Poland

<TITLE> Poland </TITLE>
<THEME> TravelEurope
<p> Friday began with breakfast
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including scrambled eggs for Suzanne
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before we said good-bye (and actually hello and good bye in my case) to Ben Ravid who is an expert on the Venice ghetto and had joined the group there and then continued on to Poland on his own.  We also saw Ben's wife but I forget her name.
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We went off on a walking tour through town starting at the place where the students take their Polish lessons 
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and then capturing views of the Wawel Castle
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as Suzanne posed with Mikhail, our guide.
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After this church (of which there are many famous ones in Krakow)
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Mikhail pointed out these symbols which were used instead of street addresses in early Krakow
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so that e.g. Ara would be described as being at the elephant.
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After one more animal address, 
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we saw replicas of the stained glass windows that make St. Francis' Church so famous
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and then we continued on to the main square and cloth hall
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</PHOTO>
where we noticed the water pump
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</PHOTO>
the 10th century church
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the curious sculpture
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and the tower
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before heading to the Collegium Maius -- the oldest part of the Jagiellonskie University
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and we observed from the outside
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before making our way into the courtyard
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where we admired the gutters
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the architecture
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and saw the face that tells if you've told a lie
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and, if so, eats your hand which fortunately did not happen to Suzanne
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as we went through the green door
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to an amazing painting
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and an impressive ceiling
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as we looked ahead to the busts
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and back to the famous professors who would perform when the clock struck 11 (we unfortunately were not around to see their performance)
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and then made our way in and admired some famous attendees 
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including Copernicus
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and as we passed through
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we entered the cabinet room which is still used for gatherings
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</PHOTO>
and saw this status of Kazmierz
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as we moved 
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and saw a model of male anatomy (missing a few pieces)
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as well as a pocket watch (for large pockets)
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and we then saw a professor's quarters though they were designed in a different era when professors were celibate and lived a monk like existence,
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we then made our way past portraits of some of the notables 
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to the globe of 1510 (or a replica thereof) which had North America at the south pole.
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We were shown proof that Copernicus had attended the University though there is no record of him having graduated
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and shown a copy of his original manuscript
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and his tools
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before being led into the faculty room
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with the portraits of all the faculty on the wall
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and amazing workmanship.
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Next we saw a portrait of the most famous Pole who received his degree here (and an honorary degree to boot)
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and made our way through this remarkable door 
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into the green room
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with the impressive ceiling
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</PHOTO>
and artwork
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a player piano gifted by Chopin
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and an impressive floor
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before Suzanne and I posed with our tour guide
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as did Mikhail
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and we thanked the guard who had opened doors for us
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before we ventured out again
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and saw the administration building here the horrible meeting was held at which the faculty were led off to the death camp
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and then made our way 
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past the historical markers
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and the status 
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to the window where the pope looked out on the citizens when he visited his town
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and we ran into Mitch and Alice as we made our way back 
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to the bus
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to begin our journey through the pleasant countryside to a most unpleasant site.
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Barry took much video
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as I noted this road sign (whose meaning Google interprets ''second strong transition road'')
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and missed
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when first I tried to get the sign showing the way to Oswiecim, the Polish town by Auschwitz.
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I changed my battery 
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for the anticipated Muzeum at Auschwitz
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but first we stopped in the town
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and made our way to the Jewish Museum
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where we saw images 
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and read stories
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before entering the room that was the sanctuary though none of the original pieces survived the Nazi occupation and though the town was 50% Jewish (7000 of 14,000), there are no Jews there now and so they can only raise a minyan when visitors come.
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<p> Next we stopped at a hotel where Catholics often stay when visiting Auschwitz.  It is intended to establish a dialog among religions particularly Catholics and Jews given the demographics of Poland, then and now
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and we ate soup without broth
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and with
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and had vegetables with fish (without for some)
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and potatoes
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before making our way to Auschwitz
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and through the visitors center
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past the Arbeit Macht Frei gate
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and onto the actual grounds of the camp
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where we first visited this building intended to give us the background
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of where people came from to Auschwitz
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and their numbers
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along with some of the horrible rationale that was used to justify the place.
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We watched people arrive
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saw this memorial
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and read some of the history
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and saw the Jews leaving various transit camps and ghettos
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and then observed their arrival where it was decided if they would live under horrible conditions of be killed within 20 minutes
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
as we revisited the state borders at the time
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
watched families arrive
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and heard the tale people were told on arrival to get them into the gas chambers
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and observed a model of an actual crematorium.
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
These were the canisters that he;d the poisonous gas
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
this was the scale of the operation
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and these were individual pellets that killed.
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
Personal affects were gathered as were these eye glasses
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
these tallises
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
these prosthetics
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
these pots and pans (since people thought they were being relocated)
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
the luggage they brought
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
toys for the children
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and shoes
<PHOTO>
../../../Sabbat/2011/07.03-21.11Europe2011/07.13-17.11Poland//P1090163
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../../../Sabbat/2011/07.03-21.11Europe2011/07.13-17.11Poland//P1090165
</PHOTO>
as the rain fell outside and the day was dark as was appropriate for our tour.
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
Next we were shown barracks that housed up to 1000 people
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</PHOTO>
with photos of those interred until the cost of photography became too great and so numbers were tattooed on arms to track prisoners
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and initial sleeping conditions which was hay on floors
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with this row of sinks which could be used for few minutes per day per person
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and this describes
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the later (more improved) sleeping arrangements.
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Needless to say the living conditions were horrible
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as were these structures onto which prisoners crowded.
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Next we made our way
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and saw the guards' box
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where the SS officer in charge would stand if it was raining and there were escapees and so the prisoners had to stand outside for as long as 21 hours until the escapees returned (or were killed)
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and we saw the gallows
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where those involved in escapes (including this group) were hung
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and we made our way past the barbed wire fences
<PHOTO>
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to the place where the first commandant was hung after the war.
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Next we made our way into the actual gas chambers.  At this spot you removed your clothes.
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and went into what you thought was a shower room
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but many were killed there and must be respected
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for a guard dropped pellets through holes like this in the roof which killed everyone in the room
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and then the bodies were placed in ovens such as these to be reduced to ashes which were used to fertilize the soil.
<PHOTO>
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We walked away from the train tracks at Auschwitz 1 
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and went to Auschwitz 2 -- Birkenau which was designed to kill many more people
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as the grounds were enormous
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and more primitive
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
as you can see from the beds on which people slept
<PHOTO>
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in a massive room that had previously been a barn
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which housed 52 horses and now was housing 400 prisoners.
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</PHOTO>
Next we saw the bathroom facilities
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where the toilet were unsanitary, not private and of use for very limited time.
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</PHOTO>
Finally we climbed up into the tower so that we could see just how massive the camp was.
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</PHOTO>
and then I noted the barbed wire keeping prisoners in
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and that this has been named a world heritage site so that all will know what happened here.
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</PHOTO>
After a few more photos from outside noting the vastness
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
we headed back to Krakow where I said good bye (though this would happen again) to Barry and his wife
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and we got some food for a snack before dinner.
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Then we went out to dinner and had borscht
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and hummus (along with pierogies)
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>
and the borscht was too pretty to not record.
<PHOTO>
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</PHOTO>