A Trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau

Entrance to Auschwitz I - For all who gone through the suffering here the journey stated with the biggest lie "Arbeit Macht Frei" which means "Work Will Free You"

There is a wealth of information on the holocaust, you read it in your history books, you watch documentaries and movies, and you may even have had the chance to hear from survivors or their lineage. But to provide some context here is an extremely brief and simplified information.

Since their rise to power in 1933, the Nazis built a systematic and organized set up of detention facilities for "enemies of the state." Starting from 110 camps in 1933, the Nazis went on to established about 42,500 camps until 1945. There were nearly 3,000 camps in Berlin alone. These included camps for slave labour, prisoners of war and concentration camps. Concentration camps” were called so, because the prisoners were physically ‘concentrated’ in one location.

During the early days the prisoners in the concentration camps were mainly German Communists, Socialists, Social Democrats, Roma Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses, homosexuals, and persons accused of ‘undesirable’ social behaviour.

There were over 20 main camps, and each had subcamps, bringing the total to close to 1000. Of these, the major concentration camps were Auschwitz, Buchenwald, Dachau and Treblinka. The Nazis even went on to give these camps ‘positive’ names like ‘care facilities for foreign children’, or “Arbeit Macht Frei” (work will set you free) while making them more and more efficient systems of mass murder.

The term Auschwitz-Birkenau refers to a network of Nazi concentration and labour camps, established near the Polish city of Oswiecim.

Picture taken at Auschwitz I - Map of the largest German concentration camp comprising Auschwitz I and Birkenau or Auschwitz II

Picture taken at Auschwitz I - This shows a rough estimate of deported Jews, prisoners of war and people from other ethnic groups. In reality the numbers are much higher.

Initially, the camp was set up as a prison for Poles protesting German rule. When the plans for the camp were approved, the Nazi’s changed the name of the area to Auschwitz. The construction of the camp started in 1940. The resident Poles in vicinity of the barracks were evicted or executed and members of the Jewish community of Oswiecim were forced into the construction work. Initially it was one camp which was later called Auschwitz I, the second camp was built roughly 2 miles from Auschwitz I, in the village of Brzezinka, now known as Birkenau or Auschwitz II. This complex went on to become the largest of all the Nazi death camps across Europe and could hold more than 150,000 prisoners at any given time.

Picture taken at Auschwitz I - Showing various location within Europe from where people used to be transported to Auschwitz

The complex virtually sat in the centre of German-occupied Europe. With excellent transportation connections it was easier for the Nazis to bring people from all over Europe to this site. It is estimated that between 2 million to 4 million were imprisoned and murdered here. Those who initially survived the gas chambers, died of starvation, extreme labour, disease, mass shootings and horrendous ‘medical experiments’ which took place within its barbed wire fences.

Entrance to the only existing gas chamber, watch tower and barbed wire fence at Auschwitz I

Those people who were ‘selected’ for immediate death in the gas chambers, were not entered in the camp records and therefore is not possible to accurately estimate the total number of victims.

Those deemed fit enough for labour were registered, tattooed with a serial number, undressed, shaved and showered while their clothes were disinfected with Zyklon-B gas. This saga of atrocities continued until January 1945, when the allied Red Army started drawing closer. The Nazis hastily destroyed documents and burned down most buildings to eliminate evidence of their atrocities. They left behind the sick and forced the rest march out of Auschwitz in the freezing cold in the infamous Death March which killed more people sadly when respite was just miles away.

Along with the partial site destruction done by the Nazis the buildings were also destroyed by the returning Poles who were desperate to find materials to rebuild their homes in a war torn world.

Picture taken at Auschwitz I - The original picture was taken by a Nazi soldier at Birkenau (Auschwitz II) of arriving Jews from Hungary

It is indeed difficult to describe your emotional reactions as you navigate through your own mechanism to absorb all the horror and pain from reading, listening, and watching.

However, for most of us, our mind experiences it as part of history, in every media. Something that happened in the past and is locked up in the past. The fact that this is history is sometimes reassuring and provides an escape route from the emotional turmoil.

We always dig deeper into history when we travel, because it helps us appreciate the place better. So, it was not a question of whether we wanted to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau but rather an anxiety of how we and more importantly our 8-year-old would react to experiencing this part of history that only brings pain and disbelief.

Another reason for this visit was our profession of clinical research or research involving humans. Some 15 years ago, when I had my ‘orientation course’ on clinical research, covering the principles of conducting clinical research (ICH-GCP), I wasn’t expecting anything ground-breaking. But sitting through the course, I remember being puzzled as to why things like free and voluntary consent before participating in research was a topic of discussion, or why research being conducted by ‘medically qualified’ people should even listed as ‘principle’, but suddenly the pages from history became part of our present and soon our foggy brains were reminded of the fact that ‘doctors’ that carried out the most inhuman ‘experiments’ existed, not too far in the past. And that is where it all started to matter! We don’t really think of history as real unless we come to ‘experience it’ in some way or the other. And here I was, starting my career in bettering human health and providing solutions to painful diseases, however this path of future human betterment was carved out from the past. The past that contained the stories of the most horrific atrocities inflicted on humankind. The stories that baffle us and makes us wonder how humans can be capable of inhuman behaviour on such scale!

We had the context, and we had our reasons, but what we didn’t know was how to ‘prepare’ our 8-year-old. We looked up the museum website and their recommendation on appropriate age is 14 years and above. Well, we were going, so we watched some videos on Polish history for kids together and we reminded him that it is important to learn and understand history for history to not repeat itself. So, with all the ‘preparation’ and reflection we felt ready to start our journey of experiencing this bit of the human history.

Prisoner barracks and electrified barbed wire fencing at Auschwitz I

For our visit to Auschwitz, we took a train from Krakow Central Station to Oswiecim and were diverted to a bus journey mid-way to Oswiecim. From Oswiecim train station where the bus dropped us, we walked around 20 minutes to the entrance of Auschwitz. We hadn’t booked in advance and just queued up and got entry tickets. We were only required to pay for 2 adult tickets; however, we were disappointed to find out that because we had only 2 tickets, they wouldn’t provide us with 3 audio guides. In most places you can pay separately for audio guides, so this was a surprise. Anyway, we booked the English tour and figured out that the only option would be for one of us to walk close to the guide to hear her speak without the audio guide. Once we collected our audio guides we were met by the tour-guide of the group, a nice young lady, who told us briefly about what we will cover during the 3-hour tour. It was easy to follow her description, which was factual and not too fast, which is very important in a place like this.

Number at entrance of a prisoner barracks and washroom where female prisoner were stripped before execution at Auschwitz I

As we started walking behind her, we started to look around and her words started weaving a story. From what appeared as an old historical site slowly started to come alive. We entered the buildings and walked through the rooms and saw neatly framed pictures of the people who came from their homes across Europe. The story now had characters, we knew their names, we saw their faces up close, we even saw when they came and then got startled to read when their lives ended – for one person it was 5 days, our eyes hastily moved to the next and the next and the next… it was the same story, hardly anyone had a span of more than a few weeks or months. Some only last a few days. Looking back at us through their pictures, were faces of people from all walks of life, children who had their entire lives in front of them, elderly who deserved a peaceful and comfortable life, families that had just been formed. But their lives were ruthlessly destroyed by other humans that had their own children, partners and parents.

Shoes of victims of holocaust at Auschwitz I - Behind every pair of shoes there was a human life and a story

We walked through the rooms with huge glass panes containing piles of suitcases, spectacles, shoes, a mountain of human hair, heaps of shawls, clothes etc, and as the guide talked through the life or the lack of life in these premises, we unwittingly read the names etched on the suitcases. It is hard to not become part of that time and feel the fear in that moment, frozen, as your mind starts to unpick the stories pouring out of these everyday lifeless ‘things’, stories of excruciating pain and trauma.

As we walked out, we saw windows that had been boarded from outside, so that the prisoners wouldn’t see the mass shootings that happened outside. One can only imagine the horror of listening to the last screams of people every day…

When you walk around in Auschwitz you experience the reality of the history, then you take a bus ride and go to Birkenau.

Entrance to Birkenau or Auschwitz II

As you enter inside Birkenau you experience something else – the vastness of Birkenau, the watch towers, miles of barbed wires just hit you with the scale of this horror. It is the exact opposite of the ‘freedom’ you experience in a vast open land; this is something that psychologically destroys any remaining signs of hope…

Original cattle car used to bring victims of holocaust from all over Europe to Birkenau

Walking through the vastness you see a train line marks its presence as you enter Birkenau. The story comes alive yet again as the words from the guide fill in the disbelief in your head. Each time a train packed with prisoners arrived, “selections” were conducted on the platform. In a matter of seconds, the ‘doctor’ classified the people as either fit or unfit for labour. Those in the second category (the elderly, pregnant women and children) were sent straight into the gas chambers. The ‘final walk’, as the weary travellers thought their long and tiresome journey came to an end, indeed it did…

One of the main original brick barracks of Birkenau

As the tour guide sensitively concluded her talk, we stood there for some time, trying to come to terms with our feelings. It is hard to describe, as you listen to the words of the tour guide, see your surroundings, you feel that the place is still livid and breathing, that it really isn’t ‘history’, you get transported back in time, and suddenly get jolted back into the present when you realize you are part of a ‘museum tour’.

Inside of a barrack at Birkenau where victims of holocaust lived under appalling condition

It is a strange concoction of reassurance as well as helplessness… people react in different ways, we saw people hugging each other and crying, others with moist eyes, some just burying their focus on the facts written everywhere, and it is also important for us as humans not to judge people in these situations. A lack of emotion may just be the shock of experiencing something. A person busy taking pictures may just be trying to navigate his feelings behind the lens…

I looked at my son’s face and he just said, ‘why didn’t they spare the children, why were they so nasty?’ I didn’t have an answer, I hugged him and just prayed that humans remained humane in our present and future world…

A Perfect English Setting - Afternoon Tea & Sparkling Wine At Hambledon Vineyard

The home vineyard of Hambledon on the southeast facing slope

A wine tasting tour is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think about a day out in England, even in summer. Well summer in England is whole topic of discussion in itself, and though we would like to avoid the topic, we cannot mention the how varied the day was!

The home vineyard of Hambledon

Limited by what we could do in the Covid pandemic era, we decided to find some experiences to keep our spirits high, and what better to lift your spirits than to taste some sparking English wine in a gorgeous setting. So we booked a wine tasting and afternoon tea at the Hambledon vineyard, in the middle of the week! Well why wait until weekend, if you can sit with a glass overlooking the rolling hills on a Tuesday!

Windmill Down (West Vineyard) Friendly and knowledgeable staff (East Vineyard)

The drive, which was over an hour started off as usual – with a lot of confusion around whether it will be wet, hot, cold or a combination! Started off as hot and then the heavens opened up drowning our hopes for a lovely sunny afternoon, but the English weather Gods do like to keep things interesting! So the rain soon stopped, the sun came out and there we were – driving through the stunning countryside of Hampshire, gorgeous fields, curvy roads on rolling hills with massive drops and bringing the zing back into our hearts!

Traditional wine making in wooden barrels

When we reached, we noticed a substantial building site, and some three massive steel cylinders. We were later told that the building was the future on-site restaurant, above the basement wine cellar. The exposed chalk in the dug up gave away tHamhe main secret of the success of this vineyard.

We waited for a bit before the tour started. To be honest we were not expecting to discover a rather fascinating story of how this place came to be. The then owner Major General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones had the idea of converting the field below into a vineyard. Having been a diplomat in Paris, he managed to get advice from his friends from the renowned Champagne House Pol Roger and managed to plant a number of different grape varieties in back up in 1952. The first commercial harvest was in 1961 and over the years Hambledon wine was served to the royals, in house of parliament and in British embassies across the world. However, with times the vineyard changed hands and also saw it decline before being revived by its current owner, who also happens to be a cricket enthusiast. Well Hambledon has a rich cricket history and you can see the traditional two-wicket logo on uniform of the Hambledon staff. It seems that the chairs in the new restaurant will have the cricket ball stitch!

Hambledon link to Cricket Hambledon Premiere Cuvee

Windmill Vineyard

In Hambledon Vineyard, the vines grow on chalk soil, part of the Newhaven Chalk formed on the seabed of the Paris basin some 65 million years ago. Chalk is considered as the perfect subsoil due to its ability to retain water while at the same time providing drainage system when it rains thus protecting the vines from rotting. The chalk on which vines of Hambledon vineyard grows is also found in the Champagne region of northern France. There are three types of grapes planted here: Chardonnay (around 70% of vines in the vineyard), Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. There are other smaller vineyards in the village of Hambledon accounting for over 100,000 vines.

The facility where the press and fermentation steps takes place

The vineyard uses traditional wine making process. During the harvest season of September through October professional fruit pickers harvest the grapes by hand acting as the ‘quality control’ step of grape selection. The grapes are then crushed and the primary fermentation or cuvee takes place in barrels. After this a blend of yeast and sugar (liqueur de tirage) is added to the wine base and is transferred to bottles where the secondary fermentation starts (not in the barrels which is the main difference in this process). Sought after winemakers from France come for a week or two for the blending and tirage process. The bottles have 'crown caps' and not corks at this point so as to trap the carbon dioxide released by the yeast along with alcohol when it starts consuming the sugar. This trapped carbon dioxide is what causes the fizziness in sparkling wines.

The riddling process Bottles are corked

The yeast eventually eats up all the sugar and dies. The dead yeast called 'lees' gives the wine its characteristic texture. The bottles are all stacked by hand, it was fascinating to understand that human hand still outperforms machines in the 'gentle' handling of the bottles! These are then left to age for a few months to a few years. After the ageing process, the lees and any sediment that is formed is then removed through a process called 'Remuage' or riddling. The bottle is placed at an angle with the bottleneck down and is turned manually every few days. This leads on to the next step of 'disgorging' where the bottle neck is then dipped in a freezing solution and the crown is popped to remove the lees.

The final labelling step

This leads on to the next step of 'disgorging' where the bottle neck is then dipped in a freezing solution and the crown is popped to remove the lees. A bit of sugar (for smoothness, not sweetness) along with some wine is added, this is called 'dosage'. The bottle is then corked and labelled.

This and other interesting trivia was shared during the wine tour! We were able to witness the steps from secondary fermentation onwards.

The ever glorious English Afternoon Tea

After witnessing this carefully preserved age old tradition of wine making, it was time for the main deal - the afternoon tea - these were served in cute boxes due to pandemic restriction. We would have preferred the traditional tiered trays but on the brighter side we were able to pack the leftovers! There was a good selection of sandwiches, cakes and scones! We have done quite a few vineyard tours and quite a few afternoon teas but never had an afternoon tea in a vineyard! Well the fun of English weather, good sparkling wines and afternoon tea served by a friendly bunch – what’s not to love!

They also do ‘dine in the vineyard’ which definitely sounds very romantic!

Seeped in history - The Hambledon Cricket Club and 'Bat and Ball' pub

We decided to extend the day by lingering around in the village and dining at the Bat and Ball pub – the views were extraordinary and a perfect way to end the day!

Three Days Cinque Terre Travel Itinerary

The coast of Liguria, also called the Italian Riviera is the curved coastline between France's Cote d'Azur and Tuscany. The coastline is divided into two halves by the historic city of Genoa, into the Riviera di Ponente (Coast of the Setting Sun) and the Riviera di Levante (Coast of the Rising Sun). The Ponente stretch of the Italian Riviera coast has spectacular scenery and wide beaches. We explored the rugged beauty on eastern side and witnessed one of the most picturesque & iconic part of Italian Riviera - Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre, means ‘Five Lands’. These five lands are five old fishing villages of Monerosso al Mare, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore running from north to South of the coastline.

View of Vernazza from costal walking path

Perched on cliffs above clear turquoise waters of the Ligurian Sea, are compact, tall and brightly coloured buildings. It is amazing to visualize what the cliffs would have looked like without the human magic- rugged, windy, weathered and mostly uninhabitable! However what we witness today is a fine example of what we can achieve if we work with nature and with a sense of community. For centuries, the inhabitants of these shores have worked with the steep land and slowly carved a spectacular mazes of buildings, terraces for vineyards and tiny fields for cultivating olives.

But with cliffs that overlook the Mediterranean Sea, it is also easy to see that is on a strategic location, and must have attracted a lot of unwanted guests in the past!

By the tiny harbour of Riomaggiore

Cinque Terre was recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site in 1970. It is today a National Park and Protected Marine Area. The railway line was completed in 1874 and now trains run from La Spezia to all five towns within Cinque Terre. The Cinque Terre Train Card allows you to use the hiking trails with unlimited travel on the Cinque Terre trains. The Cinque Terre railway stations are located on the Genoa-Pisa line. There is also a scheduled passenger ferry which runs between Levanto and La Spezia, stopping at all of the main villages except Corniglia (as it not located on the coast).

Access by car is limited as the area till date remains mostly traffic free. The walking path connecting all 5 villages is still the best way to explore the villages. This blog is about our experience in Cinque Terre and our three days Cinque Terre travel itinerary.

When to travel

The shoulder months of May and September are the best, try to avoid July and August as it can get really crowded and hot. We went in September and it was really nice and very sunny.

How to travel

Cinque Terre is easily accessible by train from Pisa, Genoa, and Florence. The closest airports are in Genoa and Pisa.

Where to stay

The village of Monterosso (northernmost and the largest of the villages) and Riomaggiore (southernmost village) are good for accommodation as there are many options of hotels available. Accommodations are also available in other villages but are limited and are mainly apartment rentals. Staying in one of the villages comes with a price for the location and therefore staying in the neighbouring towns of Levanto (north of Cinque Terre) or La Spezia (South of Cinque Terre) can be more affordable and due to the close proximity of these 2 places to Cinque Terre, all villages are easily accessible by trains from both these places. We stayed in La Spezia.

Getting Around

Cinque Terre card combined with unlimited train ride from La Sapiz or Levanto, available as 1, 2 or 3 days pass gives access to the Cinque Terre costal walking path which goes through the national park. It's often considered to be one of the best hikes in the world. These paths are quite picturesque. The famous scenic path Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane) between Riomaggiore and Manarola is also the shortest and flattest- but was closed when we visited. Rest of the paths involved can be steep and rocky and would require some basic level of fitness. We didn’t explore these much as our little explorer had his buggy and pushing that uphill wasn’t really a tempting option!

How long to stay

• Most tourists go for a day trip from Pisa or Florence although we would recommend 2-3 days to enjoy and appreciate the beauty and charm of Cinque Terre.

• The villages are crowded during the day and until late afternoon from day trippers and therefore to enjoy the beauty in some peace and quiet, evenings are best time and therefore staying in one of villages or in a town nearby for 2-3 days gives sufficient time to explore each village. We stayed for 2 full days and visited 2 to 3 villages a day.

The harbour of Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore

Riomaggiore is the largest and southernmost village of the Cinque Terre, with typical multi-coloured houses leading down to a steep and tiny natural harbour. It is considered to be one of the most peaceful and quiet villages of the Cinque Terre. It is worth exploring Riomaggiore’s main street lined with the village’s restaurants, bars and artisanal gift shops. You can also dive, kayak or rent a boat from Riomaggiore. There are also some good spots to watch the sun go down.

The colourful village of Manarola at sunset

Manarola

Manarola is very colourful and perhaps the most charming of the five villages. It is built on a rock 70 metres above sea level. It has steep narrow alleys (carrugi) that do up and down and lead to a tiny harbor with a boat ramp. There are good seafood restaurants in the tiny piazza.

The famous scenic path Via dell’Amore (Lover’s Lane) starts from Manarola that leads you to Riomaggiore in only 20 minutes.

At the top of the village is the San Lorenzo Church- in the past the bell tower was used as a post to watch for potential pirate raids.

Manarola is known for its distinctive vineyards and there are a number of wine tasting and snacks tours (usually focaccia and cheese)- you also get to meet the winemakers.

Narrow streets and Gelateria in village of Corniglia

Corniglia

Corniglia is the only village which has no sea access and no harbour. This ancient Roman village is located in the middle of the five towns and built on a cliff 100 metres above sea level. The village can be accessed by climbing ~377 steps (Lardarina) from the rail station which is located below the village. Corniglia is also connected to the other villages of the Cinque Terre by footpaths. The village is surrounded on three sides by vineyards and terraces.

Corniglia probably sees the least amount of tourists so is nice and quiet but has all the charm.

Harbour of Vernazza

Vernazza

This small fishing village is all that you think of Cinque Terre and is extremely beautiful and full of character making it the most photographed village of Cinque Terre! It has a tiny port and is surrounded by gorgeous picture postcard colourful blocks of compact buildings. The restaurants here dish out some amazing sea food!

We went on a walking trail leading up to the hilltop outside the village, it has a bird’s eye view of the village from top. Once we came down, we headed to an open air restaurant to watch the sunset. It was a great way to enjoy the atmosphere with local wine and some much needed nibbles.

Monterosso

This is the northern most village and the largest of the five villages. Near the train station, are the 14th-century Loggia del Podesta and the parish church of San Giovanni Battista. The hilly area has cultivations of lemons and olives as well as grapes. Monterosso is divided in two parts by the medieval tower of Aurora. The new part, Fegina boasts of a good selection of hotels and restaurants. It is also home to the statue of the Giant or Neptune (God of the sea) created by the Italian sculptor Arrigo Minerbi and the architect Francesco Levacher. The old town of Monterosso is marked by the ruins of the castle, brightly coloured terraced houses and carruggi (ancient narrow streets).

Monterosso also has the most extensive sand beach in the Cinque Terre which runs along most of the coastline. Due this and the abundance of good hotels and restaurants, it is quite popular with the tourists and for this reason it does also feel very ‘touristy’ and sort of lacks the charm of the other villages.