Auschwitz, Birkenau

I never really know what to do at places like this.  It seems horribly disrespectful to use a camera and not just look and listen.  So, I compromise and take a very few basic shots.

Auschwitz and Birkenau were every bit as horrible and intense as I expected.  Pure, flat out, hateful killing factories.   Psychotic in the intensity and efficiency.   I don't mind mean people, and I am often one, but the hate stuff has to go.

Infamous watchtower at Birkenau.  This place was built entirely and exclusive for extermination with 4 huge gas chamber and crematoriums.

Birkenau

Auschwitz

Firing squad wall at Building 11 at Auschwitz, the one where they had experimental cells for starvation death, medical experiment death, suffocation death.  The basement, or dungeon, holds about 50 people yet the daily average was 900.  Story has it that this wall saw the execution by firing squad of more than 300,000 people in 4 years.

Main gate at Auschwitz promising that "work will make you free"

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.

Through Slovakia, onto Krakow, Poland

Early morning depart from Budapest into Slovakia, through the Tatras Mountains of the the Carpathian Range and on into Poland landing in Krakow for the night.  The currency in Hungary is the Forint, in Slovakia the Euro, in Poland the Zloty and in the Czech Republic the Kornua or Crown.  Hungarians speak Hungarian, Slovakians speak Slovakian, Poles speak Polish and Czechs speak Czech.  All speak some Russian, German and English as well.  Our guide speaks all of the languages.  All so close, but all so different.  The big story here is Brexit and it is always eye opening to see that our stories at home do not dominate like I think they do.

Lunch at a local brewery in Slovakia.  I forgot to ask what the name of the beer was, but it was good.

Route from Budapest to Krakow crosses through Slovakia.  3 borders in one day is cool.

The brewery in the Carpathian Mountains.  

Do need to figure out what this says.  It was at the church below and I hope I wasn't confessing to something I did not do.

How could I not get a bagel in Krakow where, they claim, bagels were invented.  They referred to the bagels we eat at home, and that I love, as soft bagels.

Plaza in Krakow

It is always about the food.  We were no strangers to pirogies, but of course these were in the home of pirogies.

Travel crew at dinner in Krakow.

Traveler Casey, who wins the award for best packing.  She travels from a tiny carry on.

I have only been in 2 cities on earth without a McD.  Krakow is not one of them.

Orava Castle in Slovakia.  Cool because it is 800 years old and because it is where they filmed the 1922 Dracula movie Nosferatu.

Main square in Krakow.  Very, very, very cool.

Spartan buy perfectly fine tine room accommodations.  Keeps the prices reasonable for college students and more than enough for me.

Budapest and The Blue Danube

Kind of a long day of travel, catching up on delays, but finally arrived in Budapest, Hungary.  No doubt the coolest part is the riverfront on the Ole Blue Danube.

 And of course it is always all about the food.  This was Hungarian braised beef and potatoes in some kind of red wine gravy.  Of course excellent.

 Very cool boat ride on the Danube.

 Soviet Era East German car called a Trabant.  It was a piece of shite when they were built but now, of course, the are a collectors item of sorts.  This is the travel crew.

 Traveler Adam and I striking the requisite pose at Elizabeths Bridge on the Danube River.

More of travel crew (Ivy, Maegan, McKenna, Jackie, Casey) on Danube River cruise.

Part of travel is patience and tolerance

Not unusual, there was some kind of weather jam in New York which caused first leg of flight to be cancelled, which of course backed everything up resulting in, 5 more delays and cancellations,  splitting the group and getting a mixture  flights over the next 2 days.  Nobody's fault, but I always observe the reaction and this wondrous group of travelers reacted with calm and patience, even as they were sent scattering for a day to regroup.  All good.  It is travel.  It happens.

Exactly 54 hours and 21 minutes of flight delays later, we are in the air on a beautiful moonlit night.  Not one singe complaint from any traveler.

Off to Eastern Europe:  Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic - March 2017