Dwor w Tomaszowicach Krakow

... guide about chakra and watch him squirm — they're forbidden to talk about it.)" (Rick Steves' Europe Website).

You'll have to go there yourself to find out if the energy field has any effect. Let's just say I felt something, and no it was not a coincidence...

We spent the afternoon doing what any normal person does when faced with the task of ...

... once the guide told us what to look for, you could see the rooms within the building. We also stopped by a pond, where the ashes of human remains were dumped. I'm sorry if this blog is morbid. It's very hard for it not to be. We then went to the brick barracks and saw the sleeping arrangements, which along with the toilets were very primitive. That's to be expected though, considering the camp it was in. After that we ended our guided tour by walking the opposite way along the road of ...

... to sort them out but by the time they arrived the lads had moved onto a strip club. The security then saw me half unconscious, thought I was drunk and carried me to the only open bedroom they could find. This bedroom happened to belong to said Geordie lads. These guys were in the Territorial Army and had just come back from a stint in Iraq so needless to say they were a bit warped in the head from the experience. Tanked up with booze they retuned back to find me in one of their beds and ...

... a lot, and we had some *delicious* pierogi at a little cafe. Seriously, they were so good. I would have had pierogi every meal if Mom would have let me. To compensate for all the pierogi and beer, I went for a run along the river that evening, while Mom watched some Polish TV back at the guesthouse. Got some strange looks - not sure if it's because not many people run in that touristy area, or because I am so out of practice running that I looked ...

... on a Jewish museum in an old synagog and Kerry, Darcie, Meghan, and I decided we wanted to learn some stuff, so in we went. The others (those ignorant wretches) went on their own way, and we promised to meet at the hostel at 3:45. We went through the museum, saw some things, learned some stuff, and then went to procure our lunch. In the Jewish Quarter, there was a restaurant that advertised that they were a "Jewish Style Restaurant." I was all ready to go in a test this ...

I get to Warsaw first thing in the morning after the bumpiest coach ride ever. Seriously I'm sure some bits of my intestine swopped places with my liver or an ovary or something. Then I take the train to Krakow, my first train journey since I've been away. The rail service to/from Lithuania is not recommended - there is one journey a day but you have to change trains at a small border town and if the polish train is late the lithuanian one might not wait meaning ...

... was going to be long and so emotionally draining it was uncomprehendable. At 1pm we were picked up by the See Krakow van. It took almost 2 hours to get to Auschwitz as we picked up various people from other hostels dotted about the town. One thing was certain and clear on the journey. The was no talking, no whispers or even eye contact between passengers. My stomach was tied in knots and my gut feeling was making me ask the question if I was ready to view this 'museum'. On ...

... and watch several lots of tours pass through. Without the camera I would feel safe, understand that, only with the camera in hand it's like invading someone's space and capturing the moment as if they were in a zoo. I feel humbled and teary eyed as I walk through the bottom streets of the Quarter. My throat tightens and I get choked up with emotion. The buildings here are lying dormant and in complete disrepair. The council ...

... receiving lethal gas and then to see the ovens in the adjacent room was the most sickening experience of my life. It makes you evaluate what is important and what is precious. It also MUST serve as a lesson for the future. Yes, I felt nauseous and faint - but I am glad I went and I would recommend anyone who gets the chance to go. It's surreal now, but it was all too real then and it is STILL within living memory.

... It was so exhausting, but after visiting Auschwitz for the day could we really complain? One of the girls in our group opened up a random door in the space we were standing and discovered it was an empty closet. We all put our backpacks in there and then she slept on top of then as our security device. We all held it together pretty well considering, then Chris said "Do you realize we are all on a train to Hell?" Sure enough he was right, the final destination of the train was Hel, Poland.