Saturday, December 15, 2007

A short, memorable time in Poland

J So we went from Prague to Krakow, Poland. It was 8 or 9 hours by train with one change along the way, which is a long day on the train. We had planned well though and brought food and drink, and we passed the time reading, sleeping, and discussing the next leg of our adventure. We were very blessed as our first train, which was 1.5 hrs late, dropped us at our connection point with 15 minutes before the next train to Krakow left, which with a little hussle we made without a problem.

Interesting point: when we first arrived in a non english speaking country (Spain) were we frightened at the thought of not being able to communicate, now however, we just point and attempt to prusuade the locals to remember their English vocab (although we always learn pleasentries and use them, no matter how badly we butcher pronounciation). We always seem to manage, and most people are very friendly, when they aren't.. it's usually because they think we're American. haha

As we arrived in the evening in Krakow, we looked out into the dark and sleet, lifted our bags onto our backs, fixed our touques and mittens, grabbed our carry on packs and started the long haul to our hostel. Going downstairs toward the exit of the train station we walked into a small corridor, with glass doors and a nice black floor-mat on the ground. Strange we thought.

The warm air that hit us, coupled with the smell of baked goods and a faint whisper of music started our jaws towards the ground. As we turned the next corner we saw it, a 30 foot Christmas tree, with decorations, and about 25 smaller ones cleverly placed around little stalls with goods and services at our disposal. Yes the very symbol of capitalism that we forgot we missed so much, a MALL!!!
Krakow Galleria as they call it, what a shock to go from train station, darkness, cold, to this. We later discovered it is at least the size of Kingsway Garden Mall back in E-town.

M We did make it to our awesome hostel that night and were plesantly surprised to find our 10 bed dorm was empty and we had the room to ourselves. We then monopoloized the free internet to do some planning and check email. The next day we were up early and after a breakfast provided by the hostel (Poland was nice and cheap if we haven't mentioned it yet) we were on a bus heading to Auswitch.

We saved Zloty (as we often do) by not taking the tour and walking our tired butts to the bus station and paying for the guided tour at the site. For those that are not familiar with Auswitch, it was the largest Nazi concentration camp, where between 1 and 1.2 million people we murdered, either through starvation, execution, work, sickness, and of course the gas chambers.
The day aroused many emotions in both Jesse and I. Everything from anger to sorrow, and a general somber feeling throughout the day. It was fittingly a very cold, foggy day, and the most shocking thing we discovered was the shear size of the camp, specificallz Burkenau (Auswitch II). We had a bus ride of 1.5 hrs both ways to the site, and thus had time to reflect on the things we heard and saw. The buildings were for the most part preserved, only some of them being made of wood, most were brick, and only the gas chambers at Burkenau were destroyed by the Nazi's in an attempt to cover up their atrociates.

We saw the terrible conditions where they slept, with insufficient heating, room, and of course food (never mind nutrition). We saw the train tracks which brought deported people groups from all over Europe to be forced to work until they died, or if they were old, young, or sick, were sent immediately to the gas chambers. There were store houses of the belongings of the people who came thinking they were simply being relocated to start anew. We even learnt that musicians were forced to play music all day long to keep up the appearance to new arrivals that this camp was a happy, safe place. They learned quickly, if they lived long enough, that it was far from it.

J We left Auswitch wondering how and why anyone would ever regard human life with such low standards, and if such a horrible place would ever exist again. We thoroughly enjoyed the Holocost Meseum in Budapest, but going to the concentration camp was such a moving, incredible experience, one that we are so thankful we experienced.

We'll have to post pictures soon, but for you to visualize. The 2200 volt electric fences still in surrounding the complex, the brick chimneys of wooden buildings still standing despite the buildings having rotted away, the train tracks leading through the gate into Birkeanu where people were glanced at by "doctors" who decided in an instance the fate of the individual, and at the entrace to Auswitch the sign over the front gate "Work Will Set You Free", still standing as it did so many years ago. Then as you climb a tower, you realise the size of the complex, and the sheer enormity of the number of victims, about 1.1 million people, who were stripped of their citizenship, their homes, carted off in worse conditions then we might cart off cattle.
Then, stripped of their dignity, and finally their lives.

M Well post again asap when we have time about the rest of our time in Poland, from their we moved onto Berlin. Talk to you later. Bye.

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