Czech out this post!

The "Wailing Wall" in the Remuh Jewish Cemetery. Made up of the broken tombstones found here after WWII. They were used to build the wall as a memorial to Holocaust victims. Yes, Hazen is wearing a Yamaca. It was required for men to wear when visiting the Synagogue and cemetery.

Aubree enjoying the sunshine in the courtyard of Wawel Castle in Krakow. When the sun is out she can usually be found doing cartwheels down the sidewalk. Definately need to live in a sunny climate when we return. The firing wall at Auschwitz I. Many, many sentences were carried out here.

Main entrance of the camp. "Work will set you free" Same quote as at the entrance to Dachau.

In retreat, Nazi soldiers tried to hide ashes in this pond on the edge of camp. It still bears the grey color.

Main entrance to Auschwitz II-Birkenau

View of Wroclaw from the spire at St. John the Baptist cathedral. Great town!

The old town square in Wroclaw. Tons of great architecture and magical at night.Sunset above Wroclaw. View from the top floor of our hostel

Taking a paddle boat ride on the Vltava River in Downtown Prague. Castle and cathedral are in the background.

Oh yes! This is why people come to Prague. We were blown away by the Castle and adjoing Cathedral as they slowly became illuminated. The Charles bridge is in the foreground.

St. Wenceslaus square. This is where political gatherings have taken place for centuries. Most recently in 1989 300,000 Czechs gathered here to break free from Communism.

As you already may have figured out by our cheesy title, we are now in the Czech Republic. Before we got here, we traveled through a couple other cities in Poland. First we hit Krakow, which is suppose to be the cultural capital of Poland. Of the three cities we visited we would rank them in the following order: Wroclaw, Warsaw, Krakow. All had their charms but we definitely didn't agree with other travelers who said Krakow would be the best. A few things we did in Krakow include visiting the Jewish quarter, the old town, the Wawel Castle, and a day trip to two of the Auschwitz camps. In the Jewish quarter we visited the synagogue and attached cemetery with graves from the plague (1551). The cemetery was closed in 1870 and was saved during WWII by being covered with sand to hide it. The old town square was a lot of fun with tons of people entertaining. They ranged from Polka music to breakdancing. We sat on a bench and watched a group of talented breakdancers do their thing. Really entertaining.
The visit to two of the Auschwitz camps was obviously a long day. Only two are open to the public. There was a network of over 50 camps in the area. We decided to book a tour guide to help us learn about the camps. As many of you have heard there are some moving monuments including stacks of thousands of pairs of shoes, a pile of 2 tons of women's hair (7 tons were found), and endless stacks of other personal belongings. Our guide was quick to point out exactly which Nazi personel were ever charged with a crime (not many). At the end of the camp there was a small gallow which was used only once. Rudolph Hess, the camp commander, was hanged here and that was the last public execution in Polish history. Next we were shuttled to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp. This is the camp that everyone thinks about when they hear "Auschwitz". It was the camp that was filmed in Schindler's list. This camp was absolutely massive. It held 90,000 people. Think about that number the next time you are at a Mariner's game where the maximum attendance is 46,000. Spent a lot of time walking around this camp. We walked around the perimeter very hard for about 1hr and covered only half of the camps borders. It was especially moving to see that the camp has not been disturbed since being liberated in 1945. The barracks (the ones left standing) are exactly the same as when prisoners were "living" in them.
Took a long bus ride to Wroclaw which is closer to the German border. Had a great time relaxing in this town as it seemed to lack the tourist luster that the last few towns had displayed. Didn't do much but walk around and explore the town. A few well placed naps on park benches here and there and we were feeling refreshed.
After a few nights we moved on to Prague. When we arrived in Prague it quickly became apparent that we were firmly back into tourist land! Backpacks definitely outnumber locals in this town. It is really hot here and we are loving it. Can't wait to get back to the beach. This place is magical, as advertised. Sure wish we could have been here 15 years ago when the first western travelers started coming here. Oh well, guess we will have to share. Hazen never was any good at sharing. Last night was spent hanging out on the Charles bridge while trying to keep our jaws from dropping. We were in a trance as we stared at the biggest castle in Europe illuminated against a beautiful sunset sky. Did a Rick Steves walk this morning and learned a great deal on the very long periods of occupation the Czech Republic has gone through. Makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up as you think about 300,000 Czechs in the main square trying to tell the Communist government "It is time to go!" They did a good job but the sacrifices were great. Man, we are enjoying the history even if it does sometimes include troubled times. We will continue to enjoy Prague for the next couple days before taking a bus to Cesky Krumlov in the south of the Czech Republic. Small town that is suppose to have a great river float. Looking forward to spending a day floating on a tube past a great medeival town. After that, on to Vienna and Budapest.