Europe Day 6- Krakow

Krakow, Day 6: 6/15/2013

I LOVE KRAKOW!

It's my favorite! It's so pretty and not horribly crowded, there's just a good vibe. Today I was horribly exhausted, I was basically sleeping standing up when we were in the Jewish District. On our tour, we saw a ton of Old Towne, the Jewish District, and Wawel Hill. We also saw Schindler's Factory. I wish I would have seen the movie before I came, but I'll for sure watch it when I get home! The cathedrals we've seen are mind blowing. I love them, they have been one of my favorite parts. We had really good schnitzel, pickled vegetables, potatoes, and soup for lunch. The food was ridiculously good and it only cost about $6! For free time, we went shopping, saw an itty bitty church, and had of course, gelato. I just love gelato. We had yet again a great dinner of latkes, pickled veggies, sausage, and soup and bread. After dinner, we had a ton of free time to explore the city. It was the best night yet! Me, Jimmy, Peter, Mackenzie, Jessica, Alex, Carly, Maya, Maddison, Jack, Kori, and Karina walked back to Wawel Hill to see the Castle at sunset. After, we separated into two groups and sat in a park, talked, and laughed. This is what Europe is about! Brenden and I had to go to the bathroom and ended up going in a seminary. With the help of PopPop's notecards that he gave me prior to the trip, I was able to speak a little Polish and get our way in! After sitting for a while, we walked to a little fountain area and got more gelato. We also checked out the saddest little club in Europe that had potential but just was a bit of a failure. The card man kept hitting on Maya big time! She ended up with a ton of cards! We then tried to solicit them to other Europeans;) We caught up with the teachers and by the end of the day, I had had four gelatos! We went back to the hotel, where Brenden and Sophie taught us to play chess until 1am. Then Maya and I talked till about 2:30am. This trip is all about minimal sleep. I never want to leave!

#brendensharem

schindler's factory

this just blows my mind

group selfies are a struggle

awkward selfies in krakow

up at wawel hill

don't you love the guy in blue;)

the lighting after dinner was prime. oh and this was at like 8:45pm. i love europe.

wawel hill.

brenden's harem {harem: a social group of females, accompanied or followed by one male who denies other males access to the group}

xo
Hannah

Europe Day 5- Auschwitz and Birkenaeu

Auschwitz and Birkenaeu, Day 5: 6/14/2013

Today was a quiet day, but perhaps the most humbling. We traveled a lot. We left Prague at 7:30 and drove for five hours. We stopped at a little place somewhere in Poland and had lunch. I had potatoes, sausage and cabbage, and fermented wheat soup (which sounds disgusting but is delicious!). Then we continued traveling for about an hour and half until we arrived at Auschwitz. I don't know how to put the experience into words. All I know is I left with the feeling that it was all surreal, and impossible to comprehend. Seeing the room filled with the hair of some prisoners was absolutely insane and made it real. But seeing the small baby clothes are what really pulled at my heartstrings. I can't even think about small, innocent children being killed, their lives being cut short of so much opportunity. It's a numbing experience for sure. The camp was not what I though it would look like though. It was almost like a small community. There were trees and grass planted to make it seem less disheartening. The bus ride over to Birkenaeu was silent. Birkenaeu was exactly how I pictured a concentration camp. Seeing the camps made the Holocaust seem a lot more real and made me so mad that something so horrible happened to innocent people. After the camps, we traveled to Krakow. Dinner was amazing, and by far my favorite! We had pierogis! The city was absolutely beautiful, probably my favorite :) I'm rooming with Maya and Jess. We played BS and Go Fish in the hallway with Brenden, Maddison, and Mackenzie. Some Polish people came and made fun of us. They literally came out in the hall, pointed, and laughed. Jessica's armpits got dyed green because of her shirt, it was hilarious! I'm so excited for our day in Krakow tomorrow because I am in LOVE with the city!
#brendensucksatBS

the tour guide told us it's never sunny in this part of town. i don't think that's a coincidence

"Arbeit Macht Frei" -Work makes you free

7 TONS of female hair found when the camp was liberated in spring 1945. we weren't allowed to take pictures, but i felt like it was necessary to share. source

baggage of prisoners

the crematorium

weeping willows. only the most appropriate trees for such a somber place.

birkenaeu

you can read a million books, watch a thousand movies, and do all the research in the world but the horrible reality of the holocaust can only truly be realized once you visit auschwitz and birkenaeu.

to lighten the mood... we all sleep on the bus

beautiful krakow.

xo
Hannah