Nate and Kara Buchanan spend a day at Auschwitz, documenting the logistics and their reactions while touring both sections of the camp. About 1.1 million people were killed there. They spent six hours on-site, with guided tours running roughly three and a half hours.
Foreign.
We got up at 6:30 this morning. We are trying to catch the first bus out of Krakow on the way out to Auschwitz. We didn't realize that you needed to book like two months in advance to get a spot to go if you want. Even though it's completely free, you still have to like reserve a spot unless you get there before 10am so that's why we're up so early.
The Schindler Museum yesterday kind of gave us a taste of what to expect today. So it's going to be a pretty heavy day, maybe kind of hard to vlog. I'm not even sure how much we're going to be allowed to vlog in there. So we'll see.
As like sombering as I'm sure it will be. I'm like really excited about going and learning more about it. It's probably like the biggest reason we came to Krakow.
But first we're getting some coffee. It's early and cold.
Yeah, it was like 85 degrees the first two days and it's been freezing the last two days. Just picked up Charlie and Joe from their place and now we have like a 30 minute walk to the bus stat.
Got our coffee from our breakfast. Now we gotta catch the bus.
Some kind of circle pretzel looking things I think downstairs. Just.
One for two. Why is this bus so dark? I don't know.
I'm just happy we got a seat.
We are on our way.
We made it before 10.
Just got our tickets. About to head into the museum. Like Kara said earlier, not sure how much we're going to be able to film.
Not sure how much we'll really want to film. Anyway. I feel like the gloominess of today has really set the mood.
Might just be like so somber after we come out that the vlog just might. Yeah.
We are officially inside Auschwitz. It was a pretty crazy feeling just getting off the bus and getting a coffee and walking in when we are learning about the Jews that showed up here and immediately went to a gas chamber or were tortured. It's gonna be a bad day.
It's crazy to be like standing somewhere where somebody was probably killed.
I think 1.1 million were killed just in this camp.
I feel like we just spent at least an hour inside the first little building.
I think we need to pick up the pace.
Ram.
Sam.
It.
Sam.
Well, it took us over two and a half hours to finish the first camp and there is a second one that's between like one and two kilometers away. And you can either ride a bus to which we hear is extremely crowded. Or you can just walk. I don't even think we'll try to sum up the first part. We're gonna go grab a bite to eat and then head to the next one.
The bus was actually really efficient. Apparently now it's running every 15 minutes and it was like half full. Glad we didn't walk. It is a quarter to one and we are about to start our tour of the second camp.
This was more of the killing camp from what we've learned.
Didn't think it was possible, but this one already looks way more blue leak.
Sam.
This is the remains of one of the old gas chambers. Before the Red army came in and liberated everybody, the SS officers blew it up with dynamite to try to cover up the things that they've been doing here. This would have been the entrance. This wide opening right here would have been where people got undressed. And then as you went in, the little part that shoots off to the right is where the actual gas chamber was. And then as you go further in, that was where they burned all the bodies. This area right here would have been the gas chamber where people were executed.
It's a little after 3 o'. Clock. We got here at like 9:30 and we just finished the second camp, which means we're officially done for the day.
It's been a big day. This camp was much different than the other one. The other one. All the buildings had been kind of converted into museums with all kinds of information. And then this camp was more just raw, like how it was untouched. There were ruins. There were like barracks where they lived.
That we could go in the railroad tracks where they brought in thousands of people every day.
It was just so bare and quiet. It was really strange feeling.
Yeah, it was great. We're gonna get on the bus. It doesn't leave until every 15 minutes.
It's definitely worth the day trip over here. It's crazy seeing something in real life.
That I've learned about in school so.
Many times and just knowing that this was not that long ago just blows my mind.
So we ended up spending like six hours here. I think if you book a tour, it's like three and a half. I'm sure we would have gotten a lot of good information on the tour. But I really enjoyed having the extra time to be able to, like, go and spend more time with the things that we love at the station. Plus, like, getting the bus out here was super easy.
And the tour groups are big and obnoxious and loud. Really don't want to be a part of that here.
But if you want to come on your own and you haven't booked like two months in advance, remember, you have to get here before 10am this is the bus that we're getting on the ride back and we don't want to miss it so early.
