Polska is Sweetskie
The morning after the Viking-Rock concert we took a bus from Tallinn to Warsaw, Poland. We arrived too late to really see much of the city, but what we saw of the countryside while passing through Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland was really nice. We spent our first day in Warsaw just walking through the city, hanging out in the parks, and eating. Nothing too spectacular, but it was nice to be able order food in English. I think we ate kebabs for every lunch and dinner while in Warsaw. The kebabs had, of course, a Polish flare and included cole slaw and a giant pickle along with the usual tomatoes, cucumber, and lamb. It was actually a good combo and the price was right due to the abundant competition. Some parts of town literally had three or four kebab stands lined up next to each other. The parks were perfect for people watching and the old town was a charming place to see a little of the history. The entire city was levelled during World War II, but it has been complete reconstructed to look as it did before the war.
On our second day we went to the Warsaw Uprising Museum. Dedicated to the people of Poland who fought against the German occupiers, it contained several war relics and information about their battle for independence. It portrayed their fight for freedom against the German Army as well as the eventual loss to Soviet Russia. Both the Occupation Museum in Tallinn and the Warsaw Uprising Museum demonstrated the dogged determination of the people of an occupied nation. 
The hostel in Warsaw filled up on Monday, so we were forced to train down to Krakow a day early. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Krakow is touted as "the new Prague" and is an incredibly backpacker-friendly city. We're staying in possibly the nicest hostel to date and the staff is unbelievably helpful. Along with nice accommodation, the city - especially in the old town - and surrounding area is full of rich history.
Yesterday we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum. It was an emotionally difficult day and seeing those places first hand was overwhelming. For me the most powerful display was a shelf of two tons of hair - approximated to have been removed from at least 40,000 women after they were gassed. The hair was used as a supplement for clothing or other fabric production. Also displayed in the room was a roll of cloth that you could clearly see included hair. We were also shown the average living area for the prisoners. Even seeing the berthing, it was impossible to imagine how crowded it must have been. Something like 800 people were crammed into prefabricated barns originally designed to house 52 horses. Afterwards we were totally exhausted - it was pretty much all we did that day.
Today we walked around the old town, Warwel Castle, and the Jewish District. Unfortunately the weather isn't cooperating and the cold drizzle (home sweet home) has driven us inside. We decided to come to Poland mostly a geographically convenient break between St Petersburg and Stuttgart, but it has become one of our favorite stops despite the so-so weather. There is something about Krakow, especially- green parks, beautiful buildings, interesting history, tons of young people- I can't say what exactly it is that gives the city such a nice feel. We will be here in Krakow for another day and a half and then take our final bus ride to Stuttgart to meet up with Sara! Having some problems uploading pictures at the moment. I'll try to get more up soon.
