Field Trips and my Polish Travels

Just a fore warning, this post contains some mood swings.  In the past two weeks I have visited two concentration camps, but I have had some really good times in between. 

 

I went on a day trip to the town of Terezin, Czech Republic. In this town there is a concentration camp called Terezin. For me it was a very weird concept that people live and drive past a concentration camp every day.  The whole experience wasn't what I expected.  I thought this would be an emotional day, but it wasn't as sad as I thought it was going to be.  Outside the entrance to the concentration camp people were eating ice cream cones, talking and laughing.  None of that seemed right to me.  Terezin, or Theresienstadt as the Germans called it, was not an extermination camp but it was a work camp.  This did not mean that living conditions were any better or that there were no deaths.  This camp primarily held Jews from Czechoslovakia, Germany and Austria.  This camp is unique in a way because during World War II part of the camp was re-done to make it seem like the Jews had good living conditions.  Unfortunately, the Nazis did pull it off.

This was the Jewish cemetery outside of the concentration camp.

Entrance into the camp, meaning Work Makes you Free.  

The barracks that the 'prisoners' lived in.

This room was never used.  It was created to fool the Red Cross into believing that the Jews had good living conditions.  Once the Red Cross left the room was locked up.

 

After the concentration camp, we visited two museums about Jewish life and culture during the War.  There were many pictures that were drawn from kids living in the Ghetto.  Also, there were displays of what a typical room in the ghetto would look like.

Actual patches that the Jews were once made to wear. 

 

 

A couple day later I went on another day trip to a town in the Czech Republic called Kroměříž.  Here, we first visited the Baroque Kroměříž Bishop's Palace.  To me this was yet another big building, with fancy pictures that I knew nothing about.  I know I should be soaking in all of my opportunities but these places just don't interest me. It was however, an entertaining tour because we all had to wear big slippers over our shoes.

A room in the Palace that grossed me out the most.

I may not remember the importance of this room, but it was the most spectacular.

Molly, Abby, and I in our slippers!

At the end of the tour we were able to climb to the top of the bell tower to see the view of the town.  At every corn they had these signs that showed how far and in what direction major cities were from this town.

 

Jenna, Molly, and I at the top of the bell tower.

 

After the tour of the Palace, I toured the second oldest winery in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic.  Throughout the tour the walls were filled with mold.  Many of us thought that breathing this air was hazardous but the mold meant that the wine cellar was at the perfect temperature.  Towards the end of our tour we came across a wall full of coins.  Apparently it is good luck to stick a coin to the wall, so I put my one and only dime to the wall. 

The tour concluded with a wine tasting.  It was pretty funny to me that I went on a school field trip to a wine tasting!

 

The following day was America Night.  Every Wednesday night a different country hosts a party at the local dance club called Belmondo.  To host the party, we had to decide how we wanted to decorate, what snack and drink we wanted featured.  Then there's the midnight surprise.  This is where we have to make up a dance to present on stage.  It was a really fun night, and I loved seeing everything decked out in red, white and blue. 



Molly and I in our America gear.

A couple of days later I set off on a trip to Poland.  On our way there we made a stop in Ostrava, Czech Republic.  Here we toured the ArcelorMittal Steel Plant.  I may have a short attention span because I again did not really pay attention.  I was very entertained by the yellow hard hats we had to wear and our adorable tour guide.  She spoke English fairly well, but her phrases and wording were just funny.  Below is a picture of Molly, Jacob, and I in our hard hats.  This also entertained us three because they reminded us of Despicable Me 2, which we happened to watch the night before. 

View of part of the plant.

 

Our next stop was the salts mines outside of Krakow, Poland.  Before entering the salt mine many of us were hoping that they would not be like the cave we visited on orientation week.  This mine was very impressive.  Throughout the mine we were constantly surrounded by salt.  It was on the walls, ceilings, floor, and even sculptures.  The tour lasted three hours and to think about how much salt we saw, and then realizing we only visited one percent of the mine blows my mind.  The tour guide said we could lick the walls if we wanted to.  It sounds gross, but hey, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?  I wasn't able to get many pictures because you have to pay to take them but I managed to snap a few. 

Molly and I licking a wall of salt!

Underground Salt Cathedral.  Everything you see, except part of the chandelier and the people, are made entirely of salt. 

Pictures, that look 3D, made entirely of salt.  As you can tell, I'm still slightly amazed. 

 

The next day, I toured the Gothic Wawel Castle and Dragon Cave.  I was again expecting a fairy tale looking castle so I was slightly disappointed.  Here we saw some of the amour and treasury.  To conclude the tour we walked through a dragon cave, where there apparently were some bones.  I didn't see them though. 

 

We started off the next day touring Schindler's Factory.  I thought this was going to be more about Schindler's life and what he did during World War II but it was actually just about WWII in general.  The most memorable part of the this tour was having to walk down this hallway:

It literally made me sick to my stomach.  I guess I normally just see black and white pictures of concentration camps, ghettos, or Nazi soldiers.  Maybe seeing in color and actual flags was just too much to handle.  That however was not the worst of my sights for the day.  Later on I toured Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II - Birkenau.  It felt a little strange to be taking pictures in a place where such horrible crimes took place.  However, I am still at a loss for words to describe this experience.  I keep thinking that it is one thing to learn about Auschwitz and another to see it. 

Auschwitz was composed of three major camps and 45 satellite camps.

Entrance into Auschwitz I.  This camp was mainly the administrative and torture center. 

Zyklon B - one can equals 700 deaths in just 20 minutes. 

The next several pictures are of items taken from the Jews upon arrival.  One thing not pictured is the hair.  After being gassed, the hair off of victims heads was shaved off.  When the camp was liberated, about two tons of hair was found. 

Prosthetics, I have learned that people that were disabled or 'unfit' to work were sent straight to the gas chambers.

One of the hardest rooms for me to see.  It was just a long hallway with shoes on each side.

Not just an ordinary post.  Hand of victims were tied behind their back and stretched over their head.  They were then hanged on hook.  If this didn't kill them, there arms were now broken and were categorized as being 'unfit' to work. 

 

Entrance into the gas chamber. 

The hole where the Zyklon B was dropped in. 

The Crematorium that was in the next room.

This is just a picture to show how nice and peaceful everything looked.  I just didn't think it should be that way, I guess.

This is in Auschwitz II - Birkenau.  The gas chambers here were in ruins but in this picture you can see the stair the Jews went down, to be undressed, then gassed. 

 

 

Touring Auschwitz is an experience that I will truly never forget.