Here are some emails, photos and greetings from my travels abroad this past year. Hope you enjoy!
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How are things back home in your section of the world?
I know these e-mails are a bit lengthy but trust me, I'm paring them down as best I can. Enjoy the photos afterward. On this part of my trip to Europe I found myself walking along a gravel road. The two story buildings on either side looked like any older condos in America. They probably look pretty at night if lit properly. Peaceful. But the bricks of these condos hold secret memories no one should know about. Terrible secrets. As I listened to my headset the tour guide continued her story of what these buildings were used for. You see I was in the Auschwitz Concentration Camp. I don't want to spoil the fun I'm having on my trip, and don't ask me why I took this detour. But being a history buff, it's just something I wanted to do before I died. What's weird is that these buildings were constructed 15 years before I was even born. And on the other side of the world. But what happened with them and World War II in general had such an impact on the world even to this day, I wanted to see it first hand. Along with the serious sentiment, I gathered so many cool stories along the way. I ventured on my own as Andrea & Richard had other obligations. The first stop was Berlin. Between 75-90 Euros was the going price for the train. But Andrea found me a limo that shuttles back & forth from Muenster. The price? 25 Euros! She has a friend in Berlin whom I stayed with for 2 nights. No charge. Have you ever walked a big city in 8 hours? I watched a You Tube video for the best sites to see. The Bundestag (Capitol building), the Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie & Berlin wall, the Victory Tower w/a golden Angel atop. But what was most impactful was the brand new museum commemorating the war years, and what led up to them. The location? On the very land the dreaded SS and Gestapo building once stood! The center of all the terror. It was a a free museum that one could spend an entire day at. It said two things to me. To the world: We want to hide nothing---this is what happened. To the Germans: Be vigilant of the signs of how this came about. I've heard more than one German on my vacation comment about how this is not the norm in their history but are happy they've gone 65 years without another war. As for Berlin itself, I was amazed at how short the buildings were, 4-7 stories is average. But then I'm used to Chicago. I came across a monument to Beethoven, Haydn, Mozart and Denkmal. There's a special place in my heart for my next stop. With my Polish connections in Chicago, I also made it a point to go to Warsaw knowing what that city went through during the war. Traveling through Poland, I swear I was rolling through Nebraska.---- Flat land with corn fields, plowed fields, groves of trees, cows. The farm houses/barns were not as big as in Germany and about half of them a bit run down. (more later) On the train it was refreshing to discover a middle-aged couple from Florida. We sat across from each other trading stories. Where to stay in Warsaw was my next challenge. I thought I'd try out one of those Hostels. It cost about $15. Six guys to a room with some bunks. I had a single bed as did another person.. This older guy stunk. Body odor with the door closed wasn't pleasant. I over-heard a conversation he had earlier so I think he was French. He also snored like a wild pig. I punched his foot once when he jumped up and looked at me. I pointed to my ear and he mumbled something of an apology in his language. No more snoring for awhile. This week we go to Paris I hope everyone in France doesn't smell like this---or I'll wear a clothespin on my nose. Warsaw was 85% destroyed by the Germans in WWII and no one there to help afterwards to rebuild as in Berlin. Then Poland went through 45 years of Russian rule until 1992. So it was interesting to see the contrasting beautiful ultra modern buildings next to old rundown sections. It'll take time, but I'm sure the younger generation has fun at their Hard Rock Café, Casino, and McDonald's complex to name a few. Warsaw is the home to Copernicus, the great scientist, and Chopin the great musician. |
I missed a bus tour of the city, but walked around enough to see where a section of the Warsaw Ghetto once stood. By 4 pm it was time to go to Krakow in southern Poland. I was thoroughly confused at the train station. But a dude in the Polish army (dressed in plain clothes) spoke enough English to help translate my ticket and guide me.
Three hours later I arrived in Krakow. The train station was a bit depressing. It was an outdoor cement platform and run down. I walked through an adjacent tunnel when it opened up to an absolutely gorgeous, ultra-modern, 3 level shopping mall. Complete with water fountains and flower planters. Shops and shoppers everywhere. More modern than Woodfield Mall in Chicago! This is what I mean, Poland is like an old lantern. Rub a worn spot and something shiny pops up.
I called Andrea back in Muenster about a possible lead she talked about for lodging here. She gave me the phone number of a friend of a friend who was staying with a family in Krakow. (Don't ask.) I called and they said come over to their house and don't worry about a Hostel. Yes! It was dark when my taxi pulled up to the end of the driveway. Voitek, (the father) and one of his young sons greeted me with smiles. "Come on up to the house". I walked with them through the front door and into the living room. "Put your backpack here. Let me take your jacket." The family all smiling, had there eyes on this stranger. They spoke fair English with an accent, and had me sit at the kitchen table. Voitek, his wife and 6 kids! (Ages 5-18 years old.) Plus a boarder named Marie. They welcomed me like I was part of the family. As we shared stories I asked for a laptop computer, and got a flash drive from my jacket. I showed them pictures of the sculptures I've done over the years. The kids spoke some English but I'm sure were learning new words like bronze, and fiberglass. They also liked the robots. I guess Voitek was impressed enough with me to offer me to stay as long as I like. The kindness and generosity was overwhelming from people I didn't know just an hour ago. I made new friends and ate with the family,
They let me stay in a little finished loft upstairs. I couldn't stand up, but slept like a baby on the mattress on the floor--blankets et al---and no snoring . The next day Marie (the boarder, probably in her late 20's ) gave me a tour of Krakow. Lots to see. There's a Jewish side of town that's so blighted and run down it rivals sections of Chicago. We went into a small ramshackle of a Synagogue (the size of a chapel). Then ate at an old Jewish restaurant....some kind of traditional stew that tasted good, and plenty of it. Did you see the movie "Schindler's List"? Marie and I walked from the restaurant to the actual Schindler factory where he saved many Jews during the war. It's now a museum about Krakow during the war and has a section highlighting Oscar Schindler's brave rescue efforts.
When Marie and I got back home we all hung out in the living room. Anna and Marie on their laptops, the kids playing. I asked Voitek to bring me their broken doll. (I had mentioned I fixed a doll for some friends back in Muenster. ) He came out with a dolly's head in one hand and the body in the other. With a butter knife, some shop tools, a rubber ball, and some glue, we all pitched in and made the doll whole again. Little Eesha said "thank you" to me in English.
Voitek invited me to stay longer but I knew Andrea & Richard wanted me back in Muenster. So he helped book my bus on the computer.
After breakfast the next morning I got ready for one of the big reasons of this trip. Auschwitz---about 1-1/2 hours west of Krakow. What's interesting is I started out at the the origins of what I was about to see (The SS Nazi headquarters in Berlin) , and now traveling to a site where they put their sick plan into action. The countryside along the way seemed normal enough. It got hillier and more wooded as we got closer. Then the parking lot with all the buses and cars. It could have been an outdoor public park--like a zoo anywhere in the US. Overhanging trees, old sidewalks, etc. Once situated our tour guide walked us through many of the buildings where she explained and showed the terrible horrors that went on inside and outside these innocent looking brick buildings. If you want more details ask me sometime. The piles of shoes, hair, glasses, firing squad wall, gas chamber, etc. The history books explain things pretty well. Auschwitz was one thing. But the tour continued three miles away by bus to what was an unbelievable sight----Birkenau. The expanse!!! OMG ! Open land with no trees. You could probably fit ten football fields on the land! There were long wooden one-story buildings that could only be described as Farmyard Chicken buildings. Row after row, after row...as far as the eye could see. Their design was based on horse stables holding 52 horses. Instead 400+ prisoners lived in each one. Train tracks ran right through the center of the facility.
The calm and silence you see today has to be shattered by what actually went on---the screams, stench, rats, savagery and death.
I had to leave early to catch my bus back to Muenster. But I got the overall impression of the place.
As I've said before I'm collecting pebbles from each place I visit. I have them from Switzerland, Germany and now Poland.
That's all for now.
Enjoy the pictures.
-Fran.
Three hours later I arrived in Krakow. The train station was a bit depressing. It was an outdoor cement platform and run down. I walked through an adjacent tunnel when it opened up to an absolutely gorgeous, ultra-modern, 3 level shopping mall. Complete with water fountains and flower planters. Shops and shoppers everywhere. More modern than Woodfield Mall in Chicago! This is what I mean, Poland is like an old lantern. Rub a worn spot and something shiny pops up.
I called Andrea back in Muenster about a possible lead she talked about for lodging here. She gave me the phone number of a friend of a friend who was staying with a family in Krakow. (Don't ask.) I called and they said come over to their house and don't worry about a Hostel. Yes! It was dark when my taxi pulled up to the end of the driveway. Voitek, (the father) and one of his young sons greeted me with smiles. "Come on up to the house". I walked with them through the front door and into the living room. "Put your backpack here. Let me take your jacket." The family all smiling, had there eyes on this stranger. They spoke fair English with an accent, and had me sit at the kitchen table. Voitek, his wife and 6 kids! (Ages 5-18 years old.) Plus a boarder named Marie. They welcomed me like I was part of the family. As we shared stories I asked for a laptop computer, and got a flash drive from my jacket. I showed them pictures of the sculptures I've done over the years. The kids spoke some English but I'm sure were learning new words like bronze, and fiberglass. They also liked the robots. I guess Voitek was impressed enough with me to offer me to stay as long as I like. The kindness and generosity was overwhelming from people I didn't know just an hour ago. I made new friends and ate with the family,
They let me stay in a little finished loft upstairs. I couldn't stand up, but slept like a baby on the mattress on the floor--blankets et al---and no snoring . The next day Marie (the boarder, probably in her late 20's ) gave me a tour of Krakow. Lots to see. There's a Jewish side of town that's so blighted and run down it rivals sections of Chicago. We went into a small ramshackle of a Synagogue (the size of a chapel). Then ate at an old Jewish restaurant....some kind of traditional stew that tasted good, and plenty of it. Did you see the movie "Schindler's List"? Marie and I walked from the restaurant to the actual Schindler factory where he saved many Jews during the war. It's now a museum about Krakow during the war and has a section highlighting Oscar Schindler's brave rescue efforts.
When Marie and I got back home we all hung out in the living room. Anna and Marie on their laptops, the kids playing. I asked Voitek to bring me their broken doll. (I had mentioned I fixed a doll for some friends back in Muenster. ) He came out with a dolly's head in one hand and the body in the other. With a butter knife, some shop tools, a rubber ball, and some glue, we all pitched in and made the doll whole again. Little Eesha said "thank you" to me in English.
Voitek invited me to stay longer but I knew Andrea & Richard wanted me back in Muenster. So he helped book my bus on the computer.
After breakfast the next morning I got ready for one of the big reasons of this trip. Auschwitz---about 1-1/2 hours west of Krakow. What's interesting is I started out at the the origins of what I was about to see (The SS Nazi headquarters in Berlin) , and now traveling to a site where they put their sick plan into action. The countryside along the way seemed normal enough. It got hillier and more wooded as we got closer. Then the parking lot with all the buses and cars. It could have been an outdoor public park--like a zoo anywhere in the US. Overhanging trees, old sidewalks, etc. Once situated our tour guide walked us through many of the buildings where she explained and showed the terrible horrors that went on inside and outside these innocent looking brick buildings. If you want more details ask me sometime. The piles of shoes, hair, glasses, firing squad wall, gas chamber, etc. The history books explain things pretty well. Auschwitz was one thing. But the tour continued three miles away by bus to what was an unbelievable sight----Birkenau. The expanse!!! OMG ! Open land with no trees. You could probably fit ten football fields on the land! There were long wooden one-story buildings that could only be described as Farmyard Chicken buildings. Row after row, after row...as far as the eye could see. Their design was based on horse stables holding 52 horses. Instead 400+ prisoners lived in each one. Train tracks ran right through the center of the facility.
The calm and silence you see today has to be shattered by what actually went on---the screams, stench, rats, savagery and death.
I had to leave early to catch my bus back to Muenster. But I got the overall impression of the place.
As I've said before I'm collecting pebbles from each place I visit. I have them from Switzerland, Germany and now Poland.
That's all for now.
Enjoy the pictures.
-Fran.