Outside of Krakow, in the town of Oświęcim, is what remains of the 45+ camps that made up Auschwitz. Hmmm…what does one say about this place? As an American, and more specifically an American living in Germany, learning about WWII has developed into something that I never would have expected for myself.

Despite more than two years of preparing for this visit, our day at Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II –Birkenau really caught me off guard. First off, it is huge. Bigger than I could have ever imagined. Some of the buildings have been turned into museum exhibits, some have been re-built to show visitors what life in the camp was like, while only brick chimney stacks remain of the majority.

However, what surprised me the most was the behavior of visitors- those who were physically present with us during our visit, and those who have documented their visit via Internet media. The actions of Nazi Germany during the 1930s and 40s have brought me to tears several times, but this is not what I mourn for today.

This simple fact seems to have been forgotten by many: the grounds of the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps are the largest cemetery in the world and are the site of one of the most horrific genocides known to mankind. Sometime in the 70+ years that have passed between WWII and now, some people seemed to have lost their sensitivity…and their sensibility…and failed to treat it as such.

Joe and I have visited several concentration camps during our journey and I hope that I have reflected on each of them in this blog with tact and sensitivity. The facts are important to know, to prevent history from reoccurring, but reading them here could never ignite the reverence that Auschwitz deserves. Henceforth, I will not recite the specifics of death tolls, torture methods, or inhumane living conditions. Photographs feel trivial, when compared to the despair felt by so many innocent people.  So, you will also not find pictures here of locations where over a million souls took their last breaths and silently pleaded with God.

What does one say about this place? For Joe and I, it provoked enduring thoughts and feelings too complex to be summed up in a blog. If you are interested in knowing more about Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau, or how you can prepare for your own visit, please reach out personally. We are more than willing to share our experiences, as well as engaging and sensitive educational materials, so that you can memorialize the outrages of WWII in a way that feels right for you.