A depressing post. Sorry.
This time last year Himself, his parents, and myself were getting ready for our trip to Poland to visit (and eventually bring home) my brother-in-law. We spend 10 wonderful (very cold) days in Krakow, Poland, sometimes traveling out to other places.
My father-in-law and brother-in-law went to the salt mines just outside of Krakow, but I opted out, since the thought of being trapped under almost a mile of dirt and stone made me feel a little jittery. Auschwitz was bad enough when we went into block 11 (the jail block where prisoners were put into starvation cells and standing cells), mainly because of the press of people flooding the main hallway (a tour bus had just arrived, and I guess the most depressing block in the place was the first stop. Go figure).
Birkenau was worse. Before Himself and I went to Poland, I told him that I did not wish to go to Auschwitz simply because I had heard that it was beyond spooky. I am a fan of horror movies (not the hack'em/slash'em movies, but the ones that make you think), but I have my limits. I had heard from several people that Auschwitz was completely silent, and that you couldn't see any kind of life other than the tour groups. That's not completely true, I heard a couple of birds chirping once or twice, but that was it. When we arrived at Birkenau (also called Auschwitz 2), there was nothing. You can still see many of the buildings, a virtual forrest of chimneys, the train tracks, ect scattered throughout the grounds, but Birkenau is silent. Since most of it is outside, voices don't even carry very well, so the whole time I'm straining to hear my brother-in-law talk (he was explaining several things about some of the places in Birkenau).
Birkenau was the anti-Disneyland.
The rest of Poland was beautiful, and my father-in-law and I have both expressed a desire to go back and see some of the places we missed (or had to rush through due to closing times). I really want to go to the salt mines (I'll swallow my fear long enough to see the underground chapel) next time, since I saw some pictures of the inside. I also want to go to the St. Mary's Cathedral inside again to gawk at the beauty of the old art inside. I'm not traditionally religious, but I love really old cathedrals (the gothic-style ones are the best), and St. Mary's is rich with art and legend. There is a story about why one tower is taller than the other, which I may put on here sometime. I really want to find some of the pictures that my father-in-law took of the cathedral and put them on this blog, but that is going to require much digging in boxes of photographs (not all of them are from the trip, just most of them).
Well, not sure about the quality of this post, I'm too tired and hungry to proof-read it. If there are any mistakes, feel free to tell me, and I'll do my best to change them.
M
My father-in-law and brother-in-law went to the salt mines just outside of Krakow, but I opted out, since the thought of being trapped under almost a mile of dirt and stone made me feel a little jittery. Auschwitz was bad enough when we went into block 11 (the jail block where prisoners were put into starvation cells and standing cells), mainly because of the press of people flooding the main hallway (a tour bus had just arrived, and I guess the most depressing block in the place was the first stop. Go figure).
Birkenau was worse. Before Himself and I went to Poland, I told him that I did not wish to go to Auschwitz simply because I had heard that it was beyond spooky. I am a fan of horror movies (not the hack'em/slash'em movies, but the ones that make you think), but I have my limits. I had heard from several people that Auschwitz was completely silent, and that you couldn't see any kind of life other than the tour groups. That's not completely true, I heard a couple of birds chirping once or twice, but that was it. When we arrived at Birkenau (also called Auschwitz 2), there was nothing. You can still see many of the buildings, a virtual forrest of chimneys, the train tracks, ect scattered throughout the grounds, but Birkenau is silent. Since most of it is outside, voices don't even carry very well, so the whole time I'm straining to hear my brother-in-law talk (he was explaining several things about some of the places in Birkenau).
Birkenau was the anti-Disneyland.
The rest of Poland was beautiful, and my father-in-law and I have both expressed a desire to go back and see some of the places we missed (or had to rush through due to closing times). I really want to go to the salt mines (I'll swallow my fear long enough to see the underground chapel) next time, since I saw some pictures of the inside. I also want to go to the St. Mary's Cathedral inside again to gawk at the beauty of the old art inside. I'm not traditionally religious, but I love really old cathedrals (the gothic-style ones are the best), and St. Mary's is rich with art and legend. There is a story about why one tower is taller than the other, which I may put on here sometime. I really want to find some of the pictures that my father-in-law took of the cathedral and put them on this blog, but that is going to require much digging in boxes of photographs (not all of them are from the trip, just most of them).
Well, not sure about the quality of this post, I'm too tired and hungry to proof-read it. If there are any mistakes, feel free to tell me, and I'll do my best to change them.
M
posted by Morrigan Le Fey at 9:58 AM
2 Comments:
What a blessing you have had to have traveled overseas. I've been to Canada and Mexico - just over the border. But that's it. I read alot about other places, but to really be there and eat there and feel there and remember there, that's the real ticket.
Groovy, it really is a different feeling. You can definitely feel the age of the place. Lord of the Manor has been to Europe a few times, and I'm hoping I'll get to go back again as well.
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