The last day in Poland

As you will note, the last few posts have not had pictures.  We have had some pretty long days, late nights and tomorrow (Monday) we have a very early wake up call to get to the airport for our 6:30 am flight to Berlin!  Eeek! 

So this post will also have no pictures.  But I will add them when we get back to the U.S.

Today was our last full day in Poland.  We had two stops – Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wadowice. 

I am extremely thankful for all of the prayers for me and our pilgrim group.  I cannot imagine visiting Auschwitz-Birkenau not on a pilgrimage.  Being a part of a faith-filled group made this sorrowful place more bearable.

We spent almost 3 hours touring.  The majority of the tour was in Auschwitz I – the original part of the concentration camp.  It was built in former Polish Army barracks.  There was an exhibition giving an overview of the camp and process of the Nazis.  I was sad, but ok.  We then went to the part of the camp that was filled with remnants – shoes, combs, pots, pans, suitcases – and the worst, hair.  Many Jews had their hair cut off and it was used to make hair fabric.  It was very sad and sickening to see it all there piled up.

Auschwitz I was not exactly what I expected, look-wise.  We did enter a gas chamber and crematorium.  I couldn’t bring myself to take a picture there.  An uplifting moment was visiting the final cell of St. Maximillian Kolbe.  We laid flowers and prayed.

We took a short bus ride to Birkenau.  Birkenau was part of Auschwitz, but was built later.  It looks much more like what you read in books (like Night, Maus, etc.)  It was much more open and the barracks looked as I expected from those books.

We had lunch, and then headed to Wadowice.  This was a more uplifting stop!  It’s the birth place of Karol Wojtyla.  We had our final mass the church where he was baptized.   A new museum has opened in Wadowice for St. John Paul II right next to the church.  (It was actually his home, until age 18).  The museum has only been open about 3 weeks.  It was beautiful and went from his birth to death.  I was touched by two things especially:

1.   Near the end, there was a beautiful interactive display on JPII’s travels.  I was happy to see a photo from his trip to Japan in 1981 (I think).  He was speaking in Peace Prayer Park – where Joe and I visited.

2.  As a priest, bishop and cardinal, Karol spent a lot of time with young people (teenagers and college- age).  He taught them at university and took many trips into the mountains (Zakopane area) with them.  There was a wall of testimonies near the end that had quotes from the young people he was with.  I didn’t have time on our guided tour to read them all, but the ones I did read were wonderful.  No wonder JPII had such wisdom on relationships, marriage and family.  He truly loved and understand love.

We are headed to the airport early tomorrow.  Please continue to keep us in your prayers, as we all travel home on Monday.