Today went surprisingly smooth. Shortly before seven we boarded our train in Warsaw after Madeline noticed we were waiting on the wrong platform. We were able to get to the right one at the same time our train pulled in and joined our two Polish-speaking cabinmates. After sleeping most of the train ride, one of the girls was able to indicate the correct station in Krakow where we were supposed to get off.
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| A free cookie we received on the morning train |
The Krakow station was under construction, but we easily navigated our way to the bus station and, after getting directions to the proper bay, we located a bus to take us to Oswiecim and at a rate cheaper than I had planned.
Following the eighty minute, 10 zloty bus ride, we ambled through Auschwitz's parking lot and were able to eat our prepacked lunches in the cafeteria. We then purchased an English-guided tour in the camp office and stored our luggage.
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| The Polish countryside from our bus window |
The guide led us through Auschwitz I, explaining that Auschwitz is actually just the German name for the Polish town of Oswiecim. She informed us that the camp's first prisoners were the Polish individuals who lived in the wrong place at the wrong time. These people and the captured Jews were forced to build the second camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau II, nearby.
While being guided through the camp, we saw various bunkers that had been turned into exhibits showcasing things such as the human hair collected from prisoners to be used in German trade as well as bunkers in their original form. We were also able to tour the reconstructed gas chambers in the first camp.
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| Inside Auschwitz I |
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| A collection of shoes from Auschwitz prisoners, held in Canada I (the collection point for belongings) |
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| The gate to the camp |
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| A gate to Auschwitz-Birkenau II |
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| "The gate it like a mouth ready to swallow the prisoners, so menacing and eerie," Madeline Miguel. |
The visit was emotionally taxing and the 1.3km walk back to the train station was a welcome relief from the sights and smells of the camp.
As our last meal in Poland, we were able to dine at a nice Polish restaurant called the Scorpion. The menu had meals such as steak and salmon at rock bottom prices, so we made sure to order the fancy meal that we haven't been able to afford in previous destinations. We even went for the specialty desert -- The Scorpion.
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| Salmon at dinner |
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| Our steak dinner |
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| The flaming Scorpion deserts we ordered |
After dinner, we killed time in the small, cold train station (all of South Poland seems really cold for that matter) before boarding our 11:31pm train to Prague.
