Full day in Krakow, approaching the dark part of the the visit

Full day in Krakow including the Wawel Castle, the Jewish Ghetto, Schinlder's Factory and some really good lecture and preparation from our tour expert Ildi as we get ready to visit Auschwitz and Birkenau, the real purpose of the trip.

Garlic soup in a bread bowl in Krakow Plaza

Wawel Castle in Krakow the longtime capital before Warsaw.  The Nazi's did not destroy this place because a general made it his home and when ousted in 1945 by the Russians they did not have time to wipe it out.  Odd irony.

Katyn Memorial, the place where 20,000 Polish officer bodies were found in the 1980's, argued to have been slaughtered by the Soviets at the end of WWII, and a place of great debate.

13th century torch putter outer thing.

One of the reasons I pick EF Tours is because the provide really expert local scholars to lead group.  This is Anna explaining the symbol of the WWII Polish Resistance symbol.

University of Krakow, building where the Nazis rounded up all of the faculty in 1939 for mass "relocation" and eventual execution to remove education from Polish society in preparation for a labor class.  

14th Century Faculty Garden at University of Krakow.  Only fantasizing that I would  ever reach such status.

The dark part begins with a lecture by local scholar expert Ildi in the Jewish Ghetto where 65,000 Jews were removed in March of 1941 as extermination began in full swing.

Schindlers Factory, which is now, only after Speilberg made the movie, a national museum.