Before moving to Germany, I'm not sure Poland was necessarily on my radar of places to visit in Europe. However, when you find flights as cheap as we did & you're geographically this close, you really have no excuse. So go we did. Over the Fourth of July holiday weekend Daniel & I flew to Krakow, Poland with our friends, the Lobergs.
Like many of our trips, this trip began with a self-guided walking tour, courtesy of our friend Risk Steves. After starting the walk next to the Barbican & what remains of the city wall, we walked through the Florian Gate and right onto Florianska Street - a makeshift art gallery, where starving students hawk the works they're painted at the nearby Academy of Fine Arts.
St. Mary's Church
Cloth Hall - functioning market, once the place where cloth-sellers had their market stalls.
Inside Cloth Hall.
After some shopping, we decided it was time to think about putting some food in our bellies. After consulting Rick, we couldn't resist going into a highly recommended local Pub for some Fish n' Chips. I know it wasn't London, but man did it look good. . . .Don't judge me, I may have ordered chicken nuggets. My generous husband shared a few bites with me. Yum.
No time to mess around. Picking up where we left off we headed to the Town Hall Tower.
The Town Hall Tower is all that remains of the Town Hall building from the 14th century. Also pictured, the "gigantic head" . . . no really, that's what it's called.
Climbing up the Town Hall Tower.
I know it doesn't make since, but literally the BEST Mexican food we've had since moving to Germany. Seriously so good and cheap like you wouldn't believe. Drinks, appetizers & HUGE entrees for less than €20 TOTAL for two people.
-------------- DAY 2 --------------
Auschwitz Concentration Camp. A tragedy like this should never be forgot. Before WWII, this camp was a base for the Polish army. When Hitler occupied Poland, he took over these barracks and turned it into a concentration camp.
"Arbeit Macht Frei" translated, "Work Sets You Free"
Walking into the camp was its own kind of humbling experience. Walking through the "blocks", looking at the 1,000's of items collected when the camp was liberated was more than powerful, more than moving, more than impactful. An average of 14,000 prisoners were kept at this camp at one time (Birkenau could hold up to 100,000).
Between Blocks 10 and 11, the wall at the far end is where the Nazis shot several thousand political prisoners leaders of the camp resistance, and religious leaders. Our tour guide pointed out that all of the windows surrounding the courtyard were covered, so that nobody could witness the executions. Today this wall serves as a memorial and is known as the "Wall of Death".
Leaving Auschwitz, we took a short bus ride to Birkenau where our guide met us & continued the tour. In 1941 the Nazis realized that Auschwitz camp was too small to meet their needs, so they build a second camp in some nearby farm fields. At its highest, the camp help about 100,000 people.
The ruins of two of the crematorium. There were four total crematoria at Birkenau.
A powerful history that should never be forgotten.
