{"id":2244,"date":"2012-12-29T10:55:34","date_gmt":"2012-12-29T18:55:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/jett.in\/?p=2244"},"modified":"2012-12-29T10:55:34","modified_gmt":"2012-12-29T18:55:34","slug":"instawalk-auschwitz-and-some-day-trip-tips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/first2board.com\/wanderlusty\/2012\/12\/instawalk-auschwitz-and-some-day-trip-tips\/","title":{"rendered":"Instawalk: Auschwitz (and Some Day Trip Tips)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>(if you&#8217;re reading this, i&#8217;m sure you understand the gravity of the horrors that happened at this location. definitely worth a visit, even if you have been to other concentration camps. the sheer scale of echoes of the atrocities are soul-shattering.)<\/p>\n<p>before i get to the pictures, some quickie pointers that may help someone out:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Transportation\n<ul>\n<li>besides driving yourself or being part of a tour group, your choices for getting to Auschwitz from Krakow are bus, minibus, and train. i got down to the bus terminal early this morning and saw there was a 7:50 minibus that left from bay D8 (downstairs, was told to buy ticket from driver), but it never showed. luckily the <a href=\"http:\/\/web.pksoswiecim.pl\/uslugi.php?lang=pl&amp;id_strony=39#.UN8yom9QWcg\">regular bus<\/a>\u00a0[link to schedules] was leaving at 8:25. you can buy a ticket from the ticket counter\u00a0or from the driver (currently 14 z\u0142, 28 round-trip). <strong>GET THERE EARLY AND WAIT IN LINE.<\/strong> our bus reached standing room only status.<\/li>\n<li>it took 90 minutes to get there, although i spoke with some people who took another bus and they said it only took an hour. the windows were foggy and it was hella cold (yes, i know it&#8217;s winter), so be prepared to sleep or distract yourself some other way.<\/li>\n<li>for the return, there wasn&#8217;t a bus leaving for another hour and a half so i decided to take the train. thank goodness i was able to check the train schedules on my phone. the train is much slower (2 hours), but it&#8217;s much more comfortable (i had the entire row to myself, there&#8217;s a bathroom, it&#8217;s well-heated) and cheaper (9.50 z\u0142 each way). the major drawback is that it&#8217;s a 15 minute brisk <a href=\"https:\/\/maps.google.com\/maps?saddr=Dworzec+PKP+O%C5%9Bwi%C4%99cim+%4050.041325,19.200030&amp;daddr=Pa%C5%84stwowe+Muzeum+Auschwitz-Birkenau+w+O%C5%9Bwi%C4%99cimiu,+Wi%C4%99%C5%BAni%C3%B3w+O%C5%9Bwi%C4%99cimia,+Oswiecim,+Poland&amp;hl=en&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;sll=50.035015,19.20136&amp;sspn=0.023568,0.066047&amp;geocode=Fe2R-wIdHvgkAQ%3BFQ5b-wIdEwAlASFE91qg8VEMECnNmM-1hZUWRzFE91qg8VEMEA&amp;oq=ausc&amp;t=h&amp;dirflg=w&amp;mra=ltm&amp;z=15\">walk to the station<\/a> from Auschwitz I. if you&#8217;re ok with the schedule and longer transit time, i&#8217;d recommend the train over the bus any day. (i have heard though, that the train system is highly unreliable, but we were punctual.)<\/li>\n<li>between the two sites (Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II [Birkenau]), there&#8217;s a free shuttle bus that runs every hour (on the half hour from Auschwitz, to the right [if you&#8217;re facing it] of the main entrance; on the hour from Birkenau). <strong>GET THERE EARLY AND WAIT IN <del>LINE<\/del> THE MOB.<\/strong> this is no time to be polite. make your way onto the bus and be prepared to be squished \u00e0 la Tokyo public transit. luckily it&#8217;s only a couple minutes&#8217; ride. i have a hunch the bus keeps making runs until everyone has been taken, but i&#8217;m not 100% sure, so get on the first (only) run if you can. if all else fails, cabs are waiting to take you for 15 z\u0142.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>On-site\n<ul>\n<li>during the off-season (and before 10 during high season) <a href=\"http:\/\/en.auschwitz.org\/z\/index.php?option=com_frontpage&amp;Itemid=1\">you can get in without going a tour<\/a>. people have said the tours can be rushed, but i&#8217;m sure you learn a lot. i felt like i was ok with just the 5 z\u0142 guidebook (available in many languages from the little book kiosk inside the main entrance) and having watched the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=slZMOkYJFO0\">Oprah and Elie Wiesel episode on YouTube<\/a> (serious).<\/li>\n<li>there&#8217;s a turnstile to actually enter the main grounds of Auschwitz I, but if you&#8217;re going on our own (when you can go on your own) just walk up to it and a guard will let you in.<\/li>\n<li>there&#8217;s a little snack shop at Auschwitz I and some vending machines, as well as a full-on cafeteria-style restaurant to the right of the main entrance. i went to the latter for lunch. mediocre food. i had a breaded chicken breast + salad + mashed potatoes (17 z\u0142) and a bottle of diet coke (5 z\u0142).<\/li>\n<li>bathrooms are 1 z\u0142; they can make change so no need to carry coins.<\/li>\n<li>be sure you walk all the way to the far end at Birkenau so you can see the ruins of the gas chamber and incinerators, and to the rebuilt gas chamber and incinerator at Auschwitz (all the way straight on the path once you enter) &#8212; it&#8217;s not immediately clear that they&#8217;re there if you don&#8217;t know they exist.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>and now, the pictures:<\/p>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Arbeit macht frei by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321476258\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Arbeit macht frei\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8079\/8321476258_06b5aac077_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">The &#8220;Arbeit Macht Frei&#8221; Main Gate<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Barbed by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321486748\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Barbed\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8082\/8321486748_0387864093_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Remains of an electrified barbed wire fence<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Suitcases without owners by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321598422\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Suitcases without owners\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8497\/8321598422_32ba4da31d_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Suitcases without owners<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Shoes without feet by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8320564425\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Shoes without feet\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8360\/8320564425_431f632b09_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Shoes without feet<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Looking into a cell by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321702964\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Looking into a cell\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8497\/8321702964_0e968b7438_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Looking into a cell<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Halt! by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8320648939\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Halt!\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8357\/8320648939_8d7c5c6eea_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Halt!<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Vorsicht by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321731314\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Vorsicht\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8214\/8321731314_0623b3ae5c_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Vorsicht (&#8220;WARNING High Voltage Risk of Death&#8221;)<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Gas chamber and crematorium by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8320764145\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Gas chamber and crematorium\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8494\/8320764145_5da9d19dfb_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Reconstructed gas chamber and crematorium at Auschwitz I<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Like goddamn cattle by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321888956\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Like goddamn cattle\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8355\/8321888956_641ee8be6c_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Like goddamn cattle<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Instead of 52 horses, 400 prisoners. by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8321932682\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Instead of 52 horses, 400 prisoners.\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8214\/8321932682_59a56483dd_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Instead of 52 horses, 400 prisoners.<\/p><\/div>\n<div style=\"width: 622px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a title=\"Candle by jon|k, on Flickr\" href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/jonk\/8320903831\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"Candle\" src=\"http:\/\/farm9.staticflickr.com\/8352\/8320903831_d514e6c7db_z.jpg\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" \/><\/a><p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Candle<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>(if you&#8217;re reading this, i&#8217;m sure you understand the gravity of the horrors that happened at this location. definitely worth a visit, even if you&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":59,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"jetpack_publicize_message":"Instawalk: Auschwitz (and Some Day Trip Tips) #travel 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