Ragnar's World: april 2016

I have visited several genocide memorials during my travels. Cambodia, Armenia, Israel and Rwanda. And they all ring out a tragedy beyond comprehension. How is it possible? How can anyone get the idea that some people are parasites and bugs that need to be exterminated? I learned during our visit to Auschwitz that Zyklon B, the gas used in the gas chambers, was originally designed to be a pesticide. That gave a chilling reminder of what the "solution" was all about.
I don't think anybody could claim that "I would never have done this!". Mainly because those who committed these crimes, where basically you and me. Just in another time and place. Nobody wants to be the bad guys. Nobody wants to believe that they are capable of heinous acts. It's like people driving like crazy. If you ask them if they're not afraid to crash and injure or kill themselves or others, they will most probably answer "I'm a great driver and in perfect control!". Too bad they only become bad drivers when they eventually do crash...
I do not think anybody are born evil. But with the right "incentives" I believe that many are capable of either accepting or ignoring what is happening. Experiments have shown that when influenced by peer pressure and the right authority, many people are "willing" to inflict pain on others.

I think most people know what happened during the holocaust, so there is really nothing to add, except show the pictures I took. And express a sincere hope that we do not need to build more genocide memorials in the future.

Auschwitz (concentration camp)

A urn with some of the ashes of people killed

Prisoners where strung up here by their
arms behind their backs as punishment

Execution wall at Auschwitz

Home of the camp director Rudolf Höss

The gallow where Rudolf Höss was hung
for his crimes

The experimental gas chamber at Auschwitz

Opening through which the Zyklon B
pellets were dropped, producing gas

Ovens where the bodies of the victims where cremated after
they had been gassed to death

Birkenau (extermination camp)

The barracs used at Birkenau were originally cowsheds

The toilet barrack

Cattle wagons used to transport people
to the extermination-camp

The "selected" where lead into a "clothing room" where
they where told to undress before going to "disinfection".

The "disinfection" wasn't to disinfect the people,
but to "disinfect" the earth of these people...
Afterwards, they were cremated in the rooms above.

Zyklon B was actually developed
as a pesticide...

"Do you know the time?"
Just one look at the smart-dressed guy approaching me and my friend, and I knew that he didn't want to know the time. I ignored him. My friend stopped slightly, and I heard them speaking behind me, while I was looking into a shop window. My friend started laughing. "I'm married!" he said. The guy didn't give up that easily but still tried persuading him. I thought he was offering my friend a girl. After he managed to loose the guy, I asked him. "He was inviting us to a 'gentleman's club' with strippers." We both shook our heads and laughed. Not interested.

Krakow
This was the second time I and my friend went on a trip together. Last year, it was Kiev and Chernobyl. This year, we had decided upon Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Krakow just for hanging out in the city, and A-B for some serious afterthought. I had never been to either of the two. And I really wanted to visit Auschwitz. But more on that later.
My friend had been to Krakow a couple of times before on business, but hadn't really gotten to see much. So we decided to spend the first two days just walking around the city, and particularly, focus on the old city. With it's Jewish' quarter and its Wawel castle.
We arrived early afternoon on Wednesday. We caught a taxi from the airport and he drove us to our apartment hotel. It was more or less smack dab in the middle of Krakow. Just a short walk from the old city and the train station. When we had registered, we got into our room. The bed was a double bed as expected, albeit a tad narrow. We started laughing. "We just have to be a little more intimate this time", I said and laughed.

Our room

The stairs in our hotel. With
stained glassed windows

After dropping off our suitcases, we headed out looking for some chow. We ended up in a small restaurant where we both ordered a plate of something XXL. It was a big wad of deep fried meat with french fries on the side. Or more precisely, underneath. A filling meal that definitely was enough to keep us for the day.
We spent the rest of the day wandering around in the old city, checking out shops, streets, and getting bugged by smart dressed men, and some women, offering to take us to some strip-club nearby. We weren't excactly enthusiastic...
The old town was nice. But I guess like most old towns of cities around the world, this is where most tourists go, so the streets are packed with souvenir shops, street vendors, horse-cart rides and the likes. I did take a lot of photos there. But the highlight was the Wawel castle. Towering above the old city below, it was a monument in itself. I love waling around such places. Trying to imagine what it must have been like. Coming to a place like this. Walking around there, princes and paupers, soldiers and priests, kings and servants. Beautiful court-yards, wonderful towers, golden domes, statues and arcs. A true masterpiece.
In the evening, we spent some time wandering through a shopping-mall at the train station. And of all the shops we passed, we found one that had only crocs! Of every type and size. Not being a fashion-conscious guy in any way, I may be wrong. But I thought crocs were like .... gone. But obviously not...

Entrance to the old city

From the inside

Horse and carriages everywhere

Wawel castle

Nature trying to kidnap the building

Inside the castle grounds

Entrance to the court yard

Massive and impressive courtyard

Statue of the Polish pope John Paul II

On Thursday, we wanted to explore some more of the old city, the Jewish quarter and also stroll down to the Schindler factory across the river.
Wandering through the Jewish quarter, I couldn't help but think about the war. How this people would be considered the parasites of the world. And one "final solution" would be implemented to get rid of them. We walked past the temple. Some elderly ladies entered. Streets where you could feel the history and tragedies. And we would get a glimpse of the "solution" the day after.
We found a small market where they sold old memorabilia, antiques and ... well ... trash. I commented on a table full of stuff I considered trash, and my friend replied "some people's trash is some other's goldmine." He is right of course. I have scoured flea markets myself for what others considered trash.
One of the things that caught my eye at one stand, was an old polish bank-note where a Jewish star had been punched out of it. I asked the seller what it was. "The Nazis did this. That made these money only valid in the Jewish ghettos. It would be impossible to use them anywhere else."
After walking through the city all the way to the river, we crossed what seemed like the "love bridge" of Krakow. I have seen this kind of thing elsewhere. Where couples declare their love my hanging a padlock with their names on it, on the railings of the bridge. Thousands of them. With a higher concentration towards the middle of the bridge.
After the long stroll, we decided to go to a restaurant my friend had visitied before. A grill restaurant where they served some of the best baby ribs I have tasted. Like ever. It felt like we should probably walk for three days just to rid ourselves of the calories. But it was worth it. I love a good meal.
After this, we wanted to go to the Schindler factory museum. Unfortunately, the museum was jam-packed with people. So we decided to skip it instead of going around like packed sardines. And just walked back to our hotel. It was getting late anyway, so we wanted to put our feet up and rest before we found some dinner.