Poland is one of the cheapest places you can visit in Europe right now and get old school eastern european prices. As a member of the EU that has not joined the Eurozone, which are the countries that have converted to using the Euro. As such, prices are in Polish zloty, which right now is quite shit. This makes for a great trip. Krakow, pronounced krak-oof, is the cultural centre of Poland and the place to go.
Krakow Highlights:
1. Relive the horror of the Holocause at Auschwitz
No trip to Krakow is complete without a trip to the concentration camp of Auschwitz. It’s a cold, dark place where 1.5 million jews were massacred. It is where Jews from all other parts of the German empire were taken for their executions in cold, calculated efficiency. Crematoriums were asssessed regularly on their throughput of bodies to amount of fuel for the fires. The chambers full of hair, spectacles, luggages, and shoes for re-purposing are a powerful image of this cold effiency. Hair, for example, was shipped to Berlin to be used to make blankets. Yes, that’s blankets and pillows out of human hair.
The tour begins with a black and white film, which you have seen on Discovery channel, and then a guide takes you through the different areas. Everything is carried out with, again, a cold effiency without much emotion. There is nothing glorified here, no tear-jerking stories of heroism or tragedy. You just took a tour of the sites where 1.5 million Jews were sent to their deaths and what the operations were like to execute on that plan. (see what I did with execute there?) It is a somber place with a tragic history. You don’t need to dress it up.
You are then taken to Birkenau, aka Auschwitz 2. This is the true death camp where the weak were taken for execution. This place made the other Auschwitz seem like the Ritz Carlton. People stacked on top of each other waiting for their deaths.
You don’t leave Auschwitz with any new revelations or strong feelings of human emotion, since you have seen it all already on Discovery channel. What you do leave with is a glimpse of what it may have been like to have been here. Seeing some of the photos, lining up where the people slept or were tortured. It gives you just enough of a glimpse to think…maybe my cubicle job isn’t all that bad, considering I’m not sleeping standing up while the two bunks above with 39 other people piled on top of each other is dripping with filth.
2. Eat some Polish cheese in the moutains of Zakopane
It is nice to visit an area outside of the main city and see the resort area of Zakopane. All over the area, there are old ladies selling these blocks of cheese, which taste like a smokey gouda. It is great when it is grilled.
3. Enjoy perogi from a milk bar like a commie
Perogi is the national dish of Poland. It’s a heavy dumping, usually with a bit of pork in the middle, consumed when Poland was a part of the USSR in the milk bars, where people ate at every day. You usually top off the perogi with some bacon bits and oil. Yummmm. It’s pretty tastey, just not the best thing if you’re trying to work on your fitness.
4. Drink vodka with the locals like a commie.
Krakow has many great bars and the Vodka Bar has a great selection of vodkas to taste, including coffee, lemon, and chocolate. A great way to cap off the night.
Conclusion: 3.5/5 Ninjas
Krakow is a gem of a city in Eastern Europe, still holding on to some of the old school while embracing capitalism. With the economy the way it is, the Polish Zloty has come down significantly, making Krakow a great place to visit. You are well-reminded on how this place has been shat on throughout history but you can also see the country coming to its own in a young and thriving town like Krakow. Getting out of Krakow for Auschwitz and other towns will give you a even bigger picture of a great place to spend a weekend before returning to your 9-5 cubicle job and thinking life is pretty good.
Krakow photos:
Auschwitz photos:
