Good-bye, Warsaw! The bus was packed and loaded and we headed south at 9:00 am. It was a pretty sleepy crowd until close to noon; most of us were curled up and catching up on some much-needed sleep! We stopped for lunch at a well-known and well-loved Polish fast-food restaurant – McDonald’s! Most of the workers spoke enough English to understand us when we ordered. We wondered if that was the case in the U.S.
Then it was on to the most emotional part of the trip for many of us – the killing camps of Auschwitz and Berkinau. Our singers were incredibly respectful as we entered that sacred ground. We stopped at Birkinau first, and walked through the barracks designed to hold 45 horses and ended up housing 700-1000 prisoners. I watched as individuals – both adults and children – wandered across the ground and along the railway tracks where so many thousands of people were unloaded and divided into those who lived and those who went straight to the gas chambers. We traveled down the road a mile or so to Auschwitz where again, everyone was silent as we walked through the barracks, viewed the displays of shoes, hair brushes, luggage and personal belongings of those who were killed in this place not that long ago. We experienced tears, frustration, questioning, and anger as we walked from room to room and viewed and experienced what had happened to tens of thousands of people in this part of the world.
Back on the bus it took us quite a while to get back to normalcy . . . it was difficult to talk. It was impossible to laugh. Our thoughts were dark and centered on the cruelty and viciousness we had witnessed. But gradually conversations were started, experiences and feelings were shared, and before we knew it we were entering Krakow.
Dinner was at a wonderful, very beautiful restaurant called “Amadeus.” We finished at about 10:00 and part of the group walked into the old town square. Most of us, however, walked back to the hotel and are ready for sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day and we’re hoping for another incredible concert tomorrow night.
I’m ready for sleep!
Sandy Miller
2 comments:
Ohhhh - Peter! We loved Peter and hope that you're enjoying him as much as we did last summer!
Hi, I know this is going to come off as very, very strange but please hear me out. I went on a Euro Trip with ACIS in 12th grade and PETER was our tour guide too!! My best friend and I love love loved him! But of course didnt get any way of contact with him for later, i was wondering if you have an email of his or something... if you do you can ask him if you can give it to me, he will probably remember me as one of the girls who gifted him with the Prada key chain in Paris. Im telling you we adored him. its been almost 5 years and she and i still talk about him! he impacted us with his knowledge and intellect!
So sorry to bother!
Olga
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