A Very Polish Birthday

Even though February is the absolute craziest month for my Masters program, I couldn't resist a birthday weekend road trip invitation to Krakow, Wiekiczka, Auschwitz and somewhere deep in the Polish countryside to pick up my friend's new puppy. With my raging travel addiction it's difficult to imagine a better present then exploring somewhere new - plus an adventure distracts from becoming another year older. I will say this for Poland: it must be the most affordable place to visit on the continent. It's a rare thing to travel anywhere in Europe and think 'oh wow, everything is so cheap'. As a student this was a welcome surprise.

The drive from Leipzig to Krakow takes around five hours and doesn't exactly traverse idyllic scenery. Once you cross the border the landscape grows increasingly industrial; some of the projects we passed looked like communist era space camps. What they were we had no idea, but architecturally they resembled Bond villain housing. What first struck me, besides mines, factories and Goldfinger's industrial layers, is that you don't need to pay $4 (*ahem* Switzerland) to use a public bathroom - something that drives me absolutely crazy in the west. I immediately decided Poland was downright civilized. Another thing that struck me? Forget about trying to pronounce Polish words. The language isn't big on vowels and features lots 20-plus letter combinations that include x, z, j, k and w. It also features seven different genders. I find German with its three genders difficult enough. Also beyond masculine, feminine and neutral (in between?), I'm not quite sure what other genders there can be?

Anyway, Krakow is a small but picturesque city on the banks of the river Vistula, complete with the requisite fairy tale castle – one that has its very own fire breathing dragon. It reminded me of a smaller, quieter Prague - it lacks something of its larger cousin's dynamism but makes up for this with better prices and is gorgeous nonetheless. The old city has the usual cathedral, churches, synagogues, narrow winding cobblestone streets and colourful rows of buildings. The main square is dominated by a centuries old cloth hall, which is now a market place brimming with tourist kitsch and amber from the region.

The month of February is COLD in Poland and there was no shortage of snow. But Krakow is one of those places that suits this weather. I know I already used the word 'fairy tale' but that's exactly how the city looks dusted in white. Besides how pretty everything was, what also struck me was the number of afternoon drunks on the streets. It seemed a little early, but they like their drink strong in these parts. They seem to be happy drunks for the most part - lots of singing and harmless cross eyed men attempting to street flirt.  I will say that the beer selection is fantastic. I am by no means a beer drinker – South Africa left me with an insatiable thirst for wine and not much else (sorry Vodka but it's over between us). However I now make exceptions for fruit beer, especially the Belgian cherry kriek. I know that sounds vile but I promise cherry beer tastes amazing. For me the most fun part of Krakow was searching the cobble stone alleyways for pubs and restaurants. Every time you think you've found a great spot, you realize there's somewhere even more enticing just down the street. Krakow, like Prague is full of tourist traps, being one of the few places in the world (I hope) where you can still find a Hard Rock Cafe. We wanted to try local fare and following a great recommendation from our hotel ended up being the only tourists in a really old, underground chamber with stone walls serving all things Polish. I LOVED the food, although forget about green vegetables - that is not on the menu in these parts. Instead of kale there is lots and lots...and lots of cabbage and potato. The pierogies, I must say, are to die for.

 

Auschwitz also lies in the Krakow region, some 70 kilometers outside the city. Despite partly  growing up in Germany, I have never been to any Nazi concentration camps and even though it doesn't exactly qualify as an upbeat birthday activity, it's an important memorial to see. I'm glad the sun was shining because had it been gray it might have been unbearable. It was so disturbing that I wavered between wanting to be sick and crying for most of our visit. Reading about the horrendous medical experiments on women and children, seeing the clothes of the exterminated prisoners, visiting the gas chambers and the crematorium where bodies were incinerated...it's impossible, and utterly sickening, to imagine the cruelty inflicted. Worse still it continues in modern times – the genocide in Rwanda was equally vile. I am not the most emotional of people; it takes a lot to make me teary eyed, but Auschwitz moved me beyond words. Even more twisted were the strange details the Nazis added to make this soul destroying place look more like a camp or resort. They were cherubs and kittens painted on the walls of one of the communal bathrooms, then of course the famous 'Arbeit Macht Frei' sign that hangs over the entrance. It was all too disturbing and I must say that for the time being I am avoiding second world war historic sites as I feel too overwhelmed.

 

We also visited the UNESCO Wiekiczka salt mine in the neighboring city of Wiekiczka. I was really excited to see the mine, both as a palate cleanser after Auschwitz and because I have known of it for years and heard about its chambers with wall frescoes carved from salt. Entrance fees were stupidly expensive but I somehow managed to pass myself off as a 26 year old...I know, it's a mystery – and so managed to get the student admission. My friends weren't so lucky and thus got nailed. The mine has operated since the 13^th century, so it was interesting to see the old caverns and demonstrations of antiquated salt mining practices. I can't imagine that kind of work taking place so deep underground with only candles for light. Along the way we passed many salt statues that were on the kitschy side, as well as underground chapels where the miners used to hold services for those who died in the line of work. The grand cavern was tremendous with its salt chandeliers, enormous back light wall carvings and statues. But all the salt in the air makes you very thirsty! I'm glad I saw the mine, though I would by no means say it was worth the ridiculous cost of admission. Thanks to the many subterranean souvenir shops I am now also the proud owner of a salt crystal lamp. I'm not sure I believe they infuse positive energy but I really like the colour they glow so why not?

At the end of the trip we headed into the Polish countryside to pick up my friend's puppy from a breeder....in the middle of a major snow storm the likes of which I have not seen in years. We had to cover some 200 kilometers along country roads so this was by no means ideal - especially without snow tires. Once we left the city the conditions were near white out and we joked that the only thing worse would be if the breeder was in the mountains. As we passed farms and little villages it soon became clear that this was actually the case. It was a struggle driving up the hills and with well over a foot of fresh snow we soon got stuck. This is one of the first times I can remember ever having to get out and push a car. The puppy was absolutely adorable, although following promises of car sturdiness she promptly threw up in the back seat. The weather made for one of the more anxious drives in recent memory even more so when it grew so windy that cars were being blown in between lanes. However we eventually made it home in one piece and I saw the now double sized puppy in Berlin a few weeks ago...ah how fast they grow up.