Sara & I had a light breakfast and took a taxi to the Edinburgh train station. Our cabbie took us the long way to the station, but he was so pleasant we didn’t mind. Do all cabbies think women are blind & stupid? He has lived all his life in Edinburgh. I asked him what Clan he was affiliated with and he said he didn’t know. Then he told us his name was Fitzgerald. Sounds more Irish than Scottish! Sara & I are on the train headed for York. We are passing through beautiful farm land dotted with sheep and heather. We could see the ocean for a bit-it was spectacular! Two blond girls, German I think, keep walking up and down the aisles dressed in Hawaiian costumes; leis, grass skirts, barefoot. Not your usual sight on a train in the UK. I’m afraid to ask! We got to York and checked into our hotel. Then we took a hop on/hop off bus tour of the city. It is a great little city with walls all around the “old city”. It would take about 4 hrs to walk the walls. The Vikings came and built these walls as a protection against other invaders. During our bus tour we saw young women all dressed up in “posh frocks” and huge hats. Today was the Ascot races and everyone who was anyone was there. We toured the Viking Center and walked around the city center. Our Novotel hotel was great. We went back to the hotel and ate dinner and rested. Then we went for a walk along the city walls. We met three young boys, age 15 or so, on the wall and they were curious about us. One asked if we were from America and asked if it was good in America. We told him yes, we had our problems, but, it was good in America. The houses all have antennas, like the US had in the 50’s.

 

We checked out of the hotel and decided to take a quick tour of the city before leaving. On the tour we saw a building with a window bricked up. They said that at some point a tax was put on daylight, and if you didn’t pay the tax they would come and brick up your windows! I would pay gladly! We caught our train to London and arrived there at the Kings Cross Station when just a week ago Terrorists had set off a bomb killing people. We had to go outside of the station to transfer to another station. At the corner of the building we saw where people had made a memorial to those killed, putting flowers, and candles there. It was so sad and a reminder that no one is safe. We caught our train to Gatwick and our flight ended up leaving London 1 hour late for the flight to Prague. I sat next to a young couple on the plane who kissed most of the way to Prague (1 ½ hrs) while I read. It was bad manners, but kind of sweet after seeing the evilness of the bombings in London. Life is short-good luck to them! It is 9:45 pm and our plane is flying over the lit up city of Prague. What will Prague reveal of herself to us? Stay tuned. Sara & I bargained for a cab to take us to our hotel. The driver was friendly, but I swear he tried to kill us on the way to the hotel! He took more than one corner on two wheels! We were fumbling around for our seat belts. The hotel is great and in a wonderful location (Hotel Leonardo). It is about 2 blocks from the Charles Bridge. We got to our hotel at about 11 pm and Carol, who had just flown into Prague from the US was already there. All of us were hungry and thirsty so we walked a block to a Greek restaurant that was still serving and had cokes and Greek salads. It was a lovely evening and we sat outside. We all got caught up on the news from home. It would have been perfect except for a man at the next table reading a book and smoking a cigar. We went to bed about midnight.

 

We woke up late (9 am), ate breakfast, and set out to discover Prague. It only took 1 hour for me to fall completely in love with Prague. It is a beautiful, clean city. No litter and each of the buildings a work of art. It has a spectacular castle on the hill. We took a 2 hour van tour around the city and then went back to the castle for a closer look. Good King Wenceslas (from the Christmas Carol) is buried there. We walked down to old town square and ate lunch at an outdoor café next to the astronomical clock. Each hour the 12 apostles come out in the clock tower as the clock chimes the hour. People gather each hour to watch this. We rested in our room for a bit and then went out to have dinner at another outdoor café next to the Charles Bridge. It is about 70 degrees. After dinner we walked around and then after dark went to the Charles Bridge to see the lights and the city. Spectacular! There are freelance musicians playing music and people strolling-what a treat. Back to the hotel to be ready for our last day in beautiful Prague.

 

We woke up about 9 am, had breakfast, and went out to see some more of Prague. This morning we walked over to the old Jewish Cemetery. This cemetery and synagogue is in the old part of Prague. The Jews were segregated from the rest of the population and the cemetery was used through out the years as their burial place. The stones are right up against each other because the bodies had to be buried in layers in order for the Jews to all fit in this burial ground. When the Nazi’s invaded Prague they made this area a Jewish ghetto and made them all wear the yellow Star of David. Then they rounded them up and put them on trains for the concentration camps. Few lived. One of the synagogues have the names of all those sent to the camps and the areas/towns where they lived. The names are written on the walls of the synagogue. It is so powerful! When the Russians came and “freed” the Jews from the camps, they took control of Prague and went into the synagogue and painted over all the names on the walls-wiped them out like they never existed. When communism fell in 1989, it took 4 years, but the names were once again written on the walls. There is a little room where we saw drawings made by some of the little children in the camps. The adults tried to make the children’s lives as normal as possible so they had then draw and do regular school work as they could. The drawings probably were a needed outlet for the children to deal with the horror they were living. One child’s picture was of a family dinner table with only 1 child sitting there all alone-probably waiting for a family who would never return. Another was a train traveling in the dark. One was of an adult who was being struck by a monster with fangs. I couldn’t stop the tears as I looked at these pictures-it broke my heart that these children had to live through this time in history. Could I really go to Auschwitz as planned? I am praying for the strength. We shopped along a street nearby and I found a pair of garnet earrings to remember Prague. We rested at the hotel until 7 pm and then went back over the Charles Bridge and took a 1 hour boat ride up and down the river to get a different look at all of the beautiful buildings. After the boat ride we ate at an outdoor café and sat at a table that had a magnificent view of the castle overlooking the city. Just when we said that it doesn’t get any better than this…..fireworks lit the sky downriver! It really could get better! As we were enjoying our dinner an Oriental woman sat down at the table next to us. She sat for a moment and then left. Another couple came and sat down and about 2 minutes later the Oriental woman came back to the table with 2 boxes of pizza (not bought at that restaurant) and started ranting that that was her table and they needed to leave. As she continued to harangue this couple the rest of the Oriental family showed up-about 10 of them! It was a real circus. The couple decided to vacate this table for a more peaceful one away from this mob. The Oriental family sat and ate their 1 slice of pizza each (which took about 5 minutes) and then all got up and left! Go figure!

 

We left Prague by train heading to Dresden, Germany. The train followed the Elbe River which was so nice to watch. I could tell about when we came into Germany-the houses began to look nicer. We got to Dresden and checked into our Hilton hotel. We had a great salad lunch there and afterwards went on a bus tour of the city. We are not so thrilled with Dresden. It is large-not much English spoken here, harder to navigate. I could still see damage here from the war; this was the most bombed city in Germany because Hitler wouldn’t surrender even though the war was lost for him. We rested at the hotel for a bit and then went for our usual 3 hour dinner at an outdoor café. We finished dinner at about 10 pm. It was great watching the parade of people passing by. After dinner we took a walk along an upper promenade with a view of the river. Dresden is much prettier in the dark than in the daylight. Now we prepare for Poland.

 

We had a wonderful buffet breakfast at the Dresden Hilton and then took the train headed for Wroclaw, Poland to take part in a women’s language camp for a few days. The train out of Dresden was new and good, but we had to change trains at Gorlitz, and that is another story. At Gorlitz we were met by border guards—a little intimidating. We got settled in our compartment and the conductor came by and was not happy that our 3 suitcases were taking up seat space—he wanted us to fork over more money for the seats we were using to hold our case—I suspect that the extra money would not go further than his pocket. We declined to pay extra and said we would hold the cases on the floor at our feet instead. In the end he left us alone. Our 3 cases were not keeping anyone from having a seat on that train. This train is hot, and smelly, and noisy…and it is a 3 hour trip. On one of the train stops in Germany, I noticed a spray painted Nazi swastika. Have they learned nothing from history? We would go into the aisle outside of the compartment to catch any kind of breeze. When I look out the train window as we head eastward-I am mindful that this train is taking me farther and farther away from my family and I am sad. Dorota picked us up at the Wroclaw train station. We were so hot and thirsty! The first thing we did was change some money and buy water. Dorota drove us to the seminary where we met up with the other ladies who arrived earlier that day. We hugged everyone and then hit the cool showers. The seminary has 3-4 dorm rooms with bunk beds. At 7 pm we all walked to a restaurant near the seminary and met up with one of the British ladies (Pauline) as well as Dorota and Rebecca. After dinner we headed back and settled down for the night.

 

Sara, Carol, and I woke up bright and early-the others were suffering from jet lag. Today we go out and explore Wroclaw. It is unusually hot here and there is no air conditoning because they rarely need it. The seminary has no A/C and our rooms are on the 3^rd floor, so it is hot. We had trouble sleeping because of the heat. We decided today to buy a couple of small fans for our room and donate them to the seminary when we leave. Our first stop on our walking tour is a nearby farmers market with every fruit and vegetable known to man. It is in a large warehouse. I bought some candy for the grandkids. We walked over to the university area of the town and went inside a beautiful church. Then inside was very beautiful, but I noticed on the outside of the building what looked like machine gun bullet holes in the wall. I know that the Russians had control of Wroclaw for years and they did not allow any worship during that time. I don’t know if this was during the Hitler or Stalin time. Wroclaw was the last city to fall during WWII. The Nazi’s wouldn’t surrender and Wroclaw was bombed. Then we walked to a restaurant called the Pyramid for lunch. We ate inside since it was so hot. The inside was decorated like an Egyptian tomb. It was wonderful. The owner of this restaurant was in Miami working on getting one there. It will go over big there, I think. The heat continued, but we walked on to the Renick, which is the town square with shops and restaurants all around it. During the communist years, these beautiful building were painted a grey color. Each building in Wroclaw was painted the same color so that no one could say their building is better than another. All the beauty disappeared under Stalin. It has only been about 15 years since communism ended, so it is slowly coming back to its original beauty. When Pope John Paul was to visit Wroclaw, they spent time & money getting the Renick back to its original beauty. The buildings there are lovely and all look different. You can tell the buildings that were built under the communist rule; they are all drab and ugly. This country is struggling as they try to have a free economy, so it may take awhile before all can be restored. We bought our fan and headed back to the seminary that is hosting us. When I got back I took the coldest shower I could stand. I have been told that the mountain resort in Sklarska will be much cooler. That will be a blessing. About 7 pm we all walked back to the square to eat dinner. The air was much cooler now and the walk was pleasant. When we got to the square, I couldn’t believe the transformation—all of the square and its buildings were lit up and it was so beautiful! All I could remember from the afternoon visit was the unbearable heat. But now, the cool air was all around us, the restaurants were full of laughing people, there was music everywhere. This is where the little town gathers on summer evenings. We finished dinner about 10 pm and walked over to an ice cream shop for some gelato. The walk back to our hotel was grand. The rooms are still unbearably hot, but now we at least have a fan to rotate the hot air.

 

Today we begin our “work”. We have a morning meeting and then we meet up with some of the Polish women who will be at the language camp with us. We loaded up our 16 seat van with American and Polish women and began our 2 ½ hour drive to the mountains. The van had no A/C, so it was rather uncomfortable—, but off we went. It is still unseasonably hot in Wroclaw (a record high today). Just before we arrived at our Pension we could tell that it was cooler here. After unloading our luggage, we all went to find our rooms and roommates. My two polish roommates are so open and friendly! I look forward to getting to know them and sharing with them. We are a very congenial little group. Tonight at dinner I met the other ladies. My discussion group has 4 Polish women in it, Malgosha, Yola, Ania, and Asha. Our cultures are very different, but we do have some things in common. These women look forward to this once a year camp each year to practice their English and to have a bible study of sorts. In the morning meetings we will meet together and have a group I will lead on the bible lesson that morning. Then in the afternoon we will get back together and have an English lesson that another American will lead. They are trying so hard to only speak English. This is their opportunity to do this and they want to take advantage of it. But it is frustrating for some of them to do this. Some are struggling more than others. I am tired from the van trip, the heat, and the fact that I have been living out of a suitcase for 15 days now (see the Discover Scotland Blog). I am also overwhelmed with all these new faces and names. I have forgotten what it is like to have “alone” time. I want to enjoy this experience since I am here, but I long to be home with Rod in my own bed. The Pension is wonderful by Polish standards, but not so wonderful by American standards. There is mold on the bathroom ceiling, and I found a bug in my bed. I am sleeping on a 1960’s fold down couch. One of my roommates, Ella, has told me that she will leave early tomorrow to walk to the little village for Mass. She will leave at 5:30 am. It is raining and we have our windows open since this is the only air.

 

The weather is finally much cooler! It feels like Scotland. A blessing for everyone! Ella left this morning about 5:30 am and walked in the rain to town for her Mass. It took her 45 minutes to walk to the church. The Polish women are used to walking everywhere they go. Most don’t have cars (gas is about $5 per gallon). They love to hike in the mountains. It is not unusual for them to go on a 4-5 hour hike. It is free and enjoyable to them. Krystyna walked to Mass about 2 pm. We go to breakfast each day at 9 am. They don’t eat “lunch”. At breakfast we eat cereal and then make our 2^nd breakfast (what we call lunch). This is a sandwich with sliced meat and cheese. If you miss the 9 am breakfast, you also miss the making of your sandwich. To my knowledge, no one missed this! Dinner is at 6 pm. We all met together at 10 am and heard a message about the Samaritan woman and then broke into our discussion groups. We go slowly so they can digest the question and then answer in their broken English. It is very frustrating for them but they are so proud of themselves when they can get the entire thought out in English. These women amaze me. Most of them are professional women, doctors, engineers, professors, and one is a judge. They tell me they are embarrassed about their poor English. I tell them that their English is so much better than my Polish! They have lived though communism and tough political and economical times and still are. They are strong and resilient people. They are also so kind hearted and humble. One lady told me that she looks forward to this week all year long. Another said that she works hard all year for everyone else, and this is the 1 week out of the year that is just for her. Many of them have terrible home lives. The unemployment is about 30%. There are not enough jobs and the husbands sometimes take their anger out on the wives. What I have been blessed with in my everyday life is something most of these women will never have. But they are very happy and hopeful. It is a joy to know them. I can see through these women how strong the Polish people are. They have lasted through many invasions of their country. Even through the Nazi’s and the cruel communism their spirit never broke and they never gave up their faith-even under penalty of death. Their faith remains and communism has gone. They have the strength, but what I see lacking is the confidence in themselves. They are amazed at the “can do” spirit of the Americans. I am homesick, uncomfortable in less than basic comforts (brown water, hot diet coke, a sleeper sofa that sinks in the center, and sharing a small room with two women I don’t know very well).

 

A group of the Polish & American women decided to go on a hike. My heel was hurting so I knew there would be no hiking for me. It was about half of all the women at camp. They were still not back by 6 pm dinner time and the leaders of the camp were not happy because the Pension had places set and food prepared for all. This group did not arrive back until 7:30 pm. They went too far and got lost on the mountain for a bit. The Polish women also had to wait on the slow Americans to catch up on the hike!. There were very tired ladies and upset leaders and a blown evening schedule. Also, my roommate Elzbieta woke up this morning with a toothache and by 9 pm it had gotten much worse. Her face was swelling and I became alarmed that an infection had set in. So she had to leave and return to Wroclaw to see a dentist.

 

 

A couple of us went to the little village for some souvenirs. I bought four wooden puzzles for the grandkids. The Polish women are preparing a Polish Night for us. They have been practicing all afternoon. The program that the Polish women did for us was wonderful! They did several skits showing how it was in the 80’s during daily communist life. Long lines for toilet paper, meat, etc. Trading coupons with each other in order to buy basic human needs. After the program we had cake & coffee and the Polish women were so relieved that the skit was over so that now they can relax. They were so upbeat during our get together afterwards. They said it has taken a long time to be able to laugh at those hard times of the past (in a skit). Krystyna and I called Ella and she told us she plans to return to camp tomorrow.

 

At noon Ella returned to us and we were all so happy to see her. She looks great-the swelling is down. The dentist drained her abscess and she is on antibiotics. This afternoon, the group went on a treasure hunt and it was a hit. Unfortunately it was a rainy day, but no one minded. Nothing will stop this group from enjoying this experience and each other. Tonight we had a cookout and it was still raining and cold, but we had access to two outdoor shelters that we cooked and ate under. All of the women are so hungry after the 3 hour hike/treasure hunt. After dinner we sang songs. Ann had her guitar, so later in the evening we got out a Beatles song book and really raised the roof! These ladies know those songs.  I left the group at 11 pm, others were still going.

 

It is still raining and is much colder. Today we talked about the history of Poland. It is a very interesting history. They have been ruled by many countries, including Nazi Germany and Russia. Today they are a free society but have just joined with the European Union which makes them a little nervous. Ruth, who lived through WWII remembers when Germans lived in Wroclaw (it was called Breslau then), and these Polish people lived in the Ukraine. With the Treaty of Yalta, the US & UK gave Wroclaw to Russia and the Germans who were here were surrounded and left for the part of Germany that was still under German rule (Germany made them do this). These German people could only take what they could carry, so homes were left as is. Ruth’s father came from the Ukraine with his family and found a flat with a piano in it. He knew his wife would love the piano, so he applied to the government and got permission to take over the flat. The best homes and apartments were used by the elite and what was left was given to the people. I have four Polish women in my group, and of the four I feel that one in particular is watching from a distance. She never misses a lesson and is the first to arrive to our meeting, and asks many questions, but there is a bit of a wall. It could be that she is embarrassed about her weak English. She did say that she is not the emotional type and can’t understand when someone becomes emotional. She is very analytical. I like that about her, though. I assured her that not everyone is the emotional type. It is a rainy day everyone seems drained. My roommates went to a little rock shop nearby while I rested. I am so tired and cherish any moments I get to myself, especially after the classes. They take a lot out of me. Ella showed me a little stone necklace and when I admired it, she insisted I have it. I talked to Rod today and got caught up on news from home. Tonight I was reading my book when my roommates came into the room and I said “Gendobre” (Hello). They were so surprised! They complimented me on my excellent Polish, and then I went on to say “Prosha” (please), but they way I pronounced it was “child of a pig”. They doubled over in laughter and told me what I had said. Ella told me about a friend of hers who came to the US and wanted to order a fried egg, but it came out as “frightened egg”. When the waitress set her egg down in front of her she said “BOO!” we laughed so hard about the language mix ups.

My roommates left at 6 am to walk to the village for a special Mass. Today I hope to walk to the village (4 miles) for a last look around before I go. We leave here on Sunday-one step closer to home. The Americans are preparing a traditional Thanksgiving feast tonight. The turkey is cooking and the wonderful aroma is all over this little Pension. The women are excited! Susie and I walked into town and browsed. It was a beautiful day. Our feast was a roaring success. We decorated the conference room tables with all of the Thanksgiving decorations that were brought for this occasion. We had turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes (the sweet potatoes that were bought for us before we came were rotten and couldn’t be used); we also had sweet corn and rolls. The pumpkin pies were a huge hit! None of the ladies had ever tasted it before. The love our Thanksgiving holiday and wish they had one. After dinner, four of us Americans got up and sang “America the Beautiful” a cappella. The women loved it. There were many hugs afterwards. These are precious women.

During leadership prayer this morning one of the Polish women, a doctor, came into the room crying. She had just gotten a phone call about her mother being ill. She will have to leave the camp today. Her mother was sent by the Nazi’s as a child to Siberia to a work camp. Her heath was severely damaged (kidneys, lungs). Many children didn’t survive this cruelty. This woman survived but all of her life has been a struggle with health. The leaders surrounded Marishka and prayed for her mother. We finished our final morning and afternoon lessons. I am always spent emotionally afterwards—the language/cultural/religious differences are sometimes draining for me. The women are so sad that camp is over. I am too in a way, but I am ready to be home. Four more days. We have worked out with my roommate, Krystyna to take us on Monday at 7 am to Krakow where we will tour Auschwitz. I dread seeing Auschwitz, however, I may never have another chance to pass this way again, and I think everyone probably should see it to fully understand the evil of it so maybe it will never happen again. Tonight we prepare a final evening of song and skits to send us off with joy filled hearts. Ella, Krystyna and I went to our room about 11 pm. I was reading my book in my bed and they both came over to me and threw the covers off of my feet. I couldn’t figure out what they were up to! Then I saw that each of them had a slipper in their hands. They put a slipper on each of my feet and told me it was their gift to me for the long plane ride home. I was so overwhelmed. I have really enjoyed them as roommates this week. I will miss them when camp is over.

We had a very short final program and then the camp was over at noon. There were many long tearful goodbyes. The woman who claimed to never get emotional was weeping. I told her how special she was to me and that I would write. The Americans piled in a van and made our way back to Wroclaw. We dumped our luggage at the seminary and then walked to the Renick for a last look around. Then we all went to have a wonderful 3 hour dinner at the Art Hotel. We are all pooped. Tomorrow we leave at 7 am for Auschwitz, the Salt Mines, and Krakow. I look forward to tomorrow with dread and anticipation. Krystyna will be our guide for the whole day. I will be glad to have another chance to be with her before I leave.

We left at 7 am and drove to Auschwitz. I prayed that I would absorb the history, but not the horror of it. It is like walking through a graveyard. There were probably over 1,000 people touring this camp, but it was reverently quiet as we all tried to make sense of what we were seeing. We entered the gates that others so long ago were forced to enter. Over the gates is a motto: “Work Makes You Free”. For whom, I wonder? As we pass the gate I saw the 20 foot high razor wire fence to my right and to my left. I could choose to turn around and leave, the people of 1941-1945 could not. There is a row of brick buildings lined up in military fashion that were built by the Polish people as a military base before the war. It could not have been a better place for the Nazi’s to use for their purpose. Out tour took us through the process as the people were brought through then. We saw the processing rooms where the people were crammed in and told to remove their clothes and release their personal belongings. They were then made to put on stripped uniforms with a number on the chest area. Their hair was shaved off. There are some rooms in one of the buildings that have a mountain of tattered suitcases with names and addresses on them. One had a child’s name and age as well as what to feed the child. I suppose the mother put it on hoping that if they got separated someone would care for him. There was also a mountain of mens, women’s, and children’s shoes. Next we saw a pile of eyeglasses. There were also pots and pans. When the Nazi’s came and forced the people from their homes, they took whatever they could carry (I guess they were told they would be living somewhere else-instead they were brought to the camps). The most disgusting pile, and it was massive, was of human hair. I saw one particular long braid that was grey. When the allies freed the camp, they found bags and bags of it. The Nazi’s used this hair to make clothes and blankets for the German citizens. We passed interrogation rooms with tables and chairs. Along one long hall were 8x10 photos of men and women with shaved heads, wearing the prison clothing. Most had no expression on their faces, but one woman I especially remember was about 50 years old; thin build, with a tiny sweet smile. Was she asking for mercy? Under the names are dates: date of entry into the camp and date of death. It was odd that so many had the same year of death, maybe 1 or 2 months apart. We saw the barracks with triple bunk beds—no mattress—which 2 or 3 people had to share. There were rooms with just straw on the floor, or burlap bags. We saw the torture rooms; a small one with no ventilation where they would cram as many as possible in and lock the door. This was called the suffocation room. We saw stalls where people would be forced to stand up all night and then be made to work all the next day. The oppressiveness of this place is so strong. We saw the killing wall where so many were just lined up and shot. Today, people leave flowers and candles there. The final place we saw was the gas chamber and the crematorium. Outside of this building was a group of Jewish people all gathered around in prayer flying the Jewish flag. I expect they were also praying for strength before entering this evil place. I stood in the concrete room that was the gas chamber and then entered the next room which held the 3 or 4 furnaces where the bodies were cremated. Just outside of this building is a gallows where people were hung. In 1945 when this camp was liberated, it must have been an overwhelming shock to the allies. After the war the camp commander was hung on this very gallows that was used so cruelly by him. That small justice was a breath of fresh air to me in this place. Next, we went to nearby Berkenau. When Auschwitz overflowed, the Nazi’s found a much larger area to continue this madness. They surrounded the area with the razor wire, and built a very tall guard house at the front gate. A train track comes right into this camp. When the people got off the trains, they were separated men from women and children. A SS officer would begin the process of selecting who lived and who died. The strong went left to the work camp and the weak and infirm to the right to their execution. The prisoners were made to build wooden buildings to house themselves. Two buildings are the latrine with holes cut out in a bench-like structure. The other buildings had the larger bunk beds that were supposed to hold 5-6 people. Near the end of the war when the Nazi’s were doomed, they set fire to as many of these structures as they could. There are now some wooden buildings standing, but there are many with just the brick chimneys and foundations standing. Another graveyard with monuments to the tortured souls of this shameful history. They told us that when the Nazi’s began using the military base that they forced the home owners in the area to vacate their homes in about a 30 miles radius of these camps. The SS officers lived in the houses. It took a while before anyone knew what was going on here. When I hear people blame God for these things, I can only say that he tells us that for a while, because there is sin in the world, we have free will to choose good and evil. Satan is alive and well for a period of time and is prowling the earth ready to devour us. There will come a time when Satan will be bound and things like this will never happen again. I also know that God was in these camps with the people because Cory Tennboom was in Ravensbruk and saw Him there. I think at Judgment He will have the accused of crimes like this be judged in front of the innocent victims. After these camps we made our way to the incredible salt mines near Krakow to look at beauty. The salt miners not only mined the salt out of these caves, but carved spectacular etchings and statues out of the salt. It was a blessed relief from the first part of the day. Next we went on to Krakow to see the beautiful Renick there. We stayed until about 9:30 pm. I would like to spend about 2 days here. We drove back to Wroclaw and got back to the seminary at 12:30 am—so tired!

I slept until 9 am. Today I had an opportunity to strike out by myself to see the city on my own schedule. I had a grand time. Tonight we go to Rebecca’s for pizza and a final farewell. Tomorrow will be an extremely early and tiring day, but I am so looking forward to getting home! Poland is a beautiful country filled with interesting people. I look forward to revisiting this fascinating corner of the world!