and Moo Moo

When one thinks of Belgium they most likely think of waffles and… Chocolate! If I said that our trip to Belgium did not consist of these two stereotypical delicacies I would be lying… chocolate upon chocolate upon chocolate, in fact. Melissa and I got into Bruges, Belgium quite early in the morning but were able to check in our hotel early. Our Belgian experience started with a 3 hour power nap, some food, and some showers (three luxuries we had not enjoyed in too long). Already things were looking up. We spent the remainder of the day exploring the beautifully quaint Bruges streets filled with chocolate shops, breweries, little restaurants and horse-drawn carriages. The highlight of the day was definitely the canal boat tour… we saw so many beautiful sights.

Towards the end of the day we sat at a café and enjoyed some Belgian waffles and hot chocolates. Just when I thought that our romantic Belgian date could not get any better, we were asked out by our waiter who sported a greasy pony tail and his friend with the promising name of Moo Moo. Well, clearly we had struck gold with this offer and it still irks me that we passed up this once in a lifetime opportunity. Instead, we went back to the hotel, got into bed, and indulged ourselves in the wonder that is Belgian television… where Nickelodeon shows have teenage characters who enjoy unprotected sex and commercials that would seem like soft-core porn to any American viewer… last time I checked two naked bodies in a shower rubbing each other down was not appropriate for a television commercial… only in Belgium.

The following day we drank tea in the square, went on a search for more delicious chocolate, stole one too many Nutella packets from the hotel, and made our way to Paris, France for the next stop of our journey! 

England (London, Windsor, Stonehenge, and Oxford)

I realize I have not blogged in quite a long time but, have no fear, I shall abridge the last month of my life into a few blog posts... it shouldn't be hard right... I mean I only traveled to 8 new countries in the past month... oh crap. Well, I guess we shall start with my first longer trip to London, Bruges, and Paris. My lovely sister, Melissa, made her way to Europe to embark on this adventure with me. Our first stop was London. The disaster started when Melissa and I were mistakenly at the wrong gates trying to find each other in a foreign country with no cell phones. It continued as we exited the airport and were greeted by the ever so friendly London rain which continued for the entire two hours we were searching for our hostel on a street that didn't exist. The trend of running around and being completely lost continued throughout our entire stint in London and the agony was only negated by the fact that London is home to Europe's only Chipotle Restaurant... so if you were wondering what the first thing we did in London was... well, ate enormous burritos (no regrets).

London in five words: gloomy, bland, confusing, proper and overrated (JJ Vittoria, I apologize extensively for this blog post). Their metro... oh wait, sorry, TUBE stops have names like Picadilly Circus and Jubilee. Whoever created those names was on LSD, I am certain. We did, however, get the chance to visit the Harry Potter monument to Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Station which, besides the Chipotle burrito, was the highlight of my sightseeing day in London. We took it upon ourselves to conduct a personal walking, rather, running tour through London to see the main sites including the London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster Abby, Buckingham Palace, etc... all very, well, like I said, unimpressionable. The day was brightened by some tea and chocolate mouse later in the evening followed by bedtime at 8:30 (not joking, it was glorious). Unfortunately, we did not have time to go to Abbey Road, however, I plan on returning to London later in life (shocker right) to take a picture of my family walking across the famous street... a picture that will hang above my living room fireplace. I plan too much, I know. To wrap up our first day in London I suppose Melissa said it perfectly, "I now understand why Harry left and went to Hogwarts".

The second day was much much better, perhaps because we weren't in London. We visited Windsor Castle which was absolutely beautiful and we really lucked out with sunshine during our time in Windsor. The queen was in the castle that day, noted by a certain flag flying above the castle. Did you know the queen's salary per year is 7 million dollars? Getting free shit and waving your hand all the time is definitely worthy of 7 million. After visiting the many what seemed like billions of rooms in the castle, we ate lunch outside at a cafe where I had my first ever Jacket Potato with cheese and beans. It was absolutely scrumptious.

The tour continued with a trip to Stonehenge, which was the entire reason for our visit to London. It was very cold and dark when we arrived which, in my opinion, added to the mysteriousness and ambiguity of the entire relic. It was in the middle of no where, which gave us a great opportunity to see the English countryside. It was awesome to finally see it in person after seeing it so many times in picture. While it was not the most architecturally astonishing thing I have seen in my life (Machu Picchu still takes the cake), it definitely held an enigmatic air that you can only feel if you see it in person.

Our last stop was Oxford, where Melissa and I separated from the group to find the great hall where scenes from Harry Potter were filmed. While most of the film was shot in London or in studios, there are select scenes that were captured in Oxford and we were determined to find them. Oxford, in general, was a beautifully quaint town with cobblestone passageways home to boutique shops and candy stores.

Our entire stay in England ended with some Fish and Chips and Bangers and Mash, some real british delicacies. I could have done without the Fish and Chips but the Bangers and Mash were absolutely bomb. That night we took an overnight bus from London to Brussels. We did not get any sleep which could be attributed to the fact that their was an obnoxious man behind us who believed he had the right to violently push our chairs back every time we tried to recline them, as well as the fact that we were completely unaware we would be exiting the bus to take a ferry across, as opposed to taking the Chunnel. But, of course, in attempts to make the best of the situation, we bought some Kinder Eggs on the ferry and I spent my last pound on a slot machine. I didn't hit big... this was expected.