My husband and I spent the first week of August 2015 in Krakow, Poland. I am very lucky. The first week of September 2015 we will spend several days in the Bavaria region of Germany—so expect another trip blog post coming soon.

In Krakow, Poland we visited a variety of cultural and historical sites including: The Wieliczka Salt Mine, the market Square in Krakow and the Cloth Hall, St. Mary’s Basilica, the Jagiellonian University, the Wawel Castle (and the accompanying dragon’s den below it), the Jewish History museum, the Vistula River, and the park which winds its way through the core of Krakow. We also made a side trip to Auschwitz.

Auschwitz Concentration Camp

By far the most emotionally riveting experience was our tour through the Auschwitz Concentration camp; we visisted Auschwitz 1 and the Birkenau concentration camps.

 Prior to going to Auschwitz I was exponentially ignorant of the Holocaust, especially many of the important details surrounding this tragic segment of history. I still have lots to learn. The emotions that came upon me penetrated deeply and stung for the remainder of the week.

We saw the bare, cramped “living quarters” that the victims were housed in. In the buildings of Birkenau, there were 3 tiers of wooden platforms—starting from the floor to near the ceiling—that served as “bunk beds”. There was barely enough hall space between the wooden plank “beds” that were jammed tightly within the buildings. Up to seven people would sleep on each bare wooden tier that served as a “bunk bed”. There were cracks in the walls of these buildings that allowed for freezing cold temperatures to seep in throughout the winter months.

Many of the Auschwitz victims would live in the concentration camp for as little as three months before they died of hunger, freezing, being shot in the back of their heads, and/or being swiftly ushered into gas chambers. Very few people would live for a year or more. Actually, since many individuals were deemed “unfit” to live, most would be forced into gas chambers promptly upon their arrival.

We walked through one room that displayed mountains upon mountains of shoes. We saw display cases full of cookware and suitcases that the Jews had brought with them to the camp. Many of the Jews seemingly believed that they were just being “relocated” and that their lives and family structure would go on as it was before. Thus, the women brought their cookware thinking that they would be cooking for their individual families.  The Jews would also label their suitcases with numbers, assuming that they would be getting their belongings back at some point during their stay in the camp. Little did they know that they would be forced into a rigidly structured death camp, meant solely for their annihilation.

 We were taken through the gas chamber and the crematorium. We even saw a room full of human hair which we were told was used and sold by the Nazis as “Mattress filler.” The Germans didn’t want to waste human tissues that could potentially be useful or profitable—after all, the victims were already dead, so why waste it? This was their mind-set.

To me, perhaps the most cogent aspect of the Holocaust was the way in which it was orchestrated.  It became clear that this entire morbid enterprise couldn’t have happened so effectively and smoothly without large numbers of people playing different roles in a cold, calculated, incredibly silent and deceptive fashion. While Hitler is most certainly one of the most putrid characters in human history, we must remember that it took an entire nation of people who agreed with him and thought like him for such a feat to take place.

On a lighter note, we truly enjoyed our time in Krakow. We wandered through all the entrails of the city and stopped by the Jagiellonian University (Krakow University)—the place where Copernicus studied. I didn’t know that Copernicus was a polymath. He studied medicine, mathematics, philosophy, economics, astronomy and he was also a Priest (Per our Polish Tour guide who works at the Krakow University). While Copernicus practiced religion, he was still hesitant to share his findings about Heliocentrism until he got much older—and we are all familiar with the reason why he waited: fear of being burned at the stake for suggesting such a preposterous idea! We got to see a copy of his “Revolutions” which is a precious artifact of scientific progress.

We went on a tour of the Wieliczka Salt Mine—one of the oldest salt mines in the world (1000 or so years old!) Please see the pictures of the incredible salt sculptures.

The dining in Poland was great. When you walk through the city you are assaulted with some of the most delicious smells your brain has ever entertained. We enjoyed many Pierogi lunches and we even tried some Georgian cuisine.

So far, my favorite European cathedral is in Krakow. It is St. Mary’s Basilica. This place has towering ceilings and is full of all kinds of ecclesiastical treasures. There are Biblical paintings, stained glass windows, gorgeous statues and sculptures adored in gold and the interior of the church has this unusual yet striking color scheme of steel blue and gold—very celestial, indeed!

I think Krakow, Poland was one of my favorite places in Europe that I’ve been to. Even though the weather was intensely hot and muggy, we enjoyed our time there—even more than Ireland.

Some of the Treasures I bought in Poland 🙂 These include: A painting from a Polish artist (reminds me of a Matisse), adorable skirt, Polish Pottery and little wooden, hand-made boxes.

Ireland. The land of feeling wet and soggy–most of the time. Of all the countries I’ve been to and spent time in, in my opinion Ireland has the most humble (and kind) people. You will love the Irish people. They are especially helpful if you get lost looking for the Guinness Brewery or the Jameson Distillery in Dublin.

We had an excursion on the Paddywagon bus tour to the city of Galway on the western side of the Island.

One of our tours was provided by this young lad. He provided a fantastic tour delving into Irish lore–like leprechauns.

This past weekend my husband and I had the exquisite pleasure of taking a weekend trip to Munich—the famous party-city in Germany.  The last time I entered Bavaria was in 1998. At the time, I was with my family and we stayed in the city of Garmisch. Like the average tourist who visits Southern Germany, we had made a day trip to visit the Neuschwanstein Castle. We never did make it into the beer-guzzling city of Munich. I wonder why.

My husband and I were looking for a short, frivolous getaway. Thankfully, transportation in Europe is done with supreme ease. Even if you book a train at the last minute, it seems you can still find options to go anywhere—provided you are willing to stand. We caught the Ice train in Mannheim which took us straight to Munich. We even passed through the village of Ulm, the town where Einstein was born.

We arrived in Munich in the early afternoon which gave us plenty of time to explore the city square. Once off the train we walked our way through the bustling train station and out onto the streets of Munich.  Munich is a large city—roughly 150,000 in population. I learned that the people of Bavaria proudly see themselves as almost separate from the rest of Germany—think Texans and the United-States—only that Bavarians are not Protestant Bible-Thumpers.  In Bavaria the locals are patriotic, conservative and largely Catholic.  Their unique cultural heritage is a result of being separate from Germany until only 100 years ago.

People with model-looking bodies are seen on all corners of the streets. Everyone is toned, youthful, glowing and smiling.

Thankfully, our hotel was located walking distance from the main city square. After dropping off our bags in our hotel room, we wandered into the city center. We passed gangs of tourists and locals all jostling their way into the town-square for Friday-night escapades.  We walked by countless trinket shops and clothing stores specializing in dirndls—the traditional dress of German women. I even found a sushi spot nestled in the heart of the city—not too bad!

I would highly recommend walking by the Munich Rathaus. Architecturally, this building stuns with richly ornate flare and at times, seems almost gothic. Like Notre Dame, it has gargoyles peeping out from all corners; definitely a captivating visual experience! Also, in the square you will come across several fountains with erected stone statues in the middle. I randomly notice that a Merman statue sits in the middle of one fountain and squirts water at a little boy.

There are also a couple accessible cathedrals in the town-square that are free and absolutely worth a peak inside!

That night we found our way into the Augustiner Keller and Biergarten—an authentic hot-spot that you must visit while in Munich. Once you enter through the gate you weave your way through the sprawling Biergarten full of Friday night locals all sitting on picnic tables in this outdoor garden. My eyes were grabbed by the variety of sparkling amber brews and assortment of beer glasses positioned all over the tables.

We decided to eat indoors. The beer hall was enormous! We sat at a long, wooden picnic table and then ordered typical Bavarian fare. In less than 40 minutes the beer hall filled up and became a rowdy, cantankerous joint though sans an accordion player. It was a fun place to observe the locals clanking their beer glasses with each other and having a good time.

The next day we made a short trip to Salzburg, Austria. For music lovers, this place is famous for being Mozart’s hometown and for many an American, it is famous for its various scenes in the 1965 musical, “The Sound of Music”.  WE LOVED SALZBURG! It is definitely my favorite smaller city that I have visited in Europe.

The old town of Salzburg is of delightful, quaint beauty. The streets are narrow and the buildings and storefronts are packed tightly together. There is an old graveyard in the center of the old city and above the city stands a fortress (Hohnensalzburg Castle) which we never made it to.

MEETING MICHAEL MOORE

After our Salzburg day-trip we headed back to Munich. We were just entering our hotel when we saw a group of 4-5 people standing in the lobby, checking in.  As we passed my husband muttered under his breath, “Looks like Michael Moore”.  How random could that be that a famous, controversial documentary filmmaker would be staying in the same place as us? I turned around, taking a closer look and exclaimed, “That IS Michael Moore”.  Michael Moore, hearing his name, turned around and glanced at us. Sure enough, it was him. We made a dash for the elevator. Neither of us are major Michael Moore fans but it was quite random (and surprising) to see that he was staying in the same hotel that we were and on the same weekend.

That night we secretly hoped to pass by him again but of no luck. My husband and I went downstairs so that he could get a drink at the restaurant bar. The bar maid accidentally spilled beer all over his pants and shoes.

In the morning we were offered free breakfast in the hotel since the bar maid soaked (and stained) my husband’s shoes in beer. Free food is free food.

Coincidentally, I stood right behind a GIANT (Michael Moore)in the breakfast buffet line who was heaping himself to lots of eggs and bacon. He had a specialty glass with orange juice and 2 sliced oranges adorning the rim. He was wearing a black t-shirt, sweat pants and an old ratty baseball hat. It felt odd that no one else seemed to recognize who he was. Then again, it seemed like we were the only Americans at this hotel.  My husband hadn’t noticed my location yet, when he caught site who I was standing by, he smiled brightly.

Confidently he walked right up to Michael Moore and asked, “So when can I be expecting your next documentary?”.  Michael Moore seemed very enthusiastic that finally someone recognized him. He even pulled us over to the side of the breakfast room and told us that he was in Munich filming a documentary that will be entitled something like “Invade”…forgot the exact title.  His documentary will highlight “Some of the things that Europe does right…and should be incorporated into America (trains, health care etc)” He was quite affable, down-to-earth and actually, rather sweet. He was more than willing to talk to random strangers like us.

Work in progress

In progress…

A few days ago we returned from a trip to Paris. We spent New Years there and a few more days after that 🙂

Our 2 night, 3 day trip to France was a beautiful experience. While this would not be my first time in France, visiting Paris would be entirely new for me. This time, my husband and I became full-on tourists and took a tour bus with a savvy (yet chatty) guide. After our luggage was loaded into the under-belly of the bus, we were escorted from our lovely village in Germany to Paris, France.

Paris was all I could have ever dreamed it to be! Going a-la-tour-bus style has its advantages—namely, your limited time is used very, very efficiently. An official tour trip will make certain that you see all the big sites of the city while also managing to get group rates for certain museums and events. Also, you needn’t figure out all the navigation, parking—which can become quite overwhelming and time-consuming if you don’t know what you’re doing. The city is so big and the throngs of tourists are so copious that, as a newbie, you depend upon a professional to be the arbiter of your travels.

The disadvantages of an official tour are:

1. The talkative tour guide who disrupts you while you are trying to nap.
2.  You are often pressured to go to venues (particularly for dinner) that are not always of your choosing and are often more costly (and less tasty) than if you had picked them out yourself.

Thankfully, we managed to figure out the Parisian subway and found our way from the outskirts of the city (our hotel location) to downtown Paris. Also, the subway was free while we were there.

The tour bus took us to all the major highlights of Paris which included: The Palace of Versailles, Notre Dame, The Louvre, downtown Paris, Arc de Triomphe, The Paris Opera House (with the famous Marc Chagall paintings on the ceiling), The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin and also the Eiffel Tower (created by Gustave Eiffel in 1889).

 Of the major Paris attractions my two favorites were the Palace of Versailles and also, the Paris Opera house. I would highly recommend both of these! The Palace of Versailles was an outstanding, magnificent beauty that stands as one of France’s great treasures. Louis the XIV is someone who is regarded as incredibly ostentatious and led a life of untold decadence and someone who had a group of servants stand by to clap after he successfully crapped in his bedside commode.  By his decree he created a piece of architecture that will last for ages—bringing untold numbers of tourists that will perpetually enrich the country of France.

Assortment of Pics from our Paris Trip

If you’re into sight-seeing and have a fancy for seeing thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands, upon thousands of tourists all at once—the Louvre is the place to go! Also, if you’re into sculptures or paintings, you are in for a treat too. In addition to seeing riveting art works that span millennia and include glorious religious scenes and all manner of Biblical themes, you will come across an entire room full of people clawing their way to behold the most famous face of all—the Mona Lisa.