In February we went to Krakow and visited the sites of Auschwitz and Birkenau. The experience was distressing to say the least. The place was very busy but the organisation and guides were superb. I would have liked more time to wander unguided and was chided by my guide on a couple of occasions to keep up.
I’m not going to add to anything that hasn’t already been said but I would urge you to visit if you ever get the opportunity.
It was a bone chilling day and the low threatening cloud and windless frigid air accentuated the sombre experience.
The silence was menacing. Your mind created the cries of the prisoners, the shouts of the guards, the crack of a pistol, the roar of the furnaces and the desperate cries of the cold and hungry children.
These railway tracks carry more than the weight of trains and stolen lives, they also carry the weight of guilt of a generation.
As the day ended we trudged back through the mud to our buses with heavy hearts, numb fingers and tired feet for the long ride back to our warm hotels and wholesome meals. But the warmth of the fire and the twin comforts of a full belly and a few beers seemed wrong somehow.
