My Semester Abroad

Local college students — from the Puget Sound area or studying at a Puget Sound university — are traveling the world as part of their studies; several are sending dispatches about discovering their corner of the globe. They welcome your comments and questions.

Editor's note: Thanks to all the students who shared their experiences on traveling and learning. "Semester Abroad" is being discontinued.

All blogs and discussions:

April 28, 2006

Krakow: A shrine to the past

Posted by Laura Geggel at 04:38 PM

Finally, on a train! Sarah and I are heading back to Warsaw after spending a night in Krakow. It's such a relief to sit down; yesterday we walked all over the city, checking out the Jewish Quarter and the Old Town. One synagogue has an incredibly old graveyard in the back. It's been restored but I guess some of the headstones had crumbled, so they were placed in a wall surrounding the cemetery. It's eerie and beautiful.

LAURA GEGGEL/SPECIAL TO THE SEATTLE TIMES

The graveyard wall behind the Remuh Synagogue in Krakow, April 28, 2006.

There are bread stands everywhere, so we all bought pretzels and perched on steps watching tourists buy amber and bead necklaces from the street vendors. Laura headed off to some little Polish town today to see where her ancestors are from.

Our hostel experiences keep on getting better. Some Brits invited us to play poker , and even though I'm not a big fan of the game, we joined them and bet silly things like hair bands and health insurance cards (well, we later gave those back to them, since they were of little use to us). I had to barter a health insurance card for my ballpoint pen. Close call.

Jennifer Henrichsen
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