Krakow and the Czech Republic

Well, Krakow was wonderful! A delightful city, full of life, good food, history and tradition. We stayed in the Old Town which was fine once we found our hotel amid one way and blocked streets; a kind policeman who spoke no English even lowered a blockade so that we could drive the rest of the way up the street to reach our hotel. I think he wanted to get us off the road! Thank goodness we had written down the name of the hotel so he could read that and figure out what we were trying to do. The next day we decided to drive a short distance out of Old Town to Oskar Schindler's factory. It is the same building that he actually worked in and where the movie ("Schindler's List") was partially filmed. It is being renovated a bit and made into a museum honoring him and others like him in one part and also a modern art museum in a second building. There is an interesting and informative display about the ceramics plant itself and how he came to be working there and then about how he saved the lives of so many Jews. It finishes by describing how he's been honored. The feeling that we had there was the same that we have been experiencing lately on our journey. To actually be standing where people lived and died, were murdered or managed to survive is humbling and awesome, in the true sense of the word. From the factory, we went to the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. We wandered the streets a bit and visited a synagogue that is being renovated. We had a delicious lunch too but all the time were surrounded by that sense of history. Most of the Jews in Poland were sent to Auschwitz and very few survived. The next day, Monday, we went to the death camp itself. We went with a tour, which in hindsight we regretted. We got transportation there and back and the service of a museum guide (Auschwitz and Birkenau are both called museums now) but we wished we could have stayed longer and seen the film. The museum guides are very knowledgeable and calmly tell the story of the camp as they take you in and out of buildings. There is no need to exaggerate what happened there. Again, we knew the history, had been to other Holocaust museums (like in D.C.) and we'd seen films about the Holocaust but to be there and walk into the buildings, hear the numbers, see the faces (the first to be sent there were Poles and many were photographed - later that stopped), and see the other artifacts

is very different and indescribable. Thankfully, the Polish government took over the area covered by the camps (there were 3 in the vicinity) in 1947 and preserved everything that the Nazis had left standing. Some paperwork survived the attempt to destroy the evidence and the brick buildings at Auschwitz I and some of the wooden ones at Birkenau also survived. As the groups of tourists moved about, there was very little talking and no one was smiling. It is a somber place. There is a 17 minute film made the Ukrainian forces that liberated the camp and it is shown in English several times a day. We did not get to see it with the tour so we decided that on our drive out of Krakow the next day we would stop to see it. We did and are thankful that it was made although it was not easy to watch. Much of the film shows those who were found alive and how the doctors who came with the liberators tried to save as many people as possible. In that way, it was a good final memory to take with us.

We would recommend Krakow as a place to visit on a vacation! We would definitely like to go back ourselves. It is the first place, other than Paris, about which we have that feeling. The Old Town is a great place to stay; fly in and take a taxi from the airport! They are very proud of the Polish Pope and have named the airport after him! We left feeling that there was a lot more to do and see in the city!

We are now in Prague, which is a BIG city with over 1 million people. We followed our usual pattern of getting lost trying to find our hotel and this time in the midst of rush hour traffic in the dark. Imagine yourself on I-5, missing your exit and getting off as soon as you can but having no idea where you are or where the place you are trying to reach is. Thank goodness for cell phones! We eventually made it and today we spent the day in the areas known as the Castle Quarter and the Little Quarter. We also walked over the Charles Bridge. After the Communists left in 1989, Prague was the first city in what was called Eastern Europe to really westernize and "get on the map". We enjoyed the gorgeous, amazing churches of all architectural styles, the picturesque buildings, the 800 hundred year old statues, and in the Old Town Square, the Astronomical Clock which we watched strike 5 o'clock. Last night we went to a restaurant that was just 2 blocks away and prepares excellent food! There was an American expat who is co-owner and executive chef! Since it was kind of a slow night, he came out and talked with us for a bit. He's from Philadelphia and soon baseball and the World Series came up. We had no trouble being on the same side there! Tomorrow we'll see more of Old Town and the Jewish Quarter and then visit Wenceslas Square and some of New Town. The day after, we're off to Salzburg, Austria! I'm happy because it has only 150,000 people - no more driving in big cities!