Those Who Forget... Condemned to Repeat

Today was an early start to our driving day, 8am bags to coach. We had a quick brekkie, then jumped on the bus. We had a 2 hour drive to our first stop, a shopping centre back in the Czech Republic. On the way we got stopped at the border for a passport check. Afterwards, Tamara said that doesn't happen often, in fact it's usually that they're bored and want to see some pretty girls... Creepy..!
Once at the shopping mall, we checked out the supermarket for snacks and tissues, then headed for some healthy lunch... KFC... It was actually delicious, and fresh!
We jumped back on the bus for the 2 hour journey to Auschwitz. We arrived at about 3pm, and I headed in with Brooke and Ebony.
I don't really know how to describe what we saw, only that I still cannot fathom the atrocities that went on there. There were different exhibits in all the different buildings, and in one, there was a few pictures drawn by young children whilst they were in the camps. Most pictures are colourful and of rainbows and butterflies and families all being together as they were drawing their happy memories, however there were a couple of exceptions, such as one all in black crayon of a man being hanged, with the jewish star on his clothing. How is a 5 year old supposed to deal with seeing that kind of thing happening?
Another exhibit showed a woman before she was arrested, and she was quite... not plump... but voluptuous, and then another photo of her in 1945, when she was liberated from the camp - naked, being held up by another person. She was nearly skeletal, no fat anywhere in her body. It was seriously disturbing and confronting.
We walked back to the bus after just over an hour, and spoke to a few others about their experiences. It seems we missed some of the main exhibits, such as rooms full of hair, glasses, shoes and prosthetic limbs, although part of me is glad we missed it, what we did see was awful enough.
We left there and jumped back on the bus, and someone found out about the news that there had been a shooting at a gay club in Orlando, now America's biggest mass shooting in recent history. It was a really sobering moment, having just been at the site of the worst mass murders in the world's history, and to know it is still happening in today's day and age. Why is there so much hate in the world? What kind of person thinks they have the right to decide who lives or dies?
The concentration camp we were at was called Auschwitz 2, so we headed to Auschwitz 1, which was a working camp. We saw the gates where the trains entered, and as people got off, one man had the decision of whether they were fit enough to work, and if not, they were sent to the death camps. Truly horrific stuff.
We jumped back on the bus, and Tamara asked how we all felt, then told us to msg our parents and loved ones, and played a few songs to remind us how lucky we really are.

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Onto Krakow! We did our rooming list on the bus and as we were staying in a hotel this time, and there is an odd number of ladies, one lucky person got a room to themselves... Me! In reality, everyone else found a buddy, and by the time the sheet got back to me... I was actually totally fine with that though, so much space for activities!
We checked into our rooms - not only did I have room to myself, I was also on a floor of my own...! I got organised for our included dinner at the hotel.
We then got dolled up and met Tamara in the lobby at 10pm to walk into a club in town.
I actually think we might have been supposed to head somewhere else after this bar? But it was pretty good so we stayed all night, drinking and dancing. I managed to get Tamara to have a Jaeger-Bomb with us, and got Jorge to buy my belated birthday drink. We also ran into TJ who we'd met at our hostel in Prague - how random!!
It was only a 10 minute walk there from the hotel, so it should only have taken the same amount to walk home, and whilst I do pride myself on my sense of direction, I reckon it took more like 40 mins to get home... I definitely walked a different way, but I got us home, and that's the main thing!Read more