Krakow, Poland

We left Prague on an overnight train to Krakow. I love sleeping on a train. It rocks me to sleep and I awake refreshed and ready for the day. Mom and I boarded the train and got settled into our  little cabin. I was sleeping as the train left the station. 

We awoke at 5:00AM when the conductor knocked on our door. We got ready and departed the train at 5:30AM. We left our bags in storage and went to explore the city and eat breakfast. As we walked into the city square, we were greeted by a beautiful Christmas tree. I am starting to get in the spirit.

We found a hotel with a buffet breakfast. Then we walked through the park towards the Old Town square. Krakow's town square was enormous. I was not surprised when I was told it was the largest medieval square in all of Europe. It is surrounded by St. Mary's Basilica, Cloth Hall and the Church of St Adelbert.

The townspeople were busy decorating the square for the Christmas market. We strolled through the Cloth Hall shops looking at the beautifully carved wood, handmade toys and pottery. I kept reminding mom that anything she bought had to fit in our backpacks. It was difficult because everything was beautiful. 

It was late afternoon when we walked to the apartment to check in. We decided to get the keys and then get our backpacks from the train station. It was a good idea except we decided to rest and warm up...ok, it ended up a nap. When we woke up it was dark outside. Ugh! We bundled up and walked to the train station. Three blocks from the train station was a construction zone. Managing the street in daylight hours would have been a challenge but in the dark it was awful. I was worried one of us would fall and break an ankle. We arrived at the train station, collected our bags and then walked back to the apartment. We were both relieved to make it back safely. 

The next morning, it was rainy and cold. I went to the market and bought food while mom read the guidebook. We made breakfast and enjoyed hot tea. Mom decided she wanted to shop old town. I wanted to see Schindler's Factory. We walked to town and roamed through the park, and up and down the blocks of town.

We window shopped and lost track of time. I looked at my watch and realized it was 4:30. I decided to go to Schindler's Factory and mom was going to shop. I followed my map and took a tram  to the Ghetto Hero's Square and walked through the display of empty chairs. Each chair represented 10,000 Jewish people that were killed during WWII. There were small chairs representing children. 

As I followed signs towards the factory, I wondered if I should be walking here alone. It would be dark when I leave the factory. I looked around and saw nobody. The streets were empty. I stood tall, put my shoulders back, my map in my pocket and walked with purpose towards the museum. 

I have never seen the movie (Schindler's List)  but read about the history of Oskar Schindler and his enamelware and ammunition factory. Schindler was a supporter of the Nazi's and came to Poland to take over the factory. At the time, Jewish labor was cheap and he employed 1200 Jews. When he saw the Nazi's round up and slaughter Jewish men, women and children his views changed and it became his goal to save his workers and prevent them from being sent to death at the concentration camps nearby. He made each worker seem indispensable to the factories production.  His factory was much better than the other labor camps where people were starved to death and treated inhumanely. His charisma, ability to charm and financial resources to bribe the Nazi's is what saved the Jewish workers. As the front lines were coming closer to Krakow, his factory would be closed down. He had found another factory and was planning to have all his workers moved to Brunnlitz.  A list of the Jewish workers was written and he had all of them moved to the new factory. By the end of WWII, Oskar Schindler spent his entire fortune protecting the lives of his Jewish workers. When the war ended, his Jewish workers wrote a letter for him describing how he had saved their lives. After the war he was supported by the Jewish community and asked that he was buried in Jerusalem when he died. I found the story of his life inspirational. He was not perfect. But, he changed his life and saved the lives of others. Today,  the factory is a museum of  WWII and Jewish life in the ghettos of Krakow and the concentration camps.

 

 

As I left the factory and walked back to the tram stop, I thought about tomorrow. We were packing up to move on to Budapest but first we would spend the day at Auschwitz. I was mentally preparing myself for the difficulty of the visit. I know I would experience a range of emotions. I can not comprehend the atrocities people endured. But I had to visit. We must never forget how evil mankind can be when hatred is allowed to grow and control society. The propaganda and language used by a society to cause so much pain should never be allowed. We must continue to fight for those that need our protection, love and assistance. We are one humanity.

 

I returned to the Krakow square. The Christmas trees were up and it was a beautiful sight.

 

I found mom sitting in the café waiting to have dinner. We talked about our days and then walked back to our apartment to get packed for our onward journey. Krakow was beautiful. The people are friendly and it has made me want to visit more of Poland.