**it's a long post - but there are lots of pictures!**
First of all, I have to say - what a great trip! Caitlin, Seamus and I planned it while sitting in a McDonald’s (for the internet, not the food) on a Wednesday evening sometime in early January. The original plan was to go anywhere where we could stay for free - so Ireland was #1 on the list, then we added Austria because I have a family friend there. As we were researching flights we realized that Austria was going to be too expensive to get to - but instead of ruling it out completely we just started adding destinations according to cheap flight prices. At one point we were going to Ireland, Austria (both Vienna and Salzburg), Berlin, Nice and then a train to Paris just to get back to Orléans. We had covered 3 napkins with plans and prices. And then we realized that if we embarked on that trip we would just end up wanting to kill each other - so we wisely decided to go to Ireland and only 1 other place. And the cheapest place to get to in Europe from Paris? Krakow, Poland. So without a second thought we booked it! Don’t forget, we went through a little phase where we traveled just by taking the next train - we almost went to Lille once, but decided it was too expensive.
Our journey started off with the always fun adventure of reaching Charles de Gaulle airport - this is a minimum 2 hour trek that involves 3 different types of trains. Fortunately our trip was effortless - we made each train/metro exactly as it arrived and got the airport in an easy 2 hours. We wasted the 2.5 hours before our flight with some wine and cards - it was lovely. Got to Belfast around 9pm and were met by Seamus’ parents and brother Niall. They were so nice! We drove to their house and didn’t hardly have time to breath because we were heading off to see Duke Special play at a pretty small but awesome bar (pub?). Duke Special is a pretty well known Northern Irish musician who plays pop-ish music and is really fun. Unfortunately, he was really drunk and forgot most of the words to is own music - but it was lots of fun none the less. When he remembered it was great, and when he didn’t the audience just filled it in for him. We went back to Seamus’ house and stayed up 'til 4am talking to his siblings and drinking tea+eating toast (toast is pretty nonexistent in France - so it was a treat).
The next “morning” we had an Irish fry - which has got to be the world’s best tasting and worst for your health meal. We devoured it. Then the family took us to the Giant’s Causeway - which was amazing! Here’s some pictures:
at a old castle just before the Giant's Causeway
so amazing
just look at that green!
the Causeway - it looks like something out of this world
up close
the boys at the top
Caitlin and I by the breaking waves
Seamus and I by the organ pipes
so beautiful!
That night we went to Belfast - and here’s 1 of 3 pictures I took there:
We didn’t have much time in Belfast - but we did have a very fun night out!
The next day we caught a train to Dublin - which really is a beautiful ride. In Dublin we got a very fast walking tour and saw a very funny Irish comedian - Dara O’Briain. I was worried initially because the first 10 minutes of jokes referenced both the Irish language and Irish things - that I didn’t understand. But after that he started on other stuff and at one point I was laughing so hard that I was crying - all in all an awesome experience. The next day we went on a hop on hop off bus tour (which I’m usually against, but we didn’t have much time and wanted to see as much of the city as possible). We got to see the Dublin castle,
GPO, some beautiful churches, the outside of the Guinness factory (we were just too cheap to see a bunch of beer tanks and not get to drink any)
as well as the Kilmainham Gaol (the British rule prison where they kept and executed many of the Irish independence leaders). We decided to take a tour - and it was awesome! The prison is very well preserved and they have a great museum bit that fills you in on a lot of Irish history and the history behind the prison. The tour caught me up on a lot that I didn’t know about Ireland, which was nice and helped to make sense of some of the sights we saw in Dublin. That afternoon we headed back to Belfast, caught a bus and went back to Seamus’ family. We had a lovely dinner together and then went and met more of his family - which was so sweet. It was really nice to be back in a real home with a family - it’s something that you really miss living in a studio far away from home!
oh and p.s. Guinness is best on tap - sooooo good.
Tuesday we flew to Krakow - which is a beautiful city. We had a nice cheap dinner - I believe it ended up at 3 euro each, which is absolutely nuts. Wednesday, Caitlin and I wandered around the city while Seamus caught up on some rest. Here's some pictures of Krakow:
a really cool tower in the main square
the big cathedral in the square
Krakow is full of churches and cathedrals
making new friends
Caitlin and I had both been complaining about our desperate need for haircuts - they aren’t terribly expensive in France, but they aren’t of the greatest quality. I had one in December and within 3 weeks felt like I needed another - so not so great. So we did the adventurous thing and got haircuts in Poland! We found a little salon down the street from our guesthouse and decided it looked good enough. It was a little place with only one woman working - so we shyly asked if she spoke any english, to which she responded no! And then, in an amazing piece of friendliness the woman who was in the middle of a haircut says, “I speak english!” So then she did some translation for us and we were both in line for cuts! So sweet! I was feeling particularly adventurous - and decided to go for a medium-short cut! I haven’t had short hair since I was 12, but I’ve been feeling frustrated with having a lot of unruly hair - so I decided on a whim to get rid of it! And... it looks great! It was a great haircut and I’m really happy with it! Here’s a mostly unflattering picture of both Caitlin and I - but it does show off (kinda) our cute new styles!
That night we had a great dinner. I had 3 courses and paid 12 euro - amazing!
Thursday we ventured to Auschwitz - which was a full day trip and a really emotional one as well. I didn’t take any pictures there - mostly because it didn’t seem right to act as a tourist in a place where so many suffered and died. We decided to take the 3.5 hour tour, and I’m really glad we did. I remember learning about the Holocaust, but there is so much that isn’t taught (understandably) and it really helped me to understand the horrors that were committed on innocent people. On the tour you see not only the grounds, but also inside the barracks, punishment cells, gas chambers and toilet facilities. It spanned two camps - Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II Birkenau - you also start with a short film that was taken in the days after the Red Army liberated the camps. I have to say - I had no idea. You really can’t understand what happened until you see what remains. I spent much of the day wavering between anger, sadness and shock. I think for me, the gravity of it all hit home when you see the human hair, shoes and suitcases that were found. The nazi’s didn’t waste anything - and some of what they took from people (both dead and alive) is on display. When you see the enormity of what remains (and realize that it’s a very small fraction) you just can’t help but cry. Each set of shoes was a person - and they lay there in an enormous pile. It’s just so much. One thing I knew, but didn’t know the extent of is the experimentation that Nazi doctors did on those held at Auschwitz - it’s just horrifying. I’m not going to repeat it here - but know that’s it’s much worse than you ever thought. The conditions of the camp were just appalling - and visiting in winter really allowed me to understand the coldness (it was a ‘warm’ day of -5 C) and the emptiness of the grounds - and it’s almost impossible to believe that people were forced to live it such a place. The most powerful and saddening experience is when you walk through the gas chamber. One of the chambers - the first one used - is still in tact at Auschwitz I and visitors are able to walk through it. I have to say - it was awful. For that place to be your last sight on earth - it just doesn’t seem just (and it wasn’t). But I have to admit, I don’t know which is worse - to see people dying all around you when you expect a shower or to suffer in the conditions of the camp -- I genuinely can’t imagine either, but it does cross your mind that giving up might have been the less painful option. For those who stayed strong and continued with hope - well you must be an amazingly strong person. Seeing it really changes a little something in you - but it’s just so hard to process everything that you see. I really do think though that everyone should be made to see it - as someone said ‘ those who forget their own history are doomed to repeat it.’
Friday we took it easy - we slept in and then ventured to Wawel Hill which is a castle and cathedral in a walled area. It was really cool!
The really cool entry gate
The snow covered dragon
Wawel Hill
There had been a lot of snow - so we had a big snowball fight.
It starts innocently with Seamus 'dusting' us
Continues with Seamus chasing Caitlin and I around and covering us with snow (not pictured - us covered in snow)
At one point Seamus tossed a literal block of ice - fortunately it missed
We explored the inside of the Cathedral and the grounds, but didn’t go in the castle - Rick Steves said it wasn’t worth it, so we took his word for it. It was really beautiful and lots of fun. We also visited the cathedral where Pope John Paul II was archbishop. So pretty! While wandering around the cathedral we found a pew with a sign indicating his favorite spot to pray - pretty amazing to stand in the same spot as the Pope!
Afterward we wandered around some more, had some coffee and then ventured to an awesome beer hall where we passed a couple of hours enjoying Poland’s finest. I got to sample 4 different brands of Polish beer - and they were all great! I think I liked Tyskie the best, but they were all very enjoyable. Seamus even drank a .3 liter glass (which was amazing because he hates beer and never drinks it) and he didn’t hate it!
Saturday we had a nice big breakfast and then flew home. Took our 3 different trains and got into Orléans around 8 or so.
The sign says - 1350 km to Orléans
It was an amazing trip full of so many things I will never forget! What an amazing adventure!
