Krakow (part two). Auschwitz, Birkenau and Salt mine tour

I am writing this while I have a bit of time before my Schindler's factory tour. 

My tour of Auschwitz etc, was super early.  I had gotten a crazy deal on a 12 hour tour that included transportation and entrance and guides to Auschwitz and Birkenau concentration camps, plus the famous salt mines not far away.  

The van left the meeting point at 5:30 so I had to leave by 5 am.  I was awake.  I had been awake since 2 am. 

We drove through what I suppose were the suburbs of Krakow and then some farm land.  Maybe a little over 90 minutes.

Out the bus window.  I snagged the front seat.

We got very specific instructions about the bathroom situation.   There are three stalls for women for the whole area of Auschwitz.  There are 120 000 visitors a day.  We were getting there early.  Do NOT waste the opportunity to use the loo upon arrival.  THREE STALLS! I was first in line.

But I suppose that should not be my focus at Auschwitz. 

A terrible picture of the famous gate.  

There is no end of resources you can access about the history of the second world war, the Nazis,  the camps, the treatment (if torture, murder,  annihilation can be called 'treatment').  But of course, standing where so many others had stood was a new level. 

Photo of the band that would play as the prisoners arrived.

The tour was very clinical.  After my Ghetto tour the day before, with personal stories about individuals,  this tour was very fact based.  Numbers of Jews, how they were 'processed'.  'This is the building where the gynecologist experimented on women's reproductive systems' , 'This is a giant room full of human hair used for industrial purposes', 'here a photos of women lining up for the gas chamber', 'here is the gas chamber that survived the destruction of the camp as the Nazis retreated'.

It was a LOT.

Used gas canisters.  Something new I learned.  The gas is 
an insecticide.  That was its original use.   To deal with lice.

When Auschwitz first opened it was mostly for political prisoners, the academia, the Polish politicians, anyone with influence, was removed and sent to prison.  Auschwitz was chosen as a temporary placement because it already existed. But then  they started arresting so many people for pretty much every reason, that the prisoners were slave labour to build more buildings and then more camps.  

The band was made up of Jewish musicians who had been
moved to the camp.  This was a pretty good situation for them, 
comparatively.

Exiting the gas chamber.  I'll spare you the inside.

The view of the camp from the other side.

Then we went to Birkenau. It is much bigger but less intact.  

The trains came right in through that bit door in the centre

Birkenau was built on a giant swamp.  The huts originally
had no floors so they were wet and cold and breeding 
grounds for all sorts of diseases.

Those brick structures in background are chimneys for the 
wooden huts that no longer exist.  There were a lot of them.
The Nazis gave then stoves and chimneys, just no fuel.

Inside of a hut.  It reminds me of that movie "Life is Beautiful" (I think, it won the best picture Oscar).  Three beds on top of each other, the bottom one on the hard floor, the top one against the gap between roof and wall.  Washing and bathroom huts at the end of a row of living huts.  But no water, and definitely no soap.  And they had to got to them from their huts naked. Sanitation was just another form of torture and dehumanization.

They destroyed the gas chambers as they left.  

I watched a documentary recently about twins at Birkenau.
The walled space between these two buildings is
where the twins were housed.

Then we drove for about an hour to get to the salt mines.  It was a long day.  Whoever is in charge of these things has moving tourists along down to a science.  At each place, we were passed off to a guide who would do the tour.  No time for chitchat, we are on the move...

I've been to salt mines in a couple of places.  They have been pools of ground water that is evaporated and then the salt is harvested from the now dry pools.  This one is not that.  This one is an actual mine, dug underground over centuries.  The rocks are salt.  I tasted the wall, it was salty. I do not understand how the salt got there, or how they got it out of the rocks, maybe the rock is just salt?  That info was not included in the tour.  We just walked around underground for 90 minutes, marveling at the medieval engineering skills.  It is no longer a working salt mine.  It is a tourist mine.  The pictures are not impressive.

There are multiple churches down there. 
This is the biggest, dug out over 90 years but
three guys who did it after their shifts 

It was a very long day.  I had some backpack cheese and crackers and bought myself an ice cream cone at the salt mine.  I have not been eating properly.  And I'm probably on the worrisome side of dehydrated.  But I soldier on...

Krakow, Poland (part one)

The first photo I took in Krakow

My flight was uneventful.  Long layovers in Vancouver and Frankfurt but that was my own doing, at least the Frankfurt one.  Last time, I missed my connection there so this time, 5 hours.  I had to find a new SD card (I managed to bring a 56 mg card!).  I am once again reminded how old I am carrying around my actual camera by how difficult it was to find an actual SD card.  But I was successful so I can take more than 6 pictures on this trip.  Mostly I filled my time reading two books.  

Krakow airport has great wifi so I managed to download an E-Sim while I was in various border control line-ups.  And managed to get it working which is a minor miracle.  A necessary miracle because I needed to figure out how to get to my hotel.  

There's a train!  There is always a train in Europe but I still am surprised considering we barely just got a bus to the airport (I'm not even sure if there is a bus yet, thanks to lovely Megan taking me to the airport!)

Anyway, Krakow!  This is a beautiful city.  I am in the Jewish area and it is a short walk to Old Town.  I have not been to Old Town yet however.  

My room.  Kitchenette not viewable 
but functional.  

My first day was a bit of a write off to be honest.  I woke up at 5 am and decided that was a bit too early and then work up again at 10 am.  Then there was some administrative work to be done.  I needed to book a train to Warsaw.  But I also wanted to visit Schindler's Factory at some point.  It seems you can't just decide to visit Schindler's factory on a whim.  Booked solid for a week.  So, I booked a tour on my last day here.  That gave me a timeline for the train.   Warsaw is big so I had to cross reference where I'm staying there in relation to train stations.  (I can hear Rob saying 'AI would have done that for you'). 

Plus I needed to go to the grocery store and drink some coffee, you know, stuff.  So, I didn't get going until after 1 pm.   I had a 3 pm free walking tour booked.  Krakow Jewish Quarter and Ghetto tour.  

None of this is news, but this town has some terrible history during the second world war.  It was Nazi headquarters. Which, was good for me, future tourist, in that they did not destroy the town like they did elsewhere.  So there are lots of old buildings including several synagogues still standing.  The Nazis repurposed them into storage and stables and whatnot.  There is even still a Jewish cemetery that survived because they turned it into a garbage pit, which was later excavated and restored.  

70 000 Jews in the town pre-war.  65 000 killed.  The other 5000 left after the war.  You can't blame them, walking through this history is awful, I can't imagine surviving it and then deciding to come back to it when it was finally safe to do so (long after the war).  Our guide said there are only 100 Jews here now.  And they manage to maintain four working synagogues.  

This is a commemorative stone marking the oldest cemetery.  The headstones are long gone but  the remains are not.  Near the old synagogue

I learned how to tell if a building is historically Jewish
If the windows are rounded.  It is supposed 
to represent Moses' commandment tablets.

Plaques commemorating victims of the holocaust

Hero's Square in the Jewish Ghetto.  This was the 'sorting centre'
where Jews were sorted into those who could work and
those that would die immediately.  There are now 65 chairs to 
represent the 65 000 who died.

This guy whose name I missed.  He was a Polish spy who 
snuck back into the country to see the atrocities.  He then reported
what he had seen and heard to FDR who simply could
not believe that what he was hearing could possibly be true. 
So, he did not act on the information.  

Houses in the Jewish Ghetto.  There would be upwards of 
100 or more people in each house. 

Street in the Jewish Ghetto.  The historical ghosts
are a bit overwhelming when you see these old buildings
and imagine what happened here.

writing the next day. 

I have completely messed up my time change system.  I went to bed at 8 pm, as per the rules on my first night.  Then I woke up early, and still managed to sleep late that first day.  And then things went to pot.  By day two, I was up at 2 am, out of the room by 5 am went to bed at 6 pm and now here I am writing this at 5 am after having been awake for hours.  Laundry is hanging from the kitchen cupboards, I am on my second cup of milky instant coffee.  But I have an 8 pm event today so maybe that will force me back on track?

But I digress.  Back to whatever I did that first day.  Gad, it gets so blurry so fast.  I was going to try to not write every day but this is the result.  Also, I brought the wrong little computer, the crappy one.  So uploading photos is difficult.  They may be limited.  

The tour was both very good and very awful. I mean that guide really told a horrific tale with even more horrific details that I will spare you.  I don't know what I thought it was going to be but... I went to Auschwitz the next day and it wasn't as bad as that free walking tour.   

Some more random photos of the city while walking about

This looks super creepy now that I am looking at 
this picture but it is statues of acrobats suspended 
between the walking and cycle parts of a bridge

When I had arrived I bought a three day pass for the public transit.  I could have walked back but I took the train back over the bridge.

We had gone to a square, I'm not even going to try to remember the name in Polish although it wasn't complicated, but in English it is New Square.  There was a little market and the best place to get famous sandwiches.  So, I took the train there.  Or, rather, I tried to.  I basically took a train up the wrong road.  Pro-tip, the #13 and the #3 trains are not the same.  And then I managed to take a reverse train back down the same street.  At that point I just decided to walk.  I found New Square, bought a pendant and a sandwich.  

Krolewska.  This is the small one.  It was huge. 

I see a horn instrument, I have to take a picture for Joe

I am lucking out with the early morning wifi but I think I am going to have to post this day by day.  My computer is having trouble saving this much data on that bit o' wifi.  So, Auschwitz for another day.  

One week, one day, one hour to go...

July 13:  I leave in 6 days.  SIX days.  I am barely further along than I was in my last post.  

My amazing friend Lea came over a while ago to help me organize my storage closet. This included my travel bin. Which previously was just a jumble of 'travel related stuff' and maybe things that had been in my backpack at some point and never got properly put away (I know, me! shocker!).  

Once my mom vacated the packing station (guest bed), I opened the travel bin and basically dumped it on the bed.  So much for Lea's beautiful system of 'like with like'.  Joanne's less beautiful system is 'heap upon heap'.  I have not sorted those heaps into take/don't take yet.  

I hemmed some pants I may or may not take.  

Yup, that's it.  That's my progress.  To be continued.  

July 14:  still unpacked, still at the 'thinking about it' phase.  So, I looked up Iceland Weather in August

In August, Iceland experiences mild but highly unpredictable summer weather with average daily temperatures ranging from 10°C to 15°C (50°F to 59°F). It is very common to experience sunshine, wind, and rain all within a single day. 

 So, still have to consider warm clothes, at least a sweater to put under my thrift store coat from Finland.  And a waterproof shell? 

July 16

I went to the mall for a pedicure and bought some clothes for the trip. 'Don't go to the mall if you don't want to buy clothes for your trip' someone, anyone should have said.  And Lovely Lea loaned me a couple of tank tops and a dress.  I have been going to the gym and have tightened up a wee bit so my old travel standards aren't going to work this time around. 

I got a notification this morning the my first Booking.com payment is going through.  I hope these rando rooms I have booked aren't all terrible.  I know some of them might be.  It comes with the frugality (cheap-assed-ness) 

Apparently asking people to drive you to the airport at 6am on an August Sunday four days before the date is not proper planning.  My two go-tos are busy.  What!?  Anyway, Megan foolishly let me know she would be available so she got the tap.  We all like Megan for a reason!!  

As you all know, June was the hottest month in Europe since, probably ever?  I think it is less so now but still not great.  Hopefully it will keep heading back to normal.  Plan for some whining in future posts if not.  

July 17

This is where we are at.  I am literally throwing clothes at the bed from the hallway.  

But dinner plans tonight so... tomorrow.  

July 18: I leave tomorrow!! I am not packed. 

9am

Trying on all of my clothes to see what goes with what. I am going to try to look semi-put-together for once.  

3pm

Let's all put our heads together and try to imagine where I might have put my Iceland Bird Book that I bought in January... 

Still not packed. 

8pm

I found my bird book.  On a bookshelf.  No wonder I couldn't find it!

Also... Packed!  That bag is too heavy but so be it.  

Ok, my lovelies.  I am posting this and I probably won't be back until I'm in Poland.  Take care, talk soon.  JC

One month to go (payment due!!), now two weeks to go

I have been so busy (well, my heated rivalry addition is also to blame), that I have not been posting.  But I am one month away from leaving. Not only haven't I been posting, I haven't been doing any planning either (damn you, Shane and Ilya, why are you so engaging!).  I think I am good...?  It's so busy at work, I can't use paid time to check.  I need to use my lunch breaks more efficiently.  

Anyway, my one time-management victory is that I managed to clear off my spare bed so I can start pre-packing.  Once my mom visits and the bed is free.  

I guess the long and the short of this post is that I have now paid for my Intrepid tour of Iceland.  

Bloody hell.  I am way too busy.  

It's been two weeks since I wrote that tiny bit above.  Now I am leaving in TWO WEEKS.  I have not mentally prepared, or packed, or... 

My mom was down for the weekend, using the spare bed/packing station.  So, I have not started packing but I did start thinking about it.  That's progress?  Right? 

Mom asked me about currency which made me realize I have not ordered any of the three currencies I am going to need (Euros for the Baltics and Finland, Polish Złoty and Icelandic Króna).  Will order today.  Who knows when I can pick up. 

Along the packing/thinking situation, I will need cold weather clothes for Iceland but I want to manage with one bag.  Puffy coats take up a lot of space.  My travel savvy friend Rob suggested I buy a cheap coat in Finland.  I have started researching Helsinki thrift shops!! 

There is a grocery store on that route too cause I am going to need to bring food.  I can't afford to eat three restaurant meals a day in Iceland.  If I bring enough snacky food, I am hoping to get away with one purchased/restaurant meal a day.  Let's see how that goes :) 

Next day.  

Oh my bloody lord!!  Since I am thinking about my trip, I popped into Air Canada to see what kind of itinerary changes they have made, because you just know they made some.  I get a big red message that my flight from Reykjavik is cancelled?  And then I see they have changed my departure to a different airport.  After having a heart attack, I learned that Reykjavik has two airports.  I am now flying out of Keflavik airport.  It is further out of town but still reachable by some sort of local transportation (million dollar cab ride probably). Rome2Rio lets me know that a cab is $200-$250.  But there is a shuttle or a bus so that's good.  Will explore further when I'm there.  

I haven't checked Finnair yet but I think I am still flying into Reykjavik Airport... Nope, they sneaked in the Keflavik as Reykjavik Keflavik.  I guess I will have to research that bus situation sooner than my Iceland arrival. 

Well, at least that distracted me from the other change where I now have an eight hour layover in Toronto on my way back.  

I've order my currency to pick up this week.  

Remember way back when, when this was all a twinkle in our eyes. And I think I joked about hoping that Russia won't invade any of the Baltic countries before I am in and out of the region.  

Well, they didn't quite invade so much as pushed everyone's comfort zones.  

https://aje.news/y2n8xe  

I think this is done for now.  I'm sure I can squeeze another pre-trip post out of packing and last minute 'hmm, I probably should have checked that' moments.