Poland - Krakow and Auschwitz-Birkenau

Elizabeth's travel through Germany and Poland was without a doubt the most difficult part of her entire study abroad experience. She and her friends encountered every problem that could exist, beginning with security issues in the Amsterdam Airport, a delayed flight, rude customs officers in Germany, the overnight bus being delayed by an hour, then their bus seats simply not existing on the bus, very few English speakers in Poland, and more.

They traveled to Poland to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau; their tour was scheduled for 12:15pm, but it was abruptly changed to 2:40. All trains from Krakow to Oswiecim appeared nonexistent, even though they checked all details before the trip. A train station officer helped them find a train to a different town and told them they would be able to get to Auschwitz from there, so they hopped on a train and hoped for the best. The ride was two hours, and then they were told to take a bus to Oswiecim. From there, they waited for a shuttle to Auschwitz and then waited 30 minutes for their tour guide; when it became clear that their tour guide was never going to show up, they decided that they would go in by themselves.

It was an incredibly frustrating process, but in the end, all that mattered was that they made it to the memorial, and were able to see Auschwitz-Birkenau ourselves. It was a place that all of us were really looking forward to seeing and even though we were unable to get the full experience, it was still very moving.

It took roughly 4 hours to get back to Krakow; waiting for shuttles that never came, walking 20 minutes to a bus stop, no running trains, etc. They eventually made it onto a bus where they stood in the aisle throughout the hour drive back to Krakow, finally arriving at their AirBnB at 10pm!

Germany and Poland were definitely interesting and exhausting experiences. They had to make a lot of adjustments, keep calm, and learn a lot of life lessons. They also discovered that one of the best ways to keep a positive mindset is to use humor to get through.

In the Berlin airport.

Auschwitz-Birkenau

Inside the camp.

Old town Krakow

They were able to budget enough money to get a really nice apartment in a safe part of Krakow, which was a pleasant surprise after their exhausting day.