TRIP TO POLAND, ALBERT, AARON, AND PHU, AUGUST 23-29, 2022

POLAND

I am 71, so I walk slow. The guided tours of Auschwitz and Birkenau are usually 2 1/2 hours for both camps, including getting on and off the bus and drive time between camps, so you get about an hour at each camp, and both are enormous. I did not want to be rushed, so we went on an unguided visit, from 4-7pm no guide is needed, Auschwitz one day and Birkenau the next, 6 hours total. I knew exactly what I wanted to see, and had maps, and did not want to be rushed. They have wheelchairs available, but they are not motor driven. And I don’t think you can get around most areas in a wheelchair. If you want to go unguided, you have to make reservations for each of the days, it cannot be made until 90 days before the day you want to go. You cannot get in early at Auschwitz, but at Birkenau, even though your ticket says 4pm, you can get there in the morning and they will let you in all day. Plus, there are things to see outside the camp.