Remember that one Time I went to Poland...

So, I have just returned from what could be called "The Suckiest Weekend Ever"


So, Friday after school we get lunch and then proceed back to the hotel to get our stuff. We barely make our train, for half of our group was late. After getting settled on the train, we realize that the car we are in does not, in fact, go to Poland. So we have to pack up all our crap and maneuver ourselves to another car. When we to our correct, reserved car, some old ladies have camped out in it and have sweet talked the attendant into letting them stay there...so we all have to split up on the train. Our train is then delayed and hour and a half because of

1. The train we were connecting to was late
2. There was a FIRE on the tracks we were supposed to be on...so we went in a huge circle around the city

When we finally arrived in the disgusting city of Krakow, we proceed, with all of our backpacks, to try and find our hostel. You may be asking, was it in a shady location? Well...YES. It was like back in some alley. When we get in there to check in, it turns out that the hostel has lost Bintu and Allison's reservations. Naturally. So we have to spend 2 hours figuring it allllll out. By this point it is like...11:30 and we thought we would be done and checked in by 10. So, now that is was this late, we couldn't get any food (haven't eaten since lunch, BTW) or find an ATM so we could have money for breakfast at the hostel. This is the point in the story where I take comfort in the fact that we still have free WiFi at the hostel......

.......

OH. Wait. It wasn't working. So we had no way to plan our next day to Auschwitz. We decide to meet at 9:30 the next morning to go out for the day. So, Denton and I proceed to go to our dorm (we were all split up...luckily I got the guy in the group...so I had a less likely chance of getting raped. Kayce and Bintu are supposed to be in the dorm next to ours. You may be asking...what is the name of your Hostel, Caitlin? Well, it was called "Bling Bling". BLING BLING, seriously? Anyways, so we get into the room...and there are 12 beds in there...all occupied by boys, with one other girl. The lights are off and it was so creepy. So Denton and I take our bags and go to the back of the room. Kayce and Bintu come in and tell us how when they walked in their room of all guys, they were all drunk and watching football on their beds. So, Kayce and I decide to share a bed. I don't even take my jeans off. I just take off my shoes and get in my sleep sack. I didn't want to touch anything else. When I get up the next morning...there is a guy staring right at Kayce and I. It was just a great start to my morning. So after getting ready, we head down to meet everyone. We had to deal with the hostel bookings again, which then took another 45 minutes. After finally leaving the hostel, we get to the mall where the ATM and McDonalds is. We take out money and head to MickeyD's for some breakfast. Oh, but what's that? McDonald's in Poland doesn't serve Breakfast? Of course not. So I had Subway for breakfast yesterday. We leave the mall and head to the bus station to catch a bus to Auschwitz. We get one and hop on. We think the ride is going to be like 30 minutes. It is another hour and a half on this like "church bus" little thing. By the way, chickens just roam around the streets in Poland.

So we finally get to Auschwitz and sign up for our tour. Which was great. It was very emotional and moving to be there after studying about it for so long. It was an incredible experience. I wish you could have seen it. It is impossible to describe. We walked all over Auschwitz 1 and Auschwitz 2/Birkenau. We saw the barracks and work fields. We also went into a Gas Chamber and Crematorium. It was the saddest thing I have ever seen. They had kept all of the original things at the camp. We saw pots, shoes, clothes, pictures, letters, and suitcases that were all found when the Red Army liberated the camp. At the end of our tour of Birkenau, we were at the end of the old railroad tracks that would run the train right up to the platform where people would be sorted. They built a memorial at the end of the camp, and cut the tracks off forever. However, from the memorial up to the front of the camp, the tracks are still there. I walked the entire length of the camp on the tracks. It was so moving.

After the camp, we caught a shuttle back to Krakow. We caught the last shuttle for a while...and it didn't have enough seats...so I had to sit on the floor of a Grey Hound bus for another hour and a half. When we got back to Krakow, it was around 6...we had planned to be back around 1. So we didn't get to see any of the rest of the city. Everyone in the group decided that they wanted to go back on the night train, rather than stay again in the hostel. So we tried to work that out, but we got a lady who didn't understand us to try to explain it to us. She told us it would cost us $300 to get back...so we decided to go eat. We went back to our trusty McDonald's and got some food. We then went back to the hostel, in hopes that the front desk worker could help us reason with the Polish train station.

There we met Joe. Joe is a bright spot in this lovely story. Joe is from Wales, and had been couch surfing for a week. He is going to be gone for another 2 months. However, he was flying home today, because yesterday he realized that he could not live without his ex-girlfriend and he had to see her and tell her. So he flew home to say I love you. It was such a good story.

After getting our stuff from the "Bling Bling" hostel, we went back to the train station and tried...once again to reason with the ladies there. See, we had already bought a round trip ticket when we bought our ticket to get there, so there should be no problem with us just getting on a train and coming home. However, these ladies kept telling us it would cost like $50 to get home. No advances were made...so we decided to just get on the train and hope for the best...

So we get to our train car...and the conductor proceeds to tell us it is full. SO. We get on the car next to it, which is going to Prague, and when we get to the right station, we will just switch trains. We are supposed to switch around like 2 AM. So we all decide to try and catch a little sleep. I fall asleep on the floor until we get to the train station. We all wake up in a panic and get all our stuff together to hop onto the other train. I am gathering my stuff when I realize....

My purse has been stolen.

With my D200 Nikon camera and iPod inside.

I have all my money, cards, passport, train tickets, phone on me while I was sleeping, just to be safe. And it is a good thing I did. My purse was stolen out of our car either while we were sleeping, or while we were trying to get all our stuff together. I try to talk to the Police...who....of course...DON'T SPEAK A LICK OF ENGLISH. The one who does just kinda laughs at me and says "Sorry". So my camera and my iPod are gone. GONE. WHILE I WAS ASLEEP LESS THAT A FOOT AWAY.

After thoroughly searching the car, I just give up and get on the other train. I then proceed to have a breakdown. I called you and dealt with it on that end. After freaking out, I finally settle down into a seat. I can't sleep now, because I am too paranoid to fall asleep on the train anymore. We get back to Vienna, and I walk back to the hotel by myself because the other girls have gone on ahead, and I just wanted to chill for a bit.

Now I have slept like three hours and feel better about it all. So Allison and Claire and I talked through it all and Claire freshly remembered that when we woke up, the door was open. She distinctly remembers shutting it after the ticket person left, but when we woke up, the door was open. So...mystery solved...kinda I guess. And we were taking pictures on the train, so it is possible that someone saw me with it and wanted it. Claire also had 100 euros stolen from her money belt as well.

It has just been a ridiculous weekend.
C