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Monday, July 02, 2007: Today was a very emotional and sobering day. We woke up early this morning to catch a taxi to the bus station. After 1 ˝ hours we arrived in Auschwitz 1. We grabbed an early breakfast and began our entrance the entrance quoted “Work will set you free”. What a lie. Most of the occupants of Auschwitz were Polish and Soviet POW’s, with a few hundred women. We walked through the gas chambers, the firing wall where they were hung and executed by firearm. There were rooms full of the locks of hair the Nazis had shaved off. The Germans to hide what was going had transposed the hair into carpet. We saw rooms full of the little ones shoes, adult eyeglasses, and luggage. The gas chambers where the Germans dropped the Zyklon B through a hole in the ceiling was an eerie location. You could just picture people disrobing and walking down this corridor expecting showers and deadly gases getting dropped on you instead. Next we went to Auschwitz II (Birkenau) this is where the trains came in loaded with Jews from as far as Norway and Greece (19 day trip; telling them it was 3). Once the train was unloaded; the 10% that made it to the station alive formed lines where a German doctor would give a thumbs up or down for the either of two lines. One line was for the healthy men and the other was for the elderly, women, and youth under age 14. The latter line was immediately gassed and cremated. The ashes were dumped into the two main rivers nearby to hide the evidence. We walked into the housing quarters where the laborers lived. Small 6x5x3 spaces were arranged in stacks of three to act as a bed for up to 10 people in each. The great life-expectancy here was 14 days… The Polish people hold this site as a sacred site and unlike the Czech the majority of people practice their faith. Every store has a picture of the Pope and crucifixes with Jesus everywhere. It is amazing to see the difference between the people of Poland and the Czech. The Poles are very full of life and less reserved in public. Business seems to be booming in Poland. Everyone in Krakow is out spending money, dressed nicely, and dining well. It is amazing to see how God can turn around a nation after it has been brought to its knees just 56 years ago. This will definitely not be my last visit to Poland.
Wow Aaron~ 4 more weeks of adventure..keep going, seeing, learning and posting. This adventure is a journey for me, too. Every word intriques me. It is all worth it inspite of the other no so great experiences. Glad u got out of Czech for awhile…see Austria and Germany and if there is anything you need, let me know. Stay safe, Happy 4th from the states!
mom - 04 07 07 - 13:08
It’s wonderful to hear of the faith in Poland! God’s blessing is wonderful to see! thanks for the detailed description of Aushwitz. moving beyond words.
the salt mines from the prior day sounded absolutely wonderful! wow!!
Melissa Deem () - 05 07 07 - 20:09
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