Oswiecim

I wanted to keep this post separate from my trip to Krakow, because I do not necessarily want to mingle my emotions in that way. Poland does not deserve to be treated this way.

Anyway, on the Saturday of my weekend in Poland, I went on an organized tour to Oswiecim, a small town about an hour outside of Krakow, and better known to the rest of the world by its German name, Auschwitz.

I joined a bus load of folks from my hotel early in the morning and we did the usual tour thing - picking up other folks along the way then grouping together at a major hotel to split up. Some were going to the salt mines, others on a city tour, but by far the most people were on their way to see Auschwitz. On the bus I sat next to a nice Irish guy and together we watched a depressing hour long documentary about what we were about to see. While that was grim in itself, I am not sure anything will compare to the rest of the day.

We started by walking through the gate, which in German says, Work will Set you Free. What an ironic way to enter such a place. The main part of Auschwitz, also known as Auschwitz I, is a a lot of original brick buildings that have been set up as a museum to educate folks on certain aspects of the experience. There were basically two distinct kinds of experiences at the camp - the prisoners, who were brought there to work, and the Jews, who were brought there to be exterminated, and we learned about both.

I guess at the beginning the first residents were mostly Polish political prisoners, after Germany invaded and occupied Poland. Once the first prisoners were there, they built up the camp - chasing away the nearby neighbors, destroying their homes, and using the materials to build parts of the camp. By moving out the surrounding townspeople they were able to create a buffer around the area, effectively isolating it from the rest of Poland and protecting it from outsiders. Remarkably, of the700-odd Poles who originally came to the camp, about 200 survived the entire 4 years it was in operation, I guess because they got the most cushy jobs and became indispensible to their captors.

Soon the other prisoners came in - basically anyone who was different, artists, gays, Jews, gypsies, etc. At first they were photographed and well documented, even though the average lifespan after arriving was about 3 months. We saw many photos of these folks on the wall of the museum. Then, because photos were so expensive, they started tattooing the people instead. In addition they had to wear little symbols identifying them - such as the pink triangle for homosexuals.

A lot of these prisoners were further tortured and/or executed, and we saw the building where they were put in starvation cells, made to stand all night long, or simply shot in the yard for their supposed crimes.

After Hitler ordered the final solution, Auschwitz became the main center of the mass extermination of the Jews. At Auschwitz I, we visited the first of their experimental gas chambers, where about 70,000 people were summarily executed. It was a really creepy feeling to go in together and see the gas outlets on the roof, and the furnaces where people were stuffed in and cremated afterward. Of all the gas chambers, this is the only one that still exists. The Nazis realized they had to hide the evidence, so they blew the others up before the Russians liberated the camp.

Once the mass extermination started, the Nazis were less careful about documenting who arrived and who stayed. They tried to keep as little record as possible about who came in to Auschwitz for this purpose.

And came in they did, from all over Europe - as far away as Greece - more than a days train journey, without food, water or sanitary facilities. One of the most horrifying things to me is that some of these folks actually bought tickets for the journey - thinking they were moving somewhere to start a new life. They were allowed to bring 25kg with them - so they brought only their most valuable and precious things they needed to live, photos, jewelry, kitchen equipment, etc. I couldn't help thinking of my own journey on Ryan Air and my baggage limits.

The main part of the camp where the exterminations took place was at nearby Birkenau, or Auschwitz II. There were 300 barracks there and the remains of two large crematoria, as well as the original railway tracks where the victims arrived. We walked the same path as the condemmed did. Basically when they got off the train, a Nazi doctor evaluated those who could work vs the many who couldn't. One line walked to the gas chambers, while the other entered the main part of the camp. We walked the gas chamber side and saw the blown up remains of one of the main extermination points.

One of the creepiest things was the weather. When we got to the ruins of the gas chamber/crematorium, we started to hear rumbles of thunder. Then when we entered one of the original brick barracks, there was more ominous thunder and it started to pour. It was almost like someone was making as statement.

Our tour guide was a young Polish girl whose sad eyes expressed the horror of everything she described to us. I can't imagine how she can do that every day.

I did not take many pictures - you were not supposed to take pictures inside, though most people did. I tried to be respectful.

Almost a week on, it is still difficult for me to get much of this visit out of my mind. When I imagine what it must have been like to live in that time, I can't help thinking that if I was in Poland at the time, probably a lot of my friends would be sent to a place like Auschwitz. After all, most of my friends fall into these categories: artists, intellectuals, political dissidents, homosexuals, Jews. I have always gravitated towards the fringe without really going to far into it myself. But because I am really more conservative - what would have happend to me? Would I have been sent too? Would I have had the courage to fight back and to fight for my friends? It is all very disturbing to think about. Luckily my ancestors left Poland and Hitler was defeated.

Polish Weekend

I am trying to be slightly more timely with my posts - it is tough to write much about a trip when it was a month ago. This weekend I went to Krakow for my first solo weekend break. I figured since I have been here a year, it is about time I went to Poland. I am Polish after all.

One of my customers has an apartment in Warsaw and an old farm in the countryside and he spends most of the summer working from there, going to the office during the week and spending weekends on the farm with the family. I had heard him talk about it a couple of times now, including a couple of weeks ago, so I decided it was time to go check out Poland. So last week, I booked a package on lastminute.com and away I went.

This was my first cheap airline experience here in Europe. I had heard some horror stories about flying the budget airlines, but for the most part my experience was fine. I flew Ryan Air from London Stansted. They have very tight luggage restrictions - 10kg for hand baggage, 25kg for checked baggage - and basically if you check a bag, you pay a handling fee. I bought a cute little bag especially designed for the tight restrictions, and even weighed it downstairs at the gym before I left. It was perfect - 7.4kg and it fit in that funny little cage they have at the check in counter. It was funny - I did not see much fuss checking in at Stansted, but when I came home yesterday they were really hassling folks at the airport in Krakow. I got the tag of approval though.

The only annoying part of my flight (both legs) were the drunken (or soon to be drunk) groups of Brits going for their stag weekends. I guess it is a very popular place for cheap drinking vacations. And not surprisingly, when one beer is the equivalent of 70p. And its mighty good beer as well. I had several Zwieckes - though I cannot pronounce them I could drink them without a problem. There were many parties of these guys in my hotel too. I think I heard retching on Sunday morning. Yum.

When I first arrived Friday night - I have to say I was less than impressed. I took a taxi from the airport and mid-way noticed that he hadn't put on the meter. I had read in Time Out that a cab ride should cost between 30 and 60 zlotys based on the integrity of the driver. Well mine charged me 65, and then only gave me 30 zloty back from my hundred in change - assuming i meant to tip him extra on top of his rip off fare. I just let it go, because it is really only about 10 pounds, less than I would pay for most taxi rides around here. But I was disappointed to be immediately ripped off by one of my own brethren. Luckily, that did not continue and everyone else was on the up and up for the rest of the trip. Then, my hotel, the Chopin, was kind of a ways out of the town center, about a good 15-20 minutes walk rather than the 'steps' away as it was advertised, so after walking around for a while in the dark Friday night, I gave up on having a decent dinner, so I just had a drink in the hotel bar and went to bed.

The next day in the daylight I ventured out into the nice part of the town, and it was much, much better. The main market square is a combination of historic buildings, churches, modern shops, restaurants and bars, and is crawling with people at all hours of the day. The buildings surrounding the market in the old town are beautiful and colorful, reminiscent of Prague but nicer I thought. The nicest part of the city, I thought, was the lovely green belt that runs from the Wawel Castle to the train station, with a quaint shaded path and clear directional signs to all the major sites in the area. Very tourist friendly, especially in the stifling heat when I needed a cool path to walk. It seems locals and tourists alike spend a lot of time downtown.

Most everyone speaks English, but I did try to do a bit of Polish. It wasn't so bad. After all I do know that a W is pronounced like a V. Particularly amazing to me was a waitress who effortlessly switched from Polish to Engligh to German based on the customers in our little area, without any trace of accent.

Besides the yummy beer, I practically ate my weight in pierrogies. Mmm...spinach, cabbage and mushroom, and ruskie style - potato, cheese and grilled onions. Luckily I cannot get them all the time in London or I would eat them every day here as well.

Pictures from Krakow are posted here.

One year ago - 7/7/05

The London transport bombings were exactly one year ago today. Since I did not start this blog until later last summer, I thought today is as good a day as any to remember it from my perspective.

Basically, my own laziness is what saved me that day. One of the best things about living in Europe is that no one in their right mind schedules a meeting before 9 a.m., and if it is just an internal meeting, it's usually more like 10 or 11 o'clock. One year ago, I was scheduled to meet up with a colleague at Paddington station sometime around 10:30 a.m. He was coming in from the burbs on a commuter train, and I was to leave my local tube station at Holloway Road, which is on the Picadilly Line.

I rarely watch the news in the morning (though I must admit I do now) so I was blissfully unaware of any trouble before I left the house. M was flying somewhere that day so I had just been talking to him on the phone at some ungodly hour his time, like 6 a.m. or something, when he was at the airport. So around 10 or so, I walked down to the tube station to go to my meeting.

It is only a ten minute walk, if that, but that day seemed so much longer. When I got there, the station was closed with policeman at the gate. When I asked what happened, they said, oh, just a terrorist attack in central london. When I asked how I was to get to paddington, they just calmly said, oh, I don't think you are going to go there today, miss.

So I turned around and started back home. I don't think I started to panic until I started trying to call my colleague to see where he was, and my mobile wouldn't work. Then I started trying to call M back, and got that frightening signal that basically means mobile phones are dead.

Of course when M arrived at the airport, he saw the bombings on the news and was freaking out, especially since he couldn't reach me on my phone either and the last he knew, I was walking to the tube station.

In reality, I was about an hour and a half behind the actual bombings. But it was my tube line, the Picadilly, that suffered the worst damage. It exploded around 8:45 or so, between Kings Cross and Russell Square, and 27 people died.

I spent the rest of the day first frantically calling and emailing people I knew to make sure they were okay, especially my colleague I was going to meet. It took me a good 45 minutes or so to finally get him on the phone. Then the rest of the day and into the next, I got frantic calls and emails from everyone else who knew I was here. It was a very long day. Finally, at the end of the day, after talking to my sister, I went out to a pub to have a beer and some dinner and try to relax. Of course I picked the dumpiest possible pub in my area, the Lord Nelson. Yuck! Dingy bar, creaky, dirty floors, and they didn't even serve food.

The Picadilly line was closed for a bit more than a month while they fixed it. I was amazed actually that they were able to repair it so quickly. I rode it the day it came back online, and a reporter joined the train from Kings Cross to Russel Square and interviewed people riding it (not me). It was a very creepy feeling.

All in all, I was very lucky that day. But it sure brought the whole terrorism thing much closer to home for me and made me realize that I am now living in a completely different world than Portland, Oregon.

Gaudi Barcelona

Another trip I made in June was to Barcelona, again for work. Most definitely a place I have to return to. I did not get to see enough of the city or drink enough wine.

If nothing else, I would love to go back and see more of Antoni Gaudi's architecture. The designs are bright, wild and almost disturbing at times. We had an amazing party at the Parc Guell, unfortunately we got there just as the park was closing so I couldn't take enough photos before it got too dark. I guess the lizard is a popular shot.

Note to self - do not travel to three continents in three weeks for work. It may sound fun, but it isn't! If I have to do it again, I hope it is with an entourage of people pampering me along the way. Not bloody likely!

Chelsea Flower Show

Probably my mom's favorite part of her trip was our visit to the Chelsea Flower Show. This garden show put on by the Royal Horticultural Society is sort of like the unofficial opening of the summer season in London.

We got really lucky with the day we picked, since I had to reserve tickets online. I was a bit panicked to find out earlier in the week that most of the show was actually outside. I pictured it in a big convention center or tent. It had rained earlier that day, but our tickets were not valid until 3:30 p.m. and by that time, the rain had virtually stopped and while it certainly was not warm, it was bearable with a jacket.

Anyway, it is a paradise for amateur and professional gardeners. You can buy all sorts of glamorous garden gear, such as hot pink garden clogs with matching gloves, or steel sculptures of farm animals, or seeds to plant and see what comes up. And of course there are thousands of flowers on display - mostly inside.

Plants usually curl up and die whenever I approach, but I didn't notice any damage that day. And despite my misgivings, I enjoyed myself.

This photo was also captured by a photographer for the Independent, a London newspaper, though I do not know if it was ever published. Since he thought it was a good idea, I took one too. More photos, including my mom from the front, are posted here.

One week in Bangkok

I spent a week at the beginning of June in Bangkok, Thailand, for work. I will let you decide if that is a good or bad thing. The work part, that is.

I was pretty busy while I was there, but I did get a day to go around and see a few things, mainly, the golden palace, a combination temple and kingly residence. I didn't take pictures, but we also went to the Jim Thompson house in Bangok, which was fascinating. I guess Mr Thompson was an American who lived in Thailand in the fifties and sixties, and helped to revitalize the silk trade. He became very wealthy and built a stunning 'traditional' Thai house in the middle of town where he lived. I put it in quotes because it is more like six houses attached together. Then suddenly he disappeared without a trace during a trip to Malaysia in 1967. He had no children, but I guess his nephew kept his business going. I think the mystery probably adds to its appeal.

By far the best part about Thailand for me was the people. I have never met such warm, genuine, friendly folks in my life. From the staff at the hotel to the restaurants to the employees I visited with - all were fantastic. Well, the cab drivers were not the best - but London certainly wins in that aspect. And of course the food is fabulous.

I managed to escape back to London on the morning of June 9, while a million Thais gathered in Bangkok to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the ascension of the king to the throne. Just about every Thai was wearing yellow that day in honor of the King. I wish I had taken some photos of the huge murals and photographs hanging all over town in his honor, it was amazing. Hard to imagine the same kind of reverance for GW or Tony Blair.

Some pictures, mostly of the beautiful temple and the uh, beautiful river, are posted here. I have to go back in October, and am hoping this time to spend a week of vacation afterwards and see more of the countryside.

Mrs Dolores comes to London

It has been a while, but I will start back in May. My mom finally came to visit London!

We had a great time - my mom slept in, I worked in the mornings, then we had lots of great meals and saw many interesting things, including two exhausting trips to Harrods. I have been there four times now, and I have not nearly seen everything, though not sure I really ever need to...

We saw a lot of the regular London stuff - not nearly enough really, but there is always next time. One great thing we did was spend the weekend in Stratford-upon-Avon, home of Will. We stayed at a quaint inn and saw a Royal Shakespeare Theatre production of Romeo and Juliet. We saw where Shakespeare was born as well as couple of other famous houses, and got really wet from all the rain. Photos from that trip as well as a few other random ones are posted here.