Krakow and Auschwitz

My train from Budapest arrived in Krakow in time for me to watch the sun set in Rynenk Glowny Grand Square. After checking in, I immediately asked the staff where I could find cheap, delicious traditional Polish cuisine. They pointed me towards the best pierogies I have ever had in my life. I don't even like the dumplings, but these were exceptional. They were filled to the brim with beef and were so big I didn't even finish the meal. To be fair, I ordered a white borscht soup with sausage and potatoes beforehand, which was heartier than hearty. Regardless, I was impressed with Krakow's ability to be the sight of my first unfinished meal in Europe. Kudos, Krakow, Kudos.

I had a flight to Athens the next night, so I made sure to be up early the next morning to visit Auschwitz.

I took the hour-long bus ride in the rain and was with a group of people from my hostel, but I preferred to explore the sight by myself, so I split up with them when we got off the bus.

The camp is much larger than I had imagined. The area consists of barracks upon barracks, with a number of them open to the public. The ones with their doors open act as individual museums with anywhere from 4 to 10 different rooms depicting some characteristic of concentration camp lifestyle. One of the buildings was dedicated to their living quarters. One was dedicated to articles of clothing, accessories and even preserved human hair. Another one open was of the gas chamber. Morbid stuff to say the least. I spent the rest of the morning and the good part of the afternoon at the camp and spent much of the rest of the day mentally taking it all in.







It was hard to imagine I would be in tropical Greece in a matter of hours...