Visting Uncle Stalin in Poland

We did not know what to expect entering Poland and soon discovered we knew nothing of the language, people or history.

Warsaw turned out to be the perfect place to change all that. After a very wet first evening and some tasty local dumplings, we signed up for a tour of the city the next day, with a twist. Bright and early we jumped into a bright yellow ex-Soviet police car decked out with leopard skin fluffy seat covers and a young suave local guide who was keen to show us the local sights of the city. It was awesome. We spent the day driving around seeing hidden galleries in unknown courtyards, bullet ridden buildings, a local black market (a place you can buy anything and they mean anything!), an old vodka factory, a Jewish ghetto and a lunch at a local 'milk bar' (not the kind you get a milkshake from) leftover from the communist era. The afternoon/evening was spent at a very fun science museum where we all acted like big kids for a few hours.

Bullet strewn wall

Our cool guide for the day

Being big kids in the science museum - who is stronger?

The next morning was spent at the very detailed and educational Warsaw Uprising Museum, where we learnt and were greatly impressed by how the locals rallied against the Nazi's at the end of WWII.

By the end of the day we had journeyed down to Krakow and with some welcome sunshine we relaxed in the big local plaza with a few drinks, followed by a few more back at the hostel. 

Chilling out with some cold beverages

The following day was a journey out to Auschwitz Concentration Camp. We saw Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau camps. It is an incredibly startling and confronting experience. When you walk through the bare shell of these camps you are filled with an indescribable feeling; words cannot capture the mix of emotions; sadness, sympathy, remorse, terror and anger. It is a stark image of the cruelty humans are capable of. 

The train tracks leading into Auschwitz-Birkenau

Behind the fence

This journey opened our eyes to the tumultuous history of Poland. It is a survivor, and an extraordinary country.

Scotty, Sara and David