Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau

Our guide at Auschwitz repeatedly asked our group if there were any questions, or if anything was left unclear. Repeatedly and consistently, silence followed and nobody dared speak up. But we all undoubtedly had the same question on our minds, and we all knew better than to ask it. “WHY!?!” screamed our inner-consciousness at every horrible anecdote recounted, every cold and dreary barrack entered and with every single tear we held back. I still can’t process all the things I saw. It was too much. My roommates and I have had a difficult time coming to terms with all we witnessed, mostly not being able to understand how the entire world was unaware of the horror ensuing. And I think the conclusion I finally came to yesterday, a little over 24 hours after our visit, is that what took place at Auschwitz and Terezin and Dachau and all the other concentration camps is something so beyond anything comprehensible by a rational human being. When humanitarian groups like the Red Cross visited concentration, labor and extermination camps, they never could have imagined the atrocities being committed— Never could they have fathomed that the building looming in the distance was used to burn corpses, or the hospital on the premises was used for everything but saving lives. Again, it was all far too much to take in.

 

The most difficult part for me occurred at Auschwitz I, in an exhibit displaying objects confiscated from the victims upon arrival. First off, they had on display all the hair removed from victims post-humously. It was a massive, massive collection—I believe about two tons total, extremely sickening and chilling in its own right. But what really got me, and what really put me over the edge was seeing the collection of Jewish prayer shawls. And it’s weird because I didn’t expect to go to Auschwitz of all places and feel connected to Judaism. But at that moment, the entire reality was put into a different context and it was no longer just a part of human history, but a part of my own history as well. Nobody else noticed the shawls like I did—they were simple… Not ornate in any way, could’ve been tablecloths. But I knew they weren’t and I knew why they were there. The innocence and pure purpose of the tallit had been completely desecrated. It really humanized all the victims for me. It’s too easy to forget or not be able to process the significance of the number six million, or be unable to fathom the lives in a photo of the aftermath of a mass-execution… but when something as simple as a prayer shall was defiled and disgraced it immediately made me think about who the person who owned it was. And what their faith in religion was before the Nazis. And what types of ordeals they had to experience without their prayer shawls to comfort them. And, most poignantly, how horrible it is that those very shawls were symbolic of why they were interned in the first place.

 

 

It really deeply, deeply saddens me. The entire visit just downright hurt my soul. Absolutely the most important place I have ever visited. 

the infamous entrance gates to Auschwitz I bearing the German slogan "Arbeit macht frei", translating to "Work makes you free". A propaganda technique used by SS Officers in concentration camps compelling prisoners to think that if they worked hard, they could eventually earn their freedom. 

Barracks 

Block 11, the prison block at Auschwitz complete with starvation, blackout and standing cells. Also, this is where the first experiments with Zyklon B ,the gas used for mass exterminations, were carried out. 

Inside this courtyard is the Death Wall, located next to Block 11. Here thousands of prisoners were executed by SS Officers. 

Original guard tower with a sign in front of it warning of the electric fence. Many prisoners would throw themselves into the fence, committing suicide by either electrocution or  immediate gunfire by the SS officers. 

A small memorial placed in front of the old hospital where "medical experiments" were carried out. It simply states, "My sorrow is continually before me", a quote from the Old Testament. 

The gas chambers at Auschwitz I. 

razor wire fences 

the first thing i noticed when we arrived at Aushwitz II-Birkenau was the enormity of the complex. It seemed like it went on forever and ever. And when i approached the razor-wire fence at the camp's edge to have a closer look, I was immediately heartbroken to find a wilting rose fixed to one of the wires. So powerful. Please click to enlarge it. 

On the railroad tracks that run through the center of Birkenau which transported millions of victims. Right after getting out of the cattle cars that brought them there, prisoners would then be subjected to "selection" and SS officers would decide their fate. We walked the very same route that victims walked to the gas chambers. 

toilets inside the bathroom barrack. SS officers used humiliation in order to further dehumanize. 

an original cattle car

inside one of the men's barracks. 

the remains of Gas Chamber and Crematorium I at Birkenau. When the Nazis got word that the Soviets were going to liberate the camp, they bombed three of their 4 gas chambers and crematoriums so they could hide what had been going on. it absolutely looks like it was just bombed yesterday. 

gas chambers were under that pile of rubble. 

FOREVER LET THIS PLACE BE 

A CRY OF DESPAIR 

AND A WARNING TO HUMANITY

WHERE THE NAZIS MURDERED

ABOUT ONE AND A HALF

MILLION

MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN

MAINLY JEWS

FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES

OF EUROPE

AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU

1940-1945

amen, and thank you for reading this. it is so important. 

A little history lesson, "The Velvet Revolution"

Today marked the 20th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution--the end of Communist rule in Czechoslovakia. On November 17, 1989 hundreds of thousands of students protested peacefully in the streets of Prague, vying for democracy and freedom from Soviet command. This first demonstration ignited a series of similar protests all throughout Czechoslovakia. On December 29, 1989 the citizens finally prevailed and Vaclav Havel was appointed as president of the first democracy the Czechoslovak Republic had ever seen. It is now known as the "velvet" revolution because it was the most peaceful transition of power from a Soviet state to a democratic one. In order to commemorate the event, the route students took 20 years ago was retraced in a massive march throughout the city, culminating at Narodni Trida with speeches and a concert.

Here are my photos from the march:

 

artwork set up around the city

 

even the trams got into it! this one is decorated with czech flags

 

tons of people waiting around on the streets for the march to pass by palackeho namesti. castle in background.

 

here comes the police escort!

and here comes the march! 

lots of anti-communist, pro-democracy banners and signs

czech flags and no communism!

not sure what this is supposed to be, but we decided it's the devil aka communism.

huge crowd. here is where we decided to jump in and join

yippie! we're part of history

lighting of a mini-hot air balloon in front of the dancing house in honor of vaclav havel (that might not be true..unfortunately everything was in czech. but they said his name loudly and then released the balloon)

balloon flying up, czech flag waving

a baby on a tram jingles keys at people walking by. the jingling of keys is symbolic of the "opening of doors" with democracy. throughout the parade the noise of keys was constant and almost deafening. 

a student walks with a czech flag

a student dyes his hair to make it look like a czech flag

a little boy climbs a light post in front of narodni divadlo (the national theatre)

czech flag banner hangs from narodni divadlo

big flag, drunk boys

peace!

the crowd in front of me

the crowd behind me, national theatre at the end of the street. 

yay for pyrotechnics! 

this was probably the most moving part of the march. czechs sang the czech national anthem as small fireworks lit at the end of the route. it was really inspiring and great. most of the people at the rally actually experienced the revolution and their gratitude was evident through their smiles and proud singing. to me the idea of having to fight for democracy is completely foreign, but these people actually understand life without it and probably have much more of an appreciation for democracy than i have ever had. the whole event was very eye opening.

the tunnel of "demokracie" (democracy, duh)

a man holds a candle and looks at the teleprompter

"mame svobodu!" = we have freedom! 

narodni (national) street with people looking down from the buildings on the march

the concert! we had to push our way for a longgggg time to get this close! 

a little girl sits on her dad's shoulders and waves a czech flag, adorable. 

the end!

ps can you believe that i'll be HOME IN 3.5 WEEKS!??! this sunday marked my LAST full weekend in prague! poland this weekend, belgium the next, vienna/budapest the following and then...LOS ANGELES! 

no leprechauns or shamrocks !

I spent the past few days in Dublin with Elle. We arrived late Wednesday night and were immediately hit with cold cold cold weather and extremely underdressed girls. I had heard that the farther north you get in Europe, the colder it gets and the less clothing the women wear, but I never could have imagined that they would be that scantily clad! Elle and I wore at least 5 layers of clothing at all times, and continually felt overdresssed. But alas, we stayed warm and cozy and managed to have a fantastic time, despite our conservative fashion choices. 

 

The Irish bank at night

 

Temple Bar Street, where tourists flock to pay waaaay too much money to get drunk. Two pints of beer cost me 11 euros. Just to put into perspective how incredibly painful this was for me.... In the Czech Republic, I could purchase at least 5 liters of beer for that price. 

 

a rare moment of blue sky with the river liffey behind me. 

 

oscar wilde lounging in archbishop ryan park, an essential photo-op for an english major

elle with green grass and cool clouds

we then met up with kiley (!!!) and her friends from Kent University and took a tour of the Guinness factory! was very very fun! and yummy!

"There's poetry in a pint of Guinness"

Me and Kiley in the "Gravity Bar" with our free pints after the tour. The bar was really awesome and completely made out of glass, giving us awesome 360 degree views of Dublin. We went right at sunset and it was oh-so beautiful. 

The next day we decided to take a day trip to the small town of Howth, about a 40 minute train ride from Dublin's city center. When we arrived, a bartender told us to get on the city bus and travel to the summit of the "mountain" (which was more like a hill...) and then hike down on the cliff paths. Sounded simple enough. This was a view of the sea and lighthouse from the summit. 

Kiley and I bundled up on our hike. 

one of the most beautiful places i've been so far!

Kiley and Elle on the edge of the cliffs! Shortly after this, we ended up getting horribly lost. We took the wrong trail, and instead of ending up back in the city center, we ended up on a beautiful forested hike that was destined to take us around the entire peninsula  in about 3 hours. When we figured this out, we wandered off the trail onto a paved road and tried to use our noses to get back to town. Luckily people in Ireland are extremely friendly (and they speak English! quite the culture shock for me!) and directed us back towards town, but it took us about an hour and 45 minutes to finally get there. We ate some well deserved nachos shortly thereafter! 

Of course the day of our departure was absolutely gorgeous, so Elle and I took advantage of the morning hours and fit in some extra sight-seeing. This is the original St. Patrick's Cathedral. 

St. Stephen's Green

THE END! Happy to be back in my own bed (not in a 26 bed hostel room!) and so happy to be off the euro!