Krakow and Auschwitz
Day 6: Poznan to Krakow
Nothing beats the smell of a bakery in the morning. So, the next morning we went to the bakery downstairs from the apartment. We needed breakfast and train food for the trip to Krakow and Auschwitz.
We headed to the train station to get our reservations (they were free with our Eurail pass) and boarded the 4-5 hour train to Krakow across the Polish countryside. We arrived in Krakow around 2 PM, the station in Krakow is a massive modern shopping center with almost any international store you could imagine all under one roof.
Small but Convenient Apartment
We took a taxi to the apartment rental office and picked up our keys. The apartment was a small loft apartment with a kitchen, bathroom, sitting area with a pull out sofa bed. In the loft, there were 2 beds and a very low ceiling of about 4’ high. It was located about 4 blocks from the town square which is one of the largest I have ever seen covering approximately 10 acres. The square is lined with shops and a large market in the middle and a large cathedral at the far end. The square was originally designed in the mid 13 century. We were there just before Christmas so the square was full of life with the Christmas Market being in full swing.
Perogies
Due to the time of year, the sun had set around 4 PM. We were getting hungry and slipped off to a side road and found a small restaurant for dinner, they had the best perogies and it was not very expensive. After dinner, we walked around the square some more and enjoyed the warmer than normal weather. The next day we planned to leave early to visit Auschwitz, so we retired for the night.
Day 7: Krakow to Auschwitz
We woke up early, returned our apartment keys and headed to the train station. While making our reservation for the night train to Vienna and to Auschwitz an older gentleman started talking to me from my immediate left. He had a thick accent but was speaking English to me. I asked him to hold on while I booked our tickets. He said to not take the train to Auschwitz as they close at 2 PM due to being Christmas Eve, we would not have time to see everything.
So, I booked our Vienna sleeper cars and then listened to what he had to say. He said he could drive us to Auschwitz and show us all of the sites for 125 Zloty each. That was about $30 per person. This seemed extremely odd for some random person to be offering to take us to Auschwitz, and it was creepy as well. We paused while deciding if wanted to consider this and he said he would do it for 400 Zloty total. Since we would be wasting time and if taking the train we needed to make a decision ASAP. We decided to let the gentleman drive us to see all of the historical sites.
Random Ride
He asked if we had eaten, if we needed anything to drink, etc. If so, it was much cheaper to grab something on the way. We followed him to his car in the parking garage, when we arrived at his car we saw he was a taxi driver. So, we are feeling better about this now. He showed us postcards he had received from all over the world for the same kind of trips. He spoke English, French, Italian, Russian and of course Polish.
I still took a picture of his license plate and posted on Facebook and told my friends that this is the car we were getting into if they don’t hear from us in 8 hours or so have the police start the search there. It was an awkward situation, I wanted to at least have some tracking of where we were. Just after we left the city center, he stopped at a gas station to get coffee, so we picked up some drinks for the trip.
Was This a Smart Decision?
The driver was a really nice guy and was explaining things as we passed them on the road. As we entered the town of Auschwitz, there was a low cover of fog over the town, this created an eerie experience considering the history.
He took us to the first stop, Auschwitz I, the original concentration camp. No large purses or bags are allowed in the camp, so we left them in the trunk of the car. Our large backpacks were in a storage locker at the station. We took our valuables just in case he planned on a drop and go as we were still not 100% convinced this was going to work out. We toured the camp for about 2 hours and returned to the car, and he was still there.
Auschwitz a Sobering Experience
Auschwitz I is a sobering experience to see, I can’t imagine what it would have been like during WWII. You can watch Schindler’s List 10,000 times and it does not compare to what you see here. You are walking the same grounds as they did and you feel the presence of that history.
Auschwitz II-Birkenau
The next stop was Auschwitz II-Birkenau, this is the larger of the two camps and is the one that is depicted most in documentaries with the railway going through the front gates. Our driver took us around to the rear of the camp so we could walk through and meet him at the main gate. There is no entrance in that area, you walk up a path through the woods to enter the rear of the camp. You could see the guard towers through the trees as you approached what would have been the back fence.
Eerie View of Auschwitz
Once we exited the tree line you see the size of this camp, it is extremely large. The 2 main camps in Auschwitz cover 191 hectares (472 acres) with 20 hectares (49 acres) being in Auschwitz I. This camp is 171 hectares (423 acres). It is hard to explain how large this place is, and knowing what it was used for in WWII is overwhelming. Most of the buildings were no longer standing, except for the few that Spielberg rebuilt for Schindler’s List and a handful of other buildings.
We were greeted by our driver at the main gate and we started our trip back to Krakow. He took us to see Schindler’s factory, the Jewish Ghetto, and other historical sites. Due to being Christmas Eve, many places were not open or were closing early. So, we decided to return to the station. Our driver dropped us at the station and the total cost for about 6-7 hours of driving was 500 Zloty.
Back at the Station
There was a vendor that was still serving food in the small Christmas Market by the station, so we grabbed some local food. Probably the best Polska Kielbasa I had ever had. We had about 4 hours before the night train, and with everything closing, we found a comfy place in the station to relax.
All of our reservations about the driver were unfounded, he was a great tour guide for the day and we had a unique experience. However, people are always taking advantage of tourists, so we had to keep our guards up. Most people would not have taken him up on the trip, and they would have missed a great opportunity to see things differently. At one point, he was speaking to his brother on the phone, he lives in Brooklyn, NY.
I hated leaving Poland, the people, the country, the food, and overall experience were great. I will return to Poland again. Krakow and Auschwitz are a must-see if you are in Poland. However, prepare yourself for an emotional visit if you go to Auschwitz.
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