Disclaimer; In order to avoid upset or inspire anger, I would like to point out my sincere sympathy and respect for those who died at Auschwitz as well as the families of those killed there and my views in no way seek to appease or dismiss the terrible events that took place there. We set aside Thurs morning to visit Auschwitz. We originally intended to take the tour but on discovering the package was 90 zlotys (about 30 pounds sterling) we decided to forgo it and rely upon our knowledge accumulated from GCSEs, books and the media and do it ourselves. [View Full Entry]

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First things first. We decided to stay at this hostel another night instead of taking a night train to Prague. It just rocks too much, and we will leave for Prague, Czech Republic, in the morning. Now onto more serious, less logistical writing. Today we visited Auschwitz concentration camp. It's Kate here, by the way, Ian will post too. We both want to type our own experiences because something like this is extremely moving, and no two people will feel the exact same way. Upon arriving, I felt a mixture of conflicting emotions. I was nervous, excited, scared, curious, and awkward. [View Full Entry]

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The last day of our trip through Poland, we stopped in the town of Oscwiecim, which in German is Auschwitz. It is of course home to the famous Nazi concentration camps. It is not always clear from the information seen in a TV documentary or read in a book, but there are actually three Auschwitz camps close to one another. The main camp has been preserved and turned into the Auschwitz museum. It was the sight of approximately 70,000 deaths, while the nearby Auschwitz II (Birkenau) was the sight of several hundred thousand. The camp is not a happy place to [View Full Entry]

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6/14/08 Auschwitz It was hard to imagine that I was at the actual Auschwitz. You hear all these stories about how horrid a place it was and about the lives lost and the short supply of survivors and to actually be there is an out of body experience. First, I want to start with the facts of Auschwitz. It was started as a camp for Polish political prisoners. It was made by the prisoners themselves. Auschwitz is actually made up of three separate camps, Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II which included Birkenau, and Auschwitz III which was where Primo Levi was held. [View Full Entry]

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Today was the day to visit Auschwitz - one of those days that are not enjoyable, but essential to do when travelling - when we come into contact with the physical reality of an historical event, we can get a glimpse of the human reality - and come out the end of it different people. We have learned about the holocaust at school, through films and movies, but it was always a bit theoretical - over there. Seeing the physical buildings, standing in the gas chamber, seeing the sheer physical size of Birkenau, trying to comprehend the numbers, seeing the two [View Full Entry]

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　　今天大半日到了Auschwitz-Birkenau集中營，說實話，震撼感沒有想像般強烈，也許“Schindler’s List”來得更徹底。 　　今早打開窗看見白色物體在飄，懷疑是否下雪，但見天朗氣清，以為自己估錯；但坐巴士到火車站一下車，見到真的是下雪啊，那是我第一次遇到下雪。雪下得不大，只是散落著，間中有幾顆打在臉上，只覺微微濕潤，不算冷，因為氣溫本來已經夠低了…… 　　未有想過3月仍會下雪，可算是額外收穫。 　　一直渴望在波蘭靜下來留自己一個思考的空間，結果真的給我分到一間單人房，但往往每晚收拾完畢已屆十時多，別說看書了，連寫日記亦未必夠力。 　　初進波蘭時，覺得很簡陋，還擔心自己接受不了；但只消半晚便安頓了下來，始終人們比起德國大城市的純樸一點（德國始終太多類似邊青的物體），這裡物資不算貧乏，但不會有太多，這應該就是今次我來想過的生活了。無論文字、語音、人們的模樣、基建等，都令我想起克羅地亞／Split。 video: 第一次見到下雪 [View Full Entry]

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So, this entry is pretty depressing--just wanted to give a quick warning. You'll understand if you keep reading...I went to Auschwitz this weekend in Krakow, Poland. I am going to discuss a lot of what I saw, most of which is extremely disturbing. A lot of people ask me why I would do such a depressing thing. When I sit and think about why I went, I tend to ask back to the person, "How could pass by this enormous, important piece of history when I am right next to it?" Yes, it was very depressing indeed, but one of the [View Full Entry]

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Our travels have taken us as far East in Europe as we will go; to Krakow, Poland and the site of the largest death camp built by the Nazi's. Our words can in no way describe this place where an estimated 2.25 million people were murdered so we will not even try. With all the suffering, pain and torture inflicted here, it is the most sadistic place a person can imagine. Suffice it to say that this place needs to be visited to even grasp the slightest scale of what happened here although only the survivers will ever really know. The [View Full Entry]

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December 18 Note: Please use your judgment when sharing this blog with children. I was up early on Tuesday morning for a quick breakfast and a search for a bus. I decided that it would be easier to ask at Tourist Information than search by myself. They turned out to be very helpful and I caught the very next bus which took us right to the Visitor's Center at Auschwitz I. After the two hour bus ride, I made my way into the Visitor's Center and decided to take the guided tour, which was provided in English, and see the film [View Full Entry]

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November 2004 The pictures do the talking on this blog. [View Full Entry]

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