From Moscow to Krakow and Auschwitz

Another day another train. This one – the overnight train from Moscow to Warsaw, Poland passing through Belarus. Again, the unwelcome disruption of the border crossings at some ungodly hour. But we are used to them now. Wake up, groggily hand over passports, maybe exit cabin and let them search it. Then repeat it all again half an hour later as we enter the new country.

This sleeper carriage has a surprise for us – a nifty little washbasin under our table. It’s so much more preferable to wash your teeth in the comfort of your own cabin rather than in the urine drenched toilet.

And the dining car. Whilst really old and standing room only – provides a good meal and a great quenching beer.

Warsaw station and it’s time to pull out the Eurail passes and look for someone to actually validate them. First attempt – “no not here”. Second attempt – “no problem”! Time for a very quick coffee and bread roll then onto the next train. This one heading to Krakow. Fortunately, these European train stations are much more negotiable than their China and Russian counterparts.

Surprising Krakow. A tram-filled city with a well-preserved medieval core and accompanying castle. Invaded by the Nazis at the start of World War 2, it became the capital of Germanys General government. Whilst the city was spared destruction and major bombing its large Jewish population was extinguished.

This extinguishing mainly occurred at Auschwitz – the largest and most well-known of the Nazi concentration camps and the main reason for which we have decided to visit here.

It’s hard to put into words my feelings about our visit to Auschwitz. Our tour was split into two visitations. The first visitation was to Auschwitz 1. Consisting of block upon block of brick, mud-splattered barracks where prisoners were imprisoned, experimented upon, tortured, starved and gassed; our group along with many others were herded like cattle. It was hard to get an overall sense of the place, crammed as we were amongst so many other tour groups.

Auschwitz 2- Birkenau camp, ten minutes down the road and this is more like what I was actually expecting albeit on a much much larger scale. Surrounded by heavy-duty electric fences the camp, its remaining brick or wooden barracks, the remains of its gas chambers, its guard towers, its railway tracks – spread out before us in all directions. The size of the place along with the sombre, chilling words uttered by our tour guide really brings home the senseless evil that occurred here.

It’s a very quiet tour group that travels the seventy-odd minute journey back to Krakow from Auschwitz best summed up by one of the many pertinent signs – “Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it”.

The remainder of our two days stay in Krakow is spent exploring its Old Town (Stare Miasto), eating in medieval cellars, perusing the Old Towns main square (the largest medieval town square in Europe) and avoiding horse-drawn carriages. Each afternoon the sun will set at 350pm and by 415 it’s completely, shockingly dark.

Today we are onboard another train en-route to Budapest, Hungary.

Fun facts – Food is again cheap here (boy Australia is expensive) – wine, beers, mains, dessert $30-$40. Poland, unlike Russia and China, has yummy wine.