Walking, Walking, Walking

Flashback to our hotel room last night....

Me (legs up on the wall, convincing my legs they have more walking around Krakow in them): When does Schindler's Factory open?
Irma (looking up the information): 10.
Me: And the walking tour starts at???
Felicia: 10 and 130.
Me: Underground museum? 10? But we need to reserve a time slot- right? And we need 2-3 hours at each? Oh, there is no way we can do them all.

<< 5 minutes of talking back and forth about our options and prioritizing picks >>

Me: Wait! We can do it all and even have a short lunch break!

And that's how we toured for 10 hours in one day.

Lesson of the story: When traveling, I want to do it all. I'm not a sit and sip coffee all afternoon in the main square kind of traveler. I'm a "this may be my only time here so I need to do it all even if it means I have 12+ hour days filled of adventure" kind of girl. Luckily, my travel partners on this trip already knew this about me and even better? They're all for it!
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Free walking tours are perhaps my favorite things ever because they take you around the city to get the lay of the land, you hear a local's perspective and did I mention they're my favorite price--- free! (Okay, not really when you tip the guide, but totally worth some of the travel budget for the information you learn and the awesome maps of the city they always have.) Worse case, you ditch the group mid-tour if it's terrible or fear you will forget where the museum is they just pointed out to come back later...but this was not the case at all!

Alyica was clearly proud of her town, Krakow. In the 2.5 hours we followed her around, we covered several miles in the city and about 400 years of Krakow's history- Kings, Austrian Empire, and more kings. We learned how "true Poles" were tested by saying 4 of the most challenging words in the Polish language: młyn (millhouse), soczewica (lentil), miele (milling), koło (wheel). Didn't pronounce it correctly? You're dead and only the Polish remained.

We learned about how the king is crowned, not born into the job so at one point, the daughter of the deceased king was crowned king while they looked for a husband for the young girl. They found someone which lead to the baptism of the nation so that they could join the Polish kingdom. By the way- back when? Poland was HUGE! The country boarders extended much past what they are today.

Walk though old told we heard stories about how the bell tower is the only part remaining of the city call after an ill-fated restoration. We heard learned about the stories that "every Pole knows" including the story as to why the trumpeter's song ends on a broken note on the top of every hour each of the 4 times he plays it. The player, a fireman, stands in the clock tower and each hour he first plays his song towards the palace, then market square, the city gate, and then the fire station. (Legend says it's because the invading tribes shot an arrow through is throat cutting his warning signal short...it's all false, made up by a local and told to an American journalist so the story continues on.)

At the University we heard about the professors lured to a conference on the German Culture shortly after the SS invaded. Rather than learned about the culture, they were arrested for starting the academic term without permission and then sent to prison camps. Here we also heard about the list of Poles who attended the school- among them Pope John Paul II (but he never graduated). We soon stood later under the the window t the Bishops Palace where he would deliver his speeches to the people when he would visit.

Our final stop lead us to Wawel Hill where the Royal Palace and Cathedral are situated. Although the country is now a democracy, the President still used the castle. We decided to "change our lives" by touching the "strange" wall where local legend says 1 of the 7 pieces of a material that fell from the sky landed on this site. Why? Well, Krakow did survive many invasions but never lost their castle. If that's not enough for you to drink the cool-aid,  this is the only section of wall of the entire castle that does not have a mold problem. (You can't make this stuff up!)

At the case of Wawel Hill, along the river, my pressing question about those dragons was finally answered! Situated outside of the Wawel Dragon's lair, we learned how he used to cause problems for the king by eating all the virgins. So the kind declared war on the dragon and announced to tall the knights that whoever killed the dragon could have half the kingdom and a bunch of riches. Knight after knight tried to slay the dragon, but they all died. After months of this, a shoemaker told the Kind he knew how to slay the dragon and asked if he did, if he could have the reward. The king doubted the ability of a shoemaker to kill the dragon, but agreed. The shoemaker, Krak, took a sheep's fleece, soaked it in sulfur, and left it at the entry of the dragon's lair. The hungry dragon devoured the "sheep" and became incredibly thirsty. He traveled down to the river and drank and drank and drank and drank and drank, drank, drank, drank, drank, drank, drank until all the water caused him to explode!  Krak got his reward and eventually was crowned King of the city. Krakow, translated means "city of Krack." Oh and the moral of the story? "Don't drink too much!"

Um yeah, of course I picked up a dragon Christmas ornament. (I decided Nico wouldn't like a baby dragon as a toy and would probably result in him bringing me even larger reptiles.) I mean, who doesn't like a dragon and now that I knew the story behind it? I'll always remember Krakow.

Sadly, that was the end of the walking tour...but not even the half way point in our day. Let's keep moving people...

Next stop: Rynek Underground 

 This museum was mentioned to us by our driver and also our guide on the walking tour so we knew it would be good! (If growing up in a touristy town has taught me anything- it's how to know what's really good versus what's really just a tourist trap based on the local opinion.)

So, the main square of Old Town has been around for a very long time. So long that over the centuries the roads were repaired by adding layers of sand/gravel to fill hole or cover the debris. This happened so many times that the current day square and Cloth Hall is slightly over 5 meters higher than it was in the midevil time of the city. One of the small churches in the square, was once on a small hill, but is now on the same level as the other buildings!


Excavation began in the mid 2000s and they were amazed with all they discovered- artifacts including the original roads from the 11th century! When the vase amounts of the items were realizes they created the  museum in what at one point was the main square, now 5 meters underground. The interactive museum had the items, but also videos and holograms of the busy markets, how fires were deadly to the city, and maps of the old town. The way of life was also explored through found graves and explaining burial practices, as to avoid vampires. A look of what the people looked like was also explored, having height charts to see where you stood among the average height. One display had you step on a scale to see what your weight was in 14th century Krakow measurements. The results? Well I'm only okay with posting it here because unless you have the conversions handy you don't know what I weighed in that day...and if you do? I swear it was the result of all those pirogi that first night in town!

There were also several movies about the town, through the various years, but once again, one the Red Army showed up to liberate them from the SS, the history sort of stopped. I don't get it. What about those 40+ years? Now I have to research or, come back and do the Commie walking tour.

Back above ground we set off for our 3rd destination. Little did we know the adventure in stores as we went in search of Schindler's Factory.

Turns out the tram number given to us as incorrect. With a lot of map reading (which we all know I'm terrible at, so luckily Andrew understands them) and a short trek through a residential area (near the old Jewish Ghetto at dusk which was only 4pm) we made it with just a few tickets left for the last admittances of the day.

The "factory" was a huge building that took us through Krakow in 1939 to 1947 as a resident of the city. Each year brought new issues: the joining of the war, SS invasion, concentration camps, a rescue by the Red Army. Although the focus was on the Jewish population at the time, there were many items from the SS invasion. Unfortunately as someone who doesn't read German or Polish many of the displays were simply pictures for me. Pictures that spoke more than most likely any translation could.

As we followed the history of Jews during this time- being forced into a ghetto, needing permission to leave, living in jammed quarters (it's estimated that each person had only 2 cubed meters of space). Accounts of children and adults written and translated on the wall mimicking the one once built around the area with pictures from the time. Perhaps the most haunting one was written by an 8 year old about how as the wall went up he realized that each segment looked like a tomb stone, foreshadowing the deaths of hundreds.

After our day spent at Auschwitz I began to see just what the experience was for many of the Jewish people prior to the miserable experience at the camps; more misery. Life in the Jewish Ghetto wasn't that much better- crowded conditions, starvation, fear of death, austere regulations. Although the Schindler story wasn't that huge part of the museum now in his former factory it was interesting to take a look into "his office." -->Side note. I'm now reading his wife's autobiography of that time frame and getting a much different impression of the story. I haven't quite finished it, but it is fascinating. I love how she says repeatedly that neither her or her husband were heroes, they just did what anyone would have...but they didn't. That's why so many died. 

So yeah, our crazy long day ended rather somberly. I recommend all three activities, although maybe not all on the same day? 

Auschwitz- Birkenau

FOR EVER LET THIS PLACE BE A CRY OF DESPAIR AND A WARNING TO HUMANITY WHERE THE NAZIS MURDERED ABOUT ONE AND A HALF MILLION MEN, WOMEN, AND CHILDREN MAINLY JEWS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES OF EUROPE.
AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU
1940-1945

I've been struggling with how to write this post for some time. In fact, I even asked others on the trip for feedback because how can do you write about the experience?  But its history needs to be known. Images need to be seen. The impact recognized. It's our responsibility (as a member of the human race) to allow anything even remotely close to this ever happening again.

Auschwitz is one of those places where no matter how much you have heard about the camp or expect the worst, the place still haunts you long after leaving the site.

Photographed faces looking down from frames lining the halls capturing the captives faces upon entry of the camp. Hundreds of fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, daughters, sons dressed in the stripped uniform of the camp and shaved heads. Some eyes shining with spirit and spunk, other eyes already losing their shine knowing what is to come. Dates of deportation to Auschwitz and date of death (typically just a few months later) reveal only the earlier years of the camp as the SS soon found it difficult to match their prisoners to the photos as the harsh conditions quickly took a healthy individual and turned him or her into a walking skeleton. The solution? A tattooed identification number on the forearm of each captive.

Items that were valuable or held value to those forced to leave their homes, having no idea where they were going or for how long, were packed carefully into suitcases with their name and address written on the outside. Large displays of piled of shoes, empty suitcases, clothing, eye glasses, shaving item, brushes only show a fraction of what personal items were brought as the really valuable, quality items were stored in a warehouse (dubbed Canada by the inmates) before being sent to Germany to be sold or used.

Hearing the eerie train whistle in the distance as you hear the tales of cattle cars rolling in, packed full with prisoners after their multi-day traveling ordeal- exhausted from standing the entire trip, weak from starvation, filthy. Seeing the extended track to speed up the process of getting the prisoners to the camp on account of walking the last few miles took too long. 

My feet standing where men were told to stand in one line and women and children in the other waiting for a glance from a doctor before being further separated into 2 groups: those who would be murdered immediately and those who would work to death.

Feeling the winter wind blowing through the blocks, bars in the cell, cold stone walls. Seeing ice crystals on the roof tops. Being reminded that it's been a "warm winter" as I wrap my scarf tighter and cover my hears with my hat before stuffing my gloved hands back in my pockets.

Traveling through acre after acre of buildings originally meant to hold livestock filled with 3 stack bunks jammed in to accommodate as many prisoners as possible. Despite this, each bed still held 3 people sleeping on their side until one had to rotate, which meant they all did.

I imaged what it was like: the lower bed just inches off the frozen ground filled with the weakest of individuals. Starving to death. Sick with typhoid.  Resembling more of a skeleton than a person. Those who were strong enough despite hunger, illness, and exhaustion would climb to the top bunk in attempt to be warmer. The advantage to the top bunk? Avoiding the 6 people sleeping above you showering you in diarrhea or vomit.

Is it really any wonder why prisoners would try to escape? Had I been in their place what would my reaction been? Work hard, stay unnoticed? Run myself into the high voltage fence? Scheme to escape, knowing I'm putting my block-mates at risk? Utilize the hospital but make sure I "recover" within 2 weeks time so I would be returned to the blocks and not the gas chamber?

Walking through Block 11 to see where "trials" of prisoners were held I only heard the shuffle of feet of the others as we listened to our guide through headphones. Seeing the basement where 10 men from one block would be held (until they starved to death) when a man from their block escaped (or attempted to). Seeing the tribute to a priest who volunteered for a young man that was once selected to be one of the 10. He ended up living many days longer than the other 9- only to be shot by the SS. Seeing the bathroom for victims to undress before walking into the neighboring courtyard to be shot against a wall or hung in small groups.

Filing through the dark gas chamber. Stopping first in the room where instructions were once given to undress and hang clothing on a numbered hook before entering into the "showers." Seeing the openings where the poison was dropped through to the unsuspecting people below. Hearing how the toxic worked while standing in front of case with empty tins and being told that each tin's content killed about 100 people. Seeing the various chambers used based on the number of victims as the gas worked best in warm places so victims would be packed in tightly and their body heat would activate the poison. Bodies would be stacked up by those still alive to try to escape and sometimes this would protect those on the very bottom layer who would be shot when the SS would clear the bodies out of the chamber to turn them into ashes and then fill large holes with the ashes. 

Seeing the crumbled ruins of the chamber used to murder. Destroyed crematories. Destroyed by the Nazis as they realized the Red Army was coming in; trying to destroy evidence of the camp.

Realizing that despite the thousands of other visitors at the camp with you, it is nothing in comparison to the at least 1,300,000 people that were sent to this camp alone by the Nazis. Of them, 1.1M Jews. The remaining consisting largely of Poles with much smaller numbers of Gypies, Soviet POWs, and prisoners of other ethnic groups. Trying to comprehend why of those sent to Auschwitz 1,100,000 died as a result of being born a certain ethnicity.

These are the reasons Auschwitz haunts you long after your departure. And I think rightfully so. 

Is it a place that I recommend you see? Most definitely. 

For me it is one of those things that I had to work up to it. When my sister and I toured Eastern Europe several years ago we visited a Jewish memorial. I still remember sitting with her, tears in both our eyes after listening to stories of camp survivors. We sat in that room both knowing we had other things to see in the city, but not wanting to leave as we stared at the large map on the wall with all the concentration camps marked. Then and there I knew one day I'd be visiting Auschwitz. Granted it was by route of Dachau Concentration Camp and the Anne Frank House, but like I said- work up to this one. It's huge and a bit of a challenge to take it all in when you stand within the walls of the compound and realize the evil that once took place on the now wide open plain dotted with trees.

Destination: Poland

Nope, I didn't wait long in the new year for my adventures to start; you can't with only 5 months rapidly ticking down on the Italy clock.

By 1300 we were checked in and through security waiting at the gate for Katowice, Poland. In fact we, (Otte family + Felicia) all had priority boarding so we had our VIP section on the bus. "Had" as in this is still Italy so you really can't pay for personal space. The non Italians that boarded our section realized our "VIP status" and moved. The Italians? Ha. Ha. Really?

Temperatures didn't seem too cold when we arrived in Katowice and met Slawek holding a sign with my name on it. I told you- VIP status is Poland. Okay, maybe not really VIP status since it was a 8.5x11 piece of paper with my name written with a Sharpe, but he was there to be our driver to Krakow. The drive was just over an hour and what felt like on major back roads through country. At the first stop light when all the cars stopped we were in shock. As we explained it to the driver, he seemed to not believe that driving is how we described it in Naples...yet later on he ran a red light and I'm pretty sure that was because he was trying to welcome us to the country. (It was also way too late for him to stop given that the road temp was right around freezing.)

After a quick check in, we bundled up since the outside temp was 1C and still dropping. And yeah, it was feeling cold at this point as we headed towards the main square in search of dinner. Surprisingly most places were open as it is January 1st. I spotted a fabulously decorated places and we opted for pierogi for dinner. Unfortunately at the counter as we placed our orders we learned that they had very few of the types left (and no soup) after being open since 3am after a huge concert to ring in the new year. Having really no clue what we were getting (and wondering why these were the ones left) we ended up ordering a lot. As in too much. But as we sat and talked and kept passing the trays around, the number on the table shrunk. Okay, maybe I was the one eating all the cherry and poppy seed ones but they were yummy and totally worth the mess they left my teeth in.

With way too many pierogi in our bellies (man oh man do they stick on you) we had to walk. EVERYONE knows you can't go to sleep with a belly full of pierogi. And yes, this is part of the reason it's past 11 and I'm still awake. After an hour or so of walking (and feeling rather frozen) I can say I have these initial thoughts on Krakow: they like their chocolate shops almost as much as kebabs. Shops appear to be unique and in all the souvenir shops they're are a lot of dragons...I need to figure out why.

But not now.

I need to get to sleep because tomorrow is our half day at Auschwitz then the salt mine. I'm pretty sure that only under the ground (in the mines) will I be warm on this trip. Woohoo! I'm finally in Poland and have a ton of exploring to do in these few days.