Last Friday a large group made up of a few Americans, French, a Hungarian Romanian girl, a Belgian guy, and a Polish guy who would be our host in Krakow made our way to the train station in the early morning. We were able to get really cheap tickets as a group ticket and because we would only go to the border and get on a bus in Český Těšín (Czech side)/Cieszyn (Polish side). There we walked across the city and into Poland to catch a bus to Krakow. The bus we took was quite interesting… they are small busses and if you don’t get there in enough time to have a seat, you have to stand! And it was around a three-hour ride to Krakow – very bumpy and nauseating too! I am very happy that we were able to have seats.
We arrived in Krakow sometime after 1:00… I’m not exactly sure when. But we met up with another friend of hours who would be hosting us and went to Machal’s place where most of us would sleep. We then rallied and went to get food – zapiekanka! They’re these big, cheesy, warm, amazing sandwiches that are sold everywhere. They’re a favorite of drunk people after a night on the town… And I must say that I may like them better than Menna’s Dubs! We then walked around the Jewish Quarter – Kazimierz, to see the synagogues, where the ghetto was, and Schindler’s factory. That night we went to bed kind of early at Michal’s place because our plan for the next day was to see Auschwitz.
To be honest, I had never put Krakow on my list of places I would definitely see this semester. For some reason I just didn’t think it would happen. I am so thankful it did, and part of the reason was the opportunity to see Auschwitz. Before we went, many people told us it was one of the most difficult places to handle as a tourist and that afterword we would be quite depressed. It was hard to express how we felt about going there. It wasn’t excitement, but the feeling that we were going to see something that was necessary to experience as global citizens. The tour was tough, but our guide made is worthwhile. It was so hard to imagine living in those conditions, but to see the rooms, buildings, and cells they were in made it more real. My thoughts the whole time were about how it was possible to do such horrible things to humans – just because they were different. We still discriminate and, in a sense, torture those who are not the “same”. But really, what does it mean to be “normal” or the “same” as everyone else? The group of friends I traveled with helped me to see how a group of very different people can get along and have fun, but learn a lot as well. I am so thankful we saw Auschwitz together. Even though it was a difficult day, and I really don’t want to go into much detail (please ask me if you do! I will talk about it, it is just a lot to explain in a blog post), I am very thankful I was able to experience it.
That night we decided to have a fun night on the town – I mean, we were in Krakow! We started the night in Marion’s flat with some traditional Polish vodka and beer and then went out to meet Michal and go to a bar. We had a really great time! Krakow is full of life at night, especially on a Saturday night. The energy is fantastic and really different from Olomouc and East Lansing! It was really great to see the city both during the day and at night… what a difference! There were always people out – more young people at night, but always people from all over the world. Two days were not enough to see the city, and I really hope to go there again soon.
Sunday we took a quick tour of the Castle and the main square by ourselves. We missed the free tour, unfortunately, but Michal was our guide for a bit and we still had a nice time. We had a nice Italian lunch, and then made our way to the bus station. We ended up having to take a later bus in order to have places to sit… and that began a very exciting time! Our bus arrived in Cieszyn later than we had planned on, so we thought we had missed our train to Olomouc. We got to the train station around 7:20, I think, and Michal was very smart and used his limited Czech skills to find out if there was a train to Olomouc any time soon. And, we were in luck! There was a train that was very late and would be leaving any second, so we could buy tickets and run and hope to make it! He bought the tickets very swiftly and we began to rush – but oh no! Someone was in the bathroom! I ran to get her and we ran after the others, just making it onto the train before it left. What a rush! The train was incredibly crowded, like the one from Bratislava, but we made it on and were back in our dorms before 10:00! It was definitely the most exciting part of our trip.
I am continually so happy I am able to travel as much as I have, and with such great people! However, traveling in such a big group does have its challenges – not to mention language and personality differences! But even through the challenges of paying for meals and finding our way out of malls, we had a fantastic time. Next stop hopefully Budapest! And on Sunday I will go to Štramberk to stay with my Czech friend and her family for a night! I’m very much looking forward to seeing another Czech city and to see a real Czech home.
hungarian romanian girl:)) u just made me laugh :-*
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