Before we went to Poland, we stopped at the future monument “Gate of no Return” to commemorate Sir Nicholas Winton. He saved 669 Czech children from the Nazi regime by sending them to live with British families. I could only imagine how hard it must have been to leave your children with strangers. However, their children were able to live long lives due to their sacrifice and Winton’s role of not being a bystander. I was proud that Winton was able to get the recognition he deserves for the lives he was able to protect. His act of kindness inspires me to not want to stand on the sidelines, but to do what I can with the resources around me.
We were able to stop at Olomouc, which is a beautiful town in the Czech Republic on our way to Poland. I love all the historic buildings and the vintage shops we stopped at. Elan, Janis, Gabby, Brandon, and I ate Italian pasta. It’s the closest thing to Rome I’ve gotten so far!
As we ventured to Krakow from Prague, we passed through the Polish countryside. Once we arrived in Krakow, we checked into our hotel and then were given free time to walk around the town square. My friends and I stopped in a few souvenir shops where we saw items that were quintessentially Polish. A few notable ones were a dragon, Easter eggs, and a reoccurring floral print. I hope to learn more tomorrow of how these items relate to Poland and their history.
Later in the evening, we danced in the town square with other Polish teenagers to songs like “Gangnam Style” and “The Macarena.” For dinner we had chicken with vegetables, and we ended the night with a sweet pierogi with strawberries and a sweetened sour cream sauce.
