http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Poland , Lesser Poland , Auschwitz en-us Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:50:47 +0000 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:50:47 +0000 I knew today's trip was going to be a very thought provoking one but one I wanted to take. For so many years I viewed the Holocaust as something very far in the past. It really wasn't real to me until I reread The Hiding Place. My parents introduced my brothers and me to that when we were fairly young but it wasn't until recently that I truly got the time line. I was born just 20 years afte http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-444463.html Today Rasta and I woke up around nine ate breakfast and took a tram to the bus station. We were a little early for the bus to Auschwitz so we walked around the mall for a while and got some coffee. I ordered in Polish Tomek and Magda met us there and we went to buy our bus tickets.. The bus ride from Krakow to Auschwitz was about an hour and forty minutes. Entrance to the concentration http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-442988.html Dear GrandpaI visited Auschwitz and Birkenau and I learned something about you. Or rather I learned something about humanity. I learned that men are brave and it is the brave ones who matter. I learned that men are humane and it is the humane ones that matter. I learned that good CAN overcome evil and that it is the good in man that truly matters. I learned that you are the greatest man http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-440861.html I took a daytr305p by myself to Auschw305tz as Em305ly told me she could not handle go305ng. I would say 305t was def305nately one of the th305ngs I was most 305nterested 305n do305ng 305n Europe. Of course there are so many books and mov305es wr305tten about the holocaust you could say Yeah yeah I know I know but actually see305ng 305t 305n per http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-437590.html Two weeks ago or thereabouts on a Friday Joshua and I were enjoying an evening with Don and Deila. At one point the discussion turned to our planned AuschwitzBirkenau visit. The four of us engaged in an intellectual dissection of this place its significance in the annals of history and its significance to us. Deila asked that upon our visit or shortly thereafter that I share my emotional http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-433885.html An early morning departure ensured that we would arrive on time for our tour reservation of Auschwitz Concentration Camp and Birkenau Death Camp in Oswiecim.Our guide Kasia provided us with a factual yet passionate tour of a very difficult place. As she related the history and many specifics surrounding the events and circumstances we were all overwhelmed with the immense evil it represented. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-429254.html When we left warsaw Tomek told us that it was better to drive South for a couple hours then go NE to go to Berlin as the roads were much better and no construction. He recommended spending a couple hours in Wroclaw on the way. However when daddy was driving he realized that it would be less than 30 minutes out of the way to go to Auschwitz and he thought this was better than stopping in a city http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-426713.html I was hugged by the Count today. From Sesame Street. You know 1 2 ha ha ha 3 4 ha ha ha ..... Okay maybe he wasn't REALLY the count but he was dressed up like him and saw me taking his photo so he came over and hugged me. Okay let me backtrack....An early start to the day I was catching an 8am bus across town and was powerwalking for about 20 min. in the heat to catch it on http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-419241.html Definitely one of the most moving visits I have ever done. The first camp Auschwitz I doesn't seem as bad as the Birkenau one. Maybe because of the lack of the barracks and I guess it generally looks like a prison. It mainly consists of numerous buildings in which various prisoners were kept. It was the very first camp so no specific idea was put forward other than just locking up people who bas http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-415891.html This can never happen again. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-407563.html Today we were picked up from our lovely little pension in the middle of nowhere Teplice and driven off in private mini vans towards Krakow which would be our new home for the night. The vans were driven by two lovely guys and our driver was just hilarious. He had a real sense of humour on him. Most of the day was spent driving from the Czech Republic into Poland although we did cross the bord http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-406936.html Oswiecim is a name not many people know but it is the actual name of the place where the infamous nazi death camps Auschwitz Monowitz and Birkenau are located. It started as a POW camp in April 1940 but due to its location and other reasons it evovled with the assistance of nazi efficiency to murder slaughter kill exterminate jewish people and other people viewed as undesirable. Between a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-391859.html The town of Oswiecim Poland is just 50 kilometers from Krakow. It's brick barracks were built before the second World War as barracks for the Polish Army. This little village has grown into a small town over the last 65 years. And each day thousands of people from literally all over the world find their way here. To see for themselves and to remember those that died. The numbers of the vic http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-367332.html My first impression on Poland was not the most positive. I quote the page I wrote on my diary the day I crossed the Polish border. I apologize beforehand in case someone was to find it politically incorrect.Friday October 3rd The weather has changed this time the forecast was accurate. It drizzled all day nothing unbearable but annoying enough to make me end the day at Kostrzyn Poland 30 km http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-342580.html When you get to Auschwitz head to the museum. Birkenau is 2 km later in the west.The city around the museum and Birkenau show no signs of the past at all supermarkets advertisements of cosmetics models and so on.But you can't erase the past..Trip Germany Prague CZ Kutna Hora CZ Auschwitz POL Krakw POL Warszawa POL Kaunas LT Trakai LT Vilnius LT Siaulai LT http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-335872.html AUSCHWITZ 02.10.08Km traveled 3120For 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 manly Jews from various countries of Europe. Auschwitz Birkenau 1940 1945 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-330492.html Vnos s podobnim naslovom sem enkrat e zapisala. Mislim da za kamboscaronki genocid. Po danascaronnjem dnevu ne more biti druga269e.e zgodaj zjutraj smo se odpeljali Auschwitzu Oswiecimu po poljsko in Birkenau naproti. 268eprav je do tja le kakscaronnih 50 km je zaradi slabih cest in jutranje guve pot dolga.Tam nas sprejme Beata zopet samo nascarona vodi269ka. Mankici in meni http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-326589.html Poland to the Czech RepublicAuschwitz and BirkenauDay 19This was a morning that was not one I could prepare myself for. All I can say is that it was a moving moment at we walked around the concentration camps. The sheer size of them blew me away and the history was shocking to say the least. We were taken on a guided tour of the sight which took around two hours. I think that pictures speak loud http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-321706.html To come http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-312894.html One who does not remember history is bound to live through it again. George CantayanaThis is a more somber blog. Today we vistied Aushcwtiz and Birkenau which where the largest of the Nazi concentration camps during WWII. It is a very real and very heavy place. As we walked and listened to our guide i often found myself not listening and trying to image what it was like for the people during t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Poland/Lesser-Poland/Auschwitz/blog-311745.html