Trip to Poland

Twenty two students and 2 members of Staff took the chance to visit to Krakow in Poland. This account of the trip illustrates how memorable the trip was. "We stayed in a very beautiful hostel called Kedetus, which I wouldn't hesitate recommend to anyone. On our first evening we went to a fantastic Italian / Polish restaurant in the main square. That evening we visited various cafés and found the most amazing ice cream deserts in an old fashioned café, which was like stepping back in time.

We spent Saturday discovering the delights of Krakow. We started with a tour of the city. This included Stare Miasto, Wawel, which is the Krakow's hilltop castle-cathedral complex, the town hall and Rynek Glowny, the beautiful medieval square in the heart of Krakow.

After lunch, we took the opportunity to visit the cathedral, to climb the tower and to enjoy the magnificent views of the city. The weather was beautiful, we were very fortunate as rain had been forecast. Later that afternoon, we went to the Jewish quarter. Little did we know how poignant this would be prior to our visit to Auschwitz. The highlight was Café Alchemia, one of the most atmospheric cafés in the world. Reknowned for its hot chocolate, it goes without saying, most of us indulged.

That evening, we had a truly Polish meal, with plenty of dumplings, salad, soup and desserts. Zola, one of our students from last year, had helped with the arrangements and was a real help when it came to recommending what to eat.

Sunday was an early start as we had arranged a trip to Auschwitz. Our driver picked us up with all the luggage. The weather had become much colder and greyer. With some degree of apprehension we started our tour, with every step, the horrors of the war were revealed and though one may feel they know what happened during world war two, no-one can be prepared for the shocking truth. The guide was excellent, she must have done this tour many times, but she was able to convey the sense of annihilation, the pointlessness of war.

Our tour lasted most of the morning. We were all left with a sense of despair and with images we will never forget. This place is an education, for weeks after the feeling of horror stayed with us all. The students greatly appreciated the opportunity to see this death camp, in truth it was a profound experience.

We were lucky to have such lovely weather, to have good company and to have time to explore the beauties of this wonderful city."