Category Archives: Poland

Paying Our Respects in Auschwitz, Poland

Posted on by
1
FullSizeRender

Oswiecim town square

Arriving in Oswiecim from Warsaw felt like stepping back to a simpler time. We walked from the train station to the center of town where we were greeted with kids playing in a large fountain, couples drinking beer on patios overlooking the square and families enjoying the nice evening with ice cream. Our surprisingly nice guesthouse, Pierrot, was perched right next to the town square, so naturally we joined in the festivities. We enjoyed the square as we ate dinner at Max Cafe known for its delicious pizza. Still unable to understand polish, we ended up ordering a pizza with corn as a topping.

Our real reason for being in Oswiecim was not to enjoy the town square, beautiful weather or summer nights but something much more somber; visit Auschwitz-Birkenau, Nazi concentration camps where more then 3 million Jews were killed by the Germans. Continue reading →

Tasting Local Food in Warsaw, Poland

Posted on by
2
IMG_9785

View of Castle Square and Old Town from lookout tower

After flying nonstop to every destination on our trip so far, having three flights from Kirkenes to Warsaw seemed to take an eternity! Eventually, we landed in Warsaw, picked up our bags, hopped on a bus, and made our way into the city. While on the Hurtigruten cruise, Sara setup an Airbnb account and found a nice place for us in Warsaw. To confirm the booking, Airbnb required a phone number (which we don’t have), but we used my dad’s phone to complete the account. Turns out, it wouldn’t work in the long run because they sent my dad several texts just for the single booking.

We arrived at the apartment and followed the directions to get in, but there was no key in the lockbox! We were stuck on the street with no way to get in and no phone to get ahold of our host. I tried ringing the bell hoping that someone would answer to no avail. Continue reading →