[Salvation]

I hope most of these images will remain. If they don't -- Right click on the image, get the properties and copy them. Then put the properties into you address window. The picture should appear.

 

Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty Images

Tourists walk through the concentration camp known as Auschwitz II, or Birkenau, Jan, 25, in Oswiecim, Poland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    

                                                                Survivors at Dachau - April 1945

 

 

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dsfp%26p%3Dauschwitz%2Bconcentration%2Bcamp&w=250&h=198&imgurl=www.pbs.org%2Fwgbh%2Fnova%2Fholocaust%2Fimages%2Ftime45_03_dachau.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.pbs.org%2Fwgbh%2Fnova%2Fholocaust%2Ftime1945sans.html&size=23.5kB&name=time45_03_dachau.jpg&p=auschwitz+concentration+camp&type=jpeg&no=2&tt=5,028&ei=UTF-8  Timeline of the abuses

 

 

http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dsfp%26p%3Dauschwitz%2Bconcentration%2Bcamp&w=480&h=223&imgurl=www.mikekemble.com%2Fww2%2Fwar%2Fauschwitz1.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mikekemble.com%2Fww2%2Fbelsen.html&size=34.7kB&name=auschwitz1.jpg&p=auschwitz+concentration+camp&type=jpeg&no=7&tt=5,028&ei=UTF-8  Holocaust Museum - Washington D. C.

 

Saw this -- I don't think I need to explain what it is

 

 

 

Auschwitz prisoners greet

Soviet troops during

liberation in 1945.

 

Aerial view of Auschwitz I camp

[Salvation]

Continuing with the travelogue
Monday, June 19th, Wieliczka Salt Mines and Divine Mercy Shrine.

We drove on to Krakow today by way of the Wieliczka Salt Mines. When I heard that there were 500 steps down to the first level I decided not to make the trek because my ankles were all swollen and I was so tired, both emotionally and physically from Sunday's trip to Auschwitz, Birkeneau and the top of the hill at Our Lady of Calvary. Isn't that a wonderful name to name a church at the top of the hill???? It just hit me that Christ had to walk up a hill, Golgotha, for his execution!!! Lord, have mercy!

The 350+ steps in Prague made a believer of me too! LOL!

I got a book about it and some postcards -- and everyone who went said it was strenuous but that it was so beautiful. Everything is carved out the rock containing the salt, most of it a light orange to burnt orange color. the group visited the chambers of the Blessed Kinga and St. Anthony of the Holy Cross. There are rooms with statues, ladders, a ballroom, a church with an altar, The Holy Family all carved out of the salt rock. And it was about 40 degrees cooler -- 56 F. while we were sitting up on the surface in near 90 degrees heat. Our pastor and spiritual director was looking at one of the salt lamps in the gift shop/ museum and we had taken up a collection for his Jubilee since it occurs in August and we wanted to give him something.

We went on to the very modern church -- the shrine of Divine Mercy. The outside of the building looks like a ship with a high tower in the center. We could not use the main church for a Mass so took a ramp down to the St. Faustina Chapel in the basement. Even though modern in architecture, it had a very holy feeling about it. Again within 10 minutes of having contacted the nuns who operate the shrine, we had Mass. Most of these places have a special liturgy all put together for you in many languages. This liturgy of course, had to do with the mercy of Christ.

We then drove on to our hotel, -- another Novotel. Our bus driver was fabulous. He would drive around for a short time, get his bearings, talk with our tour guide, Mariola, and Voila! There was our hotel!!!! We had a free afternoon to give the bus driver a much needed afternoon off.