Eger and Aushwitz

Hey all. I'm so sorry I haven't written a blog in a while. I'll try to be better, I promise

A few weeks ago my mentor Melinda took Ellora, Kiyana, Stacy, her friend Dharma, and I to the wine town of Eger, Hungary. It was so beautiful. It was this quaint little town with a big castle on the hill and a beautiful church. It was really nice to get out of the city and get some fresh air. Pollution and cigarette smoke have been really taking their toll on my lungs. We walked around the cobble stone streets for a while, stopping for cakes and gyros. Then we decided to go to the top of the minaret. Now that was an experience to remember. While it was only 97 steps the the top, there was no hand rail, the stairs were uneven, spiraling, slippery, and practically impossible to climb up and down. I am someone afraid of stairs and of falling down them, so my adrenaline was rushing when we finally reached the top after what felt like an eternity. Unfortunately for me, the top held no relief. It was about 200 feet off the ground and all we had was a ledge and a rail that was two feet from the wall. I thought I was going to fall to my death. After taking some beautiful pictures of the scenery, I made my way back down the minaret, though not without a near heart-attack. When I got to the bottom, I told everyone else, "I'm really glad I did that, it was a once in a lifetime experience, but I never want to do that again." We left soon after that. It was an all around very relaxing journey.

Last weekend, my central European literature teacher Pedro took us all to Auschwitz and Krakow. We went straight to Auschwitz without even stopping at the hotel. Keep in mind, we had all been on the bus since 7 that morning and it was an eight hour bus ride. Suffice to say we were already a bit frazzled when we got there. Auschwitz! Almost immediately, the impact of the place had rendered me mute and unable to process anything. I was so detached from my emotions, I couldn't even really cry as they showed us the prisoners shoes, the gas chamber, their luggage, their death certificates, where they lived and worked. And that was all only a sixth of what the Germans originally had, they had destroyed everything else. I can't really say the impact of the place, or describe how intense the atmosphere was. It was also raining that day to add to the dismal attitude. I wish I could tell you all what it was like, but I can't. The truth is, it was so hard to take in, I barely remember it. I was like a zombie walking around the place.

Krakow, on the other hand, was very nice. A lot of history, really good food, and really good people. The church was so beautiful, and glamorously adorned. Pedro and Andi, the head of the USF in Budapest program in Budapest, took me and Ellora to a really nice Indian restaurant in the Jewish district, followed by
drinks in this candlelight restaurant with Spanish lounge music and antiques hanging on the wall. I was dazzled by the magic of the place. Krakow had a beautiful castle that we all explored, but I empathized with Pedro when he said, "If I have to visit another church or castle again, I might kill myself." I'll admit that they all do seem to run together after a while.

I can't really load pictures right now. If you really want to know how these places look, go there yourself. I highly recommend it.