Emma Joan

Afternoon Dolls,

So I finally have found the time to write up the next segment in my travel diary. For those of you who do not know Krakow is a city at the bottom of Poland. We decided to go here for one main reason and that was because it is only 45 minutes away from Auschwitz concentration camp. I am obsessed with this particular part of history, my thesis for Uni was based around the topic “coming to terms with Nazi past”, so I have a good amount of knowledge on the subject. Going there was something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time, so it was my mission to get to it during our travels.

I loved Krakow, it is such a pretty city, really nice to just walk around. It has got a real medieval feel to the town. In my opinion I found the city exactly like Galway city in Ireland. The reason being there both University towns, there not that big and they have the same night life vibe to them. One thing about the city is it has nice parks and a cobbled streets, which just adds to the old vibe the town gives off. Not to mention a really cool castle up on a hill that you can walk up to and walk around. You do have to pay to go inside which we did not bother with but the outside was really nice to stroll through.

There is a lot to do in Krakow, if you are looking for a little break. Not to mention it is dirt cheap, I almost died at the prices over there, for the whole five days including accommodation and eating & drinking out I spent 150 euro. For people on a budget it’s the dream place.              

For going to Auschwitz, we went with Cracow Tours, we priced around and they done the best deal. It was 15 euro for students which included a bus to the camp and a guided tour around both camp one and Birkenau. If that was anywhere in like the western areas of Europe it would properly be like up on 50 euro so you can see how cheap Poland is. On the way to the Auschwitz they showed a documentary on the camps liberation. It actually made me feel ill watching it, some of the images are very disturbing. Auschwitz camp one was where the main part of the tour was. It was very surreal actually being there and was hard to imagine what it had been was like. In camp one you get to go into the first gas chamber that was made, however, once they built Birkenau they built all the crematoriums in that camp instead. The first trial of gassing actually took 48 hours to kill everyone within. I do not how to describe what it was like walking through it as it really is just horrid to think of the happenings there. Also the room with all the belongings and hair in glass cases are in Camp one.  Side Note: One thing I will say about the tour that drove me mad was people taking pictures. I did not mind people taking pictures of the famous gate or the outsides of the camps, but talking pictures of things like the death wall or inside the gas chamber I just felt was unnecessary and disrespectful.  After the tour in camp one you move on to the larger of the camps, Birkenau. Which was huge! I never thought that it was that big, it looked as though it stretched for a good mile. Most of the buildings in Birkenau like the crematorium’s were destroyed as the Nazis abandoned the camps at the end of the war so all you can see is the rubble of buildings. Overall I would definitely recommend going there, it was something I have always wanted to do and after studying all about it for the past few months before I finished college I was definitely excited to go and see it. I am happy I went to it. I am not going to lie it is a bit of a depressing experience but one that’s totally worth it. There is a quote written up in Auschwitz camp one and that is “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat It.” which I think is a fitting quote to have up. People must go and see the destruction that mankind is capable of and grow from them experiences. The guides that work there are also very good and very informative to the history of the camps. So it is definitely worth going to see.

On to a lighter topic, for eating out there’s no shortage of really good restaurants. However, if you are looking for eating out on the cheap side but still getting really good food I would recommend staying away for the restaurants around the square as the can be more expensive than other places. Even though it is really pretty to sit and look out on the square all lit up. I would recommend MooMoo restaurant, they have the nicest burgers and are not too expensive.  Also there is the most adorable cupcake shop on your way from the square to the castle which has the nicest cupcakes (I can’t remember the exact name, but it’s called something cupcakes anyway). There are also no shortage of really cool clubs and pubs around the town. Everything is so close that your within walking distance from all the clubs so no spending money on transport, winning!