Speed walking on cobblestones is never easy. Trying to not slip in the rain is tiring enough, but even more so when your stomach is full of an authentic Polish lunch. Poised behind the buffet, the girl in the flowered hat had said the purple soup was vegetarian. At least, I assumed that’s what she meant when she smiled and said “No, vegetables”, in response to my enquiring “Meat?” I don’t eat meat, but purple food is particularly Instagrammable, so I decided to take the risk. I do wish we didn't have to walk so fast but despite us both being full of borscht, my father is on a mission to reach his destination. As we round each quaint cobbled corner, I briefly stop to snap pictures of the prettiest archways and even a small sign pointing us in the right direction: Kascimierz. Coming into the plaza, words on buildings change from Polish to familiar Hebrew letters. Restaurants and cafes reassure passersby that they are kosher. However, like us, most people haven't come here for lunch. Krakow’s Jewish quarter is home to two of the oldest active synagogues in Europe. The Remah synagogue is known as “the new synagogue” of the two, despite being there since the 15th century. Though neither of us are religious, my father and I were curious to see this ancient place. Remah was said to be the center of the remaining Jewish community in a country that had only recently passed a law making it illegal to blame them for complicity in the Holocaust. Greeting visitors outside of the wrought iron gates was a sign on a wooden easel letting us know that, on Saturdays, cake and coffee is offered 24 hours a day. I briefly imagined the crowd that this would attract before realizing that, despite this synagogue being open to the public, this sign’s information was only in Hebrew. Stepping inside a room made bright and airy by high ceilings and chandeliers, the sanctuary was sparse but ornate. Colorful stained glass windows punctuated the unadorned limestone walls. Intricate wrought iron enclosed the bimah, the platform for Torah reading. Against a wall, a tall wooden bookcase was half stocked with prayer books. The ner tamid, eternal flame, was flickering silently next to a grand stone altar: the Holy Ark. Even though this flame is something found in every synagogue, this one had its own little enclosure, a mini fireplace inside the bigger altar. Burning not only in memory of the synagogue's founding rabbi, but also for Krakow's Jews who had perished in the Holocaust. I overheard a tour guide: “During the Second World War, the insides of the synagogue were looted and much of its interior destroyed…” As the tour group moved outside into the drizzling rain, I followed them. Rows of moss-covered tombstones filled the overgrown backyard. Several had small rocks and pebbles resting on their ledges as signs of remembrance. I noticed some of the gravestones seemed haphazardly placed. I strained to listen to the guide: “The cemetery was established in 1543 but has been reconstructed and restored since WWII. Nazis extracted many of the headstones to sell...very few of the original graves remain...” She doesn’t say how many of the originals were lost. My sneakers now soaking wet, I wandered around the yard. Across the cemetery, I noticed my dad gazing at the courtyard wall. Moving closer, I was confused by what looked like gravestone fragments. A patchwork of gray puzzle pieces. I slowly realized that I was looking at the original cemetery. The recovered pieces of the destroyed gravestones were reconstructed here. Remnants of names and unfinished prayers. Krakow’s own Wailing Wall. I took out my camera, but then reconsidered. With the rain once again tapering off, we decided to continue our walk. Leaving Kascimierz as dusk descended, street lamps lit up the magnificent Baroque and Renaissance style buildings. My eye caught sight of a sign against a window: SALE! Auschwitz/Birkenau tour, 89 zloty. Horses pulling carriages full of tourists lazily clip-clopped along. Standing against a wall, a box open at her feet, a woman sang opera a capella. I raised my camera and snapped a photo of the scene.