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Poland |
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Krakow I must be thankful to have my friend Ricky traveling with me. I enjoyed every moment and had excitement. But at the end, we both realized: 人生不能永远精彩， 但简单原来不简单... |
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 Krakow Main Market Square - the largest medieval town square in Europe, dates back to the 13th century |
 St. Mary's Basilica - beside the town square and originally built in the early 13th century. |
 St. Florian's Gate - the remaining of the 17 towers defending the city back in the 15th century. |
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 Noble Palace at the market square. I went for a Fryderyk Chopin concert here, whom was born near Krakow. |
 The only piece I know is impromptu nr 1 As-dur, op.29. I guess I am not into classical music... |
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Church of Saints Peter and Paul. There are so many churches and Synagogues in Krakow. Alas, 'tis where Pope John Paul II practiced priesthood. |
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 The Royal cathedral at Wawel castle hill. Like a mosaic of architectural forms. |
 Statue of Pope John Paul II at Church of the Rock and Monastery. |
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The Kazimierz district was occupied by Polish and Jewish, lived side by
side, which differed in language, customs, creed and culture. Yet they
mingled together like all good neighbours. Here now a restaurant called "Once upon a time in Kazimierz", appears to be separated shops in the exterior but with no walls in between, signifying the once integration between two group, religions, cultures... serving both Polish and Jewish delicacy. |
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 The Jewish concert hall at Kazimierz. |
 The Jewish cemetery was bombed during the WWII. Here erected a mosaic of tomb stones for remembrance. |
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Solitude... I was alone on the first 2 days in Krawkow. So was capturing photos of solitude... |
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 Been to bar for 3 days in Krakow. I've seen so much London. Every where else seems ordinary... |
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 An authentic Polish restaurant off the central district. We tasted a variety of polish dishes. |
 Polish shashlik |
 Polish pierogi |
 Polish pork neck |
 Polish cabbage roll |
 Guess what these are? |
 Polish smoked cheese. Like salted mozzarella. |
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  Zakopane, near the border of Poland and Slovakia, is "the winter capital of Poland", a winter resort surrounded by Tatra Mountains. |
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Cemetery at St. Clement's Church. So much LOVE is exhibited in the cemetery which was like a craft museum. I am sure the occupants wouldn't mind me displaying their exhibition. |
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Auschwitz was a network of Nazi concentration and extermination camps during World War II. It was designated as the
"final solution of the Jewish question in Europe". From 1942 until 1944, the camp operated like an extermination factory,
innocent prisoner became labors. Transport trains delivered Jews to the camp's gas chambers from all over Nazi-occupied Europe. Within hours upon arrival, they were gassed and cremated. 1.1 million
people had died there, around 90 percent of them Jews. Those not killed in the gas chambers died of starvation, forced labor, infectious disease, individual executions, medical experiments... Depicted the entrant to the Auschwitz camp, the iron gates with the infamous motto, "work makes free"... ------------ Ricky and I spent 4 hours touring the camp under a guided tour, captured lots of photos to remind ourselves the horrifying history. We have seen a lot, not only the pictures, but also the haunting physical evidence of the mass genocide. We also walked the path of the gas chamber and cremation room. The sight and cold feeling were beyond words of comprehension. Thanks Ricky for the company or else I won't have the courage to visit on my own. The dark side of humanity can be really dark. Life is not always full of joy and prosperity. Circumstance changes and the whole playing field could alter. After this visit, I appreciate and respect life even more. |
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