We decided to take the bus to a resort style town called Zakapone at the base of the Tatras mountains in Poland. The town is known for turn of the century wooden chalets, outdoor activities and excellent skiing slopes.
The bus ride to Zakapone was through the countryside and took about 2 hours. We enjoyed looking at the scenery along the way, which reminded us a bit like Canada.
View from the bus along the route to Zakapone, Poland.
As we got closer to Zakapone, the landscape became more mountainous and lush green.
View of a chalet from the bus close to Zakapone, Poland
We arrived at the Zakapone Bus station and then took a taxi to our hotel. After getting settled in we went to a restaurant called Watra to meet up with our friends.
This was a traditional polish restaurant with some unique features. There was an open flame grill, with baked potatoes cooking.
Wood fired grill with baked potatoes and assorted foods
There were homemade polish sausages hanging from the ceiling.
Homemade Polish sausage hanging in the restaurant
We walked around the restaurant and checked it out before seating down to eat.
Mark and Ray checking out the restaurant
The tables had real sheep skin on the seats.
Sheep skins on the back of the benches in the restaurant
There was also a micro brewery in the restaurant.
Micro brewery inside the restaurant
It made for an interesting meeting point for lunch. We enjoyed a great meal and planned our next adventure.
We went to Poland to visit the city of Krakow with friends. We walked through the old quarter of the city admiring the architecture and buildings.
There is a large medieval main square in the central of the old quarter. It contains several unique buildings and several statues and monuments. The square is very large and covers nearly 10 acres. It dates back to the 13th century and is one of the largest in Europe. In the centre of the square is the cloth hall, which was built-in the renaissance period in 1555.
Cloth Hall in Krakow Main square
Vendors stalls are located inside the cloth hall. We walked through and checked the different vendors.
Many vendors were selling amber jewelery, which is common in Poland.
On one side of the main square is the beautiful Town Hall Tower.
Town Hall Tower in the main square in Krakow
On the other side of the square are the monument of Adam Mickiewicz made in 1898 and St. Mary’s Basilica.
Monument of Adam Mickiewicz made in 1898Shelley and Ray in the main square of KrakowSt Mary’s Basilica with twin towers.
In the main square on this particular weekend there was a traditional Polish food and crafts event. We walked through the different stalls admiring the crafts and enjoying the smells of the market. We even stopped to enjoy a Polish sausage.
Shelley in front of some of the local craft stalls
All along the outside area of the main square are different restaurants. We stopped to relax and enjoy the scenery and bustling square with a beverage. There was even a pride parade going by while we were there.
Pride parade in the main square of Krakow
In the evening the square is lite up with beautiful lights and has a different feel. There are horse-drawn carriages that are decorated with ornate features and lights.
Main Square in Krakow in the eveningOne of the horse-drawn carriages ornate with design and lights
The Medieval main square in Krakow is an amazing feature of the old town. It is bustling with people and activities, with bras and restaurants surrounding it. It was a very enjoyable spot and one we visited many times over our stay in Krakow.
We went to see the Royal Archcathedral Basilica of Saints Stanislaus and Wenceslaus in Krakow Poland. The church is commonly referred to as the Wawel Cathedral. The basilica was built-in the 14th century and is the Polish national sanctuary. The Cathedral has been used for numerous prestigious events including the coronation of Polish monarchs.
The Wawel Cathedral in Krakow Poland
The day after Pope John Paul II was ordained as a priest he said Mass in the Crypt area of the Cathedral. The Cathedral erected a statue of Pope John Paul II to commemorate his attendance there.
Statue of Pope John Paul II outside of the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow
We entered the church and walked through the main section of the Cathedral looking at the statues and ornate decor.
Inside the Wawel Cathedral in Krakow PolandBlack marble canopy with four marble pillars Inside the main section of Wawel Cathedral
We then headed to the bell tower of the Cathedral. There is a set of wooden stairs which lead to the bell tower of the church. The stairs were narrow and steep and a bit of a challenge to climb.
The steep stairs in the bell tower of the Wawel Cathedral
We worked our way towards to top of the bell tower. Along the way up the stairs we came to several bells which were impressive. Shelley stopped to touch one of the church bells.
Shelley touching one of the church bells in Wawel Cathedral
As we reached the top we could see the main bell which was much larger than the rest.
Main church bell in Wawel Cathedral
After looking at the church bell we took some time to admire the view of Krakow from the bell tower.
View of Krakow from the Bell tower of the Wawel Cathedral
After returning from the bell tower we headed towards the Saint Leonard’s crypt located beneath the Cathedral. The crypt contain the tombs of Polish kings, national heroes, generals and other important historic people of Poland.
Hallway leading to the crypts beneath Wawel Cathedral
Inside the crypt we saw some of the tombs on display. It was an eerie feeling walking though the crypt. We saw numerous tombs which were each decorated differently.
One of the tombs in the Saint Leonard’s Crypt under the Wawel CathedralA tomb in the St Leonard’s cryptA tomb in the St Leonard’s crypt
The Wawel Cathedral was a very interesting place to visit. We saw some historic artifacts and explored a historic place of the Polish people. It was a quite interesting and enjoyable time.
We went to the Birkenau death camp after seeing Auschwitz 1 concentration camp. It was also a very emotional and somber place for us.
Ray and Shelley at the main gate of Birkenau Death Camp
Another part of the Auschwitz concentration camp was the expansion of the camp to create the Birkenau death camp. The Nazis began erecting this camp in the fall of 1941 in a village of Brzezinski, three kilometers from the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Nazis expelled the villagers and destroyed their homes to build the Birkenau death camp. This camp was designed for the mass murder of prisoners most of which were Jews.
The gate to the Birkenau death camp.
There is a railway spur which went directly through the gate into the camp. Prisoners referred to the Birkenau gate as “The Gate of Death”.
Railway spurs in Birkenau Death camp where prisoners were unloaded.
Prisoners would exit the train cars and this is where the Nazi SS physicians carried out their selection of the jews. They determined which were for work, or sent for medical experiments and the remainder were sent immediately to the gas chambers. This included pregnant women and children.
We walked through the death camp looking at the train tracks and just couldn’t imagine the horror of what happened here. As we walked alongside the tracks, we came to a cattle car which was used to transport Jews and other prisoners here.
A cattle car used to transport prisoners to the death campRailway car used to transport Jews and other Prisoners to Birkenau Death Camp
At the rear of the train car was a small raised lookout which was used by a Nazi guard.
A train car used to transport prisoners to the death camp.
The size of the Birkenau death camp was much bigger than we expected. There were rows upon rows of chimneys and ruins from the prisoner barracks on one side of the main road.
The remains of prisoner barracks at Birkenau Death CampArea where prisoners where kept in wooden barracks
There were some wooden barracks that remained in part of the Birkenau death camp.
Prisoner barracks in Birkenau death camp.
We went into some of the existing prisoner barracks. The conditions were very harsh. It was hard to imagine the living conditions they had to endure.
Latrine used by the prisoners.Bunks for the prisoners, eight prisoners to a single bunk.
We walked long the main road towards the back of the camp. As we approached the rear of the camp we could see a monument and some building ruins.
Monument at rear of the Birkenau Death Camp.
There were plaques in different languages which read
“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”
The Nazis transported jews from many european countries to be murdered here in Birkenau.
Map showing the movement of Jews transported to Birkenau to be murdered.
After viewing the monument we went to an area with ruins at the far end of the camp. These ruins are all that is left of the gas chambers and crematorium used to kill approximately one and half million people, primarily Jews.
The entrance way which Jews and other prisoners would be lead to believe were showers.
They would walk down the long corridor to an area where they would disrobe and then enter a second room, which was disguised as a shower room. There they would be gassed to death and then moved to a crematorium room to be burned.
Remains of the gas chambers and crematorium at Birkenau death campRemains at Birkenau death campGas chamber and crematorium remains at Birkenau death camp.
The size of the ruins showed the magnitude of the horrors that occurred here. After pausing to reflect on the site we were looking at, we began our long walk back to the main gate of Birkenau.
There were flowers placed on the train tracks close to where the gas chambers were. When you look down the tracks you can barely see the main gate of Birkenau in the distance.
Train tracks that stop at the gas chamber and crematorium area of Birkenau death camp.
We walked slowly back to the main gate contemplating the horrors and atrocities that occurred here. A very emotional day for us, but it is one time in history that no one should ever forget.
We went to the Auschwitz 1 site which is synonymous with the horrors of genocide caused by the Nazis. The emotions and feelings of sadness go beyond words.
The main gate of the Auschwitz 1 concentration camp displays the inscription “Arbeit Macht frei” (work will make you free)
Inscription above the main gate of Auschwitz 1
Walking through the gate at Auschwitz was surreal, trying to imagine how it must have felt for the thousands of Jews and others who were sent here. We walked through the rows of brick buildings that were surrounded by double rows of electrified barbwire fences.
Double row of electrified barbwire fence in Auschwitz 1
There were cases of some prisoners who were so distraught by the camp horrors that they would throw themselves “on the wire”.
Each building was identified by a block number.
We walked through several of the brick buildings and explored the inside.
One building we entered had on display hundreds of photos that were taken of the prisoners by the Nazis. Each prisoner was photographed, cataloged and identified by a unique number. It was quite sad seeing the fear and trauma visible on the faces of the prisoners.
Photos of the prisoners at Auschwitz 1 concentration camp.
We went into another building which displayed some of the evidence and photos of the horrible atrocities done by the German Nazis. There where remains of clothing, shoes and other personal belongings which the Nazis gathered from the prisoners to use for the German war effort. Even the hair of the prisoners was kept and used for mattresses or made into blankets for the German soldiers.
Thousands of shoes of murdered prisoners
We went to another building, identified as block 11. This particular building was used for several functions. The Nazi SS imprisoned camp prisoners suspected of clandestine activities or prisoners who had attempted to escape. Prisoners in this block were sentenced to death in numerous cruel ways, including starvation or by firing squad.
Block 11, where prisoners were routinely sentenced to death.Wall used by firing squad between Block 10 and Block 11 buildings.
We then walked to the far end of the camp to a small unassuming building. This building was the first building used by the Nazis as a gas chamber and a crematorium.
The building that contained the first crematorium and gas chamber at Auschwitz 1.
This crematorium was used from August 1940 to July 1943. It was calculated that 340 corpses per day could be cremated in this building.
The crematorium furnaces in the building containing the first gas chamber and crematorium.
By the time we finished walking through the Auschwitz 1 concentration camp we were emotionally drained. It was hard to imagine the atrocities that happened here and how one human could be so cruel to another human.
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