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From beautiful Paris to trendy Berlin, charming Kraków and enchanting Prague, my little family embarked on a World War Memorial tour of Europe that we will never forget.
As a gift to my son, who had recently convocated from college, we wanted to go on a vacation together before he was fully immersed in the workforce. Choosing a family vacation involving an adult son with his parents isn’t exactly an easy task. But, given that my son and husband are World War II history buffs and I love non-fiction and realistic fiction stories of the Holocaust and the war, we knew that a memorial tour through Europe would be the perfect vacation for the three of us. So, we purchased plane tickets and gave them to my son as a gift and then started co-planning the itinerary. You can read about the first half of our trip here and then come on back and read about the rest of the adventure.
Berlin, Germany
After a whirlwind few days in France, it was a welcome relief to have time to slow down in Berlin. We had the most amazing flat on the top floor of the Apartments am Brandenburger Tor which was within walking distance to all of the major attractions in the city. Of course, it didn’t take my son long to discover there was a playoff hockey game scheduled on the second day we arrived in Berlin and he insisted we try to get tickets.
Eisberan Berlin was playing the Munich Red Bulls in game 5 of the DEL (translates into Germany Ice Hockey League) playoffs. The atmosphere in the rink was electric. We had never been to a hockey game where the fans were so enthusiastic and animated. We had an amazing time! I had to include a video from the hockey game but please don’t judge my videography skills.
There is so much to see and do in Berlin. While there we made sure to make our way over to Checkpoint Charlie which was the most famous crossing point between communist East Berlin and American controlled West Berlin at the Berlin Wall.
Here you will find an open-air exhibit and an interactive museum that tell the story of many daring (successful and failed) escapes as well as the U.S. and Soviet Union showdown of 1961.
This area gets quite crowded around midday. I would suggest visiting early in the morning before it becomes too crowded. The museum is open from 9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. There isn’t anything overly fascinating about Checkpoint Charlie itself but we definitely found the museum interesting.
We truly had no definite agenda for Berlin other than to enjoy this cool city. One day we did the Hop on Hop Off Bus tour and ended up in Mitte at Gendarmenmarkt where we had the most delightful time. This is a beautiful square nestled in the center of a theatre and two large cathedrals. Here you will find shops, cafes and some great outdoor pubs.
From Gendarmenmarkt, we made our way over to Pariser Platz at Brandenburg Gate in the center of Berlin. There isn’t a lot to do in this square but the architecture makes it the most beautiful square in Berlin.
On our final day in Berlin we visited the somber Jewish museum and then wanted to lighten the mood up a bit so we headed to the Mall of Berlin. We all made a few great purchases. I splurged on a Liebeskind Berlin handbag. I have a tiny obsession with handbags.
Before boarding our early evening flight to Kraków, Poland, we made our way over to the Reichstag where we had a beer and snack on the lawn. Then we were saying “Auf Wiedersehen” to Berlin and boarding our Ryanair flight to the most charming city I have ever visited.
Kraków, Poland
We went back and forth on whether we were going to include Auschwitz-Birkenau in our travel plans because it was so far out of the way and our time in Europe was limited. But my son felt really strongly that if we were traveling all this way, we had to make the effort to visit the largest and most famous concentration camp in Europe. I am so glad we decided to include this in our plans!
Kraków, Poland is about 75 km east of Auschwitz so it is close enough for a day trip to this concentration camp by bus, train, car or day tour. We booked a private tour through Kraków Direct Tours and it was an excellent experience. Our driver took great care of us and we felt quite fortunate to have a tour guide all to ourselves to be able to ask many questions and hear the sobering history and story of Auschwitz-Birkenau.
I am finding it difficult to find the words to describe our time in Auschwitz-Birkenau. This tour will stay with us forever and literally changed us as humans. I believe that every person if given the chance should visit a concentration camp. It is hard to fathom the atrocities that were committed against men, women, and children during the Holocaust. We must never forget the humans who suffered and lost their lives during this horrible time in our history.
On a lighter note, the charming little European city of Kraków quickly became a wonderful surprise for us.
Kraków has faced its share of historical misery but has emerged as an endearing and beautiful city that won’t remain one of Europe’s best-kept secrets for long. The expansive market square in Old Town is the largest medieval square in Europe and is full of cafes, restaurants, and shops. The impressive St. Mary’s Basilica overlooks the square and every hour on the hour a bugler plays a bugle call from the window of the St. Mary’s tower.
There is quite a lot to explore in Kraków including the Wawel Castle, Kazimierz (an old Jewish neighbourhood where Schindler’s list was filmed), Oscar Schindler’s Factory and the Wieliczka Salt Mine. Kraków was one of the few eastern European cities that was not affected by bombings during World War II so many of the buildings and streets look like they did before the war. We had no idea there was so much to do and see in Kraków and we wished we had planned to stay a day longer.
The authentic Polish cuisine was mouth-watering and I’ve been dreaming of the pierogis (dumplings) since we left there! We couldn’t believe how delicious and inexpensive our meals in Kraków were and there are so many amazing restaurants to choose from. If you ever make it to Kraków and are looking for an authentic cuisine experience, you must check out Morskie Oko! The atmosphere and food are incredible. We had a wonderful time there for dinner.
After two full days and three nights in Kraków, we were off to Prague to end our European vacation. Prague did not have any WWII themed tours on the agenda as our goal was to simply sit back and relax before heading home to Canada.
Prague, Czech Republic
There are a number of ways to travel from Kraków to Prague. You can fly, take the train or drive. There are a couple of decent flights but they didn’t work with our schedule and the train was going to take about 9 hours so we elected to hire a driver through Daytrip. We were picked up at our Airbnb in Kraków and driven directly to our Airbnb in Prague. It took us about 5 hours but the scenery of the European countryside was beautiful.
As I mentioned, our goal in Prague was to relax and simply enjoy this stunning city. Prague is the capital of Czech Republic and is best known for its Old Town Square, Gothic churches and the medieval Astronomical Clock. Prague is a beautiful city with charming little streets and breathtaking architecture. We enjoyed strolling across Charles Bridge, visiting artisans at the Easter Market in Town Square and taking a tour in an old car up to the Prague Castle.
The Town Square is lined with patios where you can sit and enjoy a beer or glass of wine and take in the scenery. Whether it’s the famous Astronomical Clock that puts on a show every hour (but was under construction while we were there), the magnificent buildings that surround you in the square, or the lively groups of people there on vacation or for a party, Prague is a vibrant, fun place to visit.
After unwinding in Prague for a couple of days it was time for us to head home to Canada. My heart was full after getting to spend 12 days with my boys all to myself learning of the courageous men and women whose stories of tragedy and triumph have paved the way for our freedom. It was truly an unforgettable trip that will stay with us forever.
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