Oświęcim

Visited: Jul 11, 2023

Our visit to Oświęcim, a small town with a profound history, was unforgettable. We took a train from Kraków in the late afternoon having spent the morning exploring, but unfortunately halfway through the journey, the train was unexpectedly cancelled, and we had to transfer to a coach for the last hour of the trip!

Despite the minor hiccups, we explored Oświęcim, where it’s hard to comprehend how such a quiet, peaceful place holds one of the darkest chapters in human history. When we visited Auschwitz Concentration Camp, we decided to turn off the camera, feeling that vlogging in such a solemn and sensitive place would be inappropriate. Instead, we chose to experience the museum and its stories in silence, reflecting on the immense loss and pain that occurred here. While Oświęcim is a town like many others in Poland, its connection to this tragic past makes it a place of deep reflection and learning.

Upon departing, we almost found ourselves stranded as we struggled to find the correct train information for our return journey. At this point in our travels, we had little experience and made some basic errors in judgement, but thankfully, we didn’t suffer any serious consequences!

After our sombre visit, we took the train back to Kraków, where we arrived in the late evening and found a Zabka where we treated ourselves to a delicious pączki (or two) to lighten the mood and celebrate the day’s experiences and visiting a place that Tammy had wanted to see and learn about for so long!

You can read about the rest of the Kraków journey here.