Auschwitz, Poland

ARBEIT MACHT FREI "Work sets you free" is the sign you cross under when you enter Auschwitz death camp. It was a cruel joke by the Nazis as no one went free from here.
The original electric fence surrounding the camp.

I did a day tour from Krakow to Auschwitz and nearby Birkenau, the largest concentration camp ever created. 1.1 Million people, mostly Jews, were murdered here between 1942 and 1945. I was told that this tour was a "must see" when visiting Krakow. I had visited the killing fields of Cambodia before, so I was hesitant to go. I wish I hadn't gone, and this will be my last visit to such a place. I stopped taking pictures in the first 5 minutes. Auschwitz is such a horrifying place, that I was physically drained and ill afterwards. I went back to my hostel and slept 12 hours. I agree that it is crucially important that people remember what happened here, in order to make sure it doesn't happen again. (Though it has; in Cambodia in 1975, in Bosnia in 1995, in Rwanda in 1994, in Darfur in 2003.) But I know history very well, and I don't wish to visit these places anymore.

Krakow, Poland

Some fitting grafitti on a cool wall mural in Kazmierz, Krakow
This is the square in the former Jewish Ghetto of Krakow where the Nazis lined up the last remaining Jews and murdered them all in 1944 before their retreat. After killing them and removing the bodies, they searched all their houses and threw all the chairs out the windows into the square. The Jews were known to hide money and jewels inside furniture, so the Nazis smashed all the chairs into the square to see what they could find.
I did two fantastic walking tours with http://freewalkingtour.com/ I strongly recommend doing their tours. You just enjoy and then tip as you see fit at the end. Great tour guides. I did both the Kazmierz tour and the Old Town Krakow tour.
A look down to the Rynek Glowny
They do have some funny cars in Eastern Europe.
The bridge of love. You carve your loves name on the lock and lock it to the bridge.
A guy dressed as a beer with a sign that reads "Free Beer!" I think I like this town.
St. Mary's church in the Rynek Glowny.


A view of the central square, the largest in Europe.

Krakow is one of my very favorite cities in the world thus far. Beautiful 17th century architecture, clean, parks to run in, cheap, and great bars.
I had a great time staying at Greg and Tom's Junior Hostel. A bed was about $18, and with it came FREE DINNER every night. Amazing. Not only that, but in conjunction with Krakow City Tours, they had a nightly pub crawl, which for a grand total of $9 (30 zloty), you were led to a pub and served 4 or 5 shots of different Polish vodkas, then walked to a bar where you got pretty much all the beer you could drink, then staggered over to a club where your entry was paid. I went three different nights. Krakow provides more fun per dollar than any city in Europe Ive visited.

Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw is a modern, attractive city of 1.7 million. It has a very pleasant, and not obviously fake old town. You see, Warsaw was completely obliterated by the Nazis in 1944 after the Warsaw uprising. Hardly a single building was left standing. It was the most destroyed city in all of Europe. So in the 1950's the Poles decided to rebuild the old town center exactly as it had looked pre-WWII. They did a wonderful job, and it looks great.
Market Square
The Barbican
cobblestone back streets
leaving from the trainstation with the Palace of Science and Culture visible in the distance.
Market Square

I only had a day and a half in Warsaw. I enjoyed the old town, and staying at OkiDoki Hostel, which was a fantastic hostel with a bar serving one dollar beers onsite! Met some guys from Canada, and had a blast wandering around Warsaw.