No apologies for using the title of one of my all time favourite cheesy mid 90s dance tunes in the name of this post! Waving goodbye to Poland we got set to board the night train to Prague. Leaving Krakow at 10.01pm it rolls into the Czech Republic at 7.30am. For some reason you can’tContinue reading “All aboard the night train . . .”
Category Archives: Poland
Wawel and its surrounds
As promised / threatened in an earlier post, here are some photos of Wawel and its surroundings. Wawel is a fortified complex situated on a limestone outcrop on the bank of the Vistula river in Krakow. The complex has lots of beautiful buildings and fortifications within it. These include the Royal Castle and Wawel Cathedral. TheContinue reading “Wawel and its surrounds”
Colourful shopping to be had
Here’s a few colourful pictures of some of the traditional handicrafts up for grabs in the Cloth Hall and other shops across Krakow. The oldest and most traditional Polish fast food is obwarzanek. These bread rings have been baked in Krakow since the thirteenth century. Painted eggs known as pisanki are a pretty souvenir toContinue reading “Colourful shopping to be had”
Random facts about Krakow and some street scenes
Following on from our difficult day at the concentration camps we wanted to see another side to Poland so set off on a wander around Krakow old town. Here’s some interesting (and not so interesting) facts about Krakow and some random photos from our aimless sauntering. 1) Legend has it that Krakow was founded by and namedContinue reading “Random facts about Krakow and some street scenes”
Rememberance in stones
As you walk around the camp you will see at the side of the tracks a railway carriage. It is the same as the carriages that transported the camp inmates to Birkenau. The carriage is there thanks to Frank Lowy, a Holocaust survivor and son of Hugo Lowy — a Hungarian Jew who was beatenContinue reading “Rememberance in stones”
Degredation and dispair
Birkenau started to be constructed in 1941. Its scale dwarfs Aushwitz 1, it is said to be around ten times bigger. Many of the original buildings were destroyed in an uprising in 1944 and as the Nazis fled in the face of the Soviet army, but you can still see where the chimney stacks were,Continue reading “Degredation and dispair”
Birkenau – the final solution
From Auschwitz 1 we took a short shuttle ride to Auschwitz 2 – Birkenau. One of the largest camps in the complex, it had one main, overarching purpose – the extermination of the Jewish nation. It was Hitler’s “final solution to the Jewish question in Europe.” In total it is estimated that around 1.3 millionContinue reading “Birkenau – the final solution”
Haunting faces and abandoned cases
Once inside the imposing brick buildings that seem so innocent from the outside there are several devastatingly simple displays. One room is completely empty except for a glazed section that runs from one end to the other. Behind the glass, from floor to ceiling, is an immense mountain of human hair. Another room houses pilesContinue reading “Haunting faces and abandoned cases”
Inhumanity and revisionists.
As you pass under the infamous metal archway that serves as the hideously iconic entrance to Auschwitz 1 you begin to notice the barbed wire that winds its way around the perimeter and the watch towers that are positioned about the camp. The lines of brick buildings are neatly spaced and perfectly preserved. Taken out ofContinue reading “Inhumanity and revisionists.”
Wieliczka Salt Mine
So on a roasting hot day in Poland where better to head than underground!? Or more precisely Wieliczka salt mine. A huge monument to the industrious nature of the Polish salt miner. Its got everything you could possibly want from the underground! Magnificent chambers chiselled out of rock salt, underground saline lakes, huge timber constructions and uniqueContinue reading “Wieliczka Salt Mine”