• 
• 
• 
• 

2019 Travels
Poland

July 11-19, 2019

If you like pierogis, kielbasa with sauerkraut and World War II history, you'll love Poland. We traveled by train to several cities and enjoyed it all.

Below: Warsaw is now a modern financial hub in Europe and the skyline shows it.



Below: We spent a lot of time in the beautiful 'Old Town' (reconstructed after WWII) and went to a Chopin piano concerto.



Below: The Lazienki Palace has nice statuary and peacocks milling about.





Below: The Palace of Culture and Science was built during the Soviet era. We got a great view of Warsaw from the observation deck.



Below: We spent time in a Jewish cemetery which was quite solemn.



Below: The town square in the city of Krakow is a fun place to be, rich in history and architecture.





Below: Chasing butterflies at the Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow.





Below: A photo of Oskar Schindler sitting on his desk in the factory he managed in Krakow.



Below: We visited the Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in southern Poland. Walking through the entrance gates - as so many Jews did - was very emotional. Much of the camp has been preserved and our tour guide taught us a lot.







Below: We were allowed to enter a gas chamber and crematorium. So sad.





The good news is that Poland has fully recovered from WWII and has a bright future. Despite the sad historical sites, we had a great time in Poland and we're glad we went.