Yesterday in the morning, I bought a new camera bag. As mentioned the zippers broke on the old bag and I need it to carry my camera as well as notebook computer and other accessories. So I I went back and forth to the mall and a camera store to find the better deal. First I went to the camera store, then to the big store in the mall, and later back to the camera store. it took 2 hours or so to buy a camera bag. When you have a lot of time, you tend to take a lot of time for small things. It was hot out, and I walked slowly.
In the afternoon, I went to Oskar Schindler's factory. Now Oscar Schindler wasn't quite the guy from the movie. From what I learned, he seemed to be a complex man. He was a womanizer, who loved money, and actually he spied for the Nazi's on his home nation of the current Czech Republic. He worked for the railroads in the Czech Republic, and later informed the Nazi's of escape routes the Czechs planned on using if they invaded. Where the Jews came in is that they helped him purchase th factory of where the movie was based. And later on Schindler hired around 1100 Jews to work there, of whom he paid next to nothing and had them work under dangerous conditions. (although he provided more food then Jews received outside). Some say that he hired all the Jews because he saw the Nazi's we're losing the war and he was just trying to protect himself.
In any case, the factory wasn't so much about him: Early on, Schindler had packed up all his machines and moved the factory to the current Czech Republic, so there wasn't much left. The factory was a museum showing the conditions of Warsaw from after World War 1 until after World War 2. Immediately after World War 1, Poland was one nation for the first time in many years (it was split between three countries previously). Poland was proud, and proved to be a great place for Jews. Then after independence for just around 20 years, Germany invaded, and conditions grew worse and worse for Jews.
I also learned while Krakow as predominantly Catholic, Jews made up 25% of the population before World War 2, and there was some antisemitism against Jews. This segment of the population we're only too happy to put up posters of Der Fuhrer after the Germans took over.
I went through the museum twice; once with a guided tour, and once again to ensure I didn't miss anything important. When I was done, it was raining hard out, so I sat in the museum cafe, and tried to set up my phone on the wifi while having some cake and coffee. I ended up talking to one guy who just completed the free Jewish walking tour (which ends at the museum), and he was debating weather to go in or not. I told him to go in. The guy was sort of unusual, as he was carrying a guitar on his back, not standard for a museum.
I probably stayed at the cafe for about an hour, to relax and avoid the rain, when I went back to the hostel to take a nap. I found out that the guitar carrying guy from the museum was not only staying at my hostel, but in my room as well! And he didn't at all find this surprising-I was just laying on the bed when he came up to me and said something like "yeah.. Went to the museum". It was pretty good."
Later on, it stopped raining, so I took a walk around old town, and took some more pictures. I enjoyed a dinner of cabbage stew and grilled vegetables (about $6.00 or so).
