Best of the East Fall Break Tour- Part Two

Day 5: Krakow- We started with a tour of Krakow and passed many historical sites. I loved how relaxed and safe this city felt. It was easy to navigate and everything was in walking distance. When the tour ended we ate a Polish meal of stuffed cabbage, borsch soup, and potato pancakes. We did a little window shopping and ended up at a hot chocolate restaurant. This place was dedicated solely to hot chocolate and chocolate related drinks. I got the gingerbread hot chocolate which was absolutely delicious. We went out again that night, however due to miscommunication about our room key I was locked out of our hostel and had to track the key down at 2am. I was planning on calling it a fairly early night, but it took an extra hour or so to find the key.

Day 6: Krakow- We started with a tour of the Jewish Quarter of Krakow. We stopped halfway through the tour to get bagels and continued to Schindler’s factory. Schindler’s Factory surprisingly had little to do with Schindler and more to do with the history of Poland during World War 2. The exhibit was well done, particularly the uneven ground at the end of the exhibit symbolizing Poland’s recovery after WW2. After the museum I managed to find the matzo ball soup I had been looking for in Poland, and it was delicious! After the soup we went back to the hot chocolate restaurant and I got rose hot chocolate. We had a group dinner at another Polish restaurant, I had borsch in a bread bowl, and we went back to the hot chocolate restaurant…it was my third time in 24 hours.  This time I got the white chocolate and strawberry. Very delicious.

Day 7: Auschwitz- We left Krakow and headed to Auschwitz. The first thing I noticed after getting off the bus was the landscaping. I was shocked because the area surrounding the camp was beautiful…which made the camp even more eerie. It was like entering a cemetery with beautiful trees and grass, but with a very somber and eerie feel to it…very eerie. We walked through the first camp Auschwitz 1 for about two hours with a tour guide. The camp is very difficult to put into words. I almost felt like I shouldn’t be walking around there. So many people tried to get away from that place…I felt very strange about actually choosing to go visit the camp. One of the most emotional parts of the tour was entering the room dedicated to the children. All prisoners that were chosen to live had to have a profile picture taken of them as soon as they got there. There was one picture of a girl not even looking at the camera but at someone off to the side with tears in her eyes. Her expression was one of a broken child. She was scarred and had just lost all her faith in humanity. Her childhood had been stolen from her. It was so heart wrenching, I wanted to go to her and hold her. I wanted to save her from all the evil that had destroyed her world. That was my first really emotional moment among many that day. The second camp we went to was Auschwitz 2, Birkenau. I couldn’t believe how massive this camp was. It contained four gas chambers, rows and rows of prisoner’s cabins, huge work spaces, and many buildings I was unable to identify. Schindler’s List was filmed there, and I recognized many places from the movie. It was very surreal. One thing I appreciate about Spielberg is his use of real people and their real stories in the movie. Our guide mentioned a few of these people and their stories which paralleled the movie. At one point it the tour we stopped at four headstones. In different languages, they said “To the memory of the men, women, and children who fell victim to the Nazi genocide. Here lie there ashes. May their souls rest in peace.” Our guide told us that this was where many ashes were dumped after cremation. She walked off quietly and left us in silence. Nobody moved and there were a few seconds of complete stillness. There were no words to be spoken, but everything was said in that moment of silence.

Day 8: Prague- We did a tour of Prague the next morning. My favorite part of the tour was Lennon’s wall. This is a piece of a wall dedicated to John Lennon after his death. It is constantly painted on and added to by travelers, residents, and advocates for peace. I scratched a peace sign inside a heart onto the wall. After the Lennon wall we went to a courtyard next to the Prague castle and were there at the same time as the Czech president. We were able to stand in line and see him as he walked by. We moved on to see the Prague castle and the Saint Vitus cathedral. After that we moved on to the Bohemian Bagel restaurant and had a delicious meal. We then went to the beer factory where you can pour your own beer from the taps. After naps we all went out for the most delicious brats I have ever had. They are from the carts on the corner of the streets and make the most delicious brats in the world, I am convinced. After the brats we went to a bar and all tried Absynth. It was a bright green color, almost radioactive looking. It burned more than a normal shot, but it had weird black licorice taste to it…when in the Czech Republic…

Day 9: Prague- The next morning I woke up early and decided to explore Prague on my own. I grabbed a map from the reception desk and went on my way. I ended up climbing the clock tower for the most beautiful view of Prague imaginable. After the clock tower I listened to a street jazz band for a few songs, and then I went back to the Charles Bridge and the Lennon Wall. This time I was prepared with two important quotes and added them to the wall. I met up with some other people on the trip for more bagels at the Bohemian Bagel place. We did a little wandering around and souvenir shopping then went out for our last group dinner. We all had a drink down at the bar in the hotel and went back up to pack and prepare for the long ride back home.

Day 10: Home- Daylight savings started this morning at 2am. I have never had to deal with daylight savings before, being from Arizona. Confused and not wanting to miss the bus leaving at 7:30, I set my alarm for 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30am. Finally I went down to the reception desk to ask what time it actually was. We then boarded the bus and said goodbye to the beautiful cities of Eastern Europe and headed back to our familiar town of Firenze. It was a great trip, I am so glad I decided to go. I would have loved to have more time in many of the cities I went to, but I will be back…I am sure of it.