Proszę Przeczytać (“please read”):
Hello, everyone! Here’s an update on my Polish adventures.
First, to serious matters: Oświęcim, a town which the Nazis called Auschwitz. I do not have many words to describe my visit to this place, and the handful of facts and images I could offer are not appropriate for this blog. All I can say is that, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Auschwitz – or any concentration camp – go.
On a less somber note, I saw an original Da Vinci painting. Krakow’s Czartoryski Museum possesses Da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” (I’m still not sure what an ermine is; it looks kind of like a ferret). Visiting the Czartoryski Museum was an adventure in itself. I decided not to buy the English audio tour because I figured that the exhibits would have signs in English as well as in Polish (such was the case at the other museums I’d visited). However, once I started exploring the museum, I realized that the exhibit signs were not in English – they were in Polish…and French! Five years of French is starting to pay off! The museum also has a great collection of ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art – I spent forty-five minutes in one room alone!
I have also visited a ton of Pope John Paul II sites, many of which I have stumbled upon by accident. On our way home from watching the final U.S. presidential debate at a local English bookstore, my roommate and I stumbled upon a concert for JP II. We’ve since concluded that it must have been for the anniversary of when he became pope. It was held outside of the place where he used to stay whenever he visited Poland and where there is now his picture in one of the building’s windows – the window from which he used to talk with people on the street – about ANYTHING – for hours. I’ve also seen the room where he lived before he became pope, some dirt from his grave, and the church were he said his first Mass. I’ve even sat in a pew where he once prayed!
Other sites I’ve visited include Nowa Huta, an entire Krakow suburb built in Stalinist architecture to house steel workers during the 1950’s (the company who lead us on our Nowa Huta tour is called “Crazy Guides”…I’ll just leave it at that), and the Wieliczka Salt Mine (no, everything is not white on the inside like I thought it would be; it’s grey, but if you lick the walls, they do taste like salt – I do NOT know that from first-hand experience, however). I’ve also been to a concert at Krakow’s Philharmonic Hall and eaten at a restaurant that claims to serve the best pierogi in the world. The pierogi were amazing, but one of my roommates saw another restaurant that claims to serve the best pierogi in the world, so I’m not sure about the validity of these best pierogi claims.
If you can’t tell, I’m having a blast! I’ll leave you with some photos:
Hello, everyone! Here’s an update on my Polish adventures.
First, to serious matters: Oświęcim, a town which the Nazis called Auschwitz. I do not have many words to describe my visit to this place, and the handful of facts and images I could offer are not appropriate for this blog. All I can say is that, if you ever have the opportunity to visit Auschwitz – or any concentration camp – go.
On a less somber note, I saw an original Da Vinci painting. Krakow’s Czartoryski Museum possesses Da Vinci’s “Lady with an Ermine” (I’m still not sure what an ermine is; it looks kind of like a ferret). Visiting the Czartoryski Museum was an adventure in itself. I decided not to buy the English audio tour because I figured that the exhibits would have signs in English as well as in Polish (such was the case at the other museums I’d visited). However, once I started exploring the museum, I realized that the exhibit signs were not in English – they were in Polish…and French! Five years of French is starting to pay off! The museum also has a great collection of ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian art – I spent forty-five minutes in one room alone!
I have also visited a ton of Pope John Paul II sites, many of which I have stumbled upon by accident. On our way home from watching the final U.S. presidential debate at a local English bookstore, my roommate and I stumbled upon a concert for JP II. We’ve since concluded that it must have been for the anniversary of when he became pope. It was held outside of the place where he used to stay whenever he visited Poland and where there is now his picture in one of the building’s windows – the window from which he used to talk with people on the street – about ANYTHING – for hours. I’ve also seen the room where he lived before he became pope, some dirt from his grave, and the church were he said his first Mass. I’ve even sat in a pew where he once prayed!
Other sites I’ve visited include Nowa Huta, an entire Krakow suburb built in Stalinist architecture to house steel workers during the 1950’s (the company who lead us on our Nowa Huta tour is called “Crazy Guides”…I’ll just leave it at that), and the Wieliczka Salt Mine (no, everything is not white on the inside like I thought it would be; it’s grey, but if you lick the walls, they do taste like salt – I do NOT know that from first-hand experience, however). I’ve also been to a concert at Krakow’s Philharmonic Hall and eaten at a restaurant that claims to serve the best pierogi in the world. The pierogi were amazing, but one of my roommates saw another restaurant that claims to serve the best pierogi in the world, so I’m not sure about the validity of these best pierogi claims.
If you can’t tell, I’m having a blast! I’ll leave you with some photos:
"Work Brings Freedom" -- Entrance to Auschwitz
Room where Karol Wojtyła (later Pope John Paul II) lived, 1951-1958
The Janowice Chamber, Wieliczka Salt Mine -- these statues are made of rock salt!
Roadside Art Vendor, Krakow
View out my window -- apartment building/fishing equipment store
Café
autor: Emily | 14:53
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