Auschwitz

Auschwitz

For our second day in Poland we decided it was important for us to go Auschwitz.  I don’t want to say I was excited for this, because it is not something to be excited about, but I was really looking forward to seeing it.  Pulling into the camp, or Auschwitz I, you really don’t get a sense of how many terrible things took place there.  It seemed like a neighborhood with tons of brick buildings.  However, as soon as you seem the infamous “Arbeit macht frei” sign you begin to be overwhelmed with the terrible images of what took place at this camp.

Our first tour took us through the camp known as Auschwitz I.  Here they held prisoners and had a crematorium where they burned the Jews after gassing them.  The mood and feeling in the camp is unreal.  It seems as though the air is stagnant and it is hauntingly quiet.  While on the tour of this camp, which took a little over an hour, we were brought to several exhibitions in the buildings.  In each of the different buildings they showed us the massive stacks of shoes, suitcases, and/or hair all from the prisoners at the camp.  I have seen images in books of the collections the Nazis took from the Jews, but to see it in person instills a completely different emotion.  It was hard not to feel saddened and upset at the idea that these Nazi’s could be so cruel to another human being. 

 As we were toured through several of the buildings, the hallways were covered in the pictures of the jews that had been held as prisoners at the camp.  These images displayed when they had arrived as well as when they had died at the camp.  I have  never been so overwhelmed with so much death and such a terrible feeling in my stomach.  They showed us rooms where Jews were punished, including a room where 40 jewish prisoners would be placed in it with no windows for an extended period of time, and many of them would die from suffocation.  From there they brought us shooting wall where several prisoners were shot dead, the youngest being killed there only a small child.  The final stop on our tour of the first camps were was the cremetorium.  As we entered I immediately got a gutwrenching pit in my stomach and felt like my stomach had been tied in knots.  Its a feeling I can't explain to someone,  you just have to go there to experience it.  Absolutely horrible.

After Auschwitz I we were taken to the second camp known as Auschwitz II-Birkenau, or the main extermination camp in Poland.  Pulling in to the parking lot you were blindsided by the image you see in books, an entrance with railroad tracks.  This is what really got to me at Auschwitz.  It put a feeling in my body that I can’t explain but to this day will never forget how eerie and haunted I felt pulling into the camp and walking through the gates.  A part of me felt as though I was becoming a prisoner, which is nothing to what they actually felt. 

You look throughout the camp and all you see are rows and rows of buildings.  Just to think that these building were overpopulated with prisoners, and many of them never made it out alive.  They showed us inside the barricks, and the bunk beds in which 12 people would commonly sleep.  How they made it work as beyond me, I am still amazed that these people were able to withstand so much torture. 

Moving further along in the camp, we came to a train car,which had been used to transport the prisoners to the camp.  They packed so many people in these small little train cars that many died enroute to the camp because of unsanitary conditions, as well as suffocation. 
Finally the tour moved to the gas chambers and cremetorium.  There is only remains of these now because the Nazi's upon fleeing the camp blew up the buildings so no one would know what was going on.  It was devasting to see how massive these buildings were.  The Nazi's had planned out everything and even made sure they took precautionary measures they wouldn't get caught.  That to me is enough to make me want to throw up.  They obviously knew it was wrong and continuously went through with this massacre. 

In between the two cremetoriums is a monument dedicated to those who went through this horrendous event.  It was very moving to sit there and just reflect on what we had witnessed through the day. 

Although the tour was definitely worth it, I was a little upset by the amount of time we were given at this camp.  It felt extremely rushed, and I think that it is important for people to take their time in a place that is so filled with history and horrific events as a way to remember what happened and offer respect to those that came here and paid the ultimate price for something they couldn’t control.  The rest of our trip here in Poland was one in which we reflected on what we saw and took the rest of the trip easy.

One week break...Krakow, Poland

Krakow, Poland

And so the day has arrived...it was time to leave for our one week break!  Yahoo!  Sarah, Bethany and I were all packed and set to explore.  Our first night we spent in Edinburgh, Scotland at a very nice hotel.  Let me tell you, it was definately nice to sleep on a large bed that was super comfortable, way better than the beds we have at the castle.  Even better, we got a free breakfast that was super delicious with our stay the next morning.  Although it was an early rise for us, we got to the airport with no problems.  As we were waiting in line I started to get a bit nervous.  I'll be honest, I am definately not a fan of flying.  Soon we were checked in and went to our gate.  It was packed so we had to sit on the floor until the gates opened.  Finally our flight was called and it was time to board the plane.  Nerves and excitement began to overwhelm me and continued until we took off. 

The flight seemed very short and in no time we were landing into Krakow!  How exciting, my first time out of England into Europe!  I just wanted to run off that plane and start exploring.  I wish it would have been that easy, but we forgot one major thing.  They spoke Polish, and we knew none! 

After getting our luggage we came to the main gates where we went to an information counter and got a map and talked to a lady who spoke broken English.  Thank goodness, otherwise I fear we may not have known what to do.  She informed us that taxi's would be waiting outside of the airport and all we had to do was go out there and get one.  We took her recommendation and stepped out to catch a cab.  Our cab driver was a man in his mid fifties and spoke very little English as well.  I was happy that I had printed out the information for our hostel so I could tell him the name (not well) as well as point to it.  The cab drive seemed like it took forever, and soon we pulled up to our hostel, and he drove away.  We pushed the button to be allowed in the gate, there was no response.  Tried it again...no response.  Uh oh!  What if we booked a fake hostel began to run through my mind.  Once again I was thankful I printed out information about the hostel so we had a phone number to call.  Figuring out how to call was another task, but finally we succeeded.  The hostel manager answered and told us that she wasn't expecting us till 2pm and that she wouldn't be able to get there till then, it was only 12, so we had two hours to kill.  We decided it was a good idea to go get some cash and try to find something to eat.  We walked to this corner diner and decided it looked like the best deal.  It was Pork or Chicken with a salad, kraut, mashed potatoes, and soup for 10.99 zloty (which is super cheap in USD/Zloty=2.87)  Even better than the cheap factor, they offered student discounts and the food was AMAZING!  We sat there till 2pm and walked to our hostel. 



I thought this was a funny sign
that we found as we walked around

Our hostel was called the Apart Hostel and it was the perfect hostel.  The hostel manager was so friendly and helpful, and the facility was even better.  Clean, safe, and reliable.  The hostel manager even helped us get tickets for Auschwitz as well as arranged a van to come get us and bring us back.  After we got settled in, we decided that we had to go out and see what Krakow had to offer.  We walked down to the Main Market Square.

The Main Market Square is the most important market square in the Old Town portion of Krakow.  This part of town is surrounded by many historical landmarks and places.  In the center is a building known as the Cloth Hall which had to be rebuilt in Renassiance style because of the invasions in 1241. 

On the other side of the Cloth hall there is the Town Hall Tower, which is the only remaining part left of the Old Town Hall.  This town hall was built in a gothic style, including the entrance which is still the original portal, while the helmet was repaired in Baroque style after the previous had been ruined by a fire from a lightening strike.  On either side of the entrance to the tower are two 19th century lions, which I fell in love with.  I am a bit of a cat fanatic, as you will begin to see in my pictures from the rest of the travels on the trips.

Behind the Town Hall Tower stands the Church of St. Adalbert, which is known as one of the odlest stone churches that is left in Poland conscecrated as a church as early as 997.  The history of this small church has roots in the polish Romanesque architecture from the middle ages.  This Romanesque church had to be paritially reconstructed into the baroque style in the 17th century.  Interestingly enough, the romanesque past of this old church wasn't uncovered until restoration of the church in the 19th century took place.

Behind the Cloth Hall is the gothic church known as St. Mary's Basilica.  This church was rebuilt inthe 14th century.  Although we never went into the church, the view from the outside was breakthtaking, well from what I could see through the waves of pigeons that were flying around.  It was absolutely crazy!  Another highlight from this area, was the fake sculpture guy that stood outside the building.  I give him props for doing it, it was cold and rainy, definately not a good day to be standing around not moving!  



Gothic Wawel Castle



St. Peter and Paul Church

After walking around and seeing the sites of Krakow we were pretty tired and decided it would be a good idea for us to find a grocery store and pick up some food and go home.  Let me tell you the grocery store was definately an experience.  We had no idea what anything was, so did the best we could and found chicken and some pasta.  It ended up being very delicious and we were proud of ourselves for figuring out the different kinds of foods they had.  After dinner we called it a night, we had a long day ahead of us in the morning.  We had a feeling Auschwitz was going to take a lot out of us.

Hulne Priory and Alnwick Abbey

Hulne Priory and Alnwick Abbey

As another mini field trip for Christine's History 135 class we went to Hulne Priory and Alnwick Abbey.  To get here we took a short drive to the outskirts of Alnwick. We arrived to a walled in area known as Hulne Park, and upon opening of the gate, it took my breath away.  It was so beautiful with all the ruins.

Hulne Priory was a monastery which was established in the 13th century by monks.  In the 15th century a tower known as a pele tower was added to protect the monks from the Scots.  Pele towers, or fortified keeps were created to act as a watch tower to warn those of upcoming danger and are predominately seen along the English and Scottish borders. 

Today the Hulne Priory and pele tower are used as a hunting lodge for the Duke of Northumberland and small groups.  The building was remodeled in the Robert Adams style.  Robert Adams style is known for being very symmetrical and has been known to have "stucco" decoration and have a movement in architecture.  Currently in the hunting lodge there are animals that cover the walls that have been killed and mounted by the past and present Duke(s).  I have to be honest I was a little disturbed by all the animals that were throughout the rooms. 

From the now modernized hunting lodge we went to the ruins of the former Alnwick Abbey.  This Abbey housed around 30 canons until it was dissolved by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries when spiritual vandalism took place. 



An angel sculpture that was broken during
the dissolution of the monasteries in the rule of
Henry VIII

What remains now are the ruins of the building and they are extremely breathtaking.  Christine toured us around this area, and even made sure to point out the piscinas that were still intact--which are little water receptacles that were used to clean communion glasses.  



A piscina

Christine even made sure to read us a poem at one point as we all stood around the ruins.  It was a great poem and completely set the mood.  We all stood in silence and took in the beautiful remains around us.  It was then that our tour of Hulne Park came to an end.  As we were walking toward the door I took a glance behind me and realized how peaceful and beautiful Hulne Park was.  Although I was very cold it was definitely a great place to go and have a moment to reflect on yourself.  As I came through the door of the park I was once again reminded of how beautiful Alnwick is and how lucky I am to be here.

The view of the landscape as I walked
out the door of Hulne Park...beautiful and peaceful

Holy Island

Holy Island

The field trip started like all the others, an early rise to make sure we got a chance to view the coast, as well as to make sure we got to Holy Island in time to see as much as we could in the little time frame available.  When we arrived at the coast by Bamburgh Castle, many of the students couldn’t wait to get off the bus.  For some reason or another, the journey to the coast was rather bumpy one and caused a lot of the students to have motion sickness.  Luckily for me, I was not one of them! 

Here at the coast we were given fifteen minutes to get out and view the ocean as well as document our travels.  It was nice to get out and walk around the shoreline, which I quickly realized how thankful I was that my mom had sent me wellies, aka rain boots, as they came in quite handy.

 



Me on the coast with Bamburgh Castle behind me

Our fifteen minutes at the coast went pretty quick, and then we were off to Holy Island.  Holy Island is a small island which is known as a tidal island, meaning that only during certain times the tide allows for there to be a path to get to it.  This makes it very important that those who plan to travel check the time tables to make sure they have enough time to safely make it across and back in time.  And although this is just a small island, its history is jam-packed and it has lots of sights to see! 



what happens during tide on Holy Island
This is why it is importantto pay attention to the tide tables
(image from lakedistrictnow.net)

When we arrived on the island we were brought to the museum of Holy Island where we learned a bit more history of the island and the Lindisfarne Priory.  Lindisfarne, we learned, thanks to Christine, was founded in 635 by Aidan who was an Irish monk who was sent to establish a base for Christians in early Anglo-Saxon England.  Here monks began to settle and establish a monastery, although simple in its form, it was here where they produced great works of art, such as the Lindisfarne Gospels.  The Lindisfarne Gospels are illuminated manuscripts which illustrate the first four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.  The impressiveness and uniqueness of these Gospels lie in its style, incorporating Anglo Saxon and Celtic themes to produce a new type of religious art all its own.



The Lindisfarne Gospels
(image from guardian.co.uk)

Although the Gospels were not here at Holy Island anymore, I was really excited to see the remains of the priory in which it was produced.  Our group went outside and walked up to the ruins of the priory.  Even in its ruined state, the priory is something amazing.  The architecture that remains of the building was breathtaking.  It made me wonder how impressive this building would be if it was still in perfect condition.

 

From the priory we moved on next to the parish church of St. Mary the Virgin.  The church is still used today, so we were only there for a few minutes to make sure we didn’t bother anyone who wanted to come and use it.  The interior was dark, yet still very beautiful and contained a very interesting sculpture as well. 

 From there we traveled to the coastline where I and other students walked along the coast to find remains of old pottery.  I was able to find some very interesting pieces of ceramic, as well as a handle to what would belong to a teacup of some sorts.

After spending quite a bit of time near the coast, I was starting to get chilly from the wind that was whipping off the sea so I decided I better go check out the Lindisfarne Castle while we still had some time.  Lindisfarne Castle was built in the mid sixteenth century during which Henry the VIII was at war with Scotland for the purpose of defending the islands harbor.  The first thing I noticed as I walked up to the castle was that it was rather small, especially after seeing Bamburgh Castle earlier in the day, and living in Alnwick Castle.  I was a bit let down that the castle was closed; I would have liked to have had a tour.  Even though there was no tour, the view from the door at the castle was breathtaking and worth the journey to the castle.

After the castle we decided we would try to find a place that had coffee or tea to warm us up.  However on our walk back we were greeted by a man who told us the tide was coming early and we had to leave within the next twenty minutes or we’d be stuck on the island. With that we quickly rushed back to the bus stop and waited for the rest of the group to arrive.  Once we were all on the bus, we quickly began our departure back inland.  I have to be honest; I was quite worried as we drove down the road that leads you inland as the water began to swell around the bus.  I didn’t think we were going to make it; the road seemed to be never ending!  Soon enough we made it inland and we were safe!  Thank goodness! 

All in all I have to say this trip was definately worthwhile and I had a lot of fun, except for the thought of possibly getting stuck on the island!  It made me think and wonder how people who live on the island get around and do things.  A part of me would like to stay there during the tide and see what it is like.  Perhaps another day!  Overall I learned a great deal about this island, the Lindisfarne Gospels and the castle itself.