It was so nice to see friendly faces when we arrived. We were met at the airport by our cousin, Krystyna, and her husband, Leszek. If any of you have family in Poland, you'll know what followed without being told.
After a quick stop at the hotel to check in and drop our bags, we were whisked off to their flat in a "block", a tall apartment building that was obviously built by Communists. Their block is one of a row of 6 or 8 blocks. You think it looks like public housing. But when you step inside their apartment you're in a cozy and lovely home. Soon after we arrived platters of potatoes with dill, cucumber in a dill sour crime sauce and chicken roulade appeared on the table. The feast closed with apple cake, cheese cake, ice cream and tea. What a wonderful welcome, and so much nicer than even the best restaurant after such a long day!
I was able to share with Krystyna information about her aunt Adela who died during the war. The family story was that Adela died in Ravensbruck, but no one knew where that story came from. I found an interview with a woman who was in the underground during the war, who said Adela Pilarczyk was a courier in the underground between Tarnow and Nowy Sacz, which made sense as Adela lived in nearby Zakopane. I then doing another interview with a women who was in Ravensbruck who said a women by the name of Adela Pilarczyk died there from an illness. That corresponds to a letter Adela's mother received soon after Adela died from a friend who said Adela become ill and died shortly after. What was confusing was that the letter said Adela died in a hospital and I couldn't imagine a hospital in a concentration camp. But further reading proved that to be true. While I'll continue to look for more documentation on what happened to her, it appears that Adela did die in Ravensbruck.
Time to tour Krakow!
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