Poland

11th September 2008

The train from Moscow to Krakow had the best sheets and blankets, really thick and cosy. There were three beds to the cabin in this train so it was pretty squished but we were lucky that the third bed was ub-occupied. We figured out that you could move the middle bed down to make a seat, this didn't really please the train officer as when he walked past our cabin he started shouting at us. He was gesturing wildly to our beds and saying the word 'ticket' over and over. The only conclusion we could come to was that he was annoyed we weren't in our allocated beds. Speaking to a Polish family in the morning they wouldn't tell us all the details, no idea why, but apparently we should have asked the train officer before we moved the beds.

After Moscow, Krakow was a much nicer place, the sun was also shining and it was hot which is always a plus. Really small centre, loads of cafes and shops to go to around the Rynek Glowny central square. Spent the first day wondering around in the sun, shopping for amber, soaking in the lively atmosphere. The hostel we were staying in was a really nice place to meet people and they always had some kind of event going on in the evening. At the vodka tasting event Hannah and I had a shot with vodka, Tabasco and raspberry juice, I didn't think it was too bad.

Our first day trip from the town was to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp, where we went on a guided tour with someone who was 25 when she was imprisoned there. It was a very haunting, somber experience going to the site of massive human imprisonment, torture and death. The brick houses where they 'lived' have been made into a museum showing the history, progression and the reality of what happened there between 1941-45, showing displays of some of the suitcases, shoes, cooking utensils, hairbrushes of the thousands and thousands people that entered into the camp. Being there affected me more than any war film, documentary, museum and it is something that should be seen.

Our second day trip from the town was to the mountain ski resort of Zakopane, down in the south near the Slovakian boarder. Obviously it's summer so there was no snow, but all the houses looked cute and wood cabiny and I could see them all covered in snow. (Would like to go back when it is snowy.) We took the cable car up to the top after looking for it most of the day, saw some lakes in the middle of the mountains and took in the clean, fresh air. 

Spend the last day in Krakow looking at the amber again and I am pleased to tell you all that I successfully bought a green amber pendant that I am very happy with. This is where I said good-bye to Sarah and continued on to Berlin with my sister, Hannah.