poland.

in october we got to cross off something our list that was really important to me. auschwitz. what an incredible experience... the feeling you get when you walk through those gates is one i won't soon forget. it was a cold, windy day but i was humbled and really felt that i had nothing to complain about. something that isn't pictured but has really stuck with me was a rooming the basement of block 11. standing prison cells that were 31 cm square. the ss soldiers would keep prisoners in there all night (four per cell) tormenting them all night, then sending them back to work all day; just to do it again the next night.

visiting auschwitz gave me a whole new appreciation of when and where i grew up. being able to worship how and what i please.

the gas chamber...

when the ss found out that soldiers were coming they starting burning buildings.

this is a bathroom... there would be about one thousand women in here, the guards would just push them through the building like cattle and the women would just have to try and do their business in a sink, while getting pushed.

after visiting the camps, we visited the wieliczka salt mines. complete with two chapels and some really impressive sculptures made out of salt, people, salt.

old town krakow.

we had a day in warsaw and it was just as charming as expected.

we visited the uprising museum in warsaw. i knew very little about 'popular' poland was during the war. it was very eye opening.