Auschwitz

When we decided to visit Krakow we knew that within an hour was probably the most infamous concentration camp, Auschwitz.  We debated long about if the kid are old enough to handle this place and its heavy, dark past.  We knew that Auschwitz would be referenced so many times in their lives and we wanted them to know that it was real and that *it* should never happen again.  No matter how you define *it* - racism, oppression, destruction, devastation, ravaging, genocide, mass murder, etc. Never again.
On Saturday morning we woke up with the intent of driving to Birkenau - Auschwitz II first and then on to the Auschwitz I - the museum, after.   We arrived at Birkenau by 10:30 or 11. It was just an hour or so drives from Krakow and through small back, windy roads.  There are houses and small stores and restaurants within just a few blocks of the actual work camp.  Before we got out of the car Marty reminded them of all that we talked about over breakfast as we tried to explain to the kids what had happened at these work camps.  He reminded them that there would be no joke or laughing.  Marty tends to try to lighten the mood on things by joking.  The kids knew he was serious when he said - NO laughing, no joking.  This place is a memorial and out of respect to the people who lived here we need to recognize how horrible it was and what those people went through.
The kids, to their credit, took it VERY seriously.  It was a very cold, wet, winter day.  I'm sure if you were to visit in the heat of summer you would be able to imagine the misery of not enough shade or water but visiting it in the winter really was somber.  Trying to imagine these people (over 125,000!!) were forced to face.  Without proper clothing, without proper nutrition, barely any heat and then forced to work or just sent to die.  It was brutal but we did our own self guided tour and so were able to tailor what we said and how we said it to the kids. In the end they definitely were able to grasp that beyond horrific things were done to an unbelievable amount of people on this land just 70 ish years ago.
After Birkenau we drove to the Auschwitz I with the intent of going through the museum. It was December 28th and like I said very cold and bleak and so we did not expect to see the lines we saw there.  We stood in line to get in and then realized that we needed a prebooked ticket which we did not have.  So walked around the outside a bit and then were planning to grab lunch and head to the Salt Mines.  Unfortunately on the drive out I started feeling sick.  I'm not sure if I had what the kids had or it was food poisoning from breakfast but as we were driving through the windy roads I just lost it... several times.  It was like your worst nightmare.  We were an hour away from the hotel, the hotel was no where near any place with food, the kids were starving, I was barfing, we needed to get somewhere as there weren't any "pull out on the side of the road" type places.  Marty forged ahead without his co-pilot to give directions (our car did not have GPS) Every small little place we tried to find to eat was closed and then there was a car crash that blocked an entire direction of traffic making it take 4 times the length of time to get somewhere.  Marty finally found an open, small pizza place.  It looked like half dirty, old laundromat and the DMV.  There were 2 or 3 small little tables but the kids were starving and I just wanted to go to the bathroom and wash my hands.  But, NO bathrooms here.
Marty and the kids sat and ate and I walked around the teeny, tiny village looking for a public bathroom.  I finally found one in the public library upstairs.  I love libraries and always have and even half way around the world I know they will be friendly and have toilets.  And they did.
After pizza we still had plans to go to the salt mines. Everyone said we should just go back to the hotel but when you travel the way we have been traveling with just 2-3 days in each city, if you scrap a whole half of a day that leaves you with very little.  I said I could rally and we should go to the salt mines anyway. Unfortunately within minutes back in the car I was already throwing up again. So Marty made an executive decision and we just drove back to the hotel.  I barely made it out of my clothes and into my pajamas before collapsing into bed.
The kids were in heaven.  Their favorite thing to do on vacation is just sit around the hotel room playing card games, reading or having screen time.  Their dream vacation time was topped off when Marty suggested he go and get me a few things in case I felt hungry overnight - crackers or white bread, bananas and apple juice.  He and Josie found a huge grocery store and right next to it a McDonalds.  We NEVER eat McDonalds and we never bring food back and eat it in our hotel room.  Benjamin was SO happy but was so confused.  We normally only eat McDonalds about once a year and back when we landed in Mallorca it was the easiest thing at the airport.  He said "No, wait.  We already had McDonalds for this year!!"  haha.  So my loss and their gain.  They were happy campers.