For my 30th birthday this year, Kelly planned a surprise party for me. I thought her and I were going to our local pub for quiet night of pizza and watching rugby. Turned out she had contacted a student of mine who organised a group from my school and had rallied all of our Irish friends for a party. I was super surprised to see everyone and we had a great night.
For a gift she organised a suprise trip to Poland on the Bank Holiday weekend (Oct 26-30). What a gift!!! Here's how it went:
When we arrived in Poland we realized that our English wasn't going to get us very far. Thankfully Kelly had arranged a car to be dropped off at the airport for us. While we waited we brushed up on our Polish thanks to a translation page and a friendly man in the airport.


Then off to Zakopane on the Slovakian border for food to take to the hut Kelly had arranged. Grocery stores were interesting as nothing was labelled in English and we couldn't communicate with staff. We got quite used to this scene as horses and wagons are still commonly used in rural Poland.
Kelly loved this man, his dog, and his homemade broom. He laughed hysterically when Kelly pet his dog. We couldn't understand word he said to us so maybe his dog had an infectious disease.

A common mountain home.

You had the option of taking a horse drawn wagon the 8km into the hut. We were both quite happy for a walk in the mountains!

Kelly was really excited for the walk. She had this grin on the whole way.

See?

Morskie Oko

This place was great. It had a staffed kitchen where you could order hot food and beer! A plate of food and a pint of beer was 3-4euro, same price as a tea bag in an Irish restaurant.

Morskie Oko from across the lake.

We made an attempt to climb Rysy (2499m), the highest mountain in Poland, but were turned away by waist deep snow. After deciding to turn around our most logical decent was by...

the butt slide!!

The hut had the most intricate woodwork I've ever seen. Every beam, handrail, wall, etc. was decorated with ornate designs.

Leaving the High Tatra Mountains we had amazing weather and views.

Once out of the mountains we saw the remnants of Soviet rule. It was quite common to see Soviet block housing in rural areas.

Then off to the small town of Oswiecim, more famous for it's German name Auschwitz.

The main gate's cynical message, "Arbiet macht frei" (Work brings freedom), under which workers and new entrants must pass.

After visiting Auschwitz we took a short bus ride to Birkenau. Birkenau was designed by the Nazis and built by prisoner slaves because Auschwitz couldn't murder fast enough. Auschwitz had one gas chamber with crematorium, Birkenau had four.

Bunks where prisoners slept

Looking down the railway unloading area to "Death Gate". This was where families last saw each other, unaware of their impeding fate.

Seeing these camps put into perspective the number of people murdered by the Nazis. Both Kelly and I had grandfathers who fought in the Second World War, it was really meaningful to see why they risked their lives.

Our final stop was Krakow

14th-century St. Mary's Church

The city was beautiful! It is one of the only cities in Eastern Europe not destroyed by war. There are many castles, cathedrals, synagogues, and monuments still standing with many little quaint neighborhoods surrounding the city centre. We stayed in Kasimierz, the old Jewish quarter, where Schindler's List was filmed. It was gone through a significant revival and now houses many cafes, restaurants, shops, and hostels.

Cloth Hall in the middle of Rynek Glowny, the largest medival town square in Europe.

We were so excited to see maple trees!