Today is one of the days I have been looking forward and dreading at the same time. I have wanted to visit Auschwitz from the moment we decided on this trip but at the same time I am not sure what kind of impression it will have on me.
The ride from Krakow to Auschwitz is only one hour and we booked at guided tour at 1PM, so we decide to take a small detour along the Bledow desert, also known as the Polish Sahara, which was used by Rommel to train his Africa Corps. We have heard lots of talk about it but in the end it looks a bit disappointing.
![Bledow desert, Rommel Bledow desert, Rommel](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-bDq3WVX/1/L/i-bDq3WVX-L.jpg)
![Bledow desert, Rommel Bledow desert, Rommel](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-dZX8cFN/1/L/i-dZX8cFN-L.jpg)
![Bledow desert, Rommel Bledow desert, Rommel](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-PWfSWcJ/1/L/i-PWfSWcJ-L.jpg)
![Panorama information at Bledow desert lookout Panorama information at Bledow desert lookout](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-THv5v3N/1/L/i-THv5v3N-L.jpg)
We arrive at Auschwitz around lunch time and quickly have a bite to eat before entering the stie. it’s really busy and we now realize why it was so important to book the visit in advance if you want a guided tour. You can visit without a guide but you will not get the full impression of the place I feel.
Our guide tells the story incredibly raw and I would not like to be a German tourist in the group. We are taken first through the buidlings at Auschwitz I where we get a view on all the atrocities that were done to the people who were deported to Auschwitz.
![Entrance to Auschwitz I Entrance to Auschwitz I](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-jKxZnz5/1/L/i-jKxZnz5-L.jpg)
![Entrance to Auschwitz I - Arbeit Macht Frei Entrance to Auschwitz I - Arbeit Macht Frei](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-RQmCqhL/1/L/i-RQmCqhL-L.jpg)
![Entry gates Entry gates](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-pCCSBZs/1/L/i-pCCSBZs-L.jpg)
![Barbed wire fence Barbed wire fence](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-XvjFSp6/1/L/i-XvjFSp6-L.jpg)
![Double lined, electrical fence with barbed wire on top. Double lined, electrical fence with barbed wire on top.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-j6vjDW5/1/L/i-j6vjDW5-L.jpg)
![Kitchen block Kitchen block](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZxB4PmV/1/L/i-ZxB4PmV-L.jpg)
![Grim place to be Grim place to be](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-7mbL58K/1/L/i-7mbL58K-L.jpg)
![Watchtowers are everywhere Watchtowers are everywhere](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-npZSHnQ/1/L/i-npZSHnQ-L.jpg)
![Guide explaining where all the Jews in Auschwitz came from. Guide explaining where all the Jews in Auschwitz came from.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Q8gZpNd/1/L/i-Q8gZpNd-L.jpg)
![Image of women and children walking straight from the train to the gas chambers Image of women and children walking straight from the train to the gas chambers](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-JhGKLHS/1/L/i-JhGKLHS-L.jpg)
![Unloading train Unloading train](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-NnVKrsg/1/L/i-NnVKrsg-L.jpg)
![Overview map of the different camps at Auschwitz: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II Birkenau and Auschwitz III Monowitz. Overview map of the different camps at Auschwitz: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II Birkenau and Auschwitz III Monowitz.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-wFzMjBr/1/L/i-wFzMjBr-L.jpg)
We see piles of cans that contained the Zyklon B gas, piles of glasses, shoes, suitcases, brushes and combs, and the most gruesome of all: human hair.
![Empy cans of Zyklon B gas pellets Empy cans of Zyklon B gas pellets](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-7Fsm5Vb/1/L/i-7Fsm5Vb-L.jpg)
![Thousands of pairs of glasses taken from camp victoms Thousands of pairs of glasses taken from camp victoms](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-F8T6VdL/1/L/i-F8T6VdL-L.jpg)
![Endless line of prostesis and crutches. If you had a disability you had no chance of survival. Endless line of prostesis and crutches. If you had a disability you had no chance of survival.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-bbH5cPG/1/L/i-bbH5cPG-L.jpg)
![Pile of suitcases Pile of suitcases](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-KzXwdks/1/L/i-KzXwdks-L.jpg)
![Pile of suitcases Pile of suitcases](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-3V2rVTx/1/L/i-3V2rVTx-L.jpg)
![Children Children](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-vLcZk7f/1/L/i-vLcZk7f-L.jpg)
![Gigantic pile of shoes Gigantic pile of shoes](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-km8gSLh/1/L/i-km8gSLh-L.jpg)
Our guide also explains that Auschwitz was the only camp where they tattooed numbers on the prisoners. In other camps registration was done by pictures, but in Auschwitz people’s appearances changes so quickly because of the terribly harsh conditions that they could not be identified by their pictures in a matter of weeks. That’s when the tattoos were added to the mix of measures to dehumanize the prisoners.
![Tattoos: Auschwitz was the only camp where they tattooed prisoners Tattoos: Auschwitz was the only camp where they tattooed prisoners](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-K5kdnKr/1/L/i-K5kdnKr-L.jpg)
![Overview of how prisoners were distinguished. Jews had a yellow triangle mixed with one of the others above, usually political prisoners. Overview of how prisoners were distinguished. Jews had a yellow triangle mixed with one of the others above, usually political prisoners.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-3crLVSB/1/L/i-3crLVSB-L.jpg)
![Prisoners Prisoners](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-3M3XBwN/1/L/i-3M3XBwN-L.jpg)
![Records from Auschwitz, they only took records of the prisoners, not from the people who were killed straight away at the gas chambers. Records from Auschwitz, they only took records of the prisoners, not from the people who were killed straight away at the gas chambers.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZtqfxT7/1/L/i-ZtqfxT7-L.jpg)
![Guided tour through the different barracks. Guided tour through the different barracks.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-wWZ9MVn/1/L/i-wWZ9MVn-L.jpg)
The final barrack we visit is the ‘court’ where people, mostly Polish citizens, were give a 1-minute trial and were then shot to death.
![Barrack number 10 Barrack number 10](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-RdmKDDN/1/L/i-RdmKDDN-L.jpg)
![Watchtower Watchtower](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-rg7WkVL/1/L/i-rg7WkVL-L.jpg)
![Shooting wall. This is where most Polish prisoners were killed after their one-minute-trial. Shooting wall. This is where most Polish prisoners were killed after their one-minute-trial.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-7DcgvLR/1/L/i-7DcgvLR-L.jpg)
![View on the outside world, behind the fence View on the outside world, behind the fence](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-7qqngbh/1/L/i-7qqngbh-L.jpg)
![Kitchen block Kitchen block](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-hShqBWx/1/L/i-hShqBWx-L.jpg)
Whenever someone tried to escape or when the Germans wanted to set an example, the gallows outside the kitchen block were used.
![Prisoners who were to be killed publicly in front of the other prisoners as a warning, were hanged here Prisoners who were to be killed publicly in front of the other prisoners as a warning, were hanged here](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-rhJnsPm/1/L/i-rhJnsPm-L.jpg)
![In between barracks In between barracks](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-nTRndkC/1/L/i-nTRndkC-L.jpg)
![Barbed wire and electricity Barbed wire and electricity](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Hbz4ZPM/1/L/i-Hbz4ZPM-L.jpg)
![Watchtower at the far end of the camp, in front of the first gas chamber Watchtower at the far end of the camp, in front of the first gas chamber](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-b6rWMXV/1/L/i-b6rWMXV-L.jpg)
![Barbed wire Barbed wire](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Dq4TRLD/1/L/i-Dq4TRLD-L.jpg)
![No man No man](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-GBvBR2R/1/L/i-GBvBR2R-L.jpg)
![No man No man](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-kdLmRSB/1/L/i-kdLmRSB-L.jpg)
![This is where they hanged the Camp Commander after his trial in 1946. This is where they hanged the Camp Commander after his trial in 1946.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-XJzmFZG/1/L/i-XJzmFZG-L.jpg)
The tour of Auschwitz I ends at the gas chambers. These were the first to be used but soon proved to be too small and too slow for the plans that the Germans had in mind, so they had to ‘branch out’ to Auschwitz II. But since the gas chambers there were destroyed, this gives an idea of what it must have felt.
![Waiting to go into the gas chamber Waiting to go into the gas chamber](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-ZnhhS76/1/L/i-ZnhhS76-L.jpg)
![Holes in the ceiling through which the gas pellets were dropped Holes in the ceiling through which the gas pellets were dropped](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-c2cxcK8/1/L/i-c2cxcK8-L.jpg)
![Inside the gas chamber at Auschwitz I Inside the gas chamber at Auschwitz I](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-dpHtdjH/1/L/i-dpHtdjH-L.jpg)
![Crematorium at Auschwitz I Crematorium at Auschwitz I](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-GQt7qcT/1/L/i-GQt7qcT-L.jpg)
![Crematorium at Auschwitz I Crematorium at Auschwitz I](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-vdtzcnN/1/L/i-vdtzcnN-L.jpg)
![Crematorium at Auschwitz I Crematorium at Auschwitz I](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-BnhWq6g/1/L/i-BnhWq6g-L.jpg)
After a short break, we take the bus to Auschwitz II Birkenau where the tour continues. This is the more iconic image of the Auschwitz concentration camp that we get from documentaries and movies. The sheer scale of the place blows us away. I just cannot get my head around it. It’s just too much to process and I feel completely baffled.
![View on Auschwitz II Birkenau: endless rows of barracks or what remains of them. View on Auschwitz II Birkenau: endless rows of barracks or what remains of them.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-zZbsfGv/1/L/i-zZbsfGv-L.jpg)
![Inside the entry gate Inside the entry gate](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-87b3m8h/1/L/i-87b3m8h-L.jpg)
![Railway Railway](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-CqbCSfr/1/L/i-CqbCSfr-L.jpg)
![Looking out Looking out](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-FkDcm8L/1/L/i-FkDcm8L-L.jpg)
![The first view when you walk inside Auschwitz II Birkenau The first view when you walk inside Auschwitz II Birkenau](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-kwXDJnf/1/L/i-kwXDJnf-L.jpg)
![Railway Railway](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-9BNqBTf/1/L/i-9BNqBTf-L.jpg)
![Endless rows of barracks or what remains of them at Auschwitz II Birkenau Endless rows of barracks or what remains of them at Auschwitz II Birkenau](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-xTfpqRd/1/L/i-xTfpqRd-L.jpg)
![This is what you saw, getting of the train This is what you saw, getting of the train](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-87vbqq4/1/L/i-87vbqq4-L.jpg)
![One wagon remains One wagon remains](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Cxw8Np8/1/L/i-Cxw8Np8-L.jpg)
![Gate towards one side of the camp Gate towards one side of the camp](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-3zWw2gj/1/L/i-3zWw2gj-L.jpg)
At the far end of the camp, 2 big piles of rubble remind us of where the gas chambers and crematoria used to be, They must have been an imposing site reminding the thousands of prisoners in the camp that that was where they would end up if they were not taken there straight away.
A memorial with texts in all languages of the prisoners that were taken here, plus English, tells us that we cannot ever forget. But still, I find it surreal to see, knowing that history is repeated on a daily basis and there are plenty of similar holocaust examples in far and recent history showing that human kind will never learn from it’s mistakes.
![Monument to remember these horrible events. Monument to remember these horrible events.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Wx5Ckwg/1/L/i-Wx5Ckwg-L.jpg)
![Monument right in front of the demolished gas chambers Monument right in front of the demolished gas chambers](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-xpfdMXL/1/L/i-xpfdMXL-L.jpg)
![Monument signifying the chimney of the gas chamber on top and below people crawling over each other to get to fresh air. Monument signifying the chimney of the gas chamber on top and below people crawling over each other to get to fresh air.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-255mxzx/1/L/i-255mxzx-L.jpg)
![Never forget... Never forget...](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-gVCqKws/1/L/i-gVCqKws-L.jpg)
![Both gas chambers at Auschwitz II Birkenau were demolished by the Germans before they left the camp Both gas chambers at Auschwitz II Birkenau were demolished by the Germans before they left the camp](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-4ZXCscZ/1/L/i-4ZXCscZ-L.jpg)
![View on the undress area View on the undress area](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-GgzghbH/1/L/i-GgzghbH-L.jpg)
![Gas chamber Gas chamber](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-fq2BT8X/1/L/i-fq2BT8X-L.jpg)
![All that All that](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-6ghMrLk/1/L/i-6ghMrLk-L.jpg)
![All that All that](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-bCX6274/1/L/i-bCX6274-L.jpg)
![All that All that](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-qRFq2dr/1/L/i-qRFq2dr-L.jpg)
![All that All that](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Z5szwhX/1/L/i-Z5szwhX-L.jpg)
![We still don We still don](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-9b6rSsz/1/L/i-9b6rSsz-L.jpg)
We get a quick look inside one of the barracks and our guide points out that visitors are not always that respectufl. The walls are coverd in carvings from floor to ceiling, all done by visitors who felt the need to leave a marking of their presence.
Outside we also noticed tourists taking selfies, smiling in front of the watch towers and entry gate. I find it surreal.
![Inside the barracks at Auschwitz II Birkenau. None of these carvings are from prisoners... Inside the barracks at Auschwitz II Birkenau. None of these carvings are from prisoners...](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-vxQKQWN/1/L/i-vxQKQWN-L.jpg)
![Bunk beds inside the barracks, sleeping on 3 levels. The one on top was fought for the most obviously. Bunk beds inside the barracks, sleeping on 3 levels. The one on top was fought for the most obviously.](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-K2NR6GW/1/L/i-K2NR6GW-L.jpg)
![outside door to the barrack outside door to the barrack](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Zw7fnHw/1/L/i-Zw7fnHw-L.jpg)
![Watchtowers and fences Watchtowers and fences](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-KRHRNvm/1/L/i-KRHRNvm-L.jpg)
![Registration barrack when you arrived and were deemed fit to work at a glance Registration barrack when you arrived and were deemed fit to work at a glance](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-FfdSsLt/1/L/i-FfdSsLt-L.jpg)
![Endless fences Endless fences](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-JcpmX2V/1/L/i-JcpmX2V-L.jpg)
![Endless rows of barracks or what remains of them at Auschwitz II Birkenau Endless rows of barracks or what remains of them at Auschwitz II Birkenau](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-xShNxFV/1/L/i-xShNxFV-L.jpg)
![walking through the camp walking through the camp](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-N6CbLLV/1/L/i-N6CbLLV-L.jpg)
![Wooden barracks, original stables from Germany Wooden barracks, original stables from Germany](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-D8n98SG/1/L/i-D8n98SG-L.jpg)
![Latrines Latrines](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-3w3VP7S/1/L/i-3w3VP7S-L.jpg)
We end our visit around 5PM and we definitely need some time to process the impressions of the day. I just cannot put it to words and it’s really quiet in my helmet on the ride out of Auschwitz and towards Bielsko-Biala. Judging from the silence I get from Jo, I feel he is processing the same thoughts.
We find a basic but nice campsite just outside Bielsko-Biala. From here on it will be a straight ride home.
![Our campsite just outside Bielsko-Biala Our campsite just outside Bielsko-Biala](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-xs9nnD8/1/L/i-xs9nnD8-L.jpg)
![Camp grounds Camp grounds](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-Hs2RkdQ/1/L/i-Hs2RkdQ-L.jpg)
![Day 17 - June 22 - Route Day 17 - June 22 - Route](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-KMSn5ZQ/1/L/i-KMSn5ZQ-L.png)
![Day 17 - June 22 - Elevation plot Day 17 - June 22 - Elevation plot](http://destinationworld.smugmug.com/photos/i-WwDXLn7/1/L/i-WwDXLn7-L.png)