Olomouc, Czech Republic

We left Poland for the small city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic. It was nice to be out of a major tourist center and have a stop-over before making our way to Prague. We loved our cozy, antique-filled apartment in a small Pension and took advantage with some much needed "home time."

Watch how you go...

Ian and Greg

Dining car on the train...

Our apartment...

Astronomical Clock on the Town Hall...

Poland

As Jews, it is hard not to be biased when visiting Poland. It was the epicenter of the Nazi regime with both the SS and Hitler's headquarters located in Warwaw. With every unfriendly face, we couldn't help but question that person's (or their family's) involvement or turning of face during the Holocaust. The scars of both WWII and the Soviet occupation are visible everywhere, especially in the demolished city of Warsaw. What exists today are permanent reminders in the form of Soviet housing blocks and Socialist monuments.

Coming to Poland and visiting places like Auschwitz has made tangible the Nazi Regime's history and master plan. Seeing the "cockpit" of their genocide and the little remaining Jewish culture has made clear to us how efficient and successfult the Nazi's were. The Jewish life that we have encountered is nothing but a glimmer of the life that once existed. Nonetheless, what remains is a testament to strength and endurance. Beautiful, modern-day Krakow reminds us that there is more to a country's identity than the war's they were a part of.

Watch how you go and never forget...

Ian and Greg

Tower of Science & Culture in Warsaw, Stalin's gift to Soviet Poland...

Warsaw "Old Town" that was rebuilt after the War...

Communist-era buildings still stand...

Pawiak Prison Memorial...

Market Square, Krakow...

Gratuitous Madonna shot...

Wawel Castle...

Kazimierz, the Jewish Quarter...
Remuh Synagogue, still used today...

Remuh Cemetery...

Tempel Synagogue...

Auschwitz...

The Jewish workers who made this sign turned the "B" upside down as a sign of revolt...

The "Death Wall" where thousands of executions took place...

Crematorium...

Lithuania

The second stop on our Jewish Heritage Tour was Vilnius, Lithuania. Before WWII, Vilnius was an epicenter of Jewish culture. It's bohemian inhabitants consisted of poets, philosophers and Yiddish-speaking playwrights. With the Jewish population at over 50%, it was considered the Jerusalem of Lithuania. Of the 108 synagogues that once stood in Vilnius, only 1 remains today. Its current Jewish population stands at 3,000.

Visiting the synagogue, and talking to one of its members felt like a profoundly full circle experience. Here we were, two American Jews, coming back to Eastern Europe in search of our roots, talking to someone who is directly connected to those roots. She was extremely excited to find out about what we were doing.

The bohemian culture that once existed in Jewish Vilnius is alive in the neighborhood of Uzepis. In the spirit of revolution, the people in this neighborhood have declared themselves a Republic and written their own constitution. Some examples of the 41-point constitution are: Everyone has the right to be unique; Everyone has the right to make a mistake; Everyone has the right to celebrate or not celebrate their birthday; Everyone has the right to cry.

Watch how you go...

Ian and Greg

Can you spot the sign for the Jewish Museum?

The only surviving synagogue in Vilnius... Our Lithuanian friend, Laurynas

First train ride in Europe...

Trakai Castle...