Day 6: Krakow, Poland

We spent the majority of our day on the bus, but when you walk around as much as we have been, you appreciate the trips on the bus!!  We had several breaks and a stop for lunch at the Shell station!  It didn't have a subway in it, but they did serve sandwiches, pastries and coffee. 

 

(Vanya's helper, the mermaid, is attached to a stick that she holds over her head so we can keep up with her in crowds.  For some reason, the mermaid did not have a top and the last time Vanya took her in to one of the churches we visited today, she was told to cover her up! 😂  So, one of the other group chaperones knitted her a top today so she would be presentable for the churches!)

Once we arrived in Krakow which is in Poland, our third country so far, we did a walking tour of the city center with a local guide.  We started in the Royal City of Krakow which is within the walls and where the kings lived.  We went through several churches, and honestly, I had a hard time hearing her.  So, I missed out on some of the information.  I do know that the last Pope was the archbishop at this church for 11 years before becoming Pope.

I must admit, it is harder to concentrate on some of these things that I really know nothing about.  I feel like everything I am learning is new, but each guide is doing a great job of connecting the history back to the wars which we do understand.

We had Pierogis for dinner tonight.  This is a typical Polish dumpling that can have many different things stuffed inside.  We had potatoes/cheese, mushrooms, chicken, and spinach.  Some of us really liked them, and, of course, some did not, but it was a good experience to try!

Vanya, our tour director, who is always with us, grew up in Yugoslavia which is no longer a country.  Now, she says she is from Yugoslavia or Bosnia.  She was young when the war in her country began and remembers what it was like to live in the basement and not have food.  She told us how she actually has good memories of growing up because her mother always did a good job of spinning the situation into a positive one, but when she first visited Auschwitz, she had a hard time because she began to remember all sorts of things that were related to the war.  She said it took her a while to work through it. 

We just can't even imagine what that is like.  That is why these tours are so special and educating.  Even if your student comes back and tells you the best thing they did was go to a candy store and ride in a cool car, I promise they have gotten a great education and cultural experiences.  We are learning to appreciate art, other people, and tomorrow, we will be very in tune with our own feelings as we visit the concentration camp ourselves. 

We are looking forward to a fun morning in the salt mines tomorrow and then we will visit Auschwitz after lunch. 

Have a wonderful day!