Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[The_duke]

Some descriptive words are over used in contexts far removed from reality. In the case of Tom’s posts descriptive words are not really enough. He writes on paper/screen like he lives his life, with integrity, humour, compassion and much missed honesty.

Tom has an insight into life that few of us have, and he commits to print in a way us mere mortals can only dream of. We read the posts and have an immediate affinity to the subject matter like we were there.

It’s a precious gift, long may it continue.

[RED-DOG]

So I finally made my long-promised visit to Auschwitz today.

I Thought I would come back and write about it at length, but somehow I can't right now, perhaps I never will, save for the odd paragraph. I think perhaps there are some things that mere words can't adequately convey.

I will just mention this though.

The camp, (Actually, camp is too soft a word) The murder machine at Auschwitz Birkenau is so unbelievably vast, that before I had walked even halfway through, my legs were aching.

My legs were aching and my mind was reeling as I struggled to put my preconceptions away for ever, so that I could replace them with this terrifying reality.

Never would I have imagined seeing so much evidence of inhumanity.

I walked past the huge marshaling yards, the selection areas, the punishment blocks, with their tiny "Standing only" cells, and the de-lousing sheds, where men and women had clothes and all body hair removed, often in front of jeering guards.

The tattoo blocks, where "The lucky ones", those who were granted the privilege of being allowed to live long enough to be worked, starved and beaten to death, were given a number in exchange for their names, their dignity, and their last vestiges of hope.

The sorting sheds, where enormous mountains of peoples belongings were categorised, packed, and shipped out, a trainload at a time. House sized piles of things like spectacles, prosthetic limbs, shaving brushes etc were produced every week. We also saw a pile of human hair which weighed about two tons. The average head of hair weighs about 50 grams, you do the math.

The "Showers" The old, the weak, the sick, pregnant women, or those with children were herded in and gassed as quickly as possible, then, their corpses were dragged off to the crematoria, or burned in a field if the ovens couldn't cope.

The huts, oh those huts. Acres and acres of land filled with endless rows of huts where emaciated, fever ridden, starved, broken and beaten scraps of humanity waited for their turn to die.


It was a beautiful day in Auschwitz today. Nature had replaced the mud, the blood and the filth with mature trees and lush grass. The sun shone from a cloudless blue sky, and yet, something wasn't right, it had been niggling in the back of my mind all day.

Then it dawned on me, I knew what it was. All these acres of grass, trees and vegetation, but no birdsong.

No birdsong. How could this be?

I stood there in the bright sunlight, and suddenly I felt cold. In that moment, I knew that this would be my abiding memory.


 

[Laxie]

I honestly don't even know what to say.

[Delboy]

A most touching post Tom; allmost poetry

Thank you

[RED-DOG]

I stumbled across a field full of 'puffball' fungi last year whilst strolling around the county. I think it was September but can't remember for sure.

As a country type, I thought you might know what the ideal time is to go looking for them with a view to eating them. Have you got any methods, recipes etc for cooking them?

OK. Back to the puffballs. (Where's Dale Winton when you need him?)

As I said, only eat the ones that are white inside, leave any that show even a hint of colour.

You can find different types at different times of the year, everything from tiny grape sized ones to great big footballs.

They are great sliced, fried in a little butter and served on toast or with bacon and eggs.

They're also delish in pies and stews.

Happy poofing.

[RED-DOG]

I've discovered my fave Polish food. Fried potato cakes. Hot, slightly crunchy, and approx 10,000 calories each.

Oh Momma!

[Karabiner]

I've discovered my fave Polish food. Fried potato cakes. Hot, slightly crunchy, and approx 10,000 calories each.

Oh Momma!

Have you tried perogis(sp)?

[RED-DOG]

I've discovered my fave Polish food. Fried potato cakes. Hot, slightly crunchy, and approx 10,000 calories each.

Oh Momma!

Have you tried perogis(sp)?

Are they the dumplings?

[RED-DOG]

BTW Bell Bell, I've PM'ed you.

[gatso]

I've discovered my fave Polish food. Fried potato cakes. Hot, slightly crunchy, and approx 10,000 calories each.

Oh Momma!

placki ziemniaczane I assume. with a big dollop of sour cream? lovely

Have you tried perogis(sp)?

almost spelled right. pierogi, no s as it's already a plural

[Karabiner]

I've discovered my fave Polish food. Fried potato cakes. Hot, slightly crunchy, and approx 10,000 calories each.

Oh Momma!

Have you tried perogis(sp)?

Are they the dumplings?

Yes a bit like giant ravioli with different fillings

[RED-DOG]

I've discovered my fave Polish food. Fried potato cakes. Hot, slightly crunchy, and approx 10,000 calories each.

Oh Momma!

Have you tried perogis(sp)?

Are they the dumplings?

Yes a bit like giant ravioli with different fillings

Yes. Thems um. Had em for supper. Fantastic. I ate 13.

[RED-DOG]

placki ziemniaczane I assume. with a big dollop of sour cream? lovely

I had mine with a thick gravy but sour cream sound good.....

[Geo the Sarge]

krakow is always like that tom, it's where the country's young artists all go so it creates a vibrant atmosphere. and aren't the women great?

have you done auschwitz yet? please don't miss out on visiting the nearby salt mines afterwards

Going to Auschwitz tomorrow gats, we are taking a paper flower, the kind that the Gypsy women of my generation used to hawk.

In Berlin, we visited the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe

Below it, there is a subterranean exhibition which consists of darkened rooms rooms with light boxes set in the floors. The light boxes show letters and diaries written by Jewish people as they travelled towards their death.

There must have been 3 or 4 hundred people viewing the exhibition, but you could have heard a pin drop, everyone was shocked into silence.

One letter will live with me forever. it was from a Jewish woman to her husband, and their 12 year old daughter had added a post script.

Dear Papa, I am writing to say goodbye because tomorrow I will be dead. I do so wish that we could be allowed to live, but they won't let us.

I will always love you, your J.

In the day & age in which we live, it's hardly possible to imagine such tragedy, & such dignity.

You want to be leaving your little world and visit the real world every now and again, it still goes on and there are still too many of these stories happening on a daily basis.

Both the horror and the people who risk their lives to prevent/bring it to notice are still happening. Maybe not to as great a scale, but certainly far too much for this "modern world."

Geo

[Woodsey]

krakow is always like that tom, it's where the country's young artists all go so it creates a vibrant atmosphere. and aren't the women great?

have you done auschwitz yet? please don't miss out on visiting the nearby salt mines afterwards

Going to Auschwitz tomorrow gats, we are taking a paper flower, the kind that the Gypsy women of my generation used to hawk.

In Berlin, we visited the memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe

Below it, there is a subterranean exhibition which consists of darkened rooms rooms with light boxes set in the floors. The light boxes show letters and diaries written by Jewish people as they travelled towards their death.

There must have been 3 or 4 hundred people viewing the exhibition, but you could have heard a pin drop, everyone was shocked into silence.

One letter will live with me forever. it was from a Jewish woman to her husband, and their 12 year old daughter had added a post script.

Dear Papa, I am writing to say goodbye because tomorrow I will be dead. I do so wish that we could be allowed to live, but they won't let us.

I will always love you, your J.

In the day & age in which we live, it's hardly possible to imagine such tragedy, & such dignity.

You want to be leaving your little world and visit the real world every now and again, it still goes on and there are still too many of these stories happening on a daily basis.

Both the horror and the people who risk their lives to prevent/bring it to notice are still happening. Maybe not to as great a scale, but certainly far too much for this "modern world."

Geo

+1 Pretty much this. Nice to remember what has past but way better to try and help what is currently happening.