A day in the ghetto

The next day we left the hotel and made the trek from where we were staying in Kazimierz south of the river to Podgorze, the ghetto that the Nazis forced the Jews into early in 1941.  We first visited Ghetto Heroes' Square. The monument consisting of these large medal chairs represent the fact that the Jews were forced to carry all of their belongings, including furniture, to the ghetto.

This was also the place that the Jews were deported to extermination camps, and this small grey building stands the evoke the train wagons that carried them there.

We spent a couple of hours at the museum of Oskar Schindler's factory. It provided a riveting account of the story of the Jews in Krakow during the Holocaust.

Jaxon in a tunnel with a list of names of the Jews that Schindler saved. He really loved this story.

Creepy old toys...

Afterwards we lightened things up a little and went to a cafe full of toys where kids play at their leisure while parents eat at their leisure. Brilliant.

Afterward we headed back up to the Old Town Square and watched a performance at the Barbican. It would be great to be a guy in this troupe. The girl to guy ratio is about 15:1. We told Jaxon it could be a good thing to get involved in when he gets older.

Walking the Barbican walls

The stroller. (Sigh). My sister brought this stroller over for my 7-year-old nephew when we traveled together to Spain three years ago, confident that it would help us cover more ground. We debated whether to bring it on this trip, and finally decided that it was probably in our interest to do so. Unfortunately, when we opened the stroller after leaving the Barbican we realized that the metal bar on the back of it had actually snapped in two. I guess that is what happens when you abuse a stroller enough...

We headed to this restaurant that a guy on the train had recommended to us, hidden away in a little courtyard, not sure what to expect. It was amazing! The kids were entertained by the fish and the food was delicious. I especially loved the soup in the homemade bread bowl. And the decor. 

We ended the evening once again on the square and the kids played in the head stature. I am not sure what it is supposed to represent (I'm not sure anyone does), but kids sure love it.