Kristallnacht, also known as "The Night of Broken Glass" began November 9, 1938 in Germany. On that night, Germans began attacking Jews in full force.
Over the course of two days, synagogues were burned, and Jewish businesses, cemeteries, hospitals and schools were ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Poland
Violence against Jews began in Germany 70 years ago. Seven places to go to remember
Kristallnacht, also known as "The Night of Broken Glass" began November 9, 1938 in Germany. On that night, Germans began attacking Jews in full force.
Over the course of two days, synagogues were burned, and Jewish businesses, cemeteries, hospitals and schools were ...Salt mine tours for health and fun
Tom Barlow over at Wallet Pop and I started talking about salt mines a few days ago. He mentioned a post he wrote about the health benefits of salt mines and places one can go to see them. An impressive one that neither of us have been to, but agreed that we should is the ...From the New Europe: Drunk passenger causes emergency landing
You would think that crews would generally know how to handle a drunk passenger without having to land the plane first. Apparently, some drunks are harder to handle than others. Especially when they use the T word repeatedly.
A Lufthansa passenger jet had to make an ...Oscar nominated shorts: A world tour
Every year as a member of the Columbus Academy Motion Picture Pickers (CAMPP) I embark on a movie going frenzy to see all the movies nominated in every major category. Not on the list of my obligatory must-sees were the films nominated for Short Features and Short Animation, ...Photo of the Day (01.15.08)
I never been a particularly religious person, but seeing nuns always makes me pause for a moment, as if I'm in the presence of a saint or a god-like figure. This photo captures that feeling perfectly -- with the gentle mist thinly veiling the trees in the background and the ...Photo of the Day 1/6/2008
According to the tags on ourmanwhere's page, this photo was taken in Krakow, Poland during the Christmas season. I love the old-school feel of the shot, as though it were taken 60 year ago. The sun seems to hover over and beam magically from above the distant cathedral, as ...Independence days and elephants
I've whipped out my International Calendar to see what might be left to tell about November before it slips away from Eastern Standard Time in a few hours. What I see is a whole lot of independence days and a slew of other politically geared occasions.
Nov. ...Polish fortune-telling holiday: Get a candle, a key and a right shoe
Tonight is St. Andrew's Eve where fortunes are told if you happen to be in Poland or around a large Polish community. These days, the fortunes are male or female friendly, but in the past were female fare. Also called Andrzejki, this holiday is thanks to St. Andrew (as in ...The Great Escape: Visiting historical sites from the film
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One of the best war films of all time was the Great Escape--a movie that was made all the more fantastic by the fact that most of it was true. Although I had watched it many times growing up, it never occurred to me to seek out the actual location of the infamous Stalag ...Homesick with a Polish Cold
[Note: I'm traveling through Central and Eastern Europe through the month of October.] I feel comfortable, now, writing about homesickness, because I'm no longer homesick. But for the past week or so – since leaving home – I have been, and it has hammered on my ...Photo of the Day (9/7/07)
This almost looks like some scene from a cool computer game in which players must battle dragons and avoid thugs pouring oil on their heads as they attempt to storm the castle. But it's not. These sturdy walls actually surround Old Town in Warsaw, Poland. They aren't ...Photo of the Day (8/16/07)
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We're not above juvenile or sophomoric humor here at Gadling. Nor are we above snickering at certain shop names we come across while traveling that might have a different meaning in English.
The above photo is one such example. Captured on the streets of Krakow by David ...Free Visa Entry In Exchange for US Missile Shield in Europe?
The Czech Republic is one of 13 countries trying to renegotiate its visa-requirement for traveling to the US. Currently, Americans do not need visa when traveling to the C.R. but Czechs do when traveling to the US. The unfair visa requirement is a source of much bitterness ...Warsaw: Groundbreaking for Jewish Museum
Here's another bit of news from Poland: Earlier this week a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a new museum to be built in Warsaw. The Museum of the History of Polish Jews will be a $65 million undertaking that should rise in central Warsaw by late 2009. It will sit next ...One for the Road: Roman Polanski - The Cinema of a Cultural Traveler
A new book looks at the filmography of Roman Polanski in advance of what will surely be his biggest project yet. The controversial film director will soon begin work on a movie adaptation of the best-selling Robert Harris novel Pompeii. This new book about Polanski takes a ...Krakow the New Prague?
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Back in 1991 when I first toured Poland, the city of Krakow was the only town I visited with charm that outlasted communism.
It wasn't as charming, however, as Prague, its neighbor further south. As a result, expats looking for a cheap, bohemian lifestyle flocked to the ...Famous Tourist Site Frauds: Where "Original" and "Authentic" are Blatant Lies
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There is nothing more powerful than standing in a spot where some famous historical event occurred, surrounded by exactly the same objects as were there hundreds of years ago.
Tourism's greatest fraud, however, is that so many historical places have been so thoroughly ...Holy Week in Poland - Part 2: Krakow
The respect and love felt for "hometown hero" Pope John Paul II is evident throughout Krakow. The 1st anniversary of his death fell during the Easter season in 2006, inspiring an additional layer of reverence and special tributes throughout the city. Despite threatening ...Holy Week in Poland, Part 1: Warsaw
Last year I found myself traveling through one of the world's most Catholic countries during Holy Week. Having been raised Catholic myself, I was particularly curious to witness how Easter festivities were observed in Poland. Experiencing familiar traditions in unfamiliar ...The Amazing Race All-Stars, Episode 7 Recap, (Or, I Turned Amazing Race Into A Drinking Game)
Since Justin and I have been so distracted during the previous 6 episodes of the Amazing Race All-Stars when Charla and Mirna speak to people in that weird "can-you-understand-me-now?"-accent, I thought tonight's special 2-hour episode would be a fine time to have fun. ...
