A tour guide pointed out a small pond still slightly gray from the human ash seeping through the soil. They carried a large, bright flag of Israel. They strode, together, past the barbed wire and into the day. A few trains are available, but are not as convenient. A bus linking Auschwitz and Birkenau departs frequently during the day and costs about 50 cents.
Inexpensive camping is also available.
Admission to the Auschwitz-Birkenau museum is free. In the cinema, there is a 50 cent fee to see the 15-minute documentary on the camp's 1945 liberation. Sarah Sabalos LaSpaluto is a San Diego Union-Tribune staff writer.