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The Church of the Dead
The Church of the Dead
Ossuaries and catacombs are far from uncommon in Europe. In May 2011, we were on our way to visit one of the most unusual ossuaries in Europe, if not on the planet, which required a two-hour train ride out of Prague.
David Manley , the owner of Go Real Europe, helped us specialize our trip so we could visit the final resting place of tens of thousands of victims of the Black Plague and the…
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A True House of Terror
A True House of Terror
Terror Háza: a name that no longer holds secrets and translates succinctly to English.
This corner building on historic Andrássy út was much more chilling than anything my mind could conjure up, but it wouldn’t come to full realization until I had reached the end of the tour in the dank, dark basement.
There are many sites around the world where the spirit of past immense suffering is felt. I…
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Oskar Schindler left a legacy. From Krakow to Jerusalem, he is remembered for his kind, humanitarian acts during WWII. He is arguably the kindest Nazi who ever lived and I have crossed historical paths with this legendary man on two occasions.
I visited Schindler’s Grave the first time I went to Israel in 2006. His grave is easy to find at the Mount Zion Catholic Cemetery in Jerusalem and well worth visiting. Then I visited Krakow, Poland in 2013. This presented the opportunity to visit the Enamel Factory owned by Schindler during WWII.
Krakow has many local tour guides that can take you to sites around the city. These tour guides drive around in vehicles that look like a cross between a golf cart and the popemobile. Equipped with a sound system, the tour guide can let a recording narrate the history behind sites while he can stay focused on driving.
Our small group of three was able to see many sites around the city in a short amount of time at a reasonable cost. Prices were firm and most of the tour guides and drivers were not willing to negotiate on pricing.
The Schindler factory lies near the Vistula River in a commercial area of town. It is an area surrounded by natural beauty but still has some of the less appealing conditions common to urban areas. On the drive from the area around the Main Square, I could see anti-Semitic graffiti along the sides of the road. Apparently, I am not the only one to notice this; other tourists have noted seeing this as well.
There is a certain sense of irony that a place that brings in millions of tourist dollars because of the extreme suffering that occurred there is still resentful of Jews. This wasn’t the case after WWII but it seems to be the case today, even with a very small Jewish population within the country.
But many Poles have been compassionate to Jews. Schindler will likely be remembered as the most sympathetic even though there have been others like Tadeusz Pankiewicz. Thankfully, Pankiewicz’s pharmacy is also recognized on Krakow city tours.
The enamel factory itself is not much of a factory at all these days. Renovated in 2010 as a museum, it looks more like an office building than a factory – clean and plain white with symmetrical glass windows. Aside from a large, clear display case full of pots and pans, there isn’t much to see in regard to what was manufactured there or how the factory operated with Jewish labor.
The main exhibit is Krakow Under Nazi Occupation 1939 – 1945. It is not centered entirely on the Schindler’s factory and includes many exhibits of life in Krakow under Nazi rule for Jews and non-Jewish Poles alike. Most of the displays are done in a timeline fashion and are designed as a coordinated maze to get you to follow walkways that lead to connecting rooms.
Historical information is segmented around common themes. Most of the displays are artful in nature and include numerous photographs, historical notes, and items from the time period.
One display, in particular, is a room with nothing but black and white photos and swastikas on every floor tile.
Some other displays play out the occupation with paper mache dolls. There wasn’t much information about the displays – at least not in English – but it was easy to get the gist of the message.
The bookstore inside the museum is amazing. I love historical books and I have an extreme weakness to books with lots of photos from the era. The store is small but contains many books on the subject of Nazi occupation of Krakow. I didn’t want to buy anything there because I thought it would be hard to pack it in my luggage. Krakow was the first stop on a two-week vacation.
I made note of titles and ISBNs with hopes of purchasing these books upon my return to the U.S. I still have not been able to find the books for purchase here. These are not common books that are found on Amazon. The museum bookstore will sell to various nationalities but unfortunately, for now, most of these books cannot be shipped by the bookstore outside of Poland.
Oskar Schindler and the Enamel Factory Oskar Schindler left a legacy. From Krakow to Jerusalem, he is remembered for his kind, humanitarian acts during WWII.
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Crossing border checkpoints in Israel can be nerve-racking. Doing so with a taxi driver you have never met makes it even more so.
This was the first time I had traveled outside of the United States. I chose Israel and I knew this was not the first country of choice for American travelers. This was the first of two trips I made there in a two year period. On this trip, I had come alone.
I had been asked by many friends and coworkers why I was going there out of all the places I could visit. The assumption being it is dangerous and anyone who goes there is at risk of being blown up at a bus stop.I was going as part of a group organized by a talk radio host who was sponsoring the tour and I knew we would be getting special access to sites that regular run-of-the-mill tour groups do not.
I was going as part of a group organized by a talk radio host who was sponsoring the tour and I knew we would be getting special access to sites that regular run-of-the-mill tour groups do not.
As a single traveler, my hotel room was booked with another man from the group. He was from Los Angeles and was really into photography. I had just purchased a Nikon D70 and this was going to be my first opportunity to use it. My roommate also used Nikon, albeit a much nicer model.
Because our arrival was so late at night, there was little time for much other than the dinner provided by the host. It was the beginning of Shabbat and the city was quiet. The elevators in the hotel were on a Shabbat schedule, meaning they stopped automatically on every floor as they went up and down. Passengers jumped on and off as needed to get where they needed to be. This was a slow process but it allowed time to talk to hotel guests and meet new people.
Since the next day was Saturday and it was still the middle of Shabbat, we had a free day scheduled to do as we please. My roommate wanted to go outside and walk around taking pictures and I thought I would tag along.
There was a short line of taxis in front of the hotel. We briefly walked a block or two and wandered back to the front of the hotel. There was an Arab driver standing there and he offered to take us to any sites in or around the city. Knowing we would be visiting a lot of famous places on the tour, I didn’t want him to take me to any of the same sites I would be visiting in coming days. But not knowing the area, I really didn’t know where to go or what to see.
The driver was an Arab Israeli and knew the bible well. Well, he at least knew it better than I do, which might not be saying much. The first stops on his whirlwind tour were a few places around the Mount of Olives.
I saw some of the historic cemeteries, including the cemetery where Oskar Schindler is buried. Although it made sense, I didn’t know that Schindler was buried in Israel and was something I was glad the driver had mentioned. His grave is in a Christian cemetery and is clearly marked for visitors to find; his tombstone marked with rocks rather than flowers, as it is customary with Jews.
My taxi driver waited patiently at each stop and was ready to take me on a journey once I was done at Schindler’s grave. He was very interested in showing me some parts around the city of Jerusalem.
He pulled off the side of the road and encouraged me to take photos of neighborhoods that were fenced to separate the Arab neighborhoods from the Jewish neighborhoods. This was at the time Israel had built the permanent security wall throughout the city.
As we continued to drive, he shared stories of violence along the border. He pointed out concrete barriers along the road that are used to block sniper bullets fired at drivers on the highway. He also pointed out a particular house on a hill overlooking a checkpoint. Here is where gunfire is exchanged with soldiers, he stated nonchalantly.
Before it registered in my mind, we were approaching a checkpoint and headed to the Palestinian-controlled West Bank. We were quickly waved through by the soldiers before we even came to a complete stop.
The other side of the border checkpoint felt different. There were cars parked along the street and a bus waiting for passengers to arrive back from the Israeli side. We stopped and some happy Palestinian kids sold us strong Turkish coffee on the side of the road.
The expedition to this side was brief but it gave a glimpse of life on the other side of the wall. A regional farmer rode his donkey up the street as if cars did not travel on this particular road. People carried personal possessions in plastic bags, rather than duffel bags or backpacks.
Heading back to the Israeli side of the border, we were stopped by the guards. The taxi driver asked me if I wanted photos with them. I shrugged, not thinking it would be possible. He told the soldiers I was a U.S. Marine and I wanted a photo with them. They were quick to oblige his request as the driver snapped a shot with my camera.
This visit in 2006 was not only safe, it was memorable, thanks to my personal guide. As it turned out, my roommate wasted the day in the hotel. I spent $100 on my personal tour and I felt like it was worth every penny I had spent that day. On my third visit to Israel, I hope to venture deeper into the West Bank and visit more of the landmarks that lie on the other side of the border fence.
Crossing borders can be dangerous in the Middle East. Why did I feel so safe? Crossing border checkpoints in Israel can be nerve-racking. Doing so with a taxi driver you have never met makes it even more so.
Ugly Tourists
Europeans protest against Europeans as travel gets ugly on the beaches.
Let’s face it. Tourists are annoying. So annoying, in fact, that some parts of Europe have had enough with disorderly tourists. Most travelers wish the destinations and sites they visit were unoccupied by everyone but themselves. I know I do. I’m just not willing to spend the extra money required to be with groups that are smaller in size. Although not unique to specific nationalities, Americans…
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The Strange Marketing Behavior of Front Sight Resort
Front Sight & Ignatius Piazza Continue to Insult the Intelligence of the Firearms Community
Front Sight & Ignatius Piazza Continue to Insult the Intelligence of the Firearms Community de·cep·tive dəˈseptiv/ adjective giving an appearance or impression different from the true one; misleading. I wrote a blog about Front Sight Resort five years ago concerning the marketing tactics practiced by its owner, Ignatius Piazza. Since then, I have gotten comments from FS members, both positive and…
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I Almost Got Naked in Iceland
I Almost Got Naked in Iceland
Iceland is cold in March. There was snow and ice everywhere and it was just starting to get light when my airplane landed at Keflavik International Airport, 50 miles from Reykjavik. Outside it looked like a cold winter day in a medium-size American city. A major storm had just hit Boston and I had just stayed a day there on my way to Reykjavik. It was bitter cold but it was sunny. I bounced…
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Peru Made Me Sick
Peru made me sick and it wasn't just the high elevation.
It Wasn’t Just The Elevation I was at the entrance gate at Machu Picchu. That’s when it hit me. Peruvian dog or gremlin? If you have ever booked a trip to Peru through a travel agency you were likely warned about what can make you sick. Don’t drink the water. Don’t eat uncooked fruits and vegetables. Don’t touch any animals (After seeing this dog in Lima, I knew exactly the reason why.) Yeah,…
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Front Sight Owner Ignatius Piazza is a Scam Artist
Ignatius Piazza has something to sell you. Again. And again. And again… Let me start by saying Front Site has excellent instructors and the firearms training is good. Having said that, Ignatius Piazza is a scam artist. I joined Front Sight nearly a decade ago. I purchased a Challenge membership, which allowed me to take most of the courses offered by FS for free. The price was a hefty $2,000.…
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There Are No Cobwebs in Turkey
It’s not just ostrich feathers that are effective against spider webs. As it turns out, ostrich eggs do the trick too. Structures in Ottoman Turkey are old. But this doesn’t mean the country’s centuries-old buildings are covered in dust and cobwebs. The Turks have a trick that it seems few people know about. Sitting just across from the Hippodrome & Grand Bazaar the Rüstem Pasha Mosque rises from…
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