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?