Return of the Rains

The last few days of break I tried to fit in as much down time as possible.  On Thursday we had our weekly `dinner`, though this time it was more of a late lunch.  I had to head in to the city in the morning to apply for my visa for India, then we had our picnic theme lunch. Spinach dip, frittata, fresh strawberries, another culinary success!

Friday Josephine and I met up at a nearby mall and went to see the Hangover Part II. Enjoyed a good laugh!! Late that evening I was thinking how I wanted to spend my last weekend of break. I was also looking at how few weekends I have left in England. They are quickly being filled with my final trips and training for my India trip and everything else that seems to take up weekends and make them pass by all too quickly.  I looked at the weather forecast and saw that the sun was going to be shining on Saturday, but that the weather was supposed to change for Sunday. So I thought a day at the beach for some me time was in order. I found some great discounted tickets to Brighton where I could really enjoy the sunshine. I got up early Saturday morning and went for a quick run before heading to the train station. I was in Brighton by 10:30. The day was phenomenal. The sun was shining, there was a nice breeze and the beach was full of happy people enjoying everything the beach has to offer.

Brighton Pier

I have really started to believe that where you grow up is forever imprinted on your soul. I love London, and all that it has to offer as a place to live, but I feel like a part of me is missing when I am away from the sea. I felt so at peace just me, the sea, and my book. It was just what I needed to feel refuelled to make it through another 4 weeks of work. It also helped that I had received some good news that morning, I have a job interview for a posting in Comox! Even if I don`t get this job, it is always good to have interviews and know that my resume is being looked over and considered. That being said, I will still cross my fingers (and hope you will too) that I get a job and can stop being broke sometime soon!
Now break is over, the rain is coming down outside - another part of home I miss, especially after the record-breaking dry months we`ve been having over here - and it looks like I have the day to myself to prepare for my interview this evening. Then I am booked to work the rest of the week as the countdown is on until our trip to Spain in 4 weeks.

Comfort Food

After a rather depressing start to the day, we arrived back in Krakow just after lunch and decided some good comfort food was in order. What could be better than some authentic perogies?! We walked over to a local perogie place that was recommended to us called Zapiecek. We each ordered a plate of the delicious dumplings and were not disappointed!

Sunshine + patio = :)

creepy bunny!

After our meal we went over to the mall for a little retail therapy to really heal from our sombre morning. Ice cream is sold all over town, so a little of that helped lighten the mood too. Our hostel serves free dinner at 7, but we still had a little time before it was ready and decided to hit up the main square once more for a patio drink. We enjoyed the sunshine and a round of beverages before returning to the hostel for some burgers! (The first night they made us pasta.)

After dinner Christine and Eric were planning on doing a pub crawl, so Josephine and I went in search of a delicious dessert place. We walked through the old city, down to Wawel castle. It was fun looking in all the windows and jumping out of the narrow streets as horse-drawn carriages pulled up behind us. We finally settled on a little place I had read about in my travel book called Camelot Cafe. We enjoyed our dessert by candlelight on the patio, along with a glass of wine. When we got back to the hostel, Christine and Eric were there watching a movie. Turns out the pub crawl was cancelled and Josephine and I were the rowdy ones out late - go figure!

Horse carriages all lined up

Wawel Castle

Tuesday morning Josephine and I headed back in to the city, while Christine and Eric had paid for an excursion to go shoot some guns.. to each their own.
We did another walking tour of the Old City and learned a bit about the history of Krakow and the legend of the dragon.

Dragon!

According to legend, Krakow was founded by and named after the mythical ruler Krak, who built the town above a cave occupied by a ravenous dragon.

Up at Wawel Castle

Mmmm Zapiekanki

After the walking tour we went back in to the old Jewish quarter to Kazimierz for lunch - zapiekanki. Basically a long piece of fresh bread with whatever topping you want. A scrumptious Polish twist on pizza. Then we braved the 30 degree heat and marched back up toward the castle for some more pictures. Finally going back to the Old City.

Inside Cloth Hall

By this time Josephine was tuckered out so she went back to the hostel while I checked out the Old City Square and the Cloth Hall some more for souvenirs and such. By the time I got back to the hostel everyone was there. We rested for a bit, then went out to sit on a nice park bench and relax before dinner. On the menu tonight was 'authentic Polish' - more sausages and potatoes. They do a good hearty meal in this country!

The Gang!

After dinner we all went out and found a nice patio for the worst customer service but the best cake ever! Then it was back to the hostel for a quiet night. We were all pretty beat from a long day in the heat. Wednesday morning we were up early for breaky and off to the airport for an uneventful (thankfully) trip back to London. A few more days off before it will be back to reality.... for four weeks, then off to Spain :)

Extermination Camps

Auschwitz I - main registration building

Day 2 in Krakow:
Up early we had our delicious free breakfast and went to meet up with the tour group heading to Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau. It is hard to know what to say of this tour other than this is something everyone should see. If you cannot see it then read about it and educate yourself. What happened in this part of the world during WWII is uncomprehendable.  Novels like Schindler's Ark may make people out to be heroes when there is always another side, but they also give insight into details that will leave you speechless, and sometimes a little nauseous too. I read Schindler's Ark shortly before this trip and am still trying to make my brain understand some of the things that I learned. I don't want to go into too much detail, I think everyone should find their own way to absorb history but here some things that really stood out for me personally.

Main Gate: Work Brings Freedom

Nazi Germans started their 'purification' on fellow Germans, mostly mentally and physically impaired people. Auschwitz I, where most of the medical experiments were done, housed up to 20, 000 prisoners (about half of my home town's population). When Auschwitz I was liberated they uncovered huge amounts of goods that were taken from the prisoners and stored in warehouses that were often referred to by prisoners as "Canada" because they associated it with a place of plenty (brings tears to my eyes). Among the things that they found removed from prisoners was about 7 tonnes of human hair. They have about 2 tonnes displayed in a room, and this was the one room where I actually gasped and took a step back. I cannot even explain the sensation of seeing this. This amount came from about 30 000 people. Along the walls of the barracks are photos of the prisoners that were registered at the camp. Most have only a number rather than names. With this is their date of arrival and date of death. It was rare to last more than a few months, this was the average for men - women didn't last as long. The longest I saw was just over a year. The shortest was 2 days. The camp commandant actually lived on site with his family. His house can be seen from the building that housed the gas chambers and crematoria.

Auschwitz II - Birkenau was the death camp. When Auschwitz I was deemed not to be efficient enough for extermination, it was expanded here. Birkenau had a capacity of up to 200 000 people.  Most of the barracks here used for prisoners were prefabricated horse stables. These were meant to house 52 horses during war times for armies. Instead they were used to house on average 450 prisoners. Sometimes up to 700. The gas chambers and crematoria at this camp were run by 'special' groups of prisoners. These groups were exterminated every few months and replaced by new prisoners. Probably once they were deemed to know too much.

Auschwitz II - Birkenau

Prisoners were also used to keep watch and run the barracks, they were given special sleeping quarters at the front with more room, rather than sharing a bunk with up to 10 other prisoners. Shortly before the camp was liberated, the Nazis tried to burn and dismantle many buildings, including the crematoria and gas chambers. Apparently they thought that maybe no one would find out what they had been up to. Roll call for prisoners was performed twice a day. Prisoners had to stand until everyone was accounted for. Guards had huts to stand in in case of inclement weather. Prisoners who had tried to escape or shown uprising tendencies were brought to roll call and hanged in front of the others. The longest roll call lasted 20 hours.

Birkenau - Over 175 acres

There is so much more that happened to these innocent people, all of it equally horrifying. As I type, more and more gruesome details are coming to mind. As I said, I truly believe that everyone should educate themselves on this not-so distant history in the hopes that it will never be repeated.