Now that it’s nearly been a year since this trip, looking back to write this post has brought great reflection to me. This was the most enriching trip of my entire life....I can’t write about it without tears in my eyes. I had an idea of the triumphs and turmoil of polish history, but I learned of a deep tapestry of history that weaved this country into the beautiful country it is today. I knew when booking this trip that there was a ‘holiday,’ while we were there and that there might be protests, so we kept this in mind and used caution. That ‘holiday’ that we were going to be there for was Polish Independence Day, celebrated on November 11, to celebrate Poland regaining independence on November 11, 1918 after 123 years of being occupied by Austria-Hungary, Germany, and Russia. I am excited to share more about our time in Poland, including our experiences on Independence day, our time at a concentration camp, how we saw history in every corner, and all the other fun details of the trip that were good for the soul.....pierogi, soups, pre-war bistros, dwarfs, and more. We arrived in Wroclaw, Poland mid-morning on November 9, 2018. We decided to rent a car, so that we could visit a nearby concentration camp and get around easily. Public transport in Europe is usually pretty easy, but there are times that having a car handy allows for easier exploration and a more flexible schedule. We stayed at a nearby Apartment hotel called Apartment 24-OVO. It was only about $330 total for 3 nights, including breakfast. The building was shaped like a futuristic egg (I image that’s where the word ovo in the name comes from) and the apartment was very nice and spacious, although we didn’t spend much time in it. It was walkable to all of the parts of Wroclaw that we wanted to visit, which was perfect. ,**Insider tip: Eastern European countries are incredibly inexpensive. Your flight is likely your biggest expense when traveling to Eastern Europe. From lodging to food to taxi rides....it’s all incredibly affordable. Example: A full dinner for a family of 5. with 2 beers per adult, came to about $40 in polish currency. I did a lot of research on places to eat before this trip and discovered that there are places that resemble the atmosphere of pre-war bars and/or milk bars that serve food and drinks at reasonable prices (they don’t serve milk that I’m aware of, it’s just a term they use for a cafeteria). The one that we ate lunch at is called Pre-war Bistro. We shared 3 plates of polish sausage and 2 plates of potato salad, a couple of beers, and juice for the kiddos for about 50 polish Zloty, which equaled about $13.00. That was a great lunch for a family of 5. We were winning on this trip already! Then, with no plan in mind we set off to see Old Town Wroclaw. Throughout the city there are these over 400 of these little, bronze dwarf statues. We saw them as firemen holding a hose, fishermen, one drinking merrily, one playing the banjo while his friend is lounging nearby listening, each set of dwarfs had a different pose or occupation. They represent a time in Polish history when the people were under Martial Law and they would spray paint dwarfs on top of the communist propaganda as a way to peacefully protest. The dwarfs gave the people something to laugh at, when they had little to laugh at during this time in their lives. The dwarf was literally the mascot for the people resisting communist rule in the early 1980s, called the Orange Alternative. There is more information here. Needless to say, these dwarfs are very fun thing for children to find and chuckle at. Can you see how this deep tapestry of Polish history was unfolding before our eyes? We went to the market square and marveled at the town hall, the St. Mary Magdalene Church, St. Elizabeth’s church, historical museums, discovered the dwarfs, shopped, and enjoyed the street performances. That night, we had a reservation to try the most notorious Polish food in the world.....pierogi! We ate at Pierogarnia Stary Mlyn. Their pierogi menu was vast. You could have them boiled, fried, or baked. I ordered a 3 course pierogi meal with a different baked perogi for an appetizer, another one for dinner, and one for dessert. We all ordered different pierogi and shared. They were delicious and very filling! Concentration Camp ***As parents, taking our younger two boys to a concentration camp was something we needed to discuss. Overall, children hold innocence in their hearts that life takes away from them, over time. We did not want to be the ones to strip this innocence so early from them.....that innocence is precious, in my opinion. So, after much discussion, we decided to tell the boys about the holocaust. They had heard some things about it, but we told them what happened in WWII, we told them about Adolf Hitler, and we told them about what happened to the Jewish people. We left out gory details, but did not gloss over the truth, either. Does an 8 or 10 year old need to know about incineration? That’s up to each parent, but we didn’t feel they were ready for that. Our 17 year old (at the time), was going to learn and see everything, details and all, the full barrage of it. He needed to. I thank God that he got to see this just before becoming a legal adult, a memory to stay with him for life. We did not go to Auschwitz because it was not near Wroclaw...that’s for a future trip to Krakow. We went to a concentration camp that was an hour away called Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp. I read in advance that most of the camp was destroyed in WWII and is now mostly museum rooms and ruins. If the kids do not go into the museum rooms, they can go through the camp without being bombarded with the detailed atrocities that happened. Gross-Rosen Concentration Camp was out in the Polish countryside....beauty all around us during the drive. After parking, there is a long walkway to the gate. I can tell you, there’s a feeling when you walk up to the gate of a concentration camp. My heart hurt, I could literally feel the trepidation that the walk to this gate must have felt like for those entering and I felt the blood leave my face...... I told the little ones in advance that they could play with silenced electronics just outside of each room that we go in and that they were to stay quiet, no questions until we got back to the car. A concentration camp is a profound place....people will be feeling emotions, there could be people there that knew people or had family members that died at the camp, there could be people that just hurt inside while learning about everything that went on at this place. I didn’t want my kids asking questions out loud that could be hurtful or inconsiderate without realizing. We are all parents just trying to do our best here; I wanted my kids to know about this, for it to never happen again, but I wanted to also be considerate. My friends, this place hurt the soul so deep; the reach of the German concentration camps was so much further than I realized. 23 large mother camps were interspersed throughout Europe with 1,014 sub-camps. Can you imagine? Just look at the map below.....the Jewish people didn’t stand a chance. So many other people died during the holocaust, much more than I realized. In each statistic, there were civilians from every background on top of the statistics of the Jewish people that were killed. At the camp, there were numerous jobs for the prisoners; the most dangerous was working in the granite quarry. The granite they pulled out of the quarry was used for road, building, and sculpture material. The prisoners were so malnourished that they lacked the strength for this type of work and any mistake they made resulted in their death by camp officers. The life span of a quarry worker was no longer than 5 weeks. At this camp people were killed by cyanide to the heart, incinerated, executed at roll call in roll-call square, utter starvation, and many other methods that are as unimaginable as the ones I’ve mentioned. I will not write the details of everything I learned, there are some things my heart just can’t put down on this computer. We were quiet the entire time we were there, as well as reflective, hurting. There were thoughtful and beautiful monuments made out of the granite the prisoners died for~monuments to their loss, monuments of promise of this to never happen again, and piles of granite surrounding the quarry to give tribute to their suffering and loss. We were all quiet and pensive as we left. We answered the barrage of questions from the boys. They just didn’t understand WHY the Jewish people had to die on this massive scale when they did nothing wrong. My sweet, precious boys....we don't understand either. Yes, I’m bawling my eyes out right now. Writing about this helps me relive it.....the pain, their innocent questions, the truth was a punch in the face. A punch WE ALL need to relive, whether by reading about it, experiencing a camp like this one, or however we can remind ourselves that this happened. We need to teach our children, our grandchildren, our friends, and anyone in our life’s reach. We went to a nearby restaurant for lunch and we all ordered soup. It warmed up our upset stomachs. We talked of other things, but my husband, oldest son, and I all had tears in our eyes during that lunch. Aquapark Still raw from what we experienced, the next day we went to Aquapark. It was an adorable indoor water park with a full sauna for adults, hot tubs, water slides, the works. The boys laughed, had a great time, and made friends. It was November and cold outside, so my husband and I just relaxed in the hottest tub we could find. I recommend this park for a day with the kids, but it reminds me of any other indoor water park we’ve been to. **Insider tip: Nearly all water parks, pools, and hotels in Europe do not include towels for the pool. Sometimes, they can be rented for a deposit of €5-10 per towel for the day. Polish Independence Day All throughout the city, people carried enormous flags, and wore red and white to show their patriotism and pride. In more recent history, Poland was occupied/taken over by Prussia, Russia, & Austria before WWI. They regained independence in 1918 and their country was yet again occupied/taken over by the Soviet Union & Nazi Germany. They’ve had independence, then had it taken from them, they’ve been communist and democratic....hell, they’ve been wiped from the map. They’ve fought with the blood, sweat, and tears of their people. They’ve lost and they’ve won. The Polish people have a lot to celebrate. They had parades, the whole of the city was out to celebrate, and we got to see it. There were no protests in Wroclaw that year (2018). When we bought souvenirs at a store, the shop owner asked us where we were from, and we told them "the United States," he gave us little Polish flags as a gift for visiting on their independence day. I’m not a Polish citizen, obviously, but I was filled with pride for them that day. Going Home
Getting on the flight back home, I reflected on our time in Wroclaw, Poland. We learned and saw so much and I realized that my heart was different. Forever changed in a good way. This travel journey is one of constant discovery that changes our life and shapes us all in different ways, but this trip shot an arrow right into my heart and left me gasping. It was an absolute honor to visit Poland and I hope to return one day. #Poland #Porratatribetravels #Grossrosenconcentrationcamp #Aquapark #pierogi #goulashsoup #Polishindependenceday #Porratapossetakeseurope #milkbar #prewar
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AuthorMy name is Brandy Porrata. I am a veteran and I have been a military spouse for 18 years. I am also a mom of 3 wild boys, ages 17, 9, and 7. We’ve spent the past 17 years in the United States at various locations, most recently in Pensacola, Florida where I built a career as a realtor. Our family will be moving to Naples, Italy. This blog is my heart, my journey, and our various travels as we leave our country for the next few years to experience Italy, Europe, & beyond. I plan to share the process of moving overseas, my life, and tips and insight into traveling with a family in Europe. Please don’t hesitate to respectfully reach out to me or comment. Archives
December 2020
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