Krakow

For some reason, I never imagined Krakow to be so beautiful. I wanted to go there for the Jewish history and to see Auschwitz, but not for the city itself. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself "oohing" and "aahing" while wandering around the old city.  The main square is enormous - it's split into two halves with a market hall running down the middle- and there are many artisan stalls selling various products. As I'm trying to be somewhat frugal, I didn't go to any museums. Instead, I did both of the free walking tours - the morning tour focused on the old city and Krakow's history, and the afternoon tour focused on Kazimierz (the Jewish quarter) and the fate of Krakow's Jewish population. Both tours were great, but by the end of the day my legs were like jelly - I walked for almost 8 hours straight!  

Of course I also went to Auschwitz. It was kind of surreal - I've learned about the holocaust my entire life, and I know the horrible things that went on there, so to finally be there, on a warm, sunny day surrounded by hundreds of tourists...it was just strange. Many of the buildings at Auschwitz labor camp have been turned into exhibits so it's all very neat and matter of fact. The tour guides usher you in and out of the buildings quickly, so there is no time to explore on your own.  Birkenau extermination camp is a lot more jarring. It hasn't been changed at all, and you just see endless rows of barracks, the railroad tracks and the remains of the gas chambers (the Nazis blew them up before they fled). Very depressing, but of course I'm glad I saw it for myself. 

main square

St. Mary Church

main square (the other side)

Kazimierz - used to be the main Jewish square

 Krakow Castle