Auschwitz Concentration Camp

Poland was home to the world's largest Jewish community for centuries. Before WWII there were 3.5 million Jews in Poland. Between the German invasion in 1939 and the end of the war over 90% perished.

About 50 km (~32 miles) from Kraków is the town of Oświęcim, which the Germans renamed Auschwitz. In 1940 a camp was built to hold Polish political prisoners, followed by Soviet POWs and then prisoners from other countries as well. Within two years it was the most notorious of the six extermination camps in Poland (Auschwitz, Belzec, Chełmno, Majdanek, Sobibór and Treblinka).

There were three primary sections to the concentration camp. Auschwitz was the first and held between 12,000 and 20,000 prisoners. In 1941, Auschwitz II-Birkenau was established 3 km away. Birkenau was the largest section and in 1944 there were over 90,000 prisoners. In 1942, Auschwitz III-Monowitz was established. Today only Auschwitz and Birkenau remain.

By early 1943 there were four crematoria working around the clock at Birkenau. Over 20,000 people were gassed and cremated every day. The exact number of people killed at Auschwitz and Birkenau will never be known but estimates put the number between 1.1 – 1.5 million people from across Europe. There is still one gas chamber at Auschwitz but the gas chambers and crematoria at Birkenau were blown up by the Nazis in 1944 in an attempt to cover up the mass killings.

The Nazis said that Jews would be resettled in the east. Many people actually had to purchase tickets for the trains that took them to their deaths. Auschwitz was the only concentration camp where inmates were tattooed on their arms. However, the vast majority of people were never tattooed because they went directly from arrival to the gas chamber.

I think that it is better to visit the camp in the winter. First of all it is far less crowded. And secondly, because it is a bit easier to appreciate just how bad the conditions must have been. I was thoroughly bundled up from head to toe and after 20 minutes outside I was freezing. I don't know how prisoners were able to stand out in the cold for hours, often without shoes.

Visiting the camp can be very emotional. Approximately 46,000 Jews were sent to Auschwitz from Bohemia and Moravia. I happened to notice that one of the suitcases on display belonged to a victim from Brno.

I think that everyone needs to visit Auschwitz so that nothing like the horrors that occurred here will ever happen again. The camp is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here is an interesting Rick Steves video I found on YouTube about Auschwitz.

©Rick Steves

Milk Bar

Bar mleczny, a "milk bar" is a good, cheap place to eat. During communism, the Polish government subsidized these working class cafeterias. No more communism but the prices are still low which is fine by me. The prices are low and the food is tasty and filling. Everything is in Polish but with enough sign language you can order a good lunch. The only thing that would make it better is if you could order some Żubrówka. I grabbed some borscht (beetroot soup), cabbage and carrot salad, and some pierogi. Way cheap! Pierogi are dumplings that are boiled, baked or fried. There are all different kinds. Some are stuffed with potato, meat, cabbage, spinach, or fruit. I love me some pierogi! I wish they had something similar in the Czech Republic.

Kraków, Poland

Kraków is Poland’s second largest city but it is the country’s cultural capital. The city dates back to the 7^th century. It is really beautiful and there are nice churches everywhere.

Kraków came out of WWII realativley undamaged. Which is incredible when you think of everything that happened here. The movie Schindler’s List was shot, and took place, in Kraków which gave me a lot to think about as I was walking through town.

Kazimierz has historically been the Jewish quarter of town since the 14th century. The Temple Synagogue was built in 1860-1862. It was ruined during the war when the Nazis used it as an ammunition storage area.

Rynek Główny is the main market square in Old Town and it dates back to the 13^th century. At about 40,000 m² (430,000 ft²) it is Europe’s largest medieval town square. It has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1978. In the center of the square is the Sukiennice, the Cloth Hall. It was used to sell cloth, leather, silk, etc. It was rebuilt in 1555 and today is filled souvenir vendors. Being December, you know that there was a Christmas market going on.

Kościół Mariacki is the Gothic St. Mary’s Basilica that is adjacent to the square. It was built in the 13^th century and rebuilt in the 14^th. It is famous for its wooden altarpiece. Prior to the start of the war, the altar was taken apart and stored in crates across the country but wound up in Germany. It was put back in the church in 1957.

Kosciól swietego Piotra i Pawla, the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, was the first Baroque church in Kraków. It was built by the Jesuits and is best known for statues of the 12 disciples in front.

Karol Wojtyła grew up in Kraków’s and became Pope John Paul II, the first non-Italian pope in 455 years. His image is everywhere in the city so you know for sure he was a local boy.

Wawel Hill is home to the Royal Castle and Cathedral. The cathedral is Poland’s national church and mausoleum. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time on this visit so I’ll check it out next time, maybe in spring or summer.

My first priorities were to visit Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I really enjoyed my quick trip to Kraków.

Off to Poland

I used to work for T.G.I. Friday's and they sent me to Gdańsk, in northern Poland, for a month to open a restaurant in 1998. That was the last, and only, time I was in Poland. And I loved it!! It was just awesome. But I just haven't had the chance to get back to Poland until now. Only this time I'm off to Kraków.

You can get to Kraków by train but from Brno it takes 7 to 12 hours and requires you to change trains 4 or 5 times. Too much hassle.

You can drive there in about 3 or 4 hours but I don't have a car. Plus, since I'm on a long-term visa, my American license isn't valid here. I need to get a Czech license if I want to rent a car. But that also means I need to learn how to drive in ice and snow. No time for that now.

I found a deal on AirBerlin that will work. Tonight I'm going to take the train from Brno to Vienna. Then I have a 7 AM flight from Vienna to Berlin and then a connecting flight from Berlin to Kraków. Apparently, no one here flies to Kraków so my friends think I'm nuts. But I'm sure going to do it. I bet I will feel like a DHL package being routed all over Europe but oh well.

I have tours planned to go see Auschwitz and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. I plan to check out Old Town and I'm sure there will be a Christmas market going on.

I also plan to have some Żubrówka - the best vodka ever. Żubrówka, Buffalo Grass vodka, is an herb-flavored vodka that is distilled from rye. The best way to drink it is with apple juice. It is so dang good!!

There is a single blade of buffalo grass in every bottle. Back in '98 you could not bring Żubrówka back to the USA because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had a problem with the blade of grass. You can be sure I will bring a few bottles back to Brno.

PF 2011

I've received a few Czech Christmas cards and they all have "PF" on them. Czechs use the abbreviation "PF" for Merry Christmas & Happy New Year. I'm sure that this is used in Slovakia also. The "PF" stands for "pour féliciter", in French. I've never seen this phrase anywhere else. The French don't even use it. From what I understand, the phrase was used by diplomats back in the 17th & 18th centuries when French was the lingua franca in Europe. Somehow the PF has survived. Veselé Vánoce a šťastný nový rok! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Advent Brunch

Sabine and Natalie hosted an advent brunch at their flat yesterday. There was plenty of good food and mulled wine to go around. And I had my first "proper" flapjacks with syrup in over 18 months!! So dang yummy.



There were people from the ČR, Germany, New Zealand, Scotland, Ukraine, Hungary and the USA. I enjoy these multicultural gatherings because there is always something new to learn.

The tree was decorated but apparently it was too early for Europeans. In the USA most people have their Christmas trees up by December 1 and they come down right after New Year's. In Europe, the tree is decorated on December 24th and it comes down on January 6th (Three King's Day).

We also had a secret Santa gift exchange. But here, it's not Santa that brings the gifts. Ježišek, the baby Jesus, puts the gifts under the tree. So after each person opens their gift we say "děkujeme Ježišku" - We thank you little baby Jesus.

The Nutcracker

It's December so this means that it's time to go to Janáčkovo divadlo, Brno's largest theater, to see a performance of Louskáček (The Nutcracker).

One really nice thing about living here is that the theater is top notch and not expensive at all. What I can see here for $15 - $20 would cost me at least $50 - $100 back in Atlanta. Every time there is a performance at Janáčkovo you'll see Austrian tour buses because so many people from Vienna come up here for shows because it's less expensive than in Austria.

The performance was good but I thought the lead dancers were a little better last year. But the company was excellent and we had a great time at dinner after the show.

2010 Department Christmas Party

On December 1st, the Project Management Department held a Hawaiian Christmas party at a pub in town.

Everyone was allowed to show up in winter gear but was expected to change in to something a bit more tropical. Some people really got in to the spirit of things.

There was snow outside!! And still way too cold for me. Sorry but there was no way that I was going to change in to shorts.

We had a secret Santa gift exchange and it was a lot of fun to hang out with people, outside of the office.

I heard that the party went on until well after 3 AM. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), I was unable to make it an all night event. I had an early morning planned the next day so I was home in bed by 11 PM. Smart!

Thanksgiving 2010

The 2nd Annual Brno Thanksgiving was a success. It's a lot of work putting on Thanksgiving in Europe. Trying to find all of the ingredients is a chore...thank goodness for care packages from home. Plus cooking in metric is not fun for me. There is no 350°F on my oven over here. It's work, but it is oh so worth it.

Friday was spent baking and starting almost all of the side dishes. I was up on Saturday morning at 5 AM to prep the turkey and have it in the oven by 5:30 AM. A short 8 hours later and Tom was done.

People are shocked that my oven is large enough to cook such a big turkey. I guess it's a matter of perspective because I think my oven here is tiny. At 12,6 kg (27.7 lbs) this is the 2nd largest bird I've cooked, only slightly smaller than last year. I called it "Frankenturkey" because it was larger than my nephew. Somehow we ended up naming it "Tom".

Kamila, Tomáš and Ross came over to help with the last minute details and to sort out the music. After everyone arrived and we had been warmed up with enough wine, I explained what Thanksgiving is all about. We went around the group and each person said what they were thankful for.

The food was a big hit. It is so cool seeing all of the reactions to the different items. To Czechs, our holiday foods are very unusual.







We had Tom (the turkey), cornbread dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, glazed carrots, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes with marshmallow, broccoli cheese casserole, cranberry sauce, corn bread muffins with honey butter, macaroni & cheese, marshmallow fruit salad, black beans & rice, deviled eggs, red velvet cake, pecan pies and pumpkin pies. Plus, Claudia made her famous pumpkin soup and Rose hooked us up with some real Mexican queso dip. Yummy!!

Claudia and Tomáš were the only ones who were here last year. I guess that's what happens with a big group of expats...people are always moving on. But on the bright side, a whole new group of Euro-folk discovered what a "turkey coma" is.