Poland & Life Update :)

Krakow's main square
Auschwitz I “Arbeit Macht Frei”, or “Work Makes (One) Free"

In the distance you can see the entrance (main guardhouse), or so-called "death gate", to Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

Warsaw's architecture

Beautiful Sigulda

I have just returned to Latvia after a great trip to Poland! I left on October 21st and returned to Riga on the 28th. I traveled about 800 kilometers from Riga to Krakow by bus. The bus ride wasn't actually too bad. Most of the trip was overnight and I had not slept a lot the night before. Luckily there was nobody sitting beside me, so I had a very long sleep!

I arrived in Krakow and after checking into a hostel, I walked all around the old town and castle. Krakow's town square is the largest medieval town square of any European city. The medieval Krakow was surrounded by a defensive wall that has since been destroyed but the old town remains to be concentrated in one small area. I really liked the architecture in the town square.

A while ago there was a Polish girl, Zuza, staying at the hostel in Riga. She was really nice and we spent time together both at the hostel and going out to enjoy Riga's nightlife. She lives and studies in Krakow and the next day we met for breakfast. It was really good to see her again.

That day was quite drizzly, but I decided to have another day of walking anyway. I walked around some Jewish districts in Krakow. That was really unique. I had never been to a Jewish region before. Krakow is very easy to walk around for tourists because there are signs everywhere that show different routes that show the most significant things. I went to a synagogue called Remuh synagogue that was constructed in 1553. I have visited many, many churches but I had never been to a synagogue. Outside the synagogue was a cemetery. A lot of it had been badly damaged by the Nazis during World War Two, however since that time fragments of the tombs have been collected and arranged onto a wall , called the wailing wall or lamentation wall. I had also never been to a Jewish cemetery and I was surprised and confused to see rocks placed on and around the tombs or gravestones. Just as I was wondering why this was so, a man walked by me and explained it to a woman who must have been wondering the same thing as me. The tradition apparently goes back to ancient times and stones were placed to mark the place where a person had been buried. It can also be explained by the Jewish belief that the living and dead should not mix and that no living thing, not even a flower, may be killed in honor of a dead person. Therefore people leave stones upon the tomb or grave to honor the deceased person. Then I visited Plac Zgody Ghetto, which served as the site of mass murders of Krakow Jews in the years 1941-1943 and it was from here that many Jews were transported to concentration camps. I walked further to see remnants of the ghetto walls that surrounded the whole Jewish region. I also saw Oskar Schinder's factory! That was really neat, although unfortunately it was closed due to restoration.

That night I went out with Zuza to a club. It was unreal! It was underground and I felt like I was in a cave, or rather, many connected caves. There were a lot of people, good music, great drinks and fun people :)

The next day I woke up early and took a bus to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. First I went to Auschwitz I, the original concentration camp which served as the administrative center for the whole complex, and was the site of the deaths of roughly 70,000 people, mostly Poles and Soviet prisoners of war. Visiting the Auschwitz was a horrifying experience. It is difficult to imagine the atrocities that happened within the barbed wire fence borders. It was organized very well and presented in a way that captured the cruelty that happened within the camp. I always learned about the holocaust in school, but it was difficult to grasp the degree of inhumanity. After visiting the crematoriums, the death wall, and seeing entire rooms filled with shoes, or suitcases, or prosthetics, or babies clothing that was taken away from the Jewish people, I have a better grasp of it but still find it unbelievable. Then I visited Auschwitz II (Birkenau), an extermination camp where at least 960,000 Jews, 75,000 Poles, and some 19,000 Roma (Gypsies) were killed. Birkenau was the largest of all the Nazi extermination camps. This camp was enormous and went further than the eye could see. There are just no words to describe the somber atmosphere in the camps. Although it was a difficult day, I am glad that I visited Auschwitz because I gained a better understanding of what happened in the holocaust.

The next day I took a train to a town called Lublin. I couchsurfed there with a girl and her family. There were wonderful hosts and I had a really great time. We walked around Lublin, went for a beer and then hung out and watched a movie. I was also treated to yummy pirogi :) I always like visiting places other than the main cities of a country and this was no exception.

Then it was off to Warsaw. It is very unique as about 85% of the city had been destroyed during the Second World War, including the Old Town. So there is quite a mixture of architectural styles that reflect the turbulent history of the city and country. I walked out of the train station and saw a very futuristic building made out of wavy glass. After walking about 100m I saw the Palace of Culture and Science, a Stalinist building very similar to the one in Riga.

The next day I walked around the city and found that (architecturally) the whole day was similar to my first minute in Warsaw- one part modern/futuristic, one part soviet with a pinch of pre-war buildings. The "Old Town" was constructed in the old style but upon closer inspection it was visibly new. It just looked too perfect!

So then it was back to Riga. Unfortunately I did not have 2 seats to myself this time and I couldn't sleep very well. However, she got off in Vilnius so then I had two seats to myself and had a good snooze. That was, until I was awakened by the voice of a man saying "Pases, Ludzu!" (Passport, please). I thought "Uh-oh!" as I had forgotten my passport in Riga. Thank goodness it happened going into Latvia because the border guard was Latvian and I could understand him. I explained to him that I had forgotten my passport in Riga and gave him all my documents. He asked if I had Latvian citizenship and I said that I only had Canadian citizenship. He let me go with a warning and told me the fine is usually 50LVL (about $110), so I got off lucky!

I had a great Halloween. Latvia doesn't celebrate Halloween traditionally but it is gaining popularity (any excuse to party I guess!) I saw a few people in costume and I even saw some jack-o-lanterns (although I think that one of them may have been carved out of a watermelon haha). We had a party at the hostel and it was great! There were lots of people and the hostel was lit up with candles.

Before I went to Poland I took a day trip to Sigulda with a group of couchsurfers. Sigulda is known for it's beautiful nature. I had already been there during the summertime but it looked much different with all the colorful leaves. Even more beautiful!

I have joined a gym and I really enjoy it. I am not very active while at the hostel (plus I have discovered where all the good-looking Latvian guys have been hiding!) I have also joined a Latvian choir :) I am so happy to have somewhere to sing! It is a womens choir with about 20 choristers. Most of them are older than I am. We sing Latvian songs, both new and old. Yesterday I went to get fitted for a traditional Latvian costume and I am really excited to wear it, as I have never worn one before.

I am getting really excited for Erik's visit! Only 2 more weeks :D He arrives on the 17th, which is just in time for Latvia's independence day on November 18th. This year Latvia is celebrating it's 90th birthday so there are have been, are going to be many, many events! I am not working while Erik is here which I am also really looking forward to. Whenever I take time off work I always travel somewhere, which is awesome, but it will be good to relax and stay in Latvia :) It is starting to get cold here. I have gotten messages from Anna, Maria and Nina telling me that they have already experienced the first snow fall of the season. I am waiting for it to happen any day now!