Poland Day 7

We had another full and busy day today, starting our day in Sandomierz and ending up on Rzeszow, but via a circuitous route. Among the hightlights were two cathedrals, healing water, a nice palace, and some zubrowka. Ahh, how good this life is!

After breakfast, we started our early day today with a walking tour of Sandomierz, a very old city that was not destroyed in the war. We walked to the Cathedral where it had been prepared to let us in for a quick look, a very nice church inside and out. And very old. Then we walked around the square a bit and hit a few stores. I got postage stamps, but don’t expect to get any soon, they say it takes a long, long time for mail from Poland to the US. Eventually we began to make our way out of town, but first we stopped at the Church of Saint Paul (Swiety Pawel in Polish)–it is where the grandmother of one of the people in our group was baptized. The most notable thing there was two cannonballs that are embedded in the side of the church right in the walls, a remnant from Swedish bombardment in the 1400s. Yes, it’s that old, and quite beautiful, though we only had another quick peek of the interior.

From Sandomierz we eventually made our way to another castle, a small castle sometimes called the “small Wawel,” this the castle called Baranow Sandomierski. It was very cool and we had a chance to look around. At this time it’s privately owned, and there was a wedding and/or reception to be held there later today. The castle is quite nice and the grounds very neatly maintained.

From there we headed to the healing waters of the Basilica at Lezajsk. All I can say is Wow, what a magnificent structure–baroque architecture, I believe. The inside is very, very ornate. I took lots of pictures, i hope some turn out in the dim light. It was a very cool place. We also got some of the healing water from that place. There is a whole story and Chris Kulinski who organized this tour can attest to its healing powers. But aside from that, just seeing the inside was quite a treat.

Back on the bus and our next stop was a palace, the palace at Lancut. Quite a nice palace but not a fortress. But we had lunch scheduled there. As these things go, we ate lunch at 4 PM. But it was a nice lunch. For soup we had a chicken or clear broth wiht some rice and a few hamburger balls. It was OK. For salads, we had three, all very good: the first was a carrot salad, the second beets, and the third coleslaw or cabbage. Each was very unique. The main course was some rice and fish wiht a white cream sauce. Again, it was OK, but not spectacular. For dessert we had an apple covered with Creme Anglaise and a bit a chocolate sauce. It was a spectacular setting in an old palace and a fun time.

After that it was back on the bus and headed to Rzeszow. Eventually we arrived at our hotel. And that’s when the fun began!  Well, not really. I got settled in, checked email, and then went to the lobby. Turns out a group of us was going to go out, so i joined them. We walked around the square which is literally right out the door of our hotel, and eventually settled on a beer garden, or outdoor beer place. We all had a drink there. Yes, Sonja and Pat too! They even tried a sip of my Zubrowka (vodka). After a bit, we decided to head to the Zimne Kot for dinner and drinks. More Zubrowka and Piwo (Lech) there, followed by dinner. In general, all raved about their dinners. I ate light, having some Polendwiczki BBQ–breaded and baked chicken tenders in BBQ sauce. They were good, nothing too fancy, and nothing too Polish, but it was rather light and hit the spot…. and was especially good on top of that second Zybrowka and second piwo, and we’re talking drugi piwo too, none of this mnieszej stuff.

I saw something new for Poland today…pears! Yes, pears on a trees. Also saw lots of tomatoes. And we saw people digging potatoes by hand! No fancy machinery here, they were doing it the old fashioned way.

Our tour guide, Marek, is excellent, and along the way he told us many things about the history of Poland. It is quite fascinating. Poland is such a unique nation, a nation of people that time and again was tried to be put down, and time and again they did not allow themselves to be put down. At times the Nazis and Communists even outlawed speaking in Polish in public and the like but today Poland is a shining star and a leader in the Eurpoean Union. When so-called friends like France, Britain, and even the US turned their backs on Poland, both before World War II and after, it did not matter, the spirit and pride and sense of self-worth of the Polish people managed to shine through and overcome all manner of oppression. It truly is a wonderful nation of great people, people who truly are dedicated to freedom.

But it’s not over yet–tomorrow is another day. We will visit some very picturesque and quaint villages, and hopefully there will be piwo and wodka waiting for us in the evening. A shot of very fine Vodka, Zubrowka, cost a whole 6 PLN tonight, and a drugi piwo (tall or 1/2 liter) glass of Lech (piwo) cost a whole 6,50 PLN tonight. PLN = Zloty, the local Polish currency, and the current exchange rate is about 3 PLN per dollar. So about $2 for a tall beer? Wow, I’m gonna drink all I can at those prices. But tomorrow is another day. I hope you are enjoying my blog. Be sure to leave a comment or two if you are, or feel free to email me. Dobranoc!