Tuesday, December 27th
We traveled to Warsaw via LOT Polish Air in the afternoon. Even though the flight was less than 2 hours there they gave us beverages and two delicious snacks. After we picked up our bags we took a bus to find our hostel. We dropped off or things at Oki Doki Hostel and then walked to "Frida" where we had a delicious dinner of Mexican food. After dinner we walked around the city a bit and then we were back at Oki Doki to get some rest.
Wednesday, December 28th
In the morning we headed out to see some of the sights of Warsaw. We walked to several churches and then headed to the Old Town where we had a brunch of coffee and toasted sandwiches which were delicious. The Old Town was destroyed during WW2 however was reconstructed and now looks almost as it did before the war. The morning light made for beautiful light and highlighted the wonderful scenery.
After seeing the old town and doing some shopping we headed to see one of the Palaces and large parks of Warsaw. It was a beautiful place filled with lots of birds and beauty. We even saw an extremely friendly squirrel being fed by a sweet old lady.
After seeing the park we headed back to Oki Doki to pick up our bags and then took a train to Krakow. The train ride was wonderful. We ended up having our own cabin and our ticket price even included coffee, tea, and/or water and a biscuit which we weren't expecting. I spent the ride writing postcards and listening to music. After arriving in Warsaw we headed out to find our hostel, Globtrotter. It was a nice evening and found our hostel pretty easily. Our hostel was wonderful and I would highly recommend it to anyone heading to Krakow. It was quiet, the staff were friendly and we had our own room complete with bathroom. After dropping off our things we walked down the street to have our first Polish food. I had three types of perogies and Jenn had some potato pancakes. Everything was delicious. Then it was time for bed to get ready for the next day.
Thursday, December 29th
In the morning we had a light breakfast and took the city bus over to the Wieliczka Salt Mine (Vee-leech-ka). The Salt Mine is included on UNESCO's World Heritage List and was well worth the time. Our guide was fabulous, teaching us many things about the mine and it's history. It was beautiful inside and we were able to tour the first three levels, there are nine levels in total. The mine contained beautiful rock salt sculptures and several chapels. There are even areas which can be rented for weddings, parties, or eventy.
After touring the mine we had a late lunch of delicious pizza at a nearby restaurant. Then we headed back to Krakow, stopped by the hostel, had some coffee, and then walked around the main market square. There were many tents with food, crafts, and other gifts which were fun to look at. We ended up eating Indian food for dinner which was a nice change in pace.
This was one of the most meaningful days of the trip as we planned a tour to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum. We picked up breakfast at a delicious bakery and then got on the bus. On the way to the museum we watched a documentary about Auschwitz. We had a big tour group however the museum gave us headsets to use which was much better as we were always able to hear even if we weren't very close to the guide. It was a very cold, dreary day with rain on and off. It was fitting weather for the place we were visiting and learning about. It's a hard experience to put into words as it is such a tragic place if misery. There was so much I didn't know and so many moving displays and exhibits. I'm very happy we were able to visit and witness a place that was once filled with so much hate now filled with empathy and compassion.
Saturday, December 31st
We had a delicious breakfast of coffee drinks and paninis. Then we walked around, stopped at the post office, and went to the National Museum. There were two temporary exhibits and three permanent exhibits. Though we had checked online and thought the museum was open until 4 pm, it turned out it was going to close at 1pm so we only had an hour. I managed to get to 4 of the galleries and greatly enjoyed what I was able to see. The museum was also child friendly as many of the galleries had pieces that were able to be tried on like military items or swords that were able to be held and so forth.
After the museum we headed to the Jewish district where we had some delicious traditionally Jewish snacks and a coffee. Since it was New Years Eve we then went back to the hostel and hung out a bit before going to dinner.
After dinner we hung out at a hookah bar before going to the main market square for fireworks. There was a great mix of popular music playing and countdown was projected onto one of the buildings. The show was great and afterward we got a snack of chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate covered bananas and then went back to our hostel. It was a great night.
Sunday, January 1st
Not much was open in the morning but we found a cafe were I had a gingerbread latte and a bagel sandwich. Then we walked to Wawel (Vaw-vel) Castle. The castle was beautiful and holds a great legend about a dragon who was causing havoc before the people of Krakow killed him. After the castle we went to the Jewish district to go to Galicia Jewish Museum. The museum held a nice history through photos of Polish Jews pre-WW2, during WW2, and present day. There was also a temporary photo exhibit of Ze'ev Aleksandrowicz which was well worth the time. I learned a great deal about Polish Jews and their treatment as well as perspective.
Afterward we had something to eat and then headed back to the hostel. We had a delicious Polish dinner followed by some dessert and then called it a night. It was a wonderful trip. We left Krakow on the morning of January 2nd and I arrived back in Sliven last night. Finally for a few videos showing random footage of our time in Poland. It's a place I would definitely go back to and would recommend to anyone interested in history or may be in a neighboring country and has some time to stop by.
I wish you all a fabulous 2012! Thanks for reading. Here are the rest of the photos: On Holiday in Poland
Peace, Love, Literacy, and Reckless Curiosity.
In a word..."AWESOME!" So much history and so much beauty...I especially liked what you said about visiting a place that was once filled with hate but now filled with empathy and compassion. There is so much good in us, humans, too!
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