Day 5: Krakow-Kazimierz Tour

Today we took an overnight train to Krakow, Poland from Prague. Due to a long journey and trying to find our hostel, we were exhausted. After that we found out that our schedule was changed because of Easter, so we were not able to tour Aushwitz today. Then we made plans to go take a tour around the town of Krakow. On the tour I learned that the town square has been the most popular place in Krakow. In the town square there is a large Gothic Church that has survived through the Holocaust. We were also able to see the Synagogues that also lasted during the Holocaust.
A young girl named Sonia Weitz had a tragic childhood. She lived through the Holocaust. Sonia became a Holocaust survivor and got a chance to tell her story and to give a chance for people to get a feel of her experience. I am one of those young people who got a chance to walk through her streets and her former childhood. I also got a chance to see one of her special gifts and that was her tree in the courtyard behind her former house. It's amazing how this one tree stood out to me about her life. It was a gift from her father but also was the only tree to survive just like Sonia during the Holocaust. Sonia's story made me feel different and to see the Holocaust differently. I got a chance to hear and see where this heart-felt story began.
After a pretty interesting and relaxing tour and our walk to see Sonia's tree, our teachers decided to take us to a concert where the musicians were waiting for us. As soon as we entered, the music began. The music played was influenced by the Holocaust. You could actually tell by the way you felt as they played their music. Even the musicians' faces showed emotion. While the first song played I noticed a woman with a handkerchief crying. The music and the Holocaust had a lot of the same emotions. Many of the songs were sad, dramatic and even hopeful. The musicians did such a great job. I never thought I'd enjoy listening to just violins, a hand drum, and a cello. Just like Sonia's poems in her book, the music showed as much emotion of the experience of the Holocaust.