We took the train from Prague into Krakow, even though Poland is not included in our rail passes. The ticket only cost us €16, so cheap! To get from Bognor Regis into London (hour and a half trip) costs £15, so a cross country trip like that was a bargain! We booked 3 nights at Goodbye Lenin hostel. It should have been an 8 share for all 3 nights, instead we were put in a 6 share for two nights and a 4 share for the last, bonus. We grabbed a polish dish which was basically a massive piece of bed with a base of mushrooms and cheese, then on top you can put whatever you like. Mine had pickles, ham and salsa. The description translation however, described it more like a pizza. So it was a surprise when it came out, however, still very nice.
On our first day we took a free tour (if you haven't noticed yet, we love a good free tour). It met in the main town square and took as all over the city showing us the old fortress surrounding krakow (whats left of it); the popes window; the university; the castle on wawel hill; the dragons den and much more. It was a huge tour full of lots of history. One of the interesting things was the trumpet player in the main square. Every hour on the hour a trumpet plays for the highest towers four different windows. He plays the same song, but it stops abruptly every time. The myth is that years ago when the city was about to be invaded, the trumpeter at the time played this to warn everyone, but the invaders were known for their archery skills And they shot him in the neck so he would stop. This was 600 years ago and they still play, every hour, every day.
Later this day, we went of a food tour. The guide was free (tip if you want to sort of thing) and the food was cheap. We went all over krakow to loads of different restaurants, markets and shops to try various types of food. Everything was made in a typical polish way and majority of things were delicious. Some of the things we tried were cheese; bread; wawel chocolate; perogie; gerkins; sauerkraut; sausage; soup; stews; apple fritters & ice cream. That was only some of it and the whole tour was less than 30 zloty (€7). Our tour guide was a polish hipster with a massive mustache and the funniest laugh. The food tour was fantastically surprising and well worth the 3 hours.
Our last day, we went to a gun range. It cost €60 and a very large polish man in a hut showed us all of his guns. We shot an M4, MP5, AK47, glock 17, magnum and pump action shotgun. I did a lot better than I thought I would and Matt only hit the target 8 more times than me. So I was pretty proud. It's basically a bachelor weekend sort of activity but we both really enjoyed it, and if you do go to krakow, give it a shot (no pun intended).
So that was all of the fun stuff we did in Poland. While we were here, we booked a trip to Auschwitz. It's very difficult to describe this place. It is cold, dark, and at the time, would have been hell on earth. I will tell you what I saw, but to feel it is a whole different experience. Its life changing. When you get to the entrance, the gate reads 'arbeit macht frei'. Most concentration gates had this sayig somewhere in the camp. This basically means 'work will set you free'. When people were arriving at the camp, the SS guards would point to the chimney and tell them that was their exit. Work was not going to set anyone free, death was.
We continued into the camp and went into old barracks which are basically little museums now. Most of what would have been brought to the camps would have been destroyed but what is left, is in these barracks. One barrack that was particularly difficult had lots of personal items. One of the rooms had seven and a half tonnes of human hair. On average, one person has 30-40grams of hair. This room had seven tonnes. Let that sink in for a minute. This hair would have come from the women that were put in the gas chambers almost immediately after arrivin in Auschwitz. They would have been told they were going for a regular shower and afterwards would recieve a hot meal and their uniform. Inside the gas chamber the chemicals would take no longer than 30 minutes to kill everyone in the room. They would then been taken out, shaved, any gold in Their teeth would be removed, and they woukd be put in the ovens. The hair was used for creating blankets and mattresses. The nazis would sell these to companies to make more money. Everything about this place was disturbing.
In this same building there was 70, 000 pairs of shoes. All different styles, easy to see that it didn't matter what class you were to Hitler, he wanted every jewish person dead. There was also pots & pans; shoe polish; clothes; kids toys; glasses and hair brushes. These people were just innocent human beings trying to live their own lives. Mothers, fathers, aunties, uncles, brothers, sisters, friends... all murdered.
We continued on into the basement which used to be a prison, which described three inhumane tortures, as well as being the first place that gas was used to murder 600 jews. We also went into the only gas chamber left, the smallest of the 6 that used to stand in Auschwitz. We walked through it, just as they would have. Into the undressing room and then Into the coldest, darkest room i've ever seen in my life. Words cannot describe the feeling when you are stood in this room. Knowing that mothers would have been stood here with their babies with a glimmer of hope that it would be a shower, and after they would be able to see their husbands again. Yet their lives would be taken from them for no other reason than the religion they practiced. Its the most heartbreaking thing, and the worst part is, its still happening in the world today. At some point the world needs to look back and understand history because right now, it just keeps repeating itself. None of the camps were easy to walk through. Its not a museum or just another day trip, it was a life changing experience.
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