Day 43: A visit to Auscwitz and a drive to Prague (June 26):

 Today we woke up, had cereal and bananas.  We take our almost daily ritual of everyone packing up their own suitcase and lugging it down stairs.

 

    We wake up early and go to visit Auschwitz concentration camp, it was the most devastating one. Millions died here. We saw shacks where they lived, 

walls they were tied up to and shot. 

   We walk through the buildings and see the living conditions, 

see the glasses, dishes, suitcases, shoes that were taken from the arriving prisoners. There were billions of old shoes behind glass cases. That's when I lose it, when I see all off the children's shoes - countless in a huge pile. I can't imagine going through this and not being able to protect your children from the horrors that have become your reality. All along every hallway of each living quarter are hundreds of framed pictures of people admitted into Auschwitz. Their entry date and death date are underneath their photo.  There was a picture of a 32 year old lady who weighed less than her age! 

These are the glasses that they took from the incoming prisoners.

    There was an Auschwitz II. It was known for its train tracks that go straight in to it, then the people would be separated to work or be gassed. We saw gas chambers also. This was a BIG mistake made in our history, we may not be able to fix it, but we need to mature and learn from those mistakes.

The long walk to the gas chambers.

Talie & Dallin both studied WWII this year, and had a POW survivor (who was 10-16 years old when he was in the concentration camp) come to speak at their school. 

When the Nazis found out that there camps were to be discovered, they blew up the gas chambers, trying to cover up the atrocities they had committed.

 

  After going through, I think I have more questions than before I walked in. 

 Then we solemnly got in the car and drove for 5 hours to Prague, Czech Republic.