This is my last week in Minneapolis before I take my break. If I remember correctly last time I took more than extended weekend break was 1.5 years ago. So this was much needed. I will be gone for about 3 weeks. Of my three weeks break I will hover in East Europe for about 1 week. In India for 2 weeks. My sister is getting married next month!!!
I will be travelling by myself for most part of the time in Europe. They all seem to be very interesting people. I have travelled alone before but not for this long time. And not in foreign lands where I haven't lived or known anyone. All three countries I'm visiting have different languages, culture and currency. . I think it will be exciting. They have trains everywhere in Europe. That adds to it. I will be staying with Couchsurfing hosts in all places. They all seem to be interesting people. As they say, you have friends everywhere., you just haven't met them yet!
But I must say I will miss Minneapolis somewhat. Because it is summer and summer is the best time to be in Minneapolis! One of the best places to be in summer! But I am not complaining. I will be in Austria, Czech Republic and Poland. Yes Poland. I wanted to go there since a long time. In fact the main reason for stopping in Europe was to go to Oswiecim, which is Polish name for the town in occupied Germany where Germans decimated millions. More familiar name is Auschwitz. I am going to visit the Auschwitz memorial. That is the main attraction of my stop. When I tell this to people they find it a bit weird. But I guess all of us weird in some sense in our own way and our own place. It is a place which marks nadir in collective human behaviour. A shame that this took place and was done by a leader of mass following. It wasn't war it was genocide. It was an important event in history.
I am somewhat obsessed with WW2 history and want to see trails of war history in East Europe. Also for some unknown reason I like the two countries. Poland and Vietnam. Both of them one thing in common. They were hotbed of two wars and destruction at the behest of foreign invaders (if I may use this word). I wanted to see the Poland and Auschwitz. I'm spending half my time in Poland. When I first told a European friend of mine his first reaction was: Poland? No one goes there! :) I don't blame him. He might be true. But I am no one and I'm going there.
I am learning some Polish for fun. Apparently it is a hard language to pronounce. For english speakers they pronunce much different from what they write. Oswiecim is Aaush-wien-shim. Zywiec is Zuwietch. and some more crazy ones. It seems a week is not enough to see all I want to see. I may have to come back to Poland. And East Europe in general. There is lot of history and culture to be discovered. And Europe in more general. And world in more general.
I will write whenever I have time in between.
