Saturday June 17th

I slept pretty well last night considering our window looks out to the clubbing street! Woke up around 7ish when other people in the room were getting up and then got out of bed at 9. We had free breakfast at our hostel which was cereal with warm milk (yuck), assortment of meats and cheeses, and toast. We went out to explore a bit before our Auschwitz tour and tried the Czech dessert (in Poland?) of honey cake. Sooooo good! It was so nice to see the sun again and soak up some vitamin d (and get a littol color!)

Our bus picked us up and we were off on our 1.5 hour bus ride to Auschwitz! Pretty sure the bus was made for midgets because my legs couldn't...one of the many times I wish I was just a bittt shorter.

We arrived at Auschwitz and began our tour. I was interested to see how this would compare to Dachau and it was totally different. The building were multiple stories and all of brick. It was more of a museum than showing the camp. So incredibly disturbing. I think what really hit me was 230,000 children arrived at Auschwitz and only 650 remained when the camp was liberated. Thousands of lives cut short. There were rooms and I mean rooms full of human hair that the Nazis saved to send to factories, shoes, suitcases, combs, cosmetics and pots and pans. It was so devastating and frustrating to see.

We then got on our bus and headed to Birkenau, the largest camp of Auschwitz that was made by prisoners for 90,000 prisoners. The camp was huge, probably the size of 5 by 10 football fields. It was terrifying to see the train tracks go through the camp and end at the gas chambers. The gas chambers and crematoriums were blown up by the Nazis towards the end of the war and the ruins were creepy to see. It was probably over 80 degrees all day and we were extremely exhausted but there's no way we could complain because these prisoners worked in this heat for months on end and with no food for energy. The barracks were especially difficult to see. Since they were made of brick, the heat radiated inside and having to sleep 10 people to a bunk would be completely unbearable. I'm thankful to see these concentration camps, the images and stories will always be on my mind and remind me that this is still happening today which makes me sick.

We got back to Krakow and had dinner at a traditional Polish place where I had, yet again, pierogies. We also tried the Polish vodka...not so good but very strong! After we went to this chocolate store and had the best desserts of chocolate ice cream and drizzles. We found a pub to watch the Poland vs Czech soccer game, we were told to be careful rooting for our home country since Poland takes their soccer very seriously! Luckily they tied 1-1. I think they did, I was so tired I kept drifting off while watching.

Tomorrow at 9am we have to be moved out of our room and off to the salt mines outside of Krakow! They're apparently beautiful!

Our train back to Prague leaves at 10 pm so we have some sites to see after our tour.

Krakow is more beautiful every day though I have to say, I'm missing Prague and am happy to be staying in town next weekend. Traveling is so stressful and exhausting!

Love y'all!

Sbohem,
Whit