First Stop: Krakow

      As large men in uniforms stepped onto our bus to check our passports, it hit me we were about to enter Poland! The landscape was largely bleak, overrun with out of date industrial buildings left from communist times. After several hours we pulled into Krakow and I found the beauty of Poland. We quickly checked in and bundled up for our tour. Our tour guide was great; we quickly warmed to him as he teased our program director who informed us that Czechs hate Poles... Whatever you say Jiří. Despite the heavy snow and intense cold it was easy to fall for the small city. My favorite thing about Krakow is the unique way the government decided to utilize the space left after the fortifications were torn down. Instead of turning the space into a large avenue like most cities, the government planted trees and grass to create a large park that circles the city. I could picture the ring of nature around the compact city center as a beautiful run in warmer days.

View as we walked into Old Town

      After our tour we headed to dinner for our traditional Polish meal. I guess I had never made the connection that perogies are Polish despite my love for them. Needless to say, I was in for an unexpected treat. The perogies were filled with cheese, potatoes, spinach, meat, mushrooms, saurkraut, you name it. I'll have to learn to make fresh perogies, the frozen American version just won't cut it anymore.

Perogies!

      The next morning I joined the Jewish studies kiddos for a Jewish tour of Krakow. We saw all seven synagogues, the cemetery, and several sights where Schindler's List was filmed. After stuffing my face with more perogies, I joined the Central European group for Schindler's Factory. The museum was extremely engaging and creative. Even the floors were part of the exhibits, covered in swastika tiles at one point, gravel at another, and even a soft rubber surface that felt like mud to step on. We finished the day with a lecture on gender during communism which was extremely interesting. I was shocked and disappointed to learn that abortion is currently illegal in Poland. I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised seeing that Poland is the most Catholic country I've been to outside of the Vatican. Krakow is home to over 120 Catholic sites of worship. I swear they're like McDonalds in the US: one around every corner. We ended our first full day with a traditional Polish meal from a stand consisting of a hunk of bread with cheese, mushrooms, and other toppings before heading for some drinks with our program director. It was fun to get to know him better.

      We toured the communist built town of Nowa Huta the next morning. The area was built as a communist ideal neighborhood for workers at the steel mill that was the pride and joy of the Soviet government. The neighborhood was extremely imposing and amazingly symmetrical. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the area. My favorite moment of the tour was when our guide was showing us a picture of a giant Lenin statue that used to stand in a square when this little old lady hobbled over on her cane to peer over his shoulder and say "ah yes, our father Lenin" in Polish of course. Hah what? We headed back to the center of Krakow to meet with a member of the Righteous of the Nations, a group of families and individuals who helped save people from persecution during the Holocaust. She told us her story in which she saved a group of Jews from being sent to concentration camps and probable death by hiding them in her attic. She informed us that the image of Poland as the site of the Holocaust and antisemitism is false and stories like hers must be told to prove this. She was a beautiful person and her story was extremely touching.

Righteous Among the Nations

      I quickly visited Wawel hill with the castle before sunset to snap a few pictures and enjoy the view. I finished my day and stay in Krakow with the Polish drink of choice: vodka. Jiří informed me that you must sip Polish vodka, unlike American vodka which is disgusting. I took his word for it, though it tasted pretty nasty to me regardless.

View from Wawel Hill

      I really enjoyed Krakow, but I'm not sure I could stay in Poland for an extended period of time. The whole place just makes me feel a little on edge. It might be the whole Catholic, conservative, slightly intolerant (that might even be too forgiving) thing but I never felt comfortable like I have in other European cities. I know I can't view the entirety of Poland as antisemitic, and I definitely don't, but that place is definitely not about to join hands with all people and sing Kumbaya any time soon. I imagine that feeling will not get any better when I visit Auschwitz tomorrow. I'm extremely nervous for the trip, especially after visiting Terezin. I'm not sure how to react at a site where so much pain and death took place, and I'm even more nervous that I won't feel anything at all. I'm really good at shutting hard things out and brushing off bad feelings. It's usually a trait I'm proud of that makes me feel strong during rough situations. But tomorrow will be a day I want to allow myself to feel weak and be sad. I know it will be extremely hard and draining, but I also know the only way to face something as terrible as the crimes against humanity perpetrated by the Nazis is to feel some pain.


Wish me luck. At the very least, the next few days will be an experience I'll never forget.

Na Zdrowie!
Patty