Poland/Polska

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Poland was a quick stop over for us, we stayed only one night in Krakow; the former capital of Poland (1038 to 1596) ... yeah because I didn't just Wiki that.
On our way to the big city we made a quick pitstop to Auchwitz, you know to lighten the mood a little bit. Having read let's face it only a couple of pages of The Diary of Anne Frank and I did actually finish The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (I should think so too considering that year 9 kids read it for their GCSEs). And having watched many films based on or in Auchwitz I was keen to see (not experience) it for myself.
I cannot describe the feeling of seeing that iconic arch tower and train track saturating the view of the countryside, you can't take your eyes away from it, and you're constantly thinking, of the millions of people that walked where you are walking, however their fate was not to be so lucky.


The camp was free to enter (I liked this fact that they are not trying to make money out of the evil dehumanisation that these people were subject to). It was quiet, errie and for me almost numbing because personally I am so far removed from what happened, and what happened was to unimaginable that it is hard to feel any kind of real emotion.


The most overwhelming moment was when we were standing at the back of the camp casually wandering on the unusually paved ground tuning in and out of various guides submerging their group in endless seas of facts and figures, when I heard "you see floor...well each stone represents one victim." You look down and this paving goes on forever, and at that moment the sheer enormity of the mass exterimination was real.


The train from Auchwitz to Krakow was ... um... interesting. For miles and miles, all that could be seen through the grimy, plastic windows were decrepit, abandoned trains and old, broken pilons. Our first impressions of Poland = not good.
However, it was only after arriving in Krakow that we realised what a bustling and vibrant city we had found ourselves in. A city bursting to the brims in historing but catering to a fresh, young and dynamic population; perfectly paved streets with coves and club hang outs, wine bars and tapas were on the menu that night. However we settled for a Wok in a Box. Beth opted for the authentic chopsticks, I ... a bog standard fork.

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