sooooo, we had our first 4 day vacation! we get two 4 days and one 10 day. we get school off according to the schedule that the local school here has. so we spent this one in poland!
so we got out of school on thursday, and we were taking a night bus to warsaw. the bus left at 10:30 and we got there around 5 the next morning. we pulled up to the bus station and the first thing madi says is, "wait, is this a joke?" it literally was nothing. it looked like just a city bus stop. and we still had to wait like another hour for our next bus and it was 5 in the morning and cold and there was nowhere to sit. so we went and sat in the closest metro station. the sweetest metro cop kept coming up trying to talk to us in polish even though we didn't understand. it was so funny!
so we got to krakow around 11, but it took us awhile to get to our hostel. we stopped to get something to eat and then we all had to exchange money because they don't use euros. it was a pain, but their money was sooo pretty so it was okay! it was about a 10 minute walk from the bus station to our hostel. poland is such a change of scenery from lithuania. i thought vilnius was green, but then we got to krakow and it changed my mind of green. trees EVERYWHERE. it was so pretty! we got checked in to our hostel and then went out. we walked around their old town for awhile and they had a local market going on so that was fun to see. it was kind of like a flea market. after that we walked up to a castle that overlook the whole town. it was so pretty!! after the castle, we split up. the other girls went to see some churches and we went to the mall. madi got some hunter boots for like $60. everything in poland was ridiculously cheap. after that we all met back up at the hostel and went for dinner. we went to this traditional polish place. they called it a salad bar, but it's not like what you're thinking. so you paid like 13 zlotys (like $4) and got 4 different items. and you got to choose 4 items from the salad bar. i had roasted potatoes, pumpkin soup that was to die for, pasta salad, and a cous cous salad. after dinner we went back to the hostel and we were all asleep before 10. it was a long day.
saturday morning we had a tour scheduled for Auschwitz. it is about an hour and a half bus ride from krakow. it was a rainy and gloomy day. we pulled up and the feeling was just indescribable. it's not what i expected. i was expecting concrete barracks, but instead they were pretty nice red buildings. i hate to say nice, but they were better than what i expected. we toured the gas chambers, torture rooms, and prisoners barracks. we toured where criminal medical experiments were practiced on women and children. we saw where innocent prisoners were lined up and killed. it's a hard feeling to describe. you learn about Auschwitz all through school and hear of all the terrible stories and experiences, but actually seeing it was a whole different thing. being there was a life changing experience. i don't even really know what else to say about it. it was a very surreal feeling. once we got back from Auschwitz, we hung out in the hostel for awhile and then we went in to the Jewish Quarters. it was a cool part of town and i was excited to go. we didn't spend nearly as much time there as i wanted. but while we were there we went to a place called Bagel Mama and oh my gosh. i got a bagel with hummus and it literally was so good. best hummus i've ever had. and i don't know if it was the best hummus i've ever had because it's been over a month since i've had hummus or if it really was that good. but i seriously was so happy. after that we headed back in to old town and we all split up. madi, mccall, and i went and got donuts and hot chocolate at a cute donut shop we found. it was raining outside and we sat and talked for quite some time in the shop. it was so fun. after sitting there for awhile we decide we were kinda hungry and we didn't really wanna go back to the hostel. we found a 24hr pierogi restaurant and decided to stop there. we got meat filled and spinach filled and shared the two big plates. they were so yummy! after that we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.
the next day we headed to zakopane. the bus ride was about two and a half hours. the polish country side was seriously so beautiful. we pulled in to zakopane and my heart almost exploded with joy. we were in a town that was completely surrounded by mountains. it reminded me A LOT of park city or springdale. i miss the mountains so terribly much. we went and checked in to our hostel and we were going to go on a hike before it got dark. it gets dark there around 6:30 so we were trying to hurry. the town was located right by a local national park. it was quite a far walk to the trailhead but so worth it. it wasn't much of a hike, but more like a nature walk. but it was so beautiful. it was raining the whole time which made it really foggy and pretty. we were surrounded by huge trees and pretty rivers. i loved it so much. i ALMOST felt at home. minus the red rocks. and their were too many trees and it was too green to be St. George. but hey, at least i was in the mountains. after the hike we split up. madi, mccall, and i went to find dinner. we ended up at a kebab place that literally was so cheap and had huge kebabs that were way good. after dinner we wanted a treat so we went to the mcdonalds across the street and got fries and a mcflurry. and let me tell you, you guys are missing out. they have a lion mcflurry here that they obvi don't have in the states because we don't have the lion candy bar. but WOW it is so delicious and so happy and i'm gonna miss it so much. and also, mcdonalds here are way nice?? it's super weird.
next day, was mostly a travel day. but we woke up in the morning and went to the park and then walked around town for a little bit. and then.. it was time to get on the bus. monday was miserable. we got on the bus in zakopane around 1 pm and got off in warsaw around 9. once we got to warsaw we had to wait 2 hours for our next bus back home to vilnius. so our bus back to vilnius left around 11 and we got home at 8:45 on tuesday morning. it was the worst thing ever. travelling on buses like that is not okay. madi and i got home and fell asleep for 4 straight hours. and i don't even remember falling asleep. it was an exhausting few days. but it was so fun!
xoxo,
ann
krakow
bff
street art in the jewish quarters
reflection in an espresso machine
kebab
sheep dog
for red
candy shop on the side of the road in zakopane
famous zakopane cheese stand