It’s Orthodox Good Friday here in Cyprus…the start of a four-day holiday, the biggest holiday of the year – one week later than other Easter Celebrations. But not this year. Yes the dates are still the same, but the celebrations have all been called off. In 2020 the story of Easter in Cyprus is on pause.
The President of Cyprus has declared the island people will celebrate a “postponed” Pascha in May. Let’s all hope it will happen. As Cyprus continues it’s lockdown, we all hold our breath and wait.
Bon Fires are an Easter Tradition
It’s disappointing not to be able to witness the faithful on this day here in Cyprus, a place I am beginning to feel is my home. Last April we were flabbergasted at the spectacle of Semana Santa in Antigua Guatemala…one of the most wonderful things I have every experienced. I have no doubt the Orthodox Easter Celebration would be just as amazing. Perhaps we will still be here in May when and if it happens.
Lambs are a symbol of Pascha
Meanwhile I’ve been in touch with the local website called Choose Cyprus and they have agreed to let me share this amazing blog that describes the story of Easter in Cyprus and how the people come together in their communities each Pascha.
I hope you can take the time to read it in the link below.
Here we are. Walking our second Camino de Santiago. Why you ask? Why not? It just seemed like we should. Six months ago when we were planning our fall itinerary we were looking at being in Madagascar in October. Until we looked at the airfare. Yikes. Madagascar will need to stay on the bucket list for a while longer. So we turned our attention back to one of our favorite countries, Portugal. And well, here we are.
Having completed the 486 mile Camino Frances last September, I wasnt sure if the Camino Portuguese would be different.
It is different. While also being somewhat similar. One week into the Camino Portuguese, I don’t think I can say I prefer one over the other (yet), because each is special in its own way. But I have found myself during week one on the Portuguese Way comparing it to the Frances Way.
Here are my thoughts so far after one week of walking;
Distances are Different
Of course the biggest difference between the two walks is the distance. When setting out to walk the most popular Camino Frances many people begin in Saint Jean Pied de Port in France. This is where we began on September 1, 2017. Forty-one days and 486 miles later we arrived in Santiago, Spain.
On the Camino Portuguese we started in Porto, Portugal on October 21, 2018. We plan to walk to Santiago and then beyond to Muxia on the Atlantic Ocean. This walk will take us about 15 days and will be 217 miles.
It is a significant difference in distance and days walked – making some of the comparisons here not really fair.
We are Different
We are not the same people we were a year ago. And so this is another major difference. A year ago we had never tackled anything like walking the Camino de Santiago. We were a bit frightened, naive and apprehensive. I think we over trained and over planned and over stressed. I spent too much time reading what other people thought was best. Ultimately most of that wasn’t best for me.
This time we hardly trained, barely planned and did almost zero research. In fact I stayed away from the Camino Facebook pages (which I found last year too judgmental) and just went with what felt good for us. We did use the John Brierley books again – a valuable resource for any Camino pilgrim.
We also don’t feel any pressure this time to “succeed”. We are just enjoying it. If we don’t finish – no worries. If it pours down rain and we hop on a train, so be it. If we get sick or tired and decide to sleep all day – well Buen Camino. Our Camino, our way.
Our Bags are Different
Last year I walked the first 100 miles with a 15 pound pack. But eventually it was too much for my plantar fasciitis and I began shipping my pack ahead each day. This year I decided to do it from the very start. It’s so much better. I last longer and feel better at the end of the day. My Camino, my way.
The Terrain is Different
Over these past six days we have seen quite different terrain than what we enjoyed walking across Spain. We have spent a lot of time in beautiful wooded areas of eucalyptus, cork and pine trees. We have also spent a lot of time on rocky paths climbing over mountains. In Portugal in the suburban areas, and even on country roads, we were forced to walk on difficult cobblestones – both ancient and new.
Similar to the Frances we have also spent a lot of time in bucolic farmland with cows, sheep, horses and goats (there is a distinct Camino aroma!). Most enjoyable is passing miles of vineyards, corn fields, chestnuts, vegetables of all kinds and many fruit and nut trees. Here along the Portuguese way these things are grown altogether. In Spain there were more distinctive sections of types of agriculture.
We left Portugal and entered Spain on day five. Here the path meandered through lovely creek-side shaded paths before we had a major climb with a very steep descent into Redondela. We are now in Spain’s Galicia region, one of our favorite areas last year on our walk. The mountains bring cooler weather, and marine air from the ocean just 8 miles away.
On both routes we enjoy the incredible medieval villages, most fully functional and still living, breathing towns – on the Camino Frances it felt like many of these towns were only there because of the Camino – not so much on the Portuguese. For someone from the USA where old is 200 years, seeing 900 year old villages and 2000 year old Roman bridges and roads still in use is just mind-boggling.
The Portuguese People are Different
Perhaps because the Portuguese Way is not as popular as the Frances, or perhaps because the Portuguese people are only beginning to learn how to be Camino entrepreneurs as The Way becomes more popular; for whatever reason there just are not as many businesses catering to pilgrims.
The accommodations are fewer, the food is definitely not as available and we never encountered anyone just trying to make a buck off of the pilgrims. Last year in Spain it was a normal sight for someone to be set up on the side of the road selling things to pilgrims. Restaurants, bars, cafes were abundant.
But we have found the Portuguese Camino much less developed for pilgrim services.
The Portuguese people are a bit more shy and quiet. They nod and say Bom Dia but keep more to themselves than most of the Spanish we encountered on the Frances.
We expect this to change now that we have arrived in Spain.
Vandalism is Present
The first day we entered Spain our guide-book gave us a choice on routes. We could take the shorter “industrial” route or the slightly longer “scenic” route. We chose the scenic route.
Immediately, and for the first time on either the Portuguese or the Frances, we began to see a clear effort to vandalize signage, misdirect pilgrims and disrupt progress on the “scenic” route. Beautiful granite markers splattered with paint, arrows blacked out and other arrows trying to get walkers to go another way. We stayed the course using the map on our phone.
Our assumption is there are locals not wanting pilgrims to go this way. I’m sure it’s not all locals, but it was a disappointment to us. On the Francis we always felt welcome.
The Pilgrims are Fewer
The most striking difference to us in week one is how few pilgrims there are. Last year we found ourselves on the Camino Frances during its busiest September ever. We had chosen to walk in September because we had read it was a time with fewer pilgrims than in summer but still with good weather.
Well clearly we were not the only ones who had read this recommendation. It was very crowded.
Most days it didn’t matter, but as we got closer to Santiago it was busy and not very peaceful. Rooms were hard to come by and so we started booking several days and even weeks ahead.
Late October on the Portuguese Way is very quiet. On our first day we did not see any other pilgrims. That night at dinner we met a man from Holland. We have now seen him several times. We also have often seen a young couple from Italy/Australia and few others along the way. But until day five the total number was only about a dozen.
On day five we began to encounter more Pilgrims. We learned many start walking in Valenca, the border between Portugal and Spain. We met a woman from Seattle (who had heard about us), another woman from Ottawa and another woman from Russia. We met a group from Australia, a couple from Germany and a couple from Mexico. We have also seen two young men walking with a dog, several cyclists and a handful of people walking the other direction. The Portuguese Camino also supports the route to Fatima going south. Some people walk south from Santiago to Fatima Portugal, a town between Porto and Lisbon where an apparition of the Virgin Mary was considered a miracle and brings pilgrims.
We have enjoyed week one. We feel healthy and capable. The forecast for the week ahead has much rain, and we will take it day by day to see how we proceed. Meanwhile, I am very happy to be here, experiencing once again the magic of the Camino de Santiago.
More soon, from the Way of Saint James. Buen Camino!
What a wonderful decision it was for us to spend three weeks on the tiny island of Antiparos in the south Aegean. We have truly loved our time here.
Antiparos
Delos
Using Antiparos as our home base for island hopping wasn’t really what we set out to do, but it worked out well for us to take short day trips to some of the other islands around the area. However, something to note – because of the unusual weather pattern (around the world) the ferry from Antiparos to Paros was shut down for two days due to wind while we were here. Something to think about if you plan to stay only a short time. We had lots of time so it did not affect our plans.
Santorini
You can hop to Santorini from here, but the off-season ferry schedule makes that tough. During the summer more boats run. But we had already spent three days there so no need to go back. But if you visit and want to do a day trip to Santorini check out both the ferry schedule as well as the privately operated tour boats. The private boats run more frequently. When we took the ferry from Santorini to Paros it costs us 58 Euro for both of us (one way) and took three hours, stopping at Ios along the way. We used Minoan ferry line for this trip.
Mykonos and Delos
Delos
Mykonos
We used a private tour boat to visit Delos and Mykonos together on one day. We took the ferry from Antiparos to Paros and we got on a van that transported us to Naousa (the van transfer was included in the tour price). Here we hopped on a boat that could carry about 200 people. It wasn’t full, but perhaps 100 people. It was an hour ride to Delos where we spent three hours touring this amazing island and its significant ancient ruins. Guided tours were available but we did the tour on our own and really enjoyed it.
Back on the boat we motored 15 minutes to Mykonos. We had three hours to wander here. We had a fantastic lunch at Salparo, sitting on the rocks overlooking the harbor. We then enjoyed sauntering around the historic blue and white village, visited historic sites and looked at shops. Three hours was just enough, since we had been to Mykonos once before eleven years ago.
That trip to Delos and Mykonos was an all-day adventure and costs us 50 euro each. We booked this through Polo Tours in Paros.
Paros
Naousa,Paros
Naousa, Paros
We visited the island of Paros twice. The first visit we had a car and we headed to Naousa in the north part of the island. The weather wasn’t great but we still enjoyed exploring the tiny alleys and hidden shops and homes in the old chora (village). Naousa also has a charming and picturesque port. We drove up into the mountains to visit the teeny village of Lefkes. This ancient town, far from the water, is unusual in how green it is, unlike most of the brown island landscape, and is home to a small agricultural population. Lefkes is one of the few remaining chora that retains its authentic roots.
The next time we visited Paros we spent several hours discovering Paroikia, the port town where the large ferries come and go. The port area is bustling and noisy, but hidden back behind it is an incredible old chora that many people miss. It once again had some fascinating buildings, tunnels and passageways, a spectacular old castle and temple of Athena, many lovely shops and of course, cats.
Naxos
Naxos
We traveled on the lovely Blue Star Ferries to the island of Naxos, the largest of the Cyclades Islands, about a 45 minute ferry ride from Pariokia. We paid 42 Euro total for both of us round-trip. It was a very windy day and I worried about the boat ride, but the Blue Star line runs large, almost cruise-ship style boats, and I did fine with my motion sickness issue.
Pariokia, Paros
It was also very windy in Naxos, and this port town is very exposed, so we spent a lot of time wandering the old chora up to the ancient castle and trying to stay out of the wind. It’s another beautiful ancient town. We enjoyed having a drink at the rooftop of 1739, which was out of the wind and offered a spectacular panoramic view. We had a nice lunch of simple souvlaki at Yasouvlaki. We then braved the crashing waves to cross the pedestrian manmade causeway to walk out to the famous ancient portara (door), site of an unfinished temple from 530BC. We got wet. Like I said, it was very windy. But it was worth it. The Naxos Portara was worth it.
Antiparos
Naxos
At the end of the day in Naxos I told my husband that I have really enjoyed visiting all five of the islands, but in the end, I am so glad we stayed three weeks on Antiparos. It has everything we want; quiet and peaceful, small village, beautiful secluded beaches, a handful of shops and is still close enough to visit the surrounding islands.
I do hope to return here someday.
Where to next?
But now its time to leave. Next stop – ten-day tour of Egypt and Jordan. A definite bucket list destination for me ever since I was a child. We hope you will continue to follow along on our Fab Fifties Adventures.
I’ve been to Greece before, and one of the things I was most looking forward to about returning here was the cuisine and enjoying my favorite greek foods and recipes.Fresh, local and fabulous, it’s easy to see how healthy the Mediterranean diet is.Copious amounts of olive oil, ocean to plate seafood, salty mouth-watering feta, and produce from local growers including gorgeous red and yellow tomatoes, crunchy cucumbers, purple eggplant, greens, beets, onions, potatoes. Lemons, limes, pomegranate and other seasonal fruit figure prominently.
What’s not to like?
Dolmades so delicious and easy to make
My favorite greek foods and recipes were enjoyed in restaurants on Antiparos, Mykonos, Paros and Santorini. I have enjoyed squid several times, it’s best I think when simply grilled with lemon and olive oil.I’ve also had octopus with orzo (tasted very much like a risotto) and lamb souvlaki.We’ve tried dolmades (I love these lovely little lemony pockets of deliciousness and have made these at home several times), anchovies, sardines and fried cheese called saganaki. We also enjoyed moussaka, pastitsio, rabbit stew and many choices of salads.
Making Humus
I usually like to take a cooking class in every country I visit.But here on tiny Antiparos there is no such thing.So instead I have set out to cook several Greek recipes I’ve found on(where else) Pinterest.Everything from sandwiches to salads to spanakopita has made its way out of our Airbnb kitchen these past three weeks.So here are my successes (and one fail) from my self-taught Mediterranean Highlights Menu from Antiparos.
My Favorite Greek Foods and Recipes;
Salads
Greek Salad
In most restaurants you can find many choices of salads.Most popular are Eggplant Salad, Tomato Salad and of course, Greek Salad.
Greek Salad is fairly simple and usually includes the following ingredients; feta, olives, tomato, red onion, capers and cucumber.Sometimes it will have lettuce, but the Greek way is without lettuce.The dressing is olive oil (of course), lemon, salt and pepper.
Chickpea Salad is also very popular.Chickpeas grow in abundance in the mediterranean region. Chickpeas find their way into many recipes, not the least of all being hummus.This salad I made included lots of delicious fresh veg as well as the chickpeas. I had left over chicken from our Greek Chicken (see below) so I shredded that and added it to the salad. It was delicious served with the fried eggplant chips.
In Greek small bites or appetizers are known as mezes.You will often find mezes on menus to be served with a glass of wine.You can also enjoy mezes before your meal.We ordered several mezes when we ate out and especially liked saganaki (a fried cheese), octopus in vinegar, and bujurdi an incredible cheesy dip.So I decided to tackle bujurdi.It’s amazing.Try it.
Spanokopita has always been one of my favorite Greek dishes. And it is so easy. Don’t fear the filo! It is very easy to work with. Spanakopita has simple ingredients; filo (purchase it ready-made fresh or frozen), spinach, onions, feta and dill. Bake and enjoy for breakfast, lunch or dinner!
For lunch one day we ate the most delicious, and very filling, Greek Sandwich. This sandwich could easily be dinner, with a side salad or dolmades which is how I served it. It’s a very tall sandwich, so be sure to get nice fresh bread that can hold up to the numerous ingredients. I will definitely make this recipe again.
At most of our lunches we ate very simple mezes of canned sardines (so many choices available in the store) or fresh anchovies in oil and lemon along with pita, hummus, feta, olives, cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber and fruit. A very simple and easy meal and totally satisfying. Here in Antiparos we have really fallen in love with lemon hummus. Bright and nutty and delicious.
Delicious Dinners
Greek Roast Chicken
Most any country you travel to you can find a version of roast chicken, and since we were blessed with an oven in this Airbnb I was well prepared to try this recipe. We purchased a beautiful plump and organic locally grown chicken and with some simple herbs and lemon, created a fantastic dish. We had left overs for two additional meals. I served the chicken with a warm potato salad with feta.
I’ve always been one to experiment boldly in the kitchen, and I tackled a full Greek meal for guests when I was just 23 years old and we were first married. This was my first attempt at moussaka. It was a smashing success and I have made it many times over the years (35 years since!). So cooking it here in Greece seemed appropriate, even though we had enjoyed it in a restaurant. This recipe gave us lots of left overs.
I didn’t make any desserts but I must mention how much the Greeks like their sweets. Fortunately (or unfortunately I’m not sure) the little village here in Antiparos has an amazing bakery…which we visited several times. Of course you know baklava, but there are many other cookies, pastries, custards, pies and amazing bread available fresh every day. We made a point to partake – of course all in the name of research!
The Big Fail
Seabream fail
I love seafood, but I admit, it can be difficult to cook.I wanted to grill a whole fish on our BBQ, but the wind has been so high we couldn’t use the grill.We bought a whole fish, frozen, because the fishmonger has closed for the season.I think that was our biggest mistake.It just didn’t smell or taste fresh.Despite the deliciously fresh herbs (dill and parsley) and lemon and garlic we stuffed the fish with – we hated it.I didn’t even eat mine. I think the recipe isn’t at fault here – or the cook for that matter. The fish wasn’t fresh and so it was a fail.
Saganaki fried cheese
We haven’t eaten out much during our time in Antiparos, and now many of the local restaurants have closed for the season. But we enjoy creating in the kitchen, and we have learned a lot about the local cuisine in doing so.
So there you have it! My favorite Greek foods and recipes. Fabulous Greece. Fabulous Food. Fabulous Life. Opa!
Check out some of our other blogs about Fabulous Food Here!
Two weeks shy of eleven years since we visited the incredible island of Santorini. And nearly everyday since we have wanted to return. Today that happens.
Santorini 2007
We only spent one day on Santorini, since we were on a Mediterranean cruise and it was one of our stops. We loved all of our stops on that cruise, but Santorini was, well, magical.
Santorini 2007
It was magical for its stunning beauty – that shot the world thinks of when they think of Greece. It was magical for the view – and one of the most memorable meals I ever had overlooking the crater. It was magical for the authentic villages – like a movie but better.
But more important than any of that, it was magical because that day I changed. It may seem silly, but it’s not silly to me. That magical day on Santorini I discovered a new person within myself. The beginning of finding my Fabulous Fifties Life.
See it happened like this:
Santorini 2007
Laying on the cruise ship at the pool the day before arriving in Santorini I was reading the guidebook about things to do in Santorini. In the book it suggested walking from Fira (where the ship tenders) to Oia on the far end of the island. The walk was six miles and went all along the crater rim.
Santorini 2007
As soon as I read it, I knew my husband would want to do it. Should I tell him? Should I keep it to myself? Hike six miles? Yikes I don’t think I can do it. In the hot sun? I was torn.
But I love my husband so I said “Honey, there is this hike on Santorini maybe we can do.” He was all over it.
Santorini 2007
That day I was nervous since I hadn’t done a hike in YEARS. But we left the ship really early and got started before the heat of the day – and well, the rest is history. That hike changed my life. Not only was it SPECTACULAR, but it was inspirational. We saw only two other people (today this rim walk is much more popular) as we maneuvered our way on this rocky island in the middle of the turquoise blue mediterranean sea. During that six miles and about three hours I became someone who could hike six miles, who could adventure in the unknown, who could feel alive and free in the wild. A new person emerged who had been hidden inside of me all those years.
And that is how it began. Without that hike I would never have tackled hiking from Cusco to Machu Picchu. I would never have tackled walking 486 miles on the Camino de Santiago. I would never have tackled many of the things I now do everyday, knowing I am capable and not afraid.
Magical Santorini shaped me and I’m going back to say
Santorini 2007
thank you. Just for three days this time, but long enough to remember and pay my respects. A beautiful and magical place where I was transformed, and my Fab Fifties Life was born.
We could have easily spent a month in Romania. But we only had ten days, and so we decided to focus this time on a Transylvania Highlights Tour – Romania’s Beautiful Preserved Medieval Villages.
Map shows the three regions from 1648
We will come back again, because there is a lot more to see in this sleepy little country that tourist are just beginning to discover.
History
In the Middle Ages, what we know as Romania today, was split into three distinct regions; Wallachia in the south where today Bucharest is, Moldavia to the east, now split into Moldova and Romania and Transylvania in the west.
Map shows the Kingdom of Romania
Today these regions are often referred to as Greater Romania, the Kingdom of Romania. A growing interest is to reunite the region and bring Moldova back into the Romanian speaking states.
Our time in Transylvania was wonderful. We had good weather and enjoyed visiting four of the region’s main medieval towns; Brasov, Bran, Sighisoara and Sibiu.
Romania sustained minimal damage during World War II, relative to how much the rest of Europe sustained. Romania’s capital Bucharest was bombed as was the oil industry in the town of Ploiesti. Which means, luckily for us, the fairytale castles, medieval villages and citadels survived and are intact today.
If you had come here 25 years ago, just after the fall of communism, you would have found these villages much as they had been for centuries. A square in the center surrounded by tiny streets that spoke out to the high wall surrounding the fortification. The center square would likely have a church and a clock tower and the townspeople going about their daily business. Village folk would be selling the produce from the garden, the freshly made bread and cheese. There would still have been horses and carriages and local artisans. Think “Beauty and the Beast”. But today, these towns function primarily for the tourists, just like so many other places in Europe.
But despite that, we found the places we visited enjoyable, beautiful, friendly and full of wonderful history, architecture and food. Well worth a visit.
Architecture
Peles Castle, in Sinai, home to several generations of Romanian royals and still occupied today by Michael I of Romania
Bran Castle in Bran, occupied for generations by Romanian Royalty and the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula castle
Much of this area’s habitation is traced back to the Saxons arriving in the 12th century. They are responsible for developing many of the villages during the middle ages in Transylvania, including the towns we spent time in. The fortified towns, amazing castles and fortresses and churches and houses still standing hundreds of years later are a result of the craftsmanship and fortitude of the Saxons.
The Gothic style is prevalent in parts of Transylvania and seen distinctly in the 14th century Bran’s Castle in Bran (the castle that inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula), and the 14th century Black Church in Brasov.
The middle ages also brought the fortified towns to Transylvania, with Sibiu, Sighisoara and Brasov being exceptional examples of how the design focused on functionality and protection.
Brasov’s only remaining fortress gate
The city of Brasov today is a mix of Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance architecture representing the centuries of development in this mountain town.
Sighisoara is a nearly completely intact 15th century fortified citadel and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. This tiny village is where Vlad the Impaler Dracul was born, the character that Bram Stoker turned into a fictional vampire. For the tourists, you’ll see some Dracula kitsch here, but luckily it is not overdone.
One of several fortified towers in the amazingly preserved town of Sighisoara
Houses in Sibiu
Sibiu is the grandest of the three towns, with a main square boasting a fabulous variety of Baroque and Renaissance as well as Gothic buildings and churches surrounded by parts of the remaining fortress and towers. Sibui was an important trade center with powerful guilds dominating the regional trade. Houses remain along the cobbled street and are brightly painted. The historic Journeyman house, where the wood carver guild once reigned, maintains the pole full of sharp objects often left for luck.
Beautiful mix of architecture in Sibiu
Food
Transylvania enjoys many of the same foods you can find throughout Romania, but it also has it’s regional specialities. While in Transylvania we enjoyed;
Mititei – small rolled sausages without casing grilled and served with mustard
Eggplant Salad
Eggplant Salad – we had this two ways, the first mixed with Mayonnaise, the second mixed with red peppers. Both were the consistence of dip like humus.
Pork Ciorba (soup)
Ciorba – means soup and the Romanians love soup. So filling, warm and delicious you can find many delicious soups including a bean soup often served in a bread bowl, chicken noodle soup ( a favorite of the locals), goulash soup, lamb stew, pork sour soup, cabbage soup and many, many more.
Sarmele is cabbage rolls, similar to cabbage rolls we have enjoyed in other Eastern European countries but slightly different with a sour rye taste and dill.
Cabbage rolls with polenta and pork
Jumari – deep-fried smoked pork belly or bacon. I couldn’t stop eating this.
Placinta – means pie and the word is used for a pastry filled cheese item, but also used for other kinds of pies including savory pies similar to Sheperds Pie.
Papanasi with sour cream and berries
Papanasi – possibly my favorite of all the foods we tried is this lovely little dessert. I’m actually not much of a dessert person but this one is so delicious. Translated as Romanian Donut, the cheese filled dough is deep-fried, crispy on the outside and very moist and delicious on the inside. Served hot and then covered with yogurt or sour cream and berries. We had it once with blackberries and once with blueberries and both times so yummy good.
We have learned so much during our short visit to this beautiful, interesting and delicious country. We will return again someday to explore more. But until that day, we thank Romania and its wonderful people for such a pleasant visit.
No, God will not save them. Nor you, friend, nor I.
But let us not flinch, as they march on, to die.
-Wladyslaw Szlengel, Polish Jewish Poet of the Ghetto
Auschwitz famous gate
Why I Came to Poland
For many years I have wanted to come to Poland. My first realization of that desire was when I saw the movie Sophie’s Choice. My god. That movie changed me. I was only twenty-two years old I think. Very naive.
“Is it best to know about a child’s death, even one so horrible, or to know that the child lives but that you will never, never see him again?” ― William Styron, Sophie’s Choice
I don’t remember learning much about World War II or the Holocaust in high school. Was I absent that day? I remember Anne Frank however. We read that in junior high. We discussed it in class, but my memory of it being a bit edited as perhaps they thought we were too young. They were trying to protect us. But who protected Anne? No one.
I don’t think you can be too young to hear these stories. How else can the facts sink in, in a way that it becomes a part of our daily conscious where we naturally abhor intolerance and speak out against it? How else can our youth be fully informed, aware and not jaded – as the horrors of that time in history slip farther into the past?
Complacency
WWII had only been over for 15 years when I was born. It’s been longer than that since September 11th happened (17 years). Time is a convenient blanket, smothering the memories and protecting complacency.
Jewish families being herded out of Krakow
Complacency is the world’s evil and our world is full of it today, yesterday and always.
Auschwitz
Human Numbers
I am by no means a WWII or Shoah expert. But I have a place in my heart that aches for what happened here in this beautiful country of Poland that I have fallen in love with these past two weeks. I want to think of what happened here in human faces and real lives, but the numbers haunt me and I need to share;
Three MILLION Jews exterminated in Poland, half of the six million killed in total
Only 10% of Polish Jews survived
Another estimated but undocumented 1.5 million ethnic Poles killed – many for helping, aiding or hiding Jews
Suitcases of victims
Human beings like you and me. People with names. Birthdays. Lives. Goals and dreams. Doctors and lawyers. Teachers and housewives. Students. Rabbis. Men, women, children and entire families. Grandmothers. Beautiful young women. Little boys. For no reason other than hate.
“You kill yourself when you hate. It’s the worst disease in the world.” ― William Schiff
After I saw the movie Sophie’s Choice in 1982 I began to search out books and movies about the topic. Not just about Poland but about the war, and the death camps. As you are aware I read a lot. I have been deeply touched by many books – in fact many recently, that have come out about this topic. Although some of these books and movies are fictional, many are not. And there is so much to learn from both the non-fiction and fiction stories.
Jewish Cemetery Kazimierz (Krakow)
The Nazis
The Nazis invaded Poland in 1939. That first year they stripped Jews of their possessions and their jobs and herded them into walled off ghettos. The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest and contained more Jews than in all of France. More than 100,000 people starved to death in the Warsaw ghetto. Many more died of horrible disease such as typhoid, cholera and dysentery because medical care was unavailable. If you haven’t seen the movie The Pianist it’s a must. Haunting story of the Warsaw Ghetto.
“Humanity seems doomed to do more evil than good. The greatest ideal on earth is human love.” ― Wilm Hosenfeld, The Pianist: The Extraordinary Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939–45
By 1941 Hitler’s right hand man Himmler began his calculated plan to
Bullet riddled ghetto wall Warsaw
annihilate the Jews of Europe through genocide. Within two years 800,000 people had been shot to death and buried in mass graves.
But it had only started. The 1943 Wannsee Conference launched the final solution of the “Jewish question”. Six death camps began the mass extermination through gas chambers using Zyklon B. Auschwitz-Birkenau was one of these.
From the ghettos in Krakow, Warsaw and around Europe the Jews were loaded on trains – told to take minimum belongings and their valuables for their new life in the East. Thousands would die on the trains, suffocated and
The selection process at Auschwitz on arrival by cattle car
starved. Their valuables? Pilfered and to this day most unaccounted for.
Have you seen the movie The Women in Gold? It addresses the issue of the things the Nazi’s stole from their Jewish victims, particular a painting in this case by Austrian artist Gustav Klimt.
They’ll never admit to what they did, because if they admit to one thing, they’ll have to admit to it all.
– The Women in Gold
Cattle Car that brought victims to Auschwitz
Death Camps
Those who arrived at the death camps were quickly processed through selection. Most were dead within their first few hours at the camp, stripped and taken to the “showers” which of course were not showers. Anyone lame or old or young or unable to work was exterminated immediately. The rest would work to death.
The Paradise of Death
It was like an old religion Dividing the saved from the damned. Only that the saved went to hell. The damned- to the paradise of death – Raquel Angel Nagler
Auschwitz was also home to the notorious Doctor Mengele who did unspeakable things to children, twins and other unusual “specimens” who he used as human guinea pigs for his “research”. Have you read the book Mischling? One of the most astonishing stories I have ever read. Astonishing and sickening.
“The whole world will never look back. And if they do, they’ll probably say that it never really happened.” ― Affinity Konar, Mischling
It’s disgusting to me there are still those who believe it never happened. Same people who think we didn’t land on the moon? Same people who don’t believe in Global Warming?
Idiots. This is fact;
1.5 million Jewish PEOPLE died at Auschwitz; 200,000 of them children
Memorial in Krakow for 65,000 Jews killed from that city
3 million Jewish PEOPLE exterminated in Poland
6 million Jewish PEOPLE murdered in WWII
150,000 Non Jewish Polish PEOPLE died
23,000 Roma Gypsy PEOPLE killed
15,000 Soviet POW PEOPLE killed
25,000 others GONE
Where the death camps were
Ignorance
Before the war began Poland had the largest Jewish Population in Europe. More than 3 million citizens whose ancestors had been in Poland for more than a thousand years. Only 10% of the Polish Jewish population survived WWII and the genocide.
Many ethnic Poles died trying to help the Jews. But others turned against them. It was similar in other countries. While there are many stories of resistance fighters in France and Poland there were other citizens who helped the Nazis. Recently I read the book Sarah’s Key and learned about the French Jewish Roundup in Paris in July 1942. I had never heard of this horrible thing before. Shame on all those whose smugness, prejudice and hate killed so many.
“The truth is harder than ignorance.” – Sarah’s Key
Where they burned the bodies
The thing I keep asking myself is why did we not help them? Where was the United States? Where was the League of Nations? Where was the Catholic Church? As early as 1941 it was common knowledge in the world leaders what was happening. People and governments looked away. Partly because they were afraid, or busy fighting other battles, but this was genocide. Pure and simple. And no one came.
The remains of the incinerators the Nazi’s destroyed at the end of the war
My time in Poland has been both lovely and gut-wrenching. The Poland I see as a visitor is beautiful. But I know, like all nations, there are underlying problems and anti-Semitism is here. As an American I am painfully aware of how ignorance begets hate and intolerance – rampant in my country. In the past, in the present and more likely than not in the future – there will be hate. People who can’t or WON’T tolerate anyone who is different from them.
I don’t believe hate is something you are born with. It is learned. Hate and prejudice is learned. Just like empathy and tolerance is also learned.
Educate Yourself
It brings me back to two things I promote on this blog;
TRAVEL – My message through this blog has always been one of inspiration. And inspiring anyone to pack a bag and go to an unknown place is my greatest goal. You will be changed. You will be full. You will be amazed, what travel can do to your life, your prejudice, your tolerance and your happiness. Just go.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
Those who didn’t die on arrival lived in hell
2. READ – My other message on this blog is to read, read, read. And if you can, learn to read outside your comfort zone. Read history, and fiction and non fiction and more. There is nothing so simple as reading a book that can open your mind to the world outside your door. Just read.
“Reading is an exercise in empathy; an exercise in walking in someone else’s shoes for a while.” —Malorie Blackman
Poland and Auschwitz are sacrosanct now. Everyone should come here to feel and remember the human lives. The very real human beings who became ashes.
One women.
But of course it’s not possible for everyone. So read. Watch films. Learn. And most importantly, remember. Remember a little girl. An old man. A family. Most importantly remember what we humans have allowed to happen in our recent past. Think about the Holocaust in names and people’s lives rather than numbers and dates. Don’t let that die. Otherwise, nothing was gained and we all are lost.
Books
(This is nowhere near all that is out there. Just some suggestions)
The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne
Mischling by Affinity Konar
Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Night by Elie Wiesel
The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink
Sophie’s Choice by William Styron
Ireana’s Children by Tilar J. Mazzeo
The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman
The Pianist by Wladyslaw Szpilman
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly
Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Maus by Art Spiegelman
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
Where victims were sent
Movies
Schindler’s List
Sophie’s Choice
The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas
The Hiding Place
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Pianist
Life is Beaiutiful
Son of Saul
Maus
Immortal Bastards
Europa Europa
Au revoir les enfants
The Women in Gold
Fiddler on the Roof (not WWII but spectacular anyway)
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