Day 1

Michael and I had hoped to travel to Denmark this summer, but time (and money) got away from us. So, we opted for a more low-key, less expensive destination: POLAND! And we had an absolutely wonderful time. We flew Lufthansa which feels like luxury when compared to RyanAir (#amIright?) and landed in the afternoon to a private taxi shuttle waiting for us, booked via our AirBnb. I am not sure what it is but we seem to continue to have AirBnb communication issues! Our taxi driver was sharp, friendly, waiting for us (despite delays) and had a clean car. One problem: the “infant car seat” we requested turned out to be nothing more than a toddler booster seat. After some discussion we realized we did not have another option (other than trying to find another taxi WITH a car seat- if such a creature exists) and were reassured its legal to have your baby without a car seat in a Taxi in Poland, we would only be on back roads, and he would be careful. OKAY - HERE WE GO THEN!

We made it to the (beautiful!) AirBnb without incident. We opted to stay in the Stare Miasto area. There are lots of other areas you can opt for, but this was where the “action” was, and we love strolling a good open plaza, so we decided to stay in the old town. We tried to put David down for a nap and he WAS. NOT. HAVING IT. We cried and rocked and fed and cried and rubbed and cried. It was not a pleasant afternoon. But eventually it was time to leave for dinner. We have found that a good rhythm right now for us with David is a 6pm dinner reservation so we can eat while he joins us and then by 7:30 (bedtime) we are either back in the AirBnb or wandering around while he snoozes in the stroller. We far prefer the latter, but when traveling with a baby, sometimes you can only ask so much of them and you have to be willing to roll with it! Our first dinner was at a super traditional place called Restauracja Jerema. The interior was very traditionally decorated, and the waitresses all had on the same pink and white floral cotton dress. Which seemed a bit odd to me, but it kind of reminded me of how waitresses will wear a Dirndl in Bavarian restaurants sometimes. The food was nice, but not knock your socks off. Afterwards David finally fell asleep in the stroller (WOHOO) and the weather cleared, so I high tailed it back to our Airbnb to get my camera and we toodled around for over an hour taking pictures, people watching, wandering the Cloth Market and of course enjoying some ice cream!

Day 2

Our first full day began with a 20-minute walk to a great, super unassuming, breakfast place I found- Alchemia Od Kuchni. (I did some proper research on restaurants this time around and it really paid off! I am all for being open to wandering in somewhere that looks good but we have struck out many times without proper research so I always try to have a few places noted and ready so we don’t spend hours a day trolling the internet for a good place to stop.) We basically had the place to ourselves and David and Michael chowed down on some eggs benedict. I had a plate of “American” style pancakes. YUM. We wandered back for some down time at the AirBnb for Michael to work and David to snooze. He was rested and back on track- much to our relief!

That afternoon we met our guide for a private walking tour of the Jewish Quarter and Ghetto. We booked him through AirBnb. He gave us a nice tour, but I he was a little all over the place with the history and anecdotes and I had a hard time following along and remembering what he showed us. In any case, it was a good way to see a different part of town. At one point we walked into an alleyway and I said “Gosh this looks so much like that scene in Schindler’s list where the young police boy tells the lady to hide behind the stairs” and sure enough- that is exactly what it was. I am not one of those people who seeks out celebrities or “where ____ was filmed” tours but this had another level of realness knowing that movie was not just filmed there but based directly on events that actually occurred RIGHT THERE. Of course, it is not perfectly accurate and is filmed all over town, not just the Jewish quarter (which WOULD have been more accurate) but it was interesting nonetheless. The tour was both beautiful and bittersweet. Out of the 68,000 Polish Jews who lived there prior to WWII, only 300 Jewish people remain in the city. This simultaneously blows my mind and breaks my heart. This sentiment would continue into the next day when we toured Auschwitz.

After our walking tour we had dinner at a very trendy restaurant right in the heart of the Jewish Quarter- Miodova. I got their potato and cheese pierogis and they were SO good, we ended up ordering another plate to share after our meal! David had a good ol’ time dancing in the booth, watching the staff run around and gaze at the interesting chandeliers. On our way back, Michael picked up the rental car we would need to get to Auschwitz the next day. There are plenty of tours that will pick you up and take you round trip from Krakow, but one thing we value above all things with a baby while traveling: flexibility. Tours offer very little of that, so we wanted to do our own thing. Once back to the AirBnb, we were happy to call it a night early and hit the sack- with a big day ahead of us tomorrow.

Day 3- Auschwitz

There is really not much that can be said about touring the largest German Nazi concentration camp where an estimated 1.1 MILLION people lost their lives. The experience is somber, eye opening, and difficult. But necessary. It is our responsibility to learn about these atrocities so we can teach our children about them, and do our part in not repeating them.

I will however offer some practical advice on traveling to Auschwitz in case it can help others trying to visit. It is a trip you really want to go into intentionally which takes some planning.

Overview: Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau are located about 5 minutes apart from one another (via shuttle that leaves every 10 minutes back and forth), situated about an hour drive or train ride from Krakow. Being that we had David with us we opted to drive ourselves for maximum flexibility. Another option is to book a tour that will pick you up in Krakow, drive you there, skip the line for tickets (!!!!) and tour you through the grounds. Had it been just Michael and I, this would have been a fantastic option and can be booked on Viator, Get Your Guide etc.

Tickets: No matter what- BOOK YOUR TICKET IN ADVANCE. You can peruse their website for a wealth of information to get started. The thing you need to know is: the opening hours change seasonally, and they only open it up for self-guided tours in the morning and afternoon hours. Entrance during the middle of the day requires that you are part of a guided tour. They sell all entrance tickets (self-guided AND tour) online and at the door. BOOK ONLINE IN ADVANCE. We attempted to do so but all the English-speaking tours were already full and self-guided tickets were sold out. I called and the lady explained that they have a few hundred tickets that they sell on site every day and if I get there in the morning, I will surely get a ticket. We arrived at 7:40am, just 20 minutes after they opened and there were 200 people in front of us in line (I actually counted.) There were only TWO ticket windows open so it moved SLOW. We waited in line for THREE hours. It was a beautiful morning and this was a once in a lifetime experience that we were willing to wait for, but I had David in the carrier (who luckily napped through half of that) so we were all pretty tired, antsy and hungry before our tour even began. I realize complaining of such things outside of a concentration camp seems insensitive, but I want you to understand our experience so you can hopefully better plan yours and have a more meaningful experience by not beginning exhausted and frustrated.

Length: We began our tour at 11am and it lasts about 3 hours. 2 hours at Auschwitz I and then you shuttle over to Auschwitz II- Birkenau for about an hour tour and then you are free to stay there and continue wandering or head back.

Kids: As far as bringing children- the website recommends not bringing children under 14 and I would agree with that. You WILL see kids of all ages; however it is a somber and thoughtful environment that I would recommend respecting as best you can. We realized there really was not a way for us to go without David so we brought him along because he was too young to understand anything and knew he would be okay in the carrier the entire time. We were also committed to being SUPER sensitive to both his needs and his noise level. Anytime he began to squawk (even happy sounds) we stepped out so it would not interrupt the experience of others. A lot of the tour is outside which was easy. But many of the “blocks” or long brick buildings have been turned into museums explaining different aspects of the war, the camp, the prisoners and their lives etc. The content is not super sensitive in nature (that a child would understand) but surely disturbing in its own right. Again, you are the best judge of your children and what they can, or should, be able to handle. I just encourage you to keep that, along with respecting the experience of others, in mind when deciding whether or not to have your children join you. I would NOT recommend strollers as the outside is covered in large rough gravel and strollers are not allowed inside any of the buildings, which are the museums. Lastly it is a lot of walking (my Apple watch says 6.2 miles that day which includes standing in line and walking around for dinner later- but that’s still quite a lot.)

What to wear/bring: You are out in the open elements the entire time, so dress as best you can for the weather. You are only allowed a 10 x 20 x 10 cm bag, which is very small, so you cannot bring much more than a wallet, jacket/umbrella and small snack with you. There are also snacks and drinks available for sale at the entrance and a small restaurant on site, but we barely had 10 minutes to scarf some food and use the restroom in between waiting in line and joining our tour so I would highly recommend bringing a water and a power bar or something to snack on if you need it.

Tour or no tour:Honestly, I would have rather NOT had a tour, which is rare for me, because we love a good guided tour. It is just one of those places that you need to take your time, experience some quiet and soak it all in. On our guided tour there was a huge group of us so you are wearing a headset, which half the time is out of range so you cannot hear. We of course missed some things because we kept stepping out with David, and if we were on our own we could have popped back in once he was settled. She was a great guide and very informative but really nothing I did not already know about the war and concentration camps. And the museums have plenty of signs describing everything. It was also very fast paced so I felt like I didn’t get to see things I wanted and there was not one moment to feed David or change a diaper or anything. Of course, there are pros and cons to each but ideally we would have arrived first thing in the morning, tickets in hand, and toured around ourselves.

To summarize- if you have the chance: GO. Book in advance online and do your research. Come prepared and with an open heart and mind and be ready for it to change you. You will not regret the experience.

We brought lunch in a cooler in the car so after our tour we brought that to one of the large fields surrounding the camp and ate in the grass, letting our tour wash over us. Then you have to do your best to leave the heaviness there and take with you what you have learned and experienced. That evening was truly joyful for us as we allowed a feeling of gratitude and appreciation wash over us for all we have, our freedoms, our family, our health. We found a lovely spot for a cocktail and live music, dancing with David and taking in the beautiful evening before picking up vegan burgers and eating them on our windowsill while David snoozed away in the next room.

Day 4

The next morning, we enjoyed some relaxing snuggles in bed while Michael got a little work done, then off to another breakfast spot: Cakester café. Ironically the breakfast was delicious and the cakes left a bit to be desired. Then we walked down to the river to rent bikes at Bike Trip (they had a great baby cruiser available and were very close to the bike paths!) and we were off on a nice long ride to the Benedictine Abbey of Tyniec. The trip was advertised as 45 minutes but it took us slow pokes just over an hour. The ride was really lovely and was on its own designated bike path 95% of the time. It broke away onto gravel at one point and then we popped onto an empty back road for a bit but other than that it was paved bike path- which I loved! I love riding bikes but do not like competing with cars and pedestrians to do so. The Abbey was a lovely stop with pretty views. There is a beautiful cathedral and a few other things on the grounds but after a quick stop for a glass of wine (and some more work for Michael) we decided to head on back so we could get David down for a nap before dinner. You could certainly spend some time wandering around or even grabbing lunch there before heading back.

After a nice nap and (you guessed it- some more work for Michael), we got all dressed up and headed to our “fancy” dinner of the trip at Restauracja Pod Baranem. The restaurant took me off guard by coming off quite stuffy at first, which was a stark change from the other places we had eaten at so far, but once we got settled in and decided to not let it bother us, we had a great time. Then the food came and WOW- it was the best meal we had had yet, by far. I got potato cakes with Hungarian goulash on top and WOAH was it flavorful and filling. Michael’s steak was cooked to perfection and David enjoyed a nice plate of boiled potatoes. Our walk around town that evening was absolutely beautiful and the weather continued to be perfect (which was a huge surprise given the forecasted rain our entire trip!) Another stop for gelato and we were homeward bound- relishing our lovely trip.

Day 5

Our last day we high tailed it back to the Jewish quarter for more pancakes at Alchemia Od Kuchni only to be disappointed that they only serve their (delicious) egg dishes on the weekends. So after our eggs benedict we were about to make our 20 minute walk back to the Airbnb to collect our bags and meet our ride when it began POURING down rain outside. We had already packed up all the umbrellas and rain gear since this was the one day WITHOUT rain in the forecast (of course!) so we opted to call and Uber. Which took forever to drive back, but at least we weren’t wet! We met our driver who DID have an infant car seat this time! (except it was not already installed so I got to do it and it did not have the locking mechanism required for Euro spec cars because their seatbelts don’t lock when pulled out all the way- just something to know if traveling with kids!) but at last he was in a secure seat which made us much more comfortable for the ride back to the airport. We had a lovely wait in a nice lounge before cutting the line to board our flight (thanks David!) and off we went! Lufthansa even gave David 2 little soft toys to play with on the flight and keep- it’s the little things that go a long way on non-budget airlines.

Overall, we had a really wonderful time in Poland. The people are SO friendly and accommodating, the food is delicious, and prices are incredibly reasonable. We would absolutely recommend going if you ever have the chance!