Backpacking Through Europe

Krakow, Poland

Thanks Cynamoncia for telling me about Poland. ❤

"Yes! Krakow! So much to see. So much to do." Harry shouted excitedly.

"Let's find our hotel first." Louis said in amusement.

They just had to walk a couple of streets to find it. Harry snapped pictures of buildings on the way.
"I love this city already!"

They checked into their hotel and Louis spotted a folder on the counter.
"Look, guided tours to Auschwitz and Birkenau."

"Let's take that one, it includes the Wieliczka Salt Mine!" Harry smiled.

"Alright." Louis agreed.

They booked a tour for the next day at the desk and got their key cards and headed up to their room to get rid of their backpacks. They decided to go sightseeing after that. Harry had many notes in his little book of things he wanted to see in Krakow.

They walked to the Rynek Glowny Central Square and peaked inside the Old Town Cloth Hall where they purchased some cheese, olives, and other eatable things for something between breakfast and lunch. They took a seat on the square. Harry watched a nun walk by and smiled brightly.

When they had finished eating they visited St. Mary's Basilica and were amazed by the carvings and how beautiful the church was. They found a Pinball museum after that and they had so much fun looking at all the different pinball machines.

After that Harry wanted to visit the Jagiellonian University Museum. He filled his camera with pictures of everything they experienced and snuck in a photo of Louis or five among them.

Later that day they walked to the Kazimierz, the former Jewish district. The old cemetery caught their attention and since it was still open they walked around inside for a while before they continued the explore the old Jewish quarter. They ended up in a polish restaurant and tried Pierogi and drank a cheap beer before they headed back to their hotel.

Things were heating up as soon as they were in bed. Harry broke the kiss.
"Wait, I want to take this further but maybe not here in Krakow?"

Louis understood.
"Nothing kills the mood more than concentration camps? You're right."

"Uhm, yeah. That sounded awful, Lou! So many people died and here we're thinking about sex!" Harry sighed.

"To be fair, I generally think of sex at least ten times a day no matter where I am. Did you just call me Lou?" Louis smiled.

"Yeah, I don't know where that came from." Harry chuckled.

"I like it! Hazza, Haz... Babycakes?" Louis grinned, trying different pet names.

"Babycakes?" Harry giggled.

"Well. You're a babe and you have a nice cake." Louis shrugged teasingly and grabbed Harry's bum.

Harry giggled and swatted his hand away.
"Behave! Sweet cheeks."

"My ass is sweet? I'll take it. I'll take it." Louis smirked.

They lay in bed laughing and when they manage to collect themselves they kissed and talked until they fell asleep.

A minivan picked them up the next morning and drove them to Auschwitz. They both held on tightly as the driver seemed to have stolen the car if his driving was anything to go on. Their legs were shaking when they finally arrived.
"Fuck! I'm walking home! What the hell was that?" Louis questioned.

"A near-death experience." Harry shuddered.

Their tour guide greeted them and they got other things on their mind. Harry took out his camera and snapped at least ten pictures of the famous sign at the entrance saying Arbeit Macht Frei.
"Work makes you free, how ironic." Louis snorted.

They walked inside while they listened to the guide. Harry took pictures and Louis looked around. He grabbed Harry's arm.
"This is fucking scary. Look, Hazza! This could be a village in England. Stone houses, perfectly cut lawns. I bet the houses have the same distance between them down to the millimeter. I can't wrap my head around this. Horrible things happened here. Vicious, disastrous things."

"I know what you mean." Harry replied lowly. They were both taken back.

The tour continued. They had a hard time grasping everything the guide told them. Harry teared up when they walked into a room and looked into glass showcases displaying shoes, suitcases, and human hair.

The gas chamber was absolutely horrible. Louis took Harry's hand as they walked into it. They were both upset.

The minivan took them to Birkenau next. They walked the railway track, trying to imagine how scared the people must have been when they arrived. The sheds had all burnt down but a few were rebuilt to show the poor conditions they have to live under. They both had a big lump in their stomach as they walked around. Louis turned to Harry and cupped his cheeks and kissed him softly.
"Not here." Harry protested.

"You know, Jews weren't the only ones who got sent to these camps. Homosexuals were also captured and shipped to these awful places. If their spirits by any chance are still here I want to show them that the world changed." Louis said emotionally.

Harry nodded his head. He cradled Louis' face with both hands and pressed their lips together one more time.

They were both in a funky mood when they finally left the conversation camp. The minivan took them to a restaurant called Zanks and they had lunch. After that, they headed to the Salt Mine. They both ogled the long pair of stairs that would take them to the underground.
"Geez, the tour should have started with this, you know, when you're not fucking mentally exhausted after walking around death camps." Louis muttered.

Harry took his hand and they walked the 64 meters of stairs. It was worth it as they were led through a number of chambers, looking at underground lakes, shrines, and salt monuments.

After another life-threatening ride back to Krakow they crawled into bed and fell asleep, exhausted after an important day where they had been reminded of the cruelty of humanity.