Wawel Castle, Krakow Poland

 

On the first day of our trip, we visited the Wawel Castle, in Krakow Poland.  This was the dwelling of the various kings of Poland for tens of thousands of years.  We took horse rides from the square up to the castle where we first saw a statue of Pope John Paul II, which we learned was the only pope from Krakow Poland and how there are many instances of Pope John the II being remembered throughout Poland, but mostly in Krakow.

 

It was very interesting to learn about how this was an active castle even through World War I, where the President of Poland would reside. Even to this day, there are talks of a legend about a dragon. This dragon resided in a cave below the castle right on the river, and there is currently a statue of this dragon that blows fire out in intervals. This statue has been there for almost 50 years and people visiting the castle check it out.

 

After World War II, the castle was turned into a place where visitors can explore the many different parts of the castle and buildings on the property. Essentially, turning it into a museum has shown everyone the rich history behind the castle as well as those buried inside. Seeing such a long lineage of rulers buried underneath showed me how important this castle was and still is to Krakow.  The many visitors while we were there also showed me that this is a very active historical museum and seems to show that it will remain that way for many years to come.

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Auschwitz Concentration Camp

 

Visiting Auschwitz concentration camp was especially moving for me considering my grandmother and her sister were both in Auschwitz and Birkenau towards the end of the Holocaust. They survived and eventually made it back to the United States once their uncle saved up enough money to send them here.

 

What surprised me the most, was how commercialized Auschwitz had become.  It was difficult to really feel during the experience because it felt more like a museum than anything.  Birkenau, on the other hand, was much more preserved and didn’t have that same feeling. Destruction from the Nazi’s in an attempt to destroy any evidence was very clear and preserved.  Walking through the rooms where the Jews lived was very sobering and was difficult to think that I had relatives that survived these conditions.

 

I also had relatives that did not survive the Holocaust, killed at Auschwitz, but I do not have much more information than that, unfortunately.  Images do not do justice for the feelings and emotions that come up walking through these camps where over a million people were killed including relatives, but visiting these camps was something I needed to do.