A Fork And A Suitcase

I came here a few years ago with my family, at that time it was just an empty factory, there was talk about a possible museum. I am so glad that the idea was realized. A couple of weeks ago we got to the museum at about 11am and the line was already fairly intimidating but that did not deter us.  I was expecting the museum to be about Oscar Schindler, it wasn't.  In fact, there is actually very little there about Schindler, but this museum is so much more.  Schindler's factory has been transformed into a museum devoted to the wartime experience in Krakow under the Nazi occupation during WWII. It shows prewar Krakow, the German invasion in 1939, Krakow during the occupation, the hardships of everyday life, the history and plight of Krakow Jews, Polish resistance and the beginning of the Soviet capture of the city.  With the help of some very well done exhibits, the museum manages to convey the horrors of daily life for Jews and non Jews.  ...

While on vacations, I like to venture out early in the morning.  I love to walk through the quiet streets, watch florists decorate their storefronts, see flour covered bakers load fresh bread into delivery vans, hear street sweepers hum in the distance and see the city still, but slowly waking up.  Soon the streets would be filled with people rushing to work and tourists pouring out of hotels and cafes.  But at the break of dawn, it was really just me.  I tried to see every detail, my full attention focused purely on my surroundings, on the architecture, the colors and the stillness of it all. As I walked through the sleepy streets of Krakow taking photos of the beautiful buildings, some  restored with great care and some sadly forgotten, I started to notice one thing, the doors.  There were so many really exquisite doors, some almost regal looking, some with delicate details and some massive, old and grand. Some of the doors w...