It's amazing how different your photographs look from mine-- I was there on Christmas Eve, and there were no leaves, just snow. But that desperate, tragic aura is still there.

The oddest thing about being there (for me) was that the people of Lublin seemed to comfortable with their proximity to the camp. People were wandering through, carrying the groceries for their Christmas dinners, wreaths, decorations, gifts. It was one of the most profound ironies I have ever experienced.



It seems like an insane thing to be doing, going to a concentration camp of your own free will-- but then the idea is in your head, and you can't NOT go. I definitely felt the same experience.