Blogs from Lesser Poland, Poland, Europe - page 8

Next morning we woke up to rain! We were due to get the bus to Zakopane so set about finding somewhere for breakfast then the bus station. Chaos! Long queues everywhere and very difficult timetables to follow. After standing in a long queue for ages and not moving we were advised to just go and try to get on the bus and pay the driver. We did this and thankfully were on our way soon after midday. The rain continued all day making the bus journey twice as long due to crawling traffic. We arrived at our accommodation in Zakopane like drowned rats! Thankfully it stopped in time for us to go into town for an evening meal. Next day dawned bright and clear and we headed for the mountains. We spent the rest of that ... read more

Five years ago was the wedding in Poland of Gary and Milena. After the wedding, Stan and I took a short trip to Zakopane in the Tatras mountains. We promised ourselves that one day we would return but with Gary and Milena. Well the perfect opportunity popped up. Katarina and Nathan, 2 friends of theirs were getting married in Krakow and many of the wedding party were then moving into Zakopane. We arrived in the lovely old town of Krakow Friday lunchtime and after spending the afternoon exploring the castle met up with Gary and Milena for drinks and an evening meal. Milena's parents were there too. It was a sweltering 29 degrees that day and still very warm throughout the evening but as we left the restaurant around 11pm we noticed a dramatic drop in ... read more

A work trip took me to Krakow in mid-June. I was to attend the Annual Conference of the European Test Publishers Group (ETPG) that my company had just joined. I dove straight into the city’s rich history on my way from the airport into the city since my taxi driver seemed to know all the bits and pieces. Krakow was the capital of Poland before the capital was moved to Warsaw in the 17th century. In spite of this kings were crowned in the city until 1730. Most of the buildings in the city remained undestroyed during the Second World War – by chance, as it turned out: The Nazis had prepared everything so that they would be able to blow up the whole city before the Red Army would arrive, but then the latter arrived ... read more

The first camp established by the SS at Oświęcim, germanized to Auschwitz, was in what had been a Polish army garrison. That it was an important railroad junction no doubt contributed to its choice. It was to become the hub of 48 camps and sub-camps. Two rows of two-story brick buildings lay behind an administrative complex entered through a gate bearing the cynical slogan, Arbeit Macht Frei. Perhaps the SS’s idea of a practical joke. The inevitable records-keeping facilities occupy the first buildings after the gate. Then come the cells for the seniors Kapos, prisoners co-opted to help control the other prisoners, and the punishment section. Between the administrative compound and the barracks is the assembly field where daily, sometimes more, roll calls were held, regardless of the weather. These could last from minutes to hours ... read more

I am now in Poland, the fifth new country I've visited so far on this trip. I am enjoying Krakow which, by all accounts, is the most attractive tourist destination in Poland. Krakow escaped much structural damage during the Second World War and the main square retains its medieval attractiveness. (See photo of busy main square) Wawel Hill and its castle is the place from which the kings of Poland ruled for several centuries. It is a pretty place in its own right and provides an impressive sight from down below next to the Vistula River. (See photo) Saint John Paul II was archbishop of Krakow for many years and there are pictures, plaques, and memorials of him all over town. My favorite is the statue on Wawel Hill near the cathedral. (See photo) Another VIP ... read more