These past few days, I have been having the time of my life in Krakow, Poland! We had an extremely long holiday weekend here in Spain, so my friend Ronald and I figured why not go? Little background, my family came from a part outside of Krakow named Ropica, and I’ve always considered myself extremely Polish and relate the most with this culture. The food, the music- I just feel so connected to this group of people!
To start our journey, we had to go through a series of flights. Granada to Madrid, Madrid to Berlin, then finally Berlin to Krakow. As we were waiting in the Berlin airport, we decided to grab a German beer. I actually remember saying, “I’ve never been to Germany before now! I wish I had more time here!” I guess sometimes dreams do come true (haha) because our flight from Berlin was cancelled due to “technical difficulties”. Luckily, as we were waiting in line to talk to customer service, we met some really nice people from Krakow on our flight that helped us find a hotel for the night and transportation to and from the airport. They became our tour guides for the night in Berlin, and gave us directions around the city a bit before we headed out for a late dinner! Ronald and I found a great place with live music and I tried schnitzel for the first time!
The next morning we finally headed into Krakow! This city is what I picture when I think of an older Europe. Full of cobblestone streets, beautiful architecture, cathedrals on every corner, etc. Our hostel was right in the center of the Old Town. A little square currently filled with outdoor shops selling cute Christmas items, traditional Polish art, and food!! In this square we tried keilbasa and potatoes one night, and the other I had peroigis! The first day in Krakow we mostly wandered around, soaking in the beautiful surroundings and taking pictures, visiting a few cathedrals here and there. We also found a “Milk Bar”, which was made during the war. It was designed as a cheaper restaurant so that people who needed to eat, but didn’t have a lot of money due to the war, could go out! It was a really neat place to see! Later that night we headed out to the bars and hung out with the locals, which was really fun! Everyone was really excited to meet the Americans. 🙂
I was also fortunate enough to visit Auschwitz, a Nazi concentration camp right outside of Krakow. This place is considered to be one of the biggest mass murdering sights in the world, where thousands of people were murdered due to their heritage or beliefs by the Nazis. Visiting Auschwitz was a surreal but profound moment for me. At first glance it seems like an abandoned place, but by going through the tour and listening to the horrific stories of this place, you begin to truly soak it all in. There was one moment where I was brought to tears on our tour. We entered a room that stored the pairs of shoes of many of the victims. This place was practically filled to the brim of old shoes, one on top of the other. To try and even fathom all the people that had worn these shoes was overwhelming. Each pair of shoes had a story, belonging to a unique individual. And to think that all those people were murdered simply because of who they were was truly upsetting to me. However, there is a saying from Auschwitz that says, “The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again.” I think that as sad as this experience was for me, it truly taught me some lessons and I will always remember what has happened to those people. I think it’s important that we as humans work hard to make sure things like that never occur again, and to work for the rights of all kinds of people in general.
After Auschwitz, we headed off to the Salt Mine. This place was gigantic! It is the oldest Salt mine in all of the world, starting in the Middle Ages. It goes down 135 meters deep, and has a ballroom for weddings, a few cathedrals, and beautiful statues. Our tour guide says you can lick the walls because it tastes like salt and the salt keeps it clean/sterile. I didn’t actually do it though haha.
Our last full day in Krakow, we headed off in search of the Jewish Ghettos. Unfortunately Schindler’s Factory was sold out for the day by the time we found it, but we found the old pharmacy in the ghetto. There, they used to help the Jewish people during the time of the Nazi’s with medicines and shelter. It was a really interesting place to visit with a lot of history!
Overall, Poland was absolutely amazing, easily one of the best places I’ve visited so far in my life. I feel as though I got to see some of what my ancestors may have seen, maybe eaten what they liked to eat on a daily basis, and just experience life for a bit through their eyes. I think this trip gave me a little more perspective of where I come from and my heritage, and I really cannot even put into words how much all of this meant to me. I am definitely one extremely lucky girl!
Adventures Abroad 