Poland

Poland is a nice place! It may evoke thoughts of a decaying, Eastern European country, but if you remember your WWII history, Poland was never part of the USSR. Poland was attacked on West by the Nazis, and on the East by the Red Army. I have found it to be a lovely country, with helpful and talkative people. I started in Warsaw to meet up with an old friend Angelika. We met during my junior year abroad in Grenoble, France in 2000. Angelika is German and lives with her British husband Roderick in a very nice apartment at the North end of the city. Roderick also studied with is in Grenoble, where he and Angelika first met. I can't explain it, and I've never had friends I've known for 10+ years until now, in my 30's, but it's so neat to see old friends again!!

Angelika took me around to see different monuments, including the sidewalk markings of the Warsaw Ghetto, the place where the Jews were loaded into the trains going to the concentration camps, museums, the hall of justice, the old town and it's ramparts, among others. I was delighted and impressed by Angelika's knowledge and enthusiasm for her adopted city. Warsaw is in a positive, upswing position as a city, with cute colorful hisyiric buildings, a thriving live music and busking scene, and many building and the metro under renovation or new construction.

We had a copious meal of typical Polish foods (yummy pierogis!) and beer before it was time to leave for Krakow.
I took the train the 3 hour journey south, and found a very friendly youth hostel a few blocks from the station. The central square is gorgeous, and there are beautiful old buildings everywhere. I got a kebab, walked around in the sun, then joined a free walking tour of Krakow's former Jewish district, and also visited the Schindler's list factory site, which is now a museum about Krakow during WWII. I got to talking with a dairy farmer and his wife from Northern Ireland in the group. They said there are lots of Polish immigrants in Ireland who moved there seeking higher wages when the EU opened up the borders for working.
I visited Auschwitz and Birkenau yesterday, and the salt mine today. What impressive sights!