Poland – Aushwitz

This trip required some preparation – both mentally and physically. The mental aspect was because we were going to visit Aushwitz – where the concentration camps that exiled and killed millions of Jews during the Holocaust existed. It was one of many subjects of history that always interested me, and I knew it would be a different experience than the usual sightseeing that I would do in other countries. The worst part was being able to physically handle weather in Poland that weekend – it was about 0 degrees the entire weekend. I expected Rome to be “peacoat” weather, so of course I had no heavy coat, boots, scarf, gloves, hat or anything warm of that nature. To make matters worse, I caught a really bad cold the night before we left. Nonetheless, I packed all the medicines and warm clothes I had and set out to try real pireorgi in Poland. We were exuberant the moment we set foot in Poland because we saw bagels and quickly realized that we would get 4 zloty (Poland currency) for every euro. (Italy does not have any bagels.) After finding our hostel – which was MUCH better than the first one, we got directions to get authentic pierogi and find a mall so that we could buy attire that would allow us to survive in Poland. We went to a restaurant called Miod I Wino, and I ordered a traditional cheese, onion and herb soup for an appetizer and cheese and potato pierogi as my main course. I also got “mould wine” which is hot and spiced up wine that is very delicious. I had a pretty bad cold at this point, so I had trouble truly tasting everything – but it was all still very good. It was a nice restaurant and my bill came out to be only $12 – you can barely get one dish in Italy at that price so I was excited to go shopping next! The mall in Krakow was huge, and there were endless stores that had cute clothes comparable to what we would buy in the USA but with different names. They had a “forever 18” but not a forever 21. I wanted to shop like crazy, but I kept in mind that everything would have to fit in the same backpack that I brought – so shopping had to stay to essentials. I ended up buying a long, fuzzy coat, FAKE uggs, earmuffs, gloves and a scarf for $75 – unbelievable. I freaking loved this zloty currency! I was also ready to bare Krakow weather, but I still suffered miserably throughout the weekend. We had to take multiple breaks inside stores wherever we walked to, and I literally bundled my body so that only my eyes and forehead showed. I put on FOUR layers of sock on each foot, and every warm sweater I had. In retrospect, I didn’t need to pack any clothes because I essentially wore everything I brought every day.

After the shopping, we went and looked at Saint Floran’s Gate – which is the entrance to the city. It was antique and looked very match like a castle. We kept walking and discovered the main square, which was beautiful even in the cold and snow. It was lined up with several restaurants and little shops. After everyone was close to attaining frostbite, we decided it was time to go back to the hostel for a nap.

For dinner we went to a place called CK Browar, which was a big pub with it’s own brewery. I ordered a Greek salad and “fried” potatoes. Apparently potatoes are a big side dish in Poland, and fried potatoes were suppose to be different than French fries. It turned out to taste like huge French fries in the shape of squares. We also ordered their tap beer – which came in servings of 5 liters in this very long dispenser. The beer was tasty and unique, and the atmosphere was a good change.

The next day we set out to Auschwitz, which was about an hour and a half away from Krakow. We hired private transportation and an English-speaking tour guide, and we watched an intense documentary on the way there. The first half of the tour was spent in the Auschwitz camp, and the second half in the Birkenau camp. Between 1942-1944, over a million Jews were exiled from their homes and sent to these camps to be killed in gas chambers. Children and families of all kind were told they were going some where that would have a better life. Little did they know the horrific realities of the concentration camps. Once the people got to the camp, 75% were immediately sent to be killed in the gas chambers. The SS German troops shaved off everyone’s heads, stripped them from their clothes and pulled away all their belongings. One by one, the gas chamber was filled with hundreds of people before the doors were bolted shut. It took fifteen to twenty minutes for the people to die. The 25% that were chosen to live had even a harsher reality – they were starved to death, overworked, and harshly punished for making the slightest mistake.

At Auschwitz, we walked through a museum that preserved belongings and artifacts from the Holocaust. I saw thousands of shoes and suitcases belonging to the victims as well as several adult and child clothing. The most shocking was the hair. There was a particular room that displayed thousands of bundles of hair – all from when the SS troops chopped or shaved it off. The Germans destroyed all of the gas chambers after the war stopped in 1945, but there was one that was preserved – only because it was a bomb shelter. It felt so weird to walk through a building where thousands of people were killed. Birkenau camp was much bigger than the Auschwitz, and this is where I saw firsthand where the exiled victims lived. It was heartbreaking. Four or five people were shoved onto wooden beds no bigger than full size, with no blankets or appropriate clothing to survive harsh weathers. The bathrooms were horrendous and publicly open. I can’t even imagine the pain and suffering these people went through, when I couldn’t even tolerate the 0 degree weather in my 10 layers of clothing for four hours. The ride home was a resting and reflective time for everyone.

After some rest at the hostel, we went out to a quick dinner. For dessert, we were on a hunt to find Wedel’s Chocolate Lounge – which was suggested to us by a friend. It was the most wonderful dessert place I have ever been to – and I literally experienced what I would call “food porn”. After wanting everything off that menu, I decided on a trio hot chocolate – which gave me large samples of white chocolate, milk chocolate and dark chocolate along with a fudge cupcake with vanilla ice cream. When the desserts arrived, I was in heaven. It was a great conclusion to my trip, as we had a very early flight out of Poland the next morning.