Travel /
Information Needed About Holocaust Related Travel: Krakow, Lublin, Warsaw [25]
Hello,
I found this site when doing some looking around on the internet. I come seeking any and all advice. Here is my scenario:
I have been accepted as an academic fellow of a German institute and so will be traveling from the United States to Germany to do my work with them during the remainder of the month of June. Afterward I intend to rent a car in Frankfurt (to give me the flexibility to look about) to drive to Poland. A little background about myself; I am a High School historian/educator of American History and currently am a 43 year old graduate student in that field. My knowledge of the Polish language is non existent. My knowledge of Polish history is moderate. I am the decedent of Polish Jews who emigrated from Austro-Hungarian controlled Poland in the 1890s or earlier. My trip to Poland will serve several purposes. The primary reason I am coming to Poland is to visit the Holocaust sites at Auschwitz, Belzec, Majdanek, Sobibor and Treblinka. The secondary reason is to make some connection (cultural, historical, etc) with the Poland my people emigrated from. Thirdly this trip is a recon trip to set the stage for a later return with my wife and daughter so we can see the Holocaust sites in the future. Fourth, I am considering a Masters Thesis on the Holocaust so this trip will be an information gathering expedition for that as well. I realize a trip like this is not fair to the huge extent of Polish history and the rich culture of Poland so I am seeking guidance. I do have some questions I would like to ask:
1. Driving from Germany in a rented car should I encounter any problems or slow downs at the German/Polish border? Again, speaking no Polish will I get hassled? I am assuming this is not going to be like crossing from one EU country to another. What should I expect?
2. What are driving conditions like? How are the roads? Are petrol stations easily available? Any tips I should know about? How is driving after dark? Are the roads around Lublin OK?
3. I am diabetic and handicapped(spinal damage that makes me walk with a cane). I am not on insulin but control my diabetes by controlling what I eat. Please give me a clue what I can expect to find in Poland food wise? Are supermarkets widely available? Can someone please direct me towards low sugar low carbohydrate Polish foods that can be purchased in restaurants? I love Pirogi but they have way too many carbs for me. What are my other options?
4. I collect militaria. Is there any place (shop, flea market, etc) that you can recommend where I can find older military items? I like Imperial Russian, Imperial German, Austro-Hungarian, early Polish and Soviet Great Patriotic War era stuff. Maybe some WWII German items but I am less keen on those. I like bayonets, knives, uniforms, helmets, hats, orders, medals, flags, etc
5. I am a underpaid American educator. We had to take an unexpected pay cut last week so I have dramatically less money than I thought I would have. I am not asking for handouts but am asking for clues how to travel, stay, eat, etc cheaply. Remember, everything an educator sees, learns, eats, etc gets brought back into their classrooms. I fully expect to come back to my students with rapacious stories of Poland and would love to have assistance in that.
6. Any clues to Holocaust sites would be appreciated.
7. I intend to stay two days in Krakow Auschwitz-Briana), two days in Lublin (Belzec, Majdanek, Sobibor) and perhaps one or two days in Warsaw (Treblinka). Could you give me specific tips about these places? Places to stay, eat, shop for food, etc?
Thanks so much in advance for any and all help you can give me. I am looking forward to my time in Poland with both concern and rapacious interest. I hope to come back to this forum upon my return with a report about my travels.
