EURO TOUR; part 2. Cracow

very very early next morning we set off for Cracow, Poland. I had never really thought of going to Poland, but it ended being one of the nicest places. We arrived after a long bus ride, (600km) and after quickly dumping our things in our hotel rooms, we headed out for a traditional Jewish dinner in a restaurant situated in the former bathhouse of the historic Jewish quarters.The dinner was absolutely delicious, and what made it such a memorable experience were three musicians playing traditional Jewish music as we ate.After, we got to explore the city on our own, and being exchange students, we headed out to a bar. Then, we caught a taxi back to our hotel. After dinner we had the option of returning to the hotel, or remaining in the city and making our own way home.

The next morning, although it was cold and rainy, we headed off for our guided city tour. We saw many wonderful things, beginning back at the Jewish Quarters, which I learnt was the birthplace of Roman Polanski, among others, and heading then up to Cracow Castle. This castle was built in an Italian style, and was incredibly beautiful. We eventually made our way down in the main square of the city, which was when we came into the truly beautiful part of Cracow. The main square is one of the biggest and oldest in all of Europe, and contains many amazing buildings with beautiful architecture. This church was by far the most ornate and colourful which we saw in all of Europe. We also then had a lunch of traditional Polish dumplings before spending a little more time out exploring the city. That afternoon we left Cracow to visit the concentration camp Auschwitz. I cant even explain what i felt going there. Its so hard to imagine, that all these terrible things happened, right where you are standing. The weather was terrible, which i think made the experience more real. We were walking through mud, freezing, and complaining, but what the people who lived here went through, was so much worse. Hearing peoples stories, and what had happened to them, everyone was very emotional. The bus trip back, no body spoke. I think we all are a little different after visiting Auschwitz.