Poland, Pierogi, and Pubs
- giannamorrissey
- Mar 25, 2019
- 2 min read
Hello friends! I know it has been a hot minute since my last post, but I am back! I have been busy traveling, therefore,
much needed content will be coming! Thank you for waiting ever so patiently.
When my friend Rachel asked me to join her trip to visit her cousins in Krakow, how could I say no? When else would I go to Poland with a friend who speaks Polish and has family willing to host? Although it was a shorter trip, only two days, it was a memorable one.
Rachel, Kristen, and I were greeted with a warm Polish welcome. Rachel’s cousins, Ola and Rafał, picked us up from the airport, took us to lunch, and guided us around Old Krakow. I ate my first burger in weeks (I know not the most Polish meal), captured the golden hour at St. Mary’s Basilica, and caught a beautiful sunset from the Wawel Castle. We ended the night bar hopping on Floriańska street.
On Sunday, we woke up bright and early with a heavy day ahead of us. Rachel, Kristen, and I registered for an Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine Tour. We began the cloudy morning at Auschwitz. We walked through the prisoner blocks which have been partially renovated to house museum exhibits. From thousands of shoes to one ton of human hair, we saw what we studied in school. We also toured torture cells, the on-camp prison, and lastly the gas chambers. The tour was eye-opening and disturbing. After two hours in Auschwitz, we drove ten minutes to Birkenau. Birkenau was opened in 1941 as an extension of Auschwitz. Birkenau, or Auschwitz II, is much larger and spread out. Together, the two extermination camps killed over 1.1 million Jews, Poles, Gypsies, Soviet Prisoners of War, and Homosexuals.
We ended the day on a lighter note at the Wieliczka Salt Mines. Led by an enthusiastic guide, we descended 327 meters and explored the mines which excavated table salt from the 13th Century to 2007. Now a historic monument, the mines house four chapels, an underground lake, and exhibits about its history and mining technology. The mines have over 287 kilometers of underground passageways and plenty of space to lick the walls! Yes, the whole mine is “edible”.
Thousands of steps and a few licks later, we reconnected with Ola and Rafał for dozens of pierogis. We left Poland with full bellies and salty tongues.
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