A Gate at Auschwitz II-Birkenau
After that very emotional visit of the Auschwitz, we were given some time to have lunch at the visitor center. There wasn’t really much to eat here other than sandwiches, so I just found whatever I can eat and waited for our next tour. I was surprised how long the tour takes. I was informed that we will be back to Krakow by three so there was still a lot of time. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse. There was strong wind and the rain was freezing. There were times that the rain actually felt painful. In these conditions we boarded the bus heading for the next destination.
Railroad Tracks Leading to Auschwitz II-Birkenau
If you would think that one Auschwitz was bad enough, it turned out that there was a second, larger Auschwitz in a place called Birkenau. Auschwitz I was getting congested and the Nazis needed another place to hold their captives. Thus Auschwitz II – Birkenau was conceived. As one might expect, the facility in Birkenau was larger and was meant to hold up to 200,000 prisoners at a time. Getting there was a short ride from Auschwitz one, but the weather was already bad. The freezing rain was already coming sideways because of the powerful wind. I can imagine how bad this place would be when one is a prisoner in those types of conditions. It is times like these that you would realize how fortunate you are to be living in a peaceful time and place.
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