Keeping Warm in Krakow

We started off our second semester ready to make new friends, explore new countries, and create new memories!

For the first long weekend of the semester, we traveled to Krakow, Poland for a change of pace. We definitely got our fill of winter with the weather being a balmy 20 some-odd degrees. We thought we missed South Bend weather! When we arrived at the old market square of Krakow's Old Town, we were pleasantly surprised by its beautiful blend of Eastern and Western influences. We really didn't know what to expect traveling to this country, but we found Krakow to be a friendly city full of culture and history. Of course, we immediately reinstated our travel tradition of experiencing culture through food by relishing several different types of pierogi including meat, cheese and potato, and sauerkraut with mushrooms. We spent the rest of our first day exploring the Old Town; to stay out of the cold we even took a horse-drawn carriage ride! After a long day of travel and exploration, we enjoyed traditional Polish dishes of kielbasa and stuffed cabbage rolls for dinner followed by some delicious hot chocolate (more like hot fudge with milk) at a chocolate shop.

Exploring the streets of Krakow.

Time to eat some pierogi!

St. Mary's Basilica

Seven of us squeezing into the carriage for a tour of the city. 

The horses of our carriage.

It was just as cold as South Bend!

Saturday was a solemn day of remembrance as we visited the concentration camps of Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau. As a group, we took a tour of both camps. It was difficult to walk through the camps as historical sites, let alone imagine what it was like for the thousands of victims who had been murdered there. Auschwitz I is the smaller of the two sites, with exhibits explaining the history, showing the awful and inhuman conditions, and displaying thousands of personal belongings of the victims. Auschwitz II - Birkenau was even more unbelievable with its sheer size: it seemed to go on forever. It was a very humbling experience, and while we knew quite a bit of information of what went on during World War II, walking through the blocks and seeing all of the personal belongings made it very, very real. We walked in disbelief of how something like this could happen, and understood even more the importance of making sure something like this will never happen again. We learned a lot from this somber day, and while it was difficult to handle, it was a worthwhile experience we will never forget. 

The entrance to Auschwitz I: "Work makes you free."

Auschwitz II - Birkenau

The Memorial at Auschwitz II - Birkenau 

After a very difficult day we returned to Krakow for the evening, and our spirits slowing lifted as we enjoyed a wonderful Polish meal of kielbasa, pierogi, and potato pancakes. And, thanks to the exchange rate of the Euro to the Polish zloty (about 4 zloty to 1 Euro), we were able to satisfy our appetites for very little, with our meal of 2.5 dinner platters, 1.5 desserts, water, and tip all costing less than a normal dinner in Rome!

So much delicious food! Pierogi take 2.

Potato pancakes

Katie enjoying kielbasa.

Sunday morning we spent our last few hours in Krakow walking around the Jewish Quarter, passing by some beautiful houses, a castle, and churches on our walk there. Once in the Jewish Quarter we passed by several synagogues as well as an open market. Unfortunately we weren't able to stay there long for we had to head to the airport for our flight back to Rome. 

The streets of Old Town Krakow.

The Church of Saints Peter and Paul

Castle Wawel

Our weekend in Poland was nothing like what we had expected. While the weather was a little chilly, the warmth of the people of Krakow and Poland made us feel welcome as they openly indulged our curiosity of their culture and inescapable history. While Poland may not be the first country on everyone's list for "must see places in Europe," if you're in the area consider visiting Krakow!

Goodbye Krakow!