We arrived from Krakow to the Oswiecim train station and were immediately put into a less than jovial state of mind. The weather was dreary (our first day of rain) and the walk to the grounds was going to be longer than anticipated. We set out from the train station with directions to just keep walking straight. Finally after about 20 minutes, we saw the sign: Auschwitz Museum.
We entered the Auschwitz camp and bought tickets for a guided tour. (We regret doing so and recommend now to future visitors to do your own self guided tour. All of the buildings have explanations in English on them and it’s a more personal experience that way.) We toured the grounds, trying our best to avoid the rain, with a less than enthusiastic tour guide. Her lack of emotion made the experience seem more like an exhibit rather than a meaningful look back on what had occurred here.
We passed through many of the barracks, some still with bunks inside while others had been converted into exhibitions with belongings from the millions of Jews exterminated here. The most moving of which was an entire room full of women’s hair. We finished the Auschwitz main grounds and then loaded onto the free bus to Birkenau, the neighboring camp more known for its gas chamber exterminations and human fires.
At Birkenau, the impact was more intense as many of the barracks were either left or rebuilt to their original state. We saw the famous watchtower where the trains would enter the camp and stood on the platform where thousands of families were split apart. At the far end of the camp is a memorial to those who perished and, more importantly, a call to never let such events happen again.
We finished our tour and made the walk back to the Oswiecim train station to catch the next train back to Krakow. Once there, we went to the neighboring shopping center for dinner (which consisted of under par polish food) and perused the shops until it was time for our train.
No comments:
Post a Comment