Just a quick few words about our holiday with Aaron & Laura (Kristy’s sister and brother-in-law). For the most part, the picture galleries on our Flickr account tell the story pretty well, so be sure to have a look at those.
After being stunned by the magnificent beauty of the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, Aaron & Laura took off for Edinburgh. They also visited something nearby that had previously not even been on my radar when I’d been there twice before. Rosslyn Chapel is a site of much mystery and intrigue, especially in recent days for fans of The Da Vinci Code.
On Tuesday (12th), we flew out to Poland for a 3 day visit to Krakow, now one of my favourite places in Europe. The city has everything – impressive cathedrals and architecture, history, art, culture, brilliant cafés, and great food. To top it off, both the Euro and the American dollar go a looong way at the moment (1EUR = 3.78PLN), so if you play your cards right, you can visit Krakow on a shoestring budget. After living in pricey Dublin for almost a year (now the world’s 16th most expensive city), getting an inexpensive, quality meal in Krakow was so refreshing.
On Thursday, we visited nearby Auschwitz, admittedly with some hesitancy. Kristy wasn’t sure if she would be able to stomach it, so we held off on a final decision until the morning of the trip. On the coach ride there, I did a little mental and emotional preparation and decided that I wouldn’t snap any pictures. Why? I don’t exactly remember what brought me to that conclusion. I think it had to do with the weight of tragedy that I was so conscious of, being contained in that physical space and the subsequent sense of sanctity that I wanted to keep in my heart and mind. To take pictures just seemed to somehow trivialize what had happened there. I guess I just wanted to maintain a sense of reverence.
As we walked through the gates of the camp, the thunder rolling across the sky made it all the more surreal and solemn. Individual visitors around us maintained a quiet, almost meditative demeanour. However, upon stepping in to the first building to walk through the displays, we were met with a large Asian touring group, the leader of which was trying to speak loudly enough for all 20+ participants to hear. For the rest of our time there, we consistently found ourselves being swarmed by school and holiday tours at every corner. Despite the obnoxious nature of the distraction, I also completely understood the necessity of making the former death camp an educational experience. As far as I’m concerned, the more people they can get through that place, the better.
There were many unspeakable things to see and emotions felt, but for some reason what jumped out at me most was the rooms full of personal affects collected by the Nazis, such as shoes, eyeglasses, children’s clothing, suitcases, and even hair. There were entire rooms filled with such things, from floor to ceiling. Maybe it just did something to bring home the personal nature of the tragedy. Maybe it was just the way it was set in contrast to the cold, hard facts and figures that were on the other displays, recounting the administrative efficiency of how the camp functioned. Whatever the case, it was emotionally overwhelming.
After our time there, it was difficult not to think of similar things happening in the world at the moment – admittedly not to the same scale, but certainly not any less tragic either. Injustice in Sudan, China, Mozambique, Uganda, etc. The evil that our world was confronted with in the Nazi death camps is still alive and well today. Were it not for the hope and goodness of divine presence that also fills the world, it would be unbearable.
