Poland Trip: Auschwitz and Salt Mines

And back to our Poland trip...

So I debated about whether or not to take the kids to Auschwitz because I had heard it's not recommended for under 12 years old, but some say that the young ones don't really understand and so they are not affected.  However, I didn't want the little boys to be running around or playing which would be disrespectful to this memorial site and the people visiting there.  I read blogs about other people's experience with kids there and asked people who had been if they thought the kids could handle it.  In the end we decided that Brian and I both wanted to see it and we would prepare (and bribe the young ones) in order to make this work.  Hannah read The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom.  We listened to the St. Maximilian Kolbe Glory Story on the hour long drive there as well.  We bribed the little ones about not playing and explained the importance of being quiet and respectful.  In the end, our friends who have only little ones decided that the mom would sit in their van and let the kids watch a movie while the rest of us went in and she offered for Drew and Judah to join them.  So it was only the three older kids (9, 11, 13 yr olds) and Bobby (2 yr old) who went in.  Bobby fell asleep in the Ergo on me for most of the time and the big kids asked questions and were excellent.

As far as it traumatizing them, it didn't at all.  Genevieve (11) is a sensitive soul and I was worried about her most.  There were a couple things that made her and Hannah a little sick to their stomach about.  One was the pictures of piles of personal belongings when I explained what it was, and the other was a post that was reconstructed from where the Natzis hung people.  

This is an execution wall right outside St.Maximilian Kolbe's cell block.

St. Maximilian Kolbe's cell where he was executed by starvation after he volunteered to take the place of a father who had been selected to be executed because some prisoners had escaped.

The door to his cell

After leaving Asuchwitz we grabbed a quick dinner to go and drove to the salt mines to meet up with the rest of our friends who had just arrived that day.

This photo may not do it justice, but there were around 372 steps that we had to walk down to begin the mine tour.

We had to all wear an audio guide type thing so we could hear the guide.  She had a microphone, but you had to keep up to hear her because you could lose the signal.  Bobby developed a love for audioguides on this trip.

My favorite part of the tour was when our guide was explaining the health benefits of breathing in the alt and how they have a spa for just that sort of thing in the salt mines.  She then added that we were actually getting to breathe in the salt on this tour and she asked, "Do you feel better now...psychologically?"  I found that pretty funny.

There were many statues made entirely of salt.

The small girl posse.  The boy's was huge!  Out of our 15 kids, there were only 5 girls, two of which were very young.

A bad picture of looking down upon the big salt mine cathedral.

Wooden Stations of the Cross

Pope St. JPII entirely made of salt (in cathedral)

Our Lady of Lourdes (also all salt!)

A salt Nativity scene

A salt Last Supper

Salt Crucifix with Mary and St. John at the Foot

Finally, we reached the end of our 2.5 hour tour at the smaller chapel where Godfather had reserved to say Mass. 

The two year old duo as they raced down the final hallway to the tiny elevators back up to the real world.  It was around 8:30pm by now, so I'm impressed they were still happy.

The elevators were crazy.  Mine was big enough for only really 4 people, but they shoved and squished in about 8, if you count poor Bobby.  They insisted that all babies have hats on because the elevator was made of criss cross metal bars with holes that air could blow through as it sailed upwards.  (Europeans think wind makes you sick.)  It was no luxury elevator, but it did the job.

The children all had an exceptionally wonderful time at the salt mines because once the other family arrived every single one of our children had a friend or two.  All were happy and none were bothering me.  Bob was in and out of the Ergo according to his wishes and all was good.