This was my second visit to Auschwitz, and somehow I thought that it would make this visit less…read moreheavy. I was wrong. The tour guides get extensive training and testing, and are super knowledgeable about the history of this place and the holocaust. Our guide gave clear instructions, telling us the areas where we couldn't take photos, areas we could not go, etc. They gave so much information that a lot of the world just doesn't know, but should know. On this tour, we started out at Auschwitz. We saw the rooms that prisoners were kept in, the offices of the SS officers, the gas chambers, and the ovens that were used to burn the bodies (we saw the ones at Auschwitz, although there are some at Birkenau, too). The tour guide explained the procedures they followed. The blatant disregard for human life is chilling. We saw the places where cruel punishments occurred, as well as the place that prisoners were lined up and shot. There are rooms that have a glass wall and behind them are piles of shoes, suitcases, and eyeglasses, and medical devices like crutches of some of the people who were murdered at Auschwitz. To hear about the ways they tortured and abused people and how there was such a disregard for human life is emotionally overwhelming. We took a short break, then drove the short distance to Birkenau. The train tracks for the trains that brought prisoners go right into this concentration camp. This is the place you often see in movies. Very long buildings that were originally meant to house horses had three levels of bunks, some about a yard wide. Each of those bunks slept four to seven people, sometimes even more. The only cushion was hay, which was often caked with diarrhea and vomit, as the prisoners were constantly sick from eating soup made with rotten vegetables, working 16 hour days in freezing temperatures, malnourishment, and filthy conditions with rats who often gnawed on sleeping or sick prisoners. On this visit, I noticed the tour was shorter than our last visit. The last time we were here, we toured the place where Joseph Mengele did his experiments on prisoners. We also saw the room filled with hair shaven from the heads of prisoners' corpses after they were gassed (those chosen to work had their heads shaven while they were alive). The hair was used to make socks, ropes, and other items. We did not go through that room on this visit. The grounds of Auschwitz can be treacherous with the dirt around the cobblestones worn away. We were warned at the beginning to watch our step, which was excellent advice. Of course, the interiors of the buildings were fine. We were advised to bring our passports, and they were checked, so make sure you have yours. Also, be aware that Auschwitz is not in Krakow. The drive to get there is slightly over an hour. Make sure to reserve your spot on a tour, as slots fill up fast. This is a museum that anyone who comes to Poland MUST visit. It will not make for a cheerful day, but it will stir you in a way that is uncomfortable, but necessary to assure that what happened is never forgotten.

No amount of reading can prepare you for standing inside the very buildings where this history…read moreunfolded. Auschwitz is one of those places every person should experience--not because it's easy, but because it's necessary. One of the most haunting buildings is Block 10, where medicine was transformed into a weapon. It became the center for medical experiments on prisoners, particularly women, who were selected not because they were ill, but because Nazi doctors viewed them as expendable. Many endured forced sterilization experiments as part of the Nazi obsession with racial purity. Physicians tested methods they believed could sterilize millions of people quickly and cheaply, inflicting unimaginable pain and suffering in the name of pseudoscience. Just steps away stands Block 11, known throughout the camp as the "Death Block." This prison within the prison was reserved for those accused of resistance, attempting escape, helping fellow prisoners, or violating camp rules. Beneath the building are the infamous standing cells--tiny chambers, roughly one square meter in size, where four prisoners were forced to stand together through the night with almost no air. Other cells were kept in complete darkness, while the starvation cells slowly claimed lives by denying prisoners food and water. Between these stands the Black Wall, reconstructed after the original was dismantled by the retreating Germans. This quiet courtyard became one of Auschwitz's primary execution sites. Thousands of prisoners were led here, ordered to face the wall, and executed with a gunshot to the back of the head. The wall itself was covered with black insulating material to absorb bullets and reduce ricochets. Nearby stands the reconstructed gas chamber and crematorium, among the first facilities at Auschwitz used for systematic mass murder. About the actual tour: stay close to your guide, the headphones don't pick up too well. Drink a LOT of water. The tour felt super rushed so it's hard to be able to stop and read what's going on. And the next tour group will be pushing into your tour group (literally standing on top of you to move). I wish there was a museum that you were able to browse through to absorb everything. And I hate we barely got to talk about the medical aspect and didn't go into the buildings involved in this.

The equestrian statues always impress me the most. They just look more regal in my eyes. This one…read morecommemorates the 500th anniversary of the 1410 Battle of Grunwald. Unfortunately, the original statue of 1910 was destroyed during the invasion of Poland. There are still pieces of the original statue in the Museum of Kraków. I saw what appeared to be the a head from the statue at the Oskar Schindler museum, although I'm not sure if it's replicated or the original. It's placed in the perfect place. It's just outside the Barbican near the start of the Royal Route that leads to the castle. It's certainly difficult to miss seeing it when walking towards the Academy of Fine Arts. It's right there on Matejko Square. There is a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in front of it. It's a place of victory and remembrance. This is also where you can get a beautiful picture of the Barbican towers. It was a memorable visit.

Because there are so many beautiful monuments in this neighborhood, you might actually miss it…read moreamongst the city life. Don't let it fall into your background. Appreciate it!

Hmm... Yelp has a separate listing for the Castle and the Cathedral. The Cathedral is on the castle…read moregrounds; you can't get there without going into the castle area. So... basically just do it all. The castle grounds are within solid brick walls. The main building is heavily art work and tapestries. The cathedral has some really creative tombs. I'll attach pictures - better than words. There's also a small cave that you can go through and see a dragon statue that breathes fire periodically. The cathedral and the cave cost a small amount. We got an English speaking tour guide for the castle which really helped us understand the history. Poland's been through some tough times and came out successful.

There's no way that you can stay in Kraków and not see Wawel Castle. It's the heart and soul of the…read morecity. A national treasure! The castle grounds, cathedral, and royal residences are all very impressive. You can spend as much time as you want up there taking in the views of the city and the castle complex. There's no admission fee to walk around the castle grounds. It's a small fee to enter the cathedral to see the exhibits, royal tombs, and the bell tower. There are separate fees to enter the residences and the museum. I didn't see any combo tickets offered to see everything. However, I believe you can purchase them online if you know exactly what you want to see on the day of your visit. We just bought our tickets at the cathedral ticketing office. There wasn't much of a wait in the afternoon on a weekday. We actually visited twice during our stay since our hotel was nearby. The first time was during a walking tour of Old Town. We decided to go back a 2nd time on our own to see the cathedral & gardens. It was a beautiful sunny day.