Krakow, Poland

For my third trip during Fall Break, I had the amazing opportunity to take a five day trip to Krakow, Poland with five friends. I loved the Venice and Vienna trip organized by the school, but because of family roots in Poland, I was most excited for the Krakow trip. The entire week was a whirlwind experience; I had about twelve hours at the apartment in Budapest on Tuesday, and then woke up at 5 to catch the bus on Wednesday morning for Krakow. So many hours on the bus that week! Unfortunately, I was sick for the majority of my stay in Krakow and was not able to participate in many of the activities I planned beforehand. I guess this just provides me with another excuse to visit Krakow again in the future! Here are some of the highlights of my trip.

1. Exploring the Wieliczka Salt Mines- The salt mines was located about thirty minutes from our hostel so we purchased an organized tour which included transportation to and from the mines and a guided two hour tour. Touring the salt mines was a completely unique experience for me. I think that comparing the mines to caves is the best comparison I can create. However, below ground (we descended 900 steps before we arrived at the mines) it was not damp or claustrophobic as is often the case with caves. The entire mine was composed of salt (we even licked the walls!) and there were many detailed salt sculptures that miners crafted.
2. Auschwitz- Although this tour was not “enjoyable,” it is a visit that I will remember for a very long time. During the tour, we were able to visit Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II (which is much larger). The tour guide told us how the prisoners lived and we went into some of the perfectly preserved buildings. The most emotional moment for me was the tour of the gas chambers- something completely heart wrenching. I do not want to explain too much because based on my readings in the Holocaust and Memory class, I do not believe that I can adequately represent or portray the locations I saw or stories I heard with just a simple blog post.
3. Tours of Krakow- I went on two fantastic tours in Krakow, and was lucky enough to have a fantastic tour guide for both tours (and the tours were free!). One night, we went on the “Macabre Krakow” tour where the guide told us some historical facts about executioners and witch trials, a few modern serial killer tales, and ghost stories. The setting for this tour was perfect- a misty, cold night ideal for ghost stories. The other tour I went on was the traditional city tour. This tour lasted around three hours and we were able to see some of the highlights of the city including Wawel Castel, Jagiellonian University, and the Cloth Hall.

Like usual, I fell in love with the city after one day. I just wish I had been feeling well throughout my entire visit to Krakow! Hopefully I can return to this beautiful city in the very near future!