Hallo Berlin

After a horrible night sleep on the Polska Bus from Krakow, we finally arrived in Berlin. The hostel we stayed at here was recommended by my friend Brontie and by Lauren's sister who stayed there when she was in Berlin last year. We got there early in the morning, so weren't able to check into our hostel for about 6 more hours but were able to store our luggage and take a shower. Lauren's friends Sarah and Mal were meeting us in Berlin later that night as they were coming from Frankfurt and staying at the same room as us. We made our way downtown near the Brandenburger Tor (Brandenburg Gate) to catch a free walking tour. Before the tour we went to get some Currywurst (sausage and fries for me) but unfortunately Katy had a bit of an accident and tripped and spilled her Currywurst all over her so we went back to the hostel so she could change. Next we made our way back downtown and did a tour around the TV tower, Berlin Cathedral and went to the DDR museum which showed what life was like for those living in East Germany (under Soviet rule) and how restricted their lives were. It was interactive so made it much more enjoyable. During university I had a course and wrote my major paper on the divide between East and West Germany and the underlying causes of the Cold War, it was so interesting to have that hands on experience.

One of the strange displays in the DDR Muesum, it was on anarchists

A typical kitchen of someone in East Germany

We also made a stop to the Ritter chocolate store in Berlin, where I tried to pay with a £10 note and didn't understand why the woman wouldn't accept it until she told me "We're in GERMANY" which made me feel a bit silly. We went to the grocery store near our hostel and got some snacks and to try and save money we made pasta for dinner since there was a kitchen we could use at the hostel.

Our room was "Ocean" theme

Berliner Pilsner - very good!

Wieliczka Salt Mines/ Goodbye Poland

After our day at Auschwitz we were feeling pretty down because the tour was so overwhelming so took a few hours just to think about what we witnessed and after dinner we went out to a jazz bar for some Polish vodka. After such a depressing morning it was a nice calm evening listening to some live music at the Harris Piano Jazz Bar.

We each got a different type of flavoured vodka. 

Before the trip I did some research on what to do in Krakow (or the surrounding area) and saw that the Wieliczka Salt Mines were close by and looked pretty interesting. Even though Poland is in the EU, they have a different currency called the Zloty in Poland, and since it was the last full day we had in Poland and we had quite a bit of money left over we decided to do the Salt Mines. The best part of Poland is how cheap everything was, we all took about 560 Zloty which was equivalent to £100.00 and it was more than enough for three days where I actually had money left over after paying for the hostel, food, souvenirs and other tourist things.

We had to take the train to the Salt Mines as it was just outside of Krakow and had a guided tour. The mine was built in the 13th century and actually produced table salt up until 2007. Our guide told us that the reason they don't produce salt anymore is that they can get it cheaper from other places. We had to go through a tight winding staircase with over 350 steps to get to the bottom which reminded me of the catacombs in Paris, France. We were 64 meters below the surface, so if you don't like being underground then this tour is definitely not for you. During out tour we were able to actually lick the walls, which may sound unsanitary but we were all encouraged to do it. About 2% of the building is for tours which shows exactly how vast the mines are. All over the mine were salt statues depicting different stories that had to do with the history of the mine. There are also numerous chapels in the mines, the most beautiful and notable being the Chapel of St. Kinga with the crystal chandeliers. The chapel is used for private ceremonies including weddings, kind of a strange place to have a wedding in my opinion.

The pictures I took didn't turn out very well because the lighting down there was pretty awful and our tour guide kept us on a tight schedule so wasn't really time for taking a proper picture anyways.

Everything was made out of salt

Amazing chandilers  

Playing in the kids area

Back in Krakow we had to pack up for our next destination, Berlin. We had some time to kill before our overnight bus so we went and did a last walk around and got some pierogis (again) at a cute little restaurant.

Overall, I think Krakow was one of my favourite places to visit so far. It was so easy to get around, very affordable, everyone was so friendly and we had an amazing time!

Auschwitz

One of the reasons for us visiting Krakow was to go to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz Birkenau. Words cant even begin to descibe my experience during the visit. Ever since learning about the Holocaust, visiting Auschwitz is something I have always wanted to do because I have such a strong passion for history and feel like it is something I needed to see. I strongly feel that everyone should visit a concentration camp at least once in their life, and as difficult as it was to actually hear first hand stories and stand exactly where this horrific crime took place because as George Santayana said, "the one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again." I am going to let my images do the talking for the majority of this post because I feel that the images speak louder than words. I didn't take many pictures because I didn't want to spend my time behind a camera lens. 

A heads up that I wasn't expecting when I visited is that you have to check your bags if it's too big, and also have to go through a security check and metal detector. 

"Work will set you free"

These displays were quite disturbing. In one of the buildings they had rooms filled with prisoners' items such as shoes, luggage, brushes, etc. It really showed the sheer volume of prisoners that attended the concentration camp. There was a room filled with hair that was shaved off of the female prisoners which was very emotional. 

Auschwitz Birkenau 

Extermination and Concentration Camp

"For ever let this place be a cry of
despair and a warning to humanity where the Nazis murdered about one and a half million men, women and children mainly Jews from various countries of Europe."

After the Nazis heard they lost the war, they bombed and tried to destroy evidence of Auschwitz and the heinous crimes they committed. This is why many of the buildings and gas chambers at Auschwitz Birkenau are destroyed.

Krakow - Day 1

Although this was over a month ago, I haven't had time to sit down and update this until now, so finally here is some of my half term trip. During our break in February I went to Poland and Germany with my friends Lauren and Katy. The trip had a bit of a rough start where our cab driver called us minutes before he was meant to pick us up and take us to the airport saying there was too much traffic and he wouldn't be able to take us. After some panicking where we thought we would miss our flight thankfully we were able to sort out a last minute ride. We flew with RyanAir to Krakow, Poland from London's Stansted Airport on Valentines Day. If you are looking for a no frills and super cheap airline where the staff is all miserable I would suggest flying with Ryanair. They were rated #1 for the worst airline in the world in Business Insider (http://uk.businessinsider.com/worst-airlines-in-the-world-2010-12#1-ryanair-10) but as horrible as it was, Ryanair did the job and got us to Poland for a really cheap rate. By the time we got to Krakow and found our hostel it was midnight and we were beat so we went right to bed. Katy and I had both never stayed in a hostel before so it was a new experience for us, whereas Lauren was quite seasoned and had lots of tips for us. We stayed at one recommended by my friend Brontie called "Greg and Tom's Party Hostel" which the name should have been a clue as it had the word PARTY in it, that it would be a bit crazy. We stayed in a room with four beds and shared with a man from Germany. The hostel was really modern, extremely clean, the staff was very friendly. The best part was that breakfast and dinner was included, and for someone who is a very picky eater I have to say the food was delicious. I came prepared with an eye mask and ear plugs as I find it very hard to fall asleep, and I am so glad I brought it because all through the night people were coming back to the hostel and were very loud and drunk and woke them up but luckily I slept right through it.  

Our room

Set up for breakfast, they don't refrigerate milk which I find unusual

We decided we should start our first day in Krakow with a free walking tour of the city so we could have someone who knew the city take us around to see the best sights and explain the history of the city. We started in the Old Square which was about ten minutes away from our hostel. 

The Cloth Hall where merchants came to sell their goods. 

Amazing architecture in The Cloth Hall. At the entrance of the building there are knives hanging to warn thieves what would happen if they stole. The first offence would warrant an ear to be cut off and the second would be death. Inside the building today is a market that sells souvenirs and flowers. 

St. Mary's Bascilica. The inside of this building is even more spectacular! This Gothic style church has two towers, one slightly taller than the other. According to our tour guide, the legend is that two brothers were building the church and the older brother deliberately built his tower higher for the greater glory. When his brother realized, he killed his sibling and then committed suicide. The truth is that the higher tower has the best observation in the city and need to see all four parts of the city in case of a coming attack. If he sees an enemy coming they would blow a horn. Today, every hour a man plays a trumpet from all four sides to keep up tradition. 

As I write this I am regretting not taken more notes or writing this earlier as I am having trouble remembering what some of the buildings are.

Roman monestary 

During the tour we stopped at many locations that were associated with the former Pope John Paul II who was from Krakow and realized the love that the people of Krakow have for him. Our last stop of our three hour tour was at Wawel Castle and the Wawel Cathedral. My favourite part was below the castle where we got to see the famous dragon Smok and his cave underneath the castle. Every so often fire will come out of the dragon's mouth and was quite the tourist attraction.

We were given a map after our tour which was quite handy as it provided us with some recommended places to go for certain things such as souvenirs, restaurants, bars and discounts for those places as long as some common phrases. Since Krakow was so easy to get around and we were already close, we were hungry from our long day of walking and went to this restaurant that a teacher I work with told me about called Dvorty Kuchina in the Jewish district. This was actually my first time ever eating pierogies and my goodness they were delicious!

Cheese and potato pierogies with Kompot - warm juice with strawberries, apples and other fruit.

We crossed a bridge to get to the former Jewish ghetto. It was a really overwhelming experience because it was still so run down. There was a wall still up that had a sign which explained that it was part of the remains of the original wall that kept the Jewish people in the Ghetto. It was really hard to believe that I was standing in the spot where such a horrible crime was committed. It was only a taste of what was to come for my experience at Auschwitz the next day. 

There were love locks on the bridge just like the one in Paris

Art installation in the former Ghetto, still couldn't quite figure out but from what I gathered is that the chairs are to represent that anyone could sit in the chairs and be there one minute and gone the next. Wasn't quite clear to me.

We went back to the hostel for our dinner and Lauren and I ventured out for a drink to try some famous Polish vodka. We ended up at a death metal karaoke pub which felt like a cave, even though we didn't fit in and the people that were in there didn't speak English we had a great night catching up. Solid first day in Krakow!