The rest of my time in Krakow was very nice. I got to visit a few sites within Krakow and then I took 2 day trips out to Auschwitz/Birkenau and also to Wieliczka Salt Mines. The Salt Mines were pretty fascinating. It's crazy how extensive the mine was. It was large enough to contain 40 chapels! There were a lot of different statues carved by the miners when the mine was still in operation. I really enjoyed visiting this part of Poland.
The day I went to Auschwitz/Birkenau was actually a bit of a dreary, cold, rainy day. I think it was suitable for my trip. Auschwitz has been turned into a large museum pretty much, but it was still a powerful experience seeing all the different exhibits and the buildings where thousands of people were forced to stay. The hardest thing to see was all the clothes for children that were found in the concentration camp. I still can't believe how many people lost their lives there. The other surreal moment of Auschwitz was walking through one of the gas chambers and crematoriums. I can only imagine the fear, anger and anguish that was felt by everyone at those camps. The visit to Birkenau was even more surreal for me. Birkenau has been pretty much preserved as a concentration camp with the barracks still present, for the most part. It was such a LARGE area with so many barracks. It was jaw-dropping to see how large it was and to think about how many people were ruthlessly and pointlessly killed there. Visiting these two locations made me realize the reality behind these concentration camps and the mass extermination of not only Jewish people but of anyone the Nazis wanted to kill. Visiting these locations I think is an experience everyone should have, it helps put everything into perspective. It helped me feel such gratitude for those who fought for those who could not defend themselves. I heard amazing stories of selfless individuals who would smuggle Jewish children to safety and would volunteer their life in place of another. Amazing experience visiting these locations.
On a lighter note, I met some nice people during my different tours in Krakow. I met this nice girl named Lala who was from Vietnam, studying in Singapore but doing a foreign exchange in Spain for a few months and was now visiting Krakow. It's been very interesting meeting a wide variety of people with such different backgrounds and stories! After a few days in Krakow, I hopped on a train and headed to Warsaw to meet up with my friend Joanna! The train ride was also interesting. A nun sat across from me and we spoke in Spanish for a long time. Apparently she is from Slovakia, but served in Peru for 8 years and is now in Poland for the next couple of years. She was very friendly and even shared her food with me! :) Poland has been a great experience so far!
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