Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Will Set You Free)

Hallo, 

Waking up on our first proper morning in Krakow, Nanny Pumpkin and I hardly had time to loll around. Breakfast at the Hotel Kazimierz was somewhat, different, with the normal continental breakkie items such as cereals, cheeses, hams and fruit, however, I certainly did not expect mini Pepperami, a type of weird pancake omelette thing, undercooked cold scrambled egg and a strange chicken haslet thing your mom used to give you in your packed lunch as a kid. After satisfying myself with trying some new breakfast items, Polish style, we headed out on a private walking tour, just me, my Nanny Pumpkin and a lovely Polish lady who knew lots about the city and its inhabitants, Jewish and not so. 

Starting in the heart of Kraków’s Kazimierz - the former Jewish district we visited some beautiful synagogues and cemeteries before exploring the city further, and how life was before the outbreak of the Second World War. Furthing our understanding of the city, the country it belongs too and some of the awful things its residents had to endure throughout the occupation, we ended up in the ghetto square, only a few streets away from the Schindler factory which we also visited, learning about an incredibly brave man with a passion for helping people. The following day we had an early start and so after a spot of shopping (and falling flat over on my face whilst doing so in a busy square) and Nanna's adventures on another private Golf-Buggy tour, and some dinner, we headed to bed. 

Waking the following morning we were picked up early around the corner from our hotel due to roadworks and taken about 30-45 minutes from Krakow to the Salt Mine. Wandering along the remarkably beautiful undergrounds of the “Wieliczka” Salt Mine. Our journey started at the Danilowicz Shaft, where we met our tour guide, a lovely, handsome young thing called Dominik. He was not so lovely when he made us and the others in our tour walk down 350 steps which have to be descended to reach the depth of 135 meters underground and to initially start the tour. During our tour we were shown magnificent chambers chiselled out in rock salt, and yes I did lick the walls just to be sure! Amazing underground saline lakes, majestic timber constructions and unique statues sculpted in salt were amongst the almost 3 kilometres of meandering corridors and 800 steps, during which we learnt everything about the mine, its history and its secrets. As an active mine however we saw a few workmen who explained about the forces of nature still ruling within the depths of the mine and about the ethos of hard work performed by the generations of miners, still there today. Travelling further and further into the mine chasm my Grandmother and I cursed ourselves for all the walking but yet continued to discover unusual places and with our own eyes witnessed the power of human hands that once excavated rock salt, as well as magnificent mining tools and machines. I suppose that it is no real surprise that till now, the Tourist Route, the main visiting route of the mine has been visited by 44,772,693 tourists from around the whole world in search of adventures (and solid calf muscles). 

We returned to the Hotel Kazimierz around mid-morning and wasting no time Gram's headed out again on another one of her tours. I decided that the amount of walking done already, and with the amount, we would be due to do the following afternoon at Auschwitz and Birkenau - The Nazi Death Camps. And, after a spot of shopping in the morning, Nanny and I headed off to the one thing we had both admittedly been looking forward to and anxiously anticipating all week. I didn't know if anything could have prepared me for the influx of emotions that ran through my heart as I listened carefully to our guide as we explored the camps of Auschwitz first (in glorious sunshine) and Birkenau where the weather turned less than pleasant. As the only death camp on the UNESCO World Heritage List, pure evil resided for 5 long years during Hitler's reign of terror across Europe. As we passed under the gates, emblazoned with "Work will set you free" in German I witnessed a Chinese / Asian couple as part of a larger group begin to take photos, one of which was a selfie. Shocked I was about to say something but someone else beat me to it. 
"No selfies, No smiling, No laughing - This is where people were murdered. Show some respect." Barked the guide. Pleased at this I knew from the outset that she was fucking serious and that no shit would be taken by her. As we were walked around each exhibition in the museum there was added more and more compelling information and heartbreaking statistics. Another one and another one and another one, each stinging in your heart and making you realise what atrocities humans are capable of in their thirst for power and control. 

To assist and help people understand what really happened in the most recognizable place of the Holocaust in the early 1940s, The Museum created a tour that will allow visitors like my Nan and I to see the barracks, crematoria, and gas chambers which Nazis used for the mass extermination of women, men, children, and elderly who weren’t able to do hard labour after what was an excruciating and exhausting journey in cattle wagons and trains. One of the hardest things I think I encountered and certainly won’t miss in a hurry was the exhibitions with personal belongings, objects of everyday use, and pictures of individual prisoners. The thing that really hit hard was the pots, pans, jugs, and kitchenware, all brightly colored, ready to start your new life with your mother, father, brother, sister, grandma, grandad, auntie and uncle. Along with your neighbors and friends, they were lied to. There were no new homes, no new jobs, no new life. All that they met was a Gestapo and the best they could hope for was survival in the deadliest game of Tinder where he stood as the transportation stopped, giving either a thumbs left or a thumbs right, one indicating the workhouse's and hard labor, the other a "shower" to clean up before meeting their husbands, brothers, sisters, mothers again. This would never come. They were murdered. 

Since the war ended and the museum was opened for the public, millions of people have come here to pay tribute and shed tears over the innocents who perished in Auschwitz, most of which were Jewish however many more were also from Poland and a lot more than I originally thought. Traveling the short distance to Birkenau the weather turned poor with the fading daylight and it really added a sense of realness to the atmosphere already darkened. It began to rain as we walked the distance along the tracks to the gates. It was only during the next length of the walk, following the ominous train line that you really got a feel for how mammoth this place was and ponder at what would have been had England and the other allies not stepped in. How far would Hitler and the Third Reich go? Would they have had world domination and if so, would we be here? What would the world look like if they had succeeded in their foul plan of the Aryan race?

Standing listening to the guide intently I heard whispers of being cold or wet (and considering I was in a heavy wool jumper which was getting more and more sodden as I stood out in the elements). I couldn't help but talk loudly to my Grandmother on the walk over to the women's barracks in the torrential rain that these people did not have the luxury of coats or jackets or umbrellas. Heck, these poor people did not even have the use of shoes or socks on their feet as they trudged the harsh, broken brick road. I was angry at people's thoughtless comments - Children, women and men alike, young and old stood out in that same weather, worse in fact with minus-thirty-degree snow and scorching summers to battle with no shade. Standing in the shelter of the women's barracks I couldn't help but look around and was even able to snap a few photos to capture the atmosphere, the pictures, and photos littered with white or silver orbs - Typically thought to be positive spirit activity, although some sources also state that they could also indicate that a spirit or energy is stuck or trapped on a plane that they don't belong on. 

On leaving both the concentration camps and also Krakow and Poland, I believe and stand by the fact that all of us, without exception, should brace up and pay a visit to such a sobering place for the sake of future generations to make sure no one forgets what hatred and totalitarian regime result in. Myself being from a military family I felt it my duty and as though it is a right of passage for me to learn more about how the war started, especially since I learned so much about how it ended and continued in western Europe. As a Human, even if you are not religious or of nationalities involved, I would encourage you to go, be brave, and pay your respects for those that fell for us so we could live forward.

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx

For The Dead And For The Living We Must Bear Witness

Cześć, 

Well, that was my first attempt at Polish. I suppose I have got to start somewhere, considering I will be in the beautiful city of Krakow this time next week, writing to you all from my Hotel room I shall be sharing with a very dear friend and family member. 

This all started back last year, possibly just after my birthday also, my Nanny Pumpkin came over and upon other things the conversation steered towards city breaks and travelling and some of the things we would like to tick off our never-ending bucket lists. It was at this point that my Nanna had said that an old family friend who had recently passed away the year before had left some money for her and my grandfather in her will, and as a result of my grandfathers passing a few months earlier, she thought it would be a nice way to celebrate them both by going on a trip of a lifetime. It sounds incredible doesn't it - Gothic old city, Eastern European food and plenty of culture to warm the soul. But it will not all be about cocktails in swanky bars and maybe the odd mooch around some shops, oh no. You see being from a long military family lineage, I have become accustomed more than most to hearing stories about the war and the impact that they had not on life here in Britain but also that of other countries and nations brought into Hitler's wrath. And so, along with the Istagramable dinners and sites, my Grandma and I will be visiting the site of one of the worlds most vicious and notorious death camps - Auschwitz. 

Our trip will start on Monday with an early morning flight from Luton, arriving in the city of Krakow approximately midday. I am sure we will have plenty of time to take in the sights and sounds and smells before having some dinner and heading for our room. 

Tuesday will be spent paying our respects and I am sure learning more about some of the most horrendous, and hopeful stories to come from such a place. Auschwitz and Birkenau were the largest of the German Nazi concentration camps and extermination centres. Located a short drive from Krakow city centre, we will visit the site where over 1.1 million men, women, and children lost their lives. The post-camp relics are protected by the Museum created in 1947 in the hope that future generations could learn, and understand how one mans actions can influence a nation to do unspeakable things. As well as teaching, the establishment also helps with research, conservation and even has a publishing centre for some of its work. I have always said that irrespective of my military connections, everyone, Jewish, German or otherwise, as a human being, should visit there if you can. There is no way to understand postwar Europe and indeed the world without an in-depth confrontation between our idea of mankind today and the remains of Auschwitz and the tale sit can tell. 

Taking a break from the emotional stuff, Wednesday will be spent exploring the wondrous caverns of the Salt Mine. With visitors reaching over a million every year it was certainly somewhere me and my little old Nanna were not going to miss out on. However Thursday we will be diving in deep again to hear some hopefully more heartwarming stories on the Schindler Tour. The website my Nanna and I booked through, Escape2Poland explains that "you will be guided around the former Jewish district of Krakow seeing not only beautiful synagogues but will have a chance to visit one as well." Allowing tourists to see where the city came to life before the Second World War and explore various religious locations such as ritual bathhouses and a cemetery I am sure will allow you to further your understanding of the city, the country it belongs too and some of the awful things its residents had to endure throughout the occupation. We will get to visit the ghetto square and to take in the former walls that enclosed the ghetto. Nanna and I will see numerous sites used when shooting Spielberg’s Schindler's List in the early 1990s and learn about an incredibly brave man with a passion for helping people. 

The following day we fly home and no doubt will be emotionally and physically exhausted from such a beautiful but also emotionally charged trip. It's hard to say I am looking forward to it. I mean I am, simply because it is somewhere fresh and new and another Bucket List item ticked off, but also to understand the magnitude of the Holocaust and the remarkable people that managed to survive. I am sure it will be one hell of a trip, one where I should probably start packing!

'Til next time, Love A.Lou xx