I don’t know what to write about Auschwitz. It’s the most important place I’m likely ever to visit. All I can say is this. Visit Auschwitz.
We all know the horrors of the Holocaust, and the incredible evil that humans are capable of, but for most of us it is a very abstract concept. Auschwitz makes that knowledge a little more real. Now, more than ever, it is important for everyone to remember the past and learn from it and ensure that it stays in the past.
I’m not going to tell you about Auschwitz, you can look it up if you want to know what I saw there. Better yet, go see it yourself.
I don’t recommend night buses. I took one so that you don’t have to. Fifteen and a half hours from Vilnius to Kraków, Poland. 11:00pm to whenever the heck I arrived the next day. I severely overestimated my ability to sleep on a bus. Every other bus journey I’ve taken during the day I’ve been nodding off and fighting to not fall asleep and miss my stop. As soon as I had to sleep on a bus however… there was absolutely no chance of it. I think I got maybe an hour over the night. Awful.
Why such a stupid bus ride? I’m not sure. I wanted to get to Kraków and this was a way to do it. The thing about Poland is that it’s quite a large country by European standards, and I wasn’t entirely sure what I wanted to see while there. My main interests are in the countries south of Poland, so Poland is just kind of in the way. Plus I set myself a deadline since there’s a concert I want to attend in Prague. So I skipped over most of Poland and came to Kraków, primarily for a certain infamous nearby attraction, which will receive its own post.
I had two and a half days in Kraków, one of which would be taken up by aforementioned infamy. If you ask the internet what to do in Kraków, drinking is recommended. There are a lot of bars here. I’m not in Europe to party my way across the continent, so I was leery of this suggested activity. However, it was a Saturday night, and a couple of Brits in my hostel room roped me and an American into a bit of a pub crawl, and we had a very good time.
Our hostel was right next to the Jewish district of the city, which is a very nice area with a bit of a gritty, grimy vibe to it. One of the Brits had researched the best bars in the area, so he led us through a selection of very nifty bars, all within approximately two minutes walking distance from each other. The bars all had very good atmosphere and were much more interesting than your average drinking establishment. One, called Singer, lived up to its name by using Singer sewing machines for every table. Two bars in particular stood out. One was a Communist themed bar. Inside was dark and dingy, a portrait of Lenin gazed down from the wall, you could smoke inside even though its not legal in Poland. There was also a secret bar, the entrance of which was at the back of an “out of order” toilet in another bar. This was super cool not only because it felt exclusive, but also due to the drink menu. Each cocktail they had available was represented by a piece of art by a local artist, with no ingredients listed. You simply picked the art that stood out to you and received the corresponding cocktail. Very cool.
I also ate some food whilst in Krakow. Pierogies of course, which are incredibly budget friendly and delicious. Kielbasa and blood sausage from a street vendor, both delicious. And a popular pretzel which was big and bready.
I barely took any pictures while here, but I saw some neat things. The aforementioned Jewish district was very nice. The old town was quite magnificent, and there was a lot going on. At 13:00 somebody played a trumpet from the top of a church tower. Then, a children’s marching band played Sweet Caroline in the main square. At the palace I saw something I never thought I’d see in my life, and probably never will again. Dragon Bones. They were incredible. Massive, unbelievable bones hanging outside of the cathedral at the palace. They belonged to a dragon that used to live in a cave beneath the palace. Naturally, I was skeptical at first, but having seen the bones I can only conclude that they must belong to a dragon. No other animal could possibly have such large bones.*
I’m currently on a train to Prague to see a concert tonight, and I guess the city might be worth looking around. Keep an eye out for my next post which will be about Auschwitz, although I’m not sure what to write about such a place.
Oh! I almost forgot to mention. In the Baltics the temperature was getting down to about 10°, and it was grey and a bit rainy, and in Belarus it even hit 0° on one day. But I arrived in Krakow to 20° weather and sunshine, so things are looking good.
And whither then? 