AUSCHWITZ CAMP I
Cyclone B. cannisters
List of Inmates
AUSCHWITZ CAMP II
Taken in the women's barracks
SCHINDLER'S MUSEUM
Words of victims
Schindler's desk
SALT MINES
As much as I love history, I didn't choose to study it for my final years of school. Partly because I'm not very good with dates ( I mean I have forgotten my own birthday three times) and partly because I generally have a head like a sieve. However when the history teacher announced plans for a trip to Kraków, I couldn't see a reason not to tag along (other than the fact that I was pretty broke). It'd be time I get to spend with friends, and a highlight of our final year of school. Furthermore it'd be one more country to add to my travel list!!
But we've been back now for 2 months and I can't put a lid on the massive wanderlust hole that it's opened inside me. There's a humbling beauty in delving into a city's history, such as that of Kraków's that leaves you questioning your own knowledge of the world around you. I know people who've been in Ireland all their lives, don't own passports and have no desire to ever leave Ireland. Now while I do not judge these people, I have to be honest, I find it difficult to understand their reasons. I'm constantly wishing to wake up somewhere new. New cities, new faces, new accents, new sounds, new, new, new.
I remember sitting in a very hot Kraków police station surrounded by officers, not understanding a single word anyone was saying and feeling completely beside myself. On the one hand I wasn't entirely happy that my purse had been pick pocketed and that being the reason I was there in the first place but on the other hand I oddly appreciated?...enjoyed?... the experience. Does that even make sense? Who loses all their valuables in a foreign country and is actually grateful for it?
Thankfully I had generous and wonderful teachers who supported me for the rest of the trip and made contact with the authorities and came with me to their head office for a statement. My English teacher even rooted through some trash cans with me, t'was a real bonding experience for us!
But it was the fact that it happened, in a country I've never been to, where I do not understand or speak the language that made it more significant as an experience. I can probably live without having to go through that again, and I have definitely learned my lesson now but I crave the sense of adventure and bemusement I felt, especially when all the people in the office I was being questioned in started spontaneously dancing to Shawn Mendes' Stitches on the radio because it was the office favorite. Like what!??
Come July 13th I will be boarding a plane to Ghana, West Africa where I will spend three weeks with my family whom I have not seen in about 4 years. I am beyond ecstatic! However I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back after this trip. Is there such a thing as a travel bug? Because I think I've caught it, big time!!
What are some of the places you've been or want to go? And any recommendations? Love to know!
Till next time my pretties xxx
It's good to see you posting again! Krakow looks incredible, your photos are gorgeous. It must have been such an incredible experience, seeing such a different place, with classmates. I'm envious, my school didn't allow trips when I went through. It's unfortunate that you had to experience a pickpocketing incident, but, hey, it's a learning experience at the end of the day. And if it had to happen, it's great that it happened with caring peers and teachers :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I would definitely say that a travel bug exists! I was away recently, too, and I keep thinking about what my next trip will be. There are so many options, I don't know if I'll be able to decide!
Erin
http://sexycardi.blogspot.ca
Thank you Erin! Feels so good to be back :D Its defnitely been one of the highlights of my year so far. The history class had been wanting to go for a few years and it finally got to happen! Guess I'm really lucky in that sense to have a school that endorses such experiences. Pickpocketing sucks but I've definitely learned my lesson and thanks to your lovely post, how to be more secure when travelling!
DeleteI know right!? All these undiscovered places and I can't wait to visit them all!!