Day 16 – Do Warszawy

Posted on 30 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Well, about now, day 16 is nearly over. I am currently in the Hotel Ibis restaurant near the New/Old city in Warszawa. It’s been a long day of travel, and a long day of walking, but another good day, another amazing day filled with new things–and some old things, too!

We began his morning in Ukraine, in the small town of Zhovkva. We planned on leaving at the ungodly early hour of 6 AM, so I had my alarm set for 4:30. As luck would have it, I woke up at three and spent a restless hour until about 4. Then when the alarm went off I did not want to get up. But I did, I got up, showered and shaved and got ready for the day. I even had some time to sit in the lobby and read some email. But by about 5:50 we were ready and on the road to the border.

Wojtek (and the rest of us, I imagine) was apprehensive about the border crossing, but we actually made it in exactly 55 minutes, so it was not too bad an now where near the anticipated 5 hours. It does seem like they take a second look at an American, probably wondering why in the world anyone from America would go to or from Ukraine! I don’t know. But it was rather painless.

And so once clear of the border, we were back on generally good roads (though construction going into Lublin). We drove through Zamość and through Lublin, eventually stopping as a Karczma named Bid, for breakfast/lunch. Wow, what a place. Wojtek and/or Alicja had been there before. It was decorated like long ago, lots of wood, stone floors, wood plank tables and chairs. And the food? Oh my. I started with a bowl of Żurek, but in a bread bowl. It was excellent, and the bread just added to the good taste and flavor. I was full after the first course, but had more to go. For my second course, I had veal-stuffed pierogi covered with a chanterelle mushroom sauce, and four different vegetables. It was all excellent. The pierogi were out of this world, especially when coupled with the chanterelle mushroom sauce….. Wonderful! And the veggies, well my favorites were the fresh cabbage and fresh carrots, both a type of slaw. There was also some pickled red and green cabbage, more of a sauerkraut type. They were good too. I was not able to finish, the portions were huge. As a matter of fact, none of us finished our meals! But it was very good, I’m glad we stopped.

And then it was on the road to Warszawa. We arrived here a little before 1 I think. There was a short wait for my room to be cleaned, but quite short. And then we got into our rooms and got settled. After a bit, Wojtek and I took off for the Museum of the Polish uprising, only to find that it is closed on Tuesday. So we headed back to the hotel and met up with Filip and Alicja. And then we set out.

We are staying right near the old city, stary miasto, so we headed out for it. It was a nice day, but a bit on the cooler side. You see, we had some rain come through last night in Ukraine, and I suppose it was a front of some sort. So today it only got up to about 70 or so, but it sure felt good. And so we walked, and saw a lot of historic sights. Many churches, and we went into quite a few.

There are many sobering moments, though, when touring through Warszawa. It’s a city that was 80-90% leveled in World War II. The Nazis has no mercy, and the Soviets did not like the Poles so did not hasten in to help either. But most of the city was built to resemble the original after World War II. However, many, many Poles died during that war, fighting first the Germans and the Russians, and later mainly the Russians. Additionally, many Polish military escaped when Poland was first invaded. As a matter of fact, the Polish Army was the third largest western Allied army after the United States and Great Britain. And so many Polish people were killed during World War II (a much as 10% of the population or more). And so in many of the churches and other buildings, and even in monuments on the streets, you can read about the hardship and suffering that the Poles endured in World War II. Plaque after plaque, monument after monument, are sad and sorrowful reminders of that horrific war. But, Poland has prevailed and has overcome not only the tragedy of World War II but the many years of Soviet enslavement it received at the hands of it’s friends and allies, Churchill and Roosevelt, at the Potsdam conference. And it survived that, raised up a Polish Pope (there are tributes to him all over the city), and eventually not only gained it’s freedom from the enslavement of communism but also led the way for the rest of the former Soviet Union. But always remember, it was Poland who first broke those chains.

And so when you walk through the streets of Warszawa today, you can see that. Though there is a lot of sadness and heartache associated with the plaques and monuments remembering all those who gave their lives in World War II, there are also the signs of thankfulness for what has transpired since. A message of hope for the future.

And so we saw quite a lot of sights in the old town (and new) of Warszawa today. Eventually Wojtek, Alicja, and Filip headed back to the room, as Filip was tired, but I kept going, seeing more. And taking my time, stopping in a few shops, picking up a few souvenirs, a pącka here, a small piwo there, eventually I made my way back to the hotel, taking lots of pictures on the way. But as you already know, If you’re reading this blog as I write it, you’ll have to wait until I get home for me to post the pictures.

And so now I am sitting at the restaurant in the Hotel Ibis, writing these words. I had a quick Żubrówka earlier, and now just had dinner–excellent–chicken cutlet breaded and fried, served on a stone-ground mustard sauce, with rice and veggies, and of course a piwo, and some bread. I am full now. But it’s not just food I am full of. I am full of an appreciation for Poland and the Polish spirit. It is a nation that will not die, that just cannot die. It’s been beaten down time and again, but has always come back, bigger and better. And today, that is evident here. The contrast between Ukraine and Poland, both former communist countries, is stark and amazing. It’s not just the roads, it’s everything. As soon as we entered Poland today, there were the signs of progress. New roads. New buildings. Big factories. Farms with big machinery. Huge machinery dealers. Auto dealer after auto dealer. Stores everywhere. People and cars everywhere. I cannot imagine where the future may take Poland but it I was a betting man, I’d put my money on Poland as the “one” to watch. Even in these trying times, Poland is leading the pack among the nations of the world, a testament to the will and strength and spirit of the Polish people. Sure makes me proud to be Polish!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, historic sites, history | Leave a comment

Day 15 – Kremenets to Zhovkva

Posted on 29 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Well, our stay in Ukraine is nearing it’s end. Tomorrow morning we’ll head for the boder, about 60 or so kilometers away, I think. How long it will take to get there is anyone’s guess….the road between here and there was not very good, as I recall. And then I’m not sure how long to cross. I would not think too long, but who knows. I recall saying on my earlier post about first arriving in Ukraine, and I said the road went from bad to worse. Well, after almost 10 days of Ukrainian roads, the road we first drove in on is just one or two small steps below the best….some of the roads here are really terrible. Well, if they improved, they’d get up to terrible. So it goes. Anyway…that’s where we are tonight, in the city of Zhovkva, but let me start with the beginning of today, as we saw quite a bit of “Poland” in Ukraine. Yes, it is a conundrum.

We started our hotel in Kremenets. It seemed to be a pretty new hotel and not many guests, mostly empty I think. And part of the driveway is still under construction. It does not have a restaurant either. But the room was comfortable enough for the 200 hrvinia it cost, about $25 USD!

After we left our hotel, our first stop was the ruins of a castle on a hill high above Kremenets. It was ruins that we could see from our hotel room. It is a huge hill high above. Wojtek and I climbed around the ruins…..no safety nets, nothing. I did fall once or twice, but was very careful….it was a long way down! The view was absolutely spectacular. I know I’ve said it before, but wait till you see the pictures. At one point, we spied something very big and shiny way off in the distance. We speculated on what it could be, but we did find out later. Wow, you can see quite a distance from way up high, no wonder they built castles and fortresses like that. I do not know the story (yet) of how this castle became ruins, but will look it up, for sure, when I have better Internet access.

After the visit to the castle ruins, we went in search of some breakfast. We found it as a rather nicely done place not too far away. So what did I have for breakfast? Well, I had pizza! But it certainly was a Ukrainian interpretation of pizza. The sauce seemed to be somewhat mayonnaise-based, but it was topped with ham, mushrooms, olives, tomatoes, and cheese. It could have been cooked a bit longer to crisp up the crust, but it was very good, a nice start to the day. And then we were off.

Our next stop of the day was at the city of Pochaiv, but before we could get there, we were delayed in a small town…by a funeral procession! Yes, and I have the pictures to prove it. Just ahead of us a procession led by a priest and other ministers, then followed by a truck with an open wooden casket on it, and followed by more mourners, was going down the street. We could do nothing but follow. But traffic for the other direction all stopped, the people got out of their vehicles, bowed their heads, and payed their respects until the procession went by..then they moved on. I did get lots of pictures, it was truly an amazing sight.

Eventually we made it to Pochaiv, where Wojtek and I discovered the answer about the buildings we saw in the distance from Kremenets–they were the churches, steeples, and spires from the monastery at Pochaiv. We went in. It was very interesting. First, I was wearing shorts, but they are not allowed, so I had to put on long pants. Second, Alicja had to stop and buy a covering for her head–women must have their heads covered. And, Alicja was wearing pants, and had to “rent” a wrap-a-round skirt–women must wear skirts/dresses. It’s a marvelous place, quite extraoridnary. I got to glimpse into a few of the churches there and they are truly amazing. We could not go into the one where they were doing an exorcism, but could hear the screams of the demons…quite interesting. I got a few photos outside, and a book with photos from inside. It is a place very full of history. I can’t wait to post some of the photos from it, it is truly magnificent.

Alas, we had to move on, and so after a bit found ourselves at Podhorce, another castle. We got in and saw a bit of it, it is really magnificient, with an old but run down Polish Catholic Church right by it. Quite impressive, actually. Again, I have to look up the history of the place, but it played an important part in Polish history.

Next it was on to Zolochiv. It was closed, but the guards let us in when we made a nice donation! Again, a magnificent structure, undergoing rehabilitation. A lot of history here. The NKVD (soviet secret police) used it as a prison at one time and the guard showed is a rock that they used to chaig people to in order to kill them. Nearby, there is a monument to 637 people killed by the NKVD, too.

Then we were on the road again. We elected not to stop at the castle at Olesko, fearing it would be closed like many others since today is Monday. But we saw it in the distance, and it is quite impressive, even from far away!

So we were finally on our way to our final destination of the day, Zhovkva, where we are spending the night. But we still had some adventures here. Alicja’s guide book found us a great and old place to eat. We had a good meal there with mushroom soup, bread, and some fried potatoes with a beef cutlet and some cwikla. It was very good, and washed down with a beer…well, with two. Then we went on to explore. This city has a nice square and some old buildings and palaces/fortifications around it. Also some old churches. We went into one that was again very beautiful, and had a service going on, a Greek Catholic church. Quite exquisite. I think today I have seen two of the most beautiful churches there are. I am in awe.

Eventually the evening and day had to come to an end. We are leaving early in the morning in hopes of having a rather painless border crossing. I’ll let you know….

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, historic sites, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Day 14 – To Kremenets

Posted on 28 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Today I got up pretty early having had a good night’s sleep, ready for the day’s adventures. After we cleaned up a bit, we had breakfast again, and again it was very good. I was still full from last night and so ate very little, a few tomatoes, some cheese, maybe a few other bits and bites, and of course some tea. Luba had made another wonderful cake or torte, but I just did not have any room. But it was good, as always, they are great hosts, Michail and Luba, as well as their daughters.

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Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, historic sites, history, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Day 13 – Fashchivka and more

Posted on 28 August 2011 by lkonieczny

We began to day in Fashchivka, having had a good night’s sleep. I slept in what I think is an older living room, on a sofa that turns into a bed. It was quite comfortable with fresh sheets and a huge, thick comforter–I image it’s quite needed in the winter. Once the lights were out, it was dark, very dark. But I slept comfortably and well, waking as the day dawned, and using that quite opportunity to work on yesterday’s blog entry.

Once we were up and at it, we had a bit of breakfast, basically the same fare as yesterday’s lunch. But by now we’ve cleaned up of the meats, cheese, bread, and the tomatoes. And of course we had tea with it. It was good and hit the spot.

After breakfast, Alicja, Wojtek, Filip and I took a long walk. We went again to the house that belonged to Jan Cymbal at one time, our common great-great-grandfather. It would have been the house where our great-grandfathers grew up. All run down now, but locked up. Not sure what’s inside or who if anyone owns it. After that we walked some more, quite a distance actually. We crossed a small creek that goes into the Zbruch River and then headed back towards Fashchivka. There we found the “downtown” area–really just a marker and a small shelter where people can wait for the bus that runs occasionally.

Eventually, we all got into Michail’s van and he took us on an excursion. We drove to Mala Luka, back on the same roads we’d come in on yesterday. First we saw an old abandoned Polish Catholic Church. It was build in 1938, just a year before the war and before all the “ethnic cleansing” that went on. The Cymbal relatives would probably have gone there because it was closer than the nearest Polish Catholic church in Tarnoruda. Then we visited the Greek Catholic Church. That is the church where my great-grandmother, Katarzyna Kucharska, was baptized. She would have been baptized there because the marriage of her parents was a mixed marriage, or they were Ukrainian. Ukrainians went to the Greek Catholic Church, but in the case of a mixed marriage, the boys were baptized in the Polish Catholic church, the girls in the Ukrainian one. So it turns out I may have some Ukrainian blood in me too. But then you have to ask the question as to how you define a nationality, anyway…. Long discussion there, I’m sure.

After the stop at the church, we stopped at a cemetery not too far away. Apparently it’s been the cemetery for the area for some time, and is still used. But it has some older Polish Catholic graves that are in very much disrepair, overgrown by weeds. And some graves for Ukrainian people that are still taken care of. I guess the Polish graves suffer because the Polish people were kicked out of the area long ago. Near the center there was a small building and we went in. It was a Polish crypt of some sort, and the wooden floor over the crypt was mostly gone. But I went down a few very steep steps and took a look. I believe I saw a human femur (leg bone) laying there, and also what looked to be a mummified leg and foot. It was hard to tell in the dark, but of course I took a few pictures. Kinda weird, actually.

We left Mala Luka and headed back, then stopped and walked into the grass quite a way. There was a small memorial to 46 UPA (Ukrainian Nationalist) soldiers that were killed, I believe by the Germans. Remember, the UPA was a sort of terrorist or nationalist group fighting for a free Ukraine in what was at least here, traditionally somewhat Polish country. Anyhow, there are mixed feelings there. Michail is sad when he sees this monument, Alicja is happy. I am just sad that people have to act like they do sometime. And I know that history gets written by the victor, and is not necessarily the whole truth, only someone’s interpretation of it.

After that, we passed back through Fashchivka on our way to Tarnoruda, about 4 km away. Tarnoruda was the closest Catholic church (before 1938) and is where my great-great grandparents and their family would have gone. There in Tarnoruda we found the church. Michail also found the man who has the keys to the church, and we spent quite a delightful hour or more with him. There we were in the same church where our great-grandparents had been, and where they were most likely baptized, and enjoyed other life events. The church is very old, dating back to the mid or early 1800s, I’ll have to look at my pictures to know for sure. And the man we met is the man who saved a lot of the contents of the church during the war! A lot of them had been returned to the church. He is 87 and his wife is now dead, but he takes care of the church. I took many pictures. Then we went to his house where he had even more stuff from the church, the monstrance, a chalice, and much, much more. A real treasure trove, if only someone wanted to preserve it, besides him. But now there are only three Polish people in the area, and he is one of them. He was extremely happy to share many stories with us, and we had a wonderful time. I took many, many pictures.

Eventually we stopped at a very small store full of “stuff” and then headed back. After a bit of a rest, we had lunch. Once again. Luba (with help, I imagine, from their two daughters) turned out a big feast. We started with borscht which was pretty good. It was a lot of vegetables, only a little beets, but still very good. Then there was kasza gryczana. Kasza is a grain of a sort called buckwheat and kasza gryczana is made from buckwheat groats. Ukraine is the third largest grower of buckwheat in the world. Anyway, the kasza gryczana was flavored with chicken and carrots and a gravy. Michail grows the grain. It was also good. We also had a salad of corn, Krab, onion, diced cucumbers, some potato chips, and mayonnaise, maybe a few more things. But it was very good. There was also bread, an assortment of meats, the leftover fish from yesterday, and some galaretka. All was very good. After that, we took a bit of a rest before we headed out on the next leg of our journey.

Eventually we got going again, around 5 PM. Our destination was, I believe, in the cities of Pidvolochisk and Bolochisk, about 20 km away or so. Michail drive and Luba joined us. It was a very rough road for over half the way there, then became only rough, until we got to a main road which we only traveled on for a short time. We arrived at the home of Bogdan and Lesia (Alexandra) Wosoloski Lesia is the great-granddaughter of Antoni and so also my third cousin. We had a very nice meal there and quite a few rounds of vodka. Bogdan was quite liberal in his pours, but I made sure to not drink it all each time. The food was simply wonderful, meats, cheese, vegetables, quite and assortment. Among my favorites was two slices of eggplant topped with a tomato slice. There was some mayo in there and a few other things. It was wonderful. Bogdan spoke a bit of English as he lived in the United States for 5 years where he was the chaffeur for some big shot with some company, from around 1995-1999 or so. He was mainly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania but also had a picture, for example, from in front of the White House. We had a very good time there.

After that, I was stuffed and we hit the road again. But we did not travel far as now we stopped at the home of Michail’s brother, Yevgen (called Chanio) and his wife Oksana. She also had a nice spread of food, so of course I had to eat some to be polite, and to drink some vodka, to be polite. Again it was a good time. This time it was ????? And Wojtek who dominated the conversation, as both are veterinarians. I believe they were mostly comparing notes about what they do and the differences between Poland and Ukraine.

Again, we had a very good time there and again (as we always do), we spent some time telling the story of how Alicja and I got in contact via the Internet, my family tree and web site, how I traveled to Poland last year and at the last moment Alicja got my email and met me, and of my travels here this year. It was a delightful evening, though I did end up very stuffed and feeling a bit happy from the vodka. Good thing I had the food to soak it up.

When we arrived back at Michail and Luba’s home, I was treated to a fantastic sight. Here we are in the middle of nowhere. There are no cities or towns of any size close by at all. And when I got out of the car and looked up, I could see the stars and the milky way in all it’s glory and splendor. I think I stood for a moment with my head up, just taking it in. It’s a sight I have not seen since I was in my 20s, sitting outside late at night at my parent’s house. It’s a sight I’ll never see where I live now because of the city’s light pollution, and will never see from my parents’ house now, because of the light pollution of a WalMart that has sprung up there. But it sure was magnificent, truly.

And so ended day 13. It was after 10, maybe closer to 11, a late day, but a full day, full of memories, history, the past, the present, and, I guess, the hope for the future, for a better future. Quite a grand day!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, genealogy, My Polish Family, Ukraine | 4 Comments

Day 12 – Living in the Past

Posted on 28 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Day 12 began innocently enough, with breakfast at our hotel. We had to wait a while for our breakfast and during that wait we commented on the hotel and its “staff.” No one ever seems to be smiling. It seems a bit odd. They were polite enough and competent enough. Yet we never really felt welcomed or appreciated. I’m sure they appreciated our money enough, but no one who worked there seemed very happy. At first we thought it might be because they don’t like Polish people, but then we noticed that they just didn’t seem to smile for anyone. Interesting.

Our breakfast was a repeat of the previous day, quite simple. Macaroni with a tiny but of sauce (tasty though) and a few pieces of chicken, one slice of tomato and two pieces of cucumber. I will say this, the tomatoes and cucumbers were much better than most (maybe all) American restaurants. I think in the US we have bred the taste out of some of our produce in favor of looks. I’d rather eat a tasty tomato than a pretty one, and here in Ukraine I’ve had some of the most tasty tomatoes ever–since Dad’s garden that is. And we had tea with our meal. Oh, one of the meals was two fried eggs with two pieces of something like Canadian bacon. And the vegetables. And bread with the meal, but no butter.

After breakfast we headed out for a short walk to the castle. Wojtek and I’d been in it the day before, but Alicia had not seen it. She only wanted to see it, so we didn’t go in. But the sun was now in a good place and I got some better pictures than the day before. After that, we headed back to our hotel and took off, headed to Fashchivka, the home of our common ancestors.

We drove through some beautiful countryside. Many wide fields on the large, rolling hills. A few small cities here and there. After about two hours, we came to the town of Sataniv, right on the Zbruch River, the former border between Poland and Russia. There we saw a Polish church in the distance and decided to stop and visit. We stopped first at the cemetery and looked around. Then as we went up to the church we heard singing–in Polish. Mass was going on and was getting towards the end, communion time. We watched a bit, but it was indeed a Polish church full of Polish people in Ukraine. After mass, the had a procession with the monstrance out the church and around it. We went back to the cemetery to look around some more.

The experience at the church was quite moving as it reminded me of the many church services I’d attended as a child at St. Hedwig’s in Thorp, WI. One of the hymns yesterday even sounded somewhat familiar. But it sure brought back good memories, and a strong remembrance to the past.

Eventually we headed towards Fashchivka. We stopped a few times for directions and ended up in the town of Mala Luka, significant to me because it is the town where my great-grandmother was born. Not much is known about her and her family, and no one in the family likes to talk much about it, but it appears that long, long ago, the father of my great-grandmother sold the farm, leaving the wife and kids in deep poverty. They say he took the money and headed to America, never to return or be heard from again. What happened? Was he a scoundrel who turned his back on his family? Did he make it to America? Did he meet with some mishap? Did he just abandon them and start a new life? No one seems to know and no one really talks about it either, just in whispers, I think!

We found an old woman on the roadside milking a cow, and asked her for directions. She gave us directions to Fashchivka, but it turned out to be down what was more of a cow or tractor path, and turned out to be somewhat treacherous–good thing it is dry and has not rained recently. It was a somewhat scary drive, down a few steep hills with deeply rutted roads, but somehow we eventually found ourselves in the middle of a village. We stopped one time for directions, then a second, and the second house turned out to be the home of our relatives! We were quickly and warmly greeted.

The relatives here consist of Aunt Hania, her son Michail with his wife Luba, and their daughters Marienka and Hanienka (I’m sure I have the spelling all messed up). Aunt Hania is getting up there in years, I am not sure how many. Her father was Jan, a brother to my great-grandfather Alex and brother to Alicja’s great-grandfather Antoni. I think I have that all right now.

After a bit, dinner (obiad, or lunch) appeared. It was very good. The centerpiece was a fish that had been caught in the nearby Zbruch river, then it had the meat and bones removed leaving only the head and skin and tail, and that was stuffed and cooked, then refrigerated. Well, in this case it had been frozen. It seems that Alicja’s brother, Marek, had called here when we left Gdańsk last week and told them we were arriving a week earlier than we had planned, so they were ready for our arrival a week ago–and we never showed up! Oh well, it all ended up OK. So we had the fish which was very good, and a plate of meats and cheese, and bread, and a plate full of the world’s most delicious tomatoes that had just a bit of mayo and onion on them. And a plate of red and green grapes. Dinner started with a simple but tasty vegetable soup with some potatoes and carrots in it–the flavor was excellent. And with dinner we had a bit of vodka, too. And some beer. It was a very good dinner and we had a lot of fun.

Later, in the early evening, Aunt Hania took us to the cemetery. There we visited the graves of Alicja’s great-grandfather, Antoni, and the grave of our great-great grandmother, Rozalia. Here grave is a large area, but only one headstone and it only mentions here. Yet the family believes it is the grave of Rozalia, Jan, and maybe some of their children. It was a solemn and somber moment to visit these people who I never met, and yet who are part of the reason I am here today. We placed some flower and removed a bit of brush, though Wojtek has plans for us to go back today and spruce them up a bit.

Antoni, Alicja’s great-grandfather, was actually murdered by the UPA-Ukrainian nationalists–in 1943 or 1944, simply because he was Polish. A sad bit of history and to some only a statistic, events rarely mentioned. Yet very real and they impacted people and their lives. We saw a few other graves that were some relatives of Alicja’s from Antoni’s wife’s side of the family, too.

After that, Aunt Hani took us on more of a walk where eventually we came to the former home of Jan Cymbal, our common great-great-grandfather. It is the home where my great-grandfather Alex grew up. Now it is just ruins and unoccupied. But the buildings are there, the house, a separate root cellar, a barn or stable or something, all in ruins and overgrown by weeds, abandoned long ago. Yet it was a very moving moment to see this. Yes, I did take lots of pictures.

Fashchivka is a very poor town. It makes the poor of America look downright rich. Michail told us of a local man who has gotten very rich and has bought and owns a lot of the large fields around here. But he hires people for 60 or 80 hrvinia a day–and that’s a minimum 10 to 12 hour day. Now if you look up the exchange rate, you’ll find that to be around $6 a day. And a long day. Michail grows sugar beets, but the factory does not have money to give him, so he gets sugar, that’s all. Take it or leave it I guess. They are indeed quite poor here. They have three cows and a few calves. Some pigs. A bunch of chickens and some ducks. He grows some grain, sugar beets, and corn. It is quite a hard life. It sure makes me glad for what my great-grandparents did, in coming to America, an America which was at that time a great country and a land of opportunity and promise, but now a land which was of late lost some of that as well. Here you can also see the big failure of communism of a system where the government provides everything, a lesson for us in America where we at times seem to want government to do more and more for us–that does not work! It absolutely does not work.

Later on we took a walk with Marienka, down to the Zbruch river, the river that was, at one time, the border between Poland and the Soviet Union (between the world wars) and the border between Galacian Poland and Russian Poland during the partition. It’s a very small river at this time, but give to flooding when there is lots of rain. But right now, it’s really tiny, a few dozen feet wide, at least where we saw it.

Later in the evening, we had a bit of a snack, the bread, meats, cheese, fruits and tomatoes from earlier. And some tea. And we sat and talked with Marienka for a long time. She is currently in school studying medicine, three years down and three more to go. She goes to school in Ternopil, a large town maybe 50 of so kilometers away. It was very interesting hear from here what it is like, and also considering the state of things in the Ukraine with few job, lots of poverty, and a low standard of living. Like in Poland, many young people are going to other areas of Europe or beyond in search of jobs that pay some money, as there are few here, as evidenced by Michail’s story above.

Marienka is a bright, young, intelligent, and good looking girl of 19. She must be pretty smart to be in medical school. Anyhow, she has my email address and actually speaks a bit of English. I’ve offered to help her via Skype. I hope she takes me up on it. Wojtek too wants to help her out however they can. And the other daughter, Hanienka, is studying to be a nurse. There certainly seems to be no money in farming in a tiny, very poor village.

As we were walking around yesterday, we found many homes that have been abandoned, simply abandoned. The people have just up and moved away because there is nothing here for them. Very sad. Very sad.

I should also comment and the home and living conditions of Michail and his family, as it is a story of contrasts. It appears to be an old brick home. In the front, to the side, there is a somewhat new and recent addition. It contains a small dining room with a nicely tiled floor, new and fancy doors, a larger room that is a living room–it has a large area rug, sofa and chairs, and desk with a computer on it (laptop) but there is no Internet connection available here. In the back there area a few rooms that they are working on and even last night were tiling–one is a new kitchen, the other a bathroom. There is a well in the back yard from where they get all their water, but from the digging (and the connections in the new rooms), I’d say they are getting ready to put in a pump. There is also a room between the two that will house a water heater, maybe washer/dryer, I am not sure. There is a satellite dish on the side of the house, and a TV in the room in which I’m sleeping, maybe a living room or possible was a living room and now a bedroom. Aunt Hania lives in some attached rooms as well. There are a number of rooms somehow connected, like a house that’s grown and been added on to over the years. Some of it quite modern, some of it now. But all very neat and well taken care of. You can tell these are at heart very good, kind, loving, and caring people, people who work hard, and are doing the best they can in difficult circumstances. They have beer and wine and vodka, but probably don’t eat like that all the time. Even candy, tea, sugar, etc. The milk and butter are from their own cow. It must be a hard life, but they also enjoy some modern conveniences, and are soon looking forward to others, I’m sure. They get by, they definitely get buy. It is very interesting, very, very interesting, for sure, and so different from what I am used to.

So my day was very interesting, making connections to the past, learning of the hard times of the present, and hearing of some of the hopes for a future by the young people. How will it all turn out? I have no idea. But I do hope that we can stay in touch. After all, we are family.

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, My Polish Family, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

Day 11 – In and around Kamianets-Podilskyi

Posted on 25 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Oh dear, how to describe this days. Each day is so very special and awesome, each in its own way. Today we began the day in Kamianets-Podilskyi, and we are ending it in the same hotel. We decided to stay another day, but we had to change rooms and pay a bit more, but still quite cheap by American standards. So we eventually got that straightened out, and left our luggage in one of the rooms that was being cleaned, to be retrieved later.

And so we took off. We had a nice tour of this are of Ukraine on the way, but our first stop was Kryvche where there is a cave.
• Kryvche is known mainly because of its cave system, one of the longest in the world. It is also known for Kryvche castle which dates from first half of the 17th century and is built of sandstone, representing a typical castle from that period. So we decided to tour the cave. As luck would have it, a tour was about to leave. The tour was in Ukrainian, so I understood just a little, but I did understand a bit. The tour goes about 500 meters into the caves–it really is fascinating, but definitely not for the claustrophopic or anyone not sure of foot. It was up and down, through very tight places, many times bending way down. We probably walked for a good hour. The place was lit…for a while… but it still was not for the faint of heart. Bats fluttered about, and we saw some amazing rock formations that look like various animals and people. It was a very amazing place.

We were on our way back when the lights went out! Fortunately, our tour guide had a few flashlights and several others had as well (we were a total of 12 people). It really was amazing and I’m so glad I went, very interesting. I hope my pictures turn out!

Along the way there, and after, we saw several ruins, some small castles and palaces, and a few Polish Churches, all in ruins. We stopped at Skala Podilska and ended up having an excellent lunch there from a street vendor. They were called czeburaki, and were like a large pierogi, fried, and filled with chicken and some sort of cheese. They were excellent. We ate very well.

Eventually we headed back to our hotel. The scenery on the way was equally spectacular. Large open fields, some still growing crops, some already harvested. In some places we saw large farm machinery, in others, we saw horses and wagons, but not as prevalent as in previous days. We eventually made it back to our hotel and got into our rooms, about 3:45, and decided to have an hour’s nap. I did nap for about 40 minutes of that time, and it felt very good–I was very tired.

Eventually, I got up and found that Filip was still napping, so Wojtek and I took off for the castle here in Kamianets-Podilskyi. It turns out it’s just a few hundred meters down the street. So we spent a good hour exploring the castle. It really is quite fascinating. And here you could go up in some of the towers and walk some of the battlements…very, very cool. I took lots of pictures and we had a nice time, fueled in part by a beer or two. There is no OSHA in Ukraine so it was a bit dangerous at times, but it was a lot of fun, I really liked it.

Eventually we met up with Alicja and Filip and had dinner in the restaurant in our hotel. It was good and the total bill for three people with three beers and everything was under $20! Can you believe that? Quite inexpensive, and the food was pretty good, too!

After dinner, we took off to walk around the town square area and saw quite a few historic and old buildings. It was quite fascinating and was a very nice evening and a great time.

I am really enjoying my vacation to the max, it is the best time ever. Alicja is a great tour planner and we’ve seen some extraordinary sights. And who knows what tomorrow will bring. Well, for one thing, I know that it will eventually bring some relatives. I cannot wait! It’s the best vacation ever!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, historic sites, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Day 10 – Chernivtsi to Kamianets-Podilskyi

Posted on 24 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Another day of traveling, but a good day as well. We began the day in Romania, in Strada Mihail Sadoveanu, Oradea, Romania. It was a very nice hotel called Hotel Eden. Tonight we are staying in a very nice hotel in Kamianets-Podilskyi (Kameniec Podolski in Polish) called…..called….hmmmm, I’m not sure I know the name of it, but it is very nice and clean and I have a room and a bathroom….it is very nice, and right off the city square in Kamianets-Podilskyi–however you want to spell it (hint: Google it!).

We arrived here late in the day, after 5 PM local time, but still very light out. Though this is where we ended the day, there was a lot more between this end, and the beginning.

Our breakfast at our Romanian hotel was very nice, I had an omelet with ham and cheese, and some tomatoes. And bread. And butter. And a jam of a fruit whose name I have to find out. It was sort of like black currants, sort of like blueberries, but neither, I think…yet very good. Anyway, it was a very good breakfast, and then we hit the road.

We traveled quite a distance and got to the border, always an interesting experience. Wojtek cannot list patience as one of his virtues, and at the border, you need all the right stamps and inspections in all the right order. Fortunately, they know how to deal with impatience as well. It was a painless crossing, actually, and maybe less than an hour.

And then it was on the Chernivtsi (again, Google it!). We parked at the city center and spent about three hours wandering around. It is a very cool city with lots of history and historic buildings and churches and the like. And a wonderful University built during the Austrian occupation, in the 1800s. Again, pictures will follow–eventually.

We stopped for lunch at a “fast food” place that advertised hamburgers and “chicken nuggets,” but I had some sort of very good Ukrainian soup and a sort of pizza….Hard to describe. It was OK but would have been better if cooked a bit longer in a hotter oven. Still, it was very good, and the soup excellent. Since I was not driving, I had a Ukrainian beer with my lunch. We all enjoyed our lunch.

We were in Chernivtsi for Ukrainian Independence day, the 20th anniversary, and saw a parade and a gathering with speeches and the like at a central place. At some time (in the future) I will blog about the politics of Ukraine–once I understand them better–and Ukrainian-Polish-Lithuanian-Rus History ( a more complicated subject), but suffice it to say that Ukrainians today love their country and are very proud of it. It was good to see. And interesting.

Eventually, we took off and headed to Chocim (Ukrainian Khotyn), to visit a massive fortress (what’s left of it) where King Jan Sobieski III defeated the Turks long time ago. There is a lot of history there and a lot of the fortress remains.

We spent a good hour at the fortress…. Very impressive, even today. Not all of it remains, but it was built hundreds of years ago and was quite the feat. Again, you will have to wait for the pictures, but in the meantime, I suggest you Google it to find out more. You might also Google for “St. [or Holy] Trinity Trenches. It really as fascinating, and I will soon read more about it.

Then, we took of for Kazimierc Podholski. Again, a very quaint town. Tomorrow we will visit the massive fortress that is somewhere here. But we were quite tired when we arrived and finally decided on a hotel. The accomodations are excellent, I have my own room with a separate łazienka (bathroom), and a very nice room.

Once we settled in a bit, we journeyed around the city square and went to a park. Today is the 20th anniversary of Ukrainian Independence (from the former Soviet Union), and there was a bit celebration. We stayed for a bit but then headed back to hour hotel. Alicja was tired, and so was Filip, so then went back to the room while Wojtek and I had two beers in the restaurant. I’d also got some vodka and orange juice, so we finished the evening in my room with a bit of that, fitting end to a long day.

With a lot of Ponglish, my very poor Polish, Wojtek’s pretty fair English, and Alicja’s not to bad English, we are managing very well. Once in a while we end at an impasse, something we cannot translate, but that is rare. I am indeed having the experience of a lifetime. I can only imagine what tomorrow may bring…. But for now…. Dobranoc…. Good night!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, history, History of Poland, Ukraine | Leave a comment

Day 9 – Romainian Kartpaty

Posted on 23 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Where to begin. Today I saw some of the most wonderful scenery I have ever seen in my whole life. And, I now can say I’ve visited yet another country, because I am currently sitting in a hotel room in Romania! But let me start at the beginning.

We started our day by having breakfast at the place we stayed last night at 9 AM. There was a bit of a language barrier, but we managed and ended up with eggs and ham/bacon (I would say it was more like canadian bacon, Alicja claims it was sausage, but I’m sure it was cured ham of some kind, but delicious) and bread. And tea, of course. It was very good. And after that, we were on the road.

As we were driving south form Jaremcze (OK, I am still not sure how to spell to because it is different in the different languages!), eventually we came to a sign for a waterfall, so we took that road. We drove a few kilometers, then came to a gate…. We had to pay to go further, but it was the equivalent of about $1 a person, so we did. The road was nice at first, but then degenerated into lots of rocks. Eventually we stopped, then walked the rest of the way, but it was a very cool walk. Along the way I found to Blackberries and Raspberries growing wild by the roadside, and of course I had a few. Now, Wojtek told me that I should have thought twice because people in Poland often times stop by the roadside to “water the plants”…. So to speak. Well, it did rain last night, so I think I was safe!

Eventually we got to the waterfall, maybe 15 km drop for the water, quite nice. There has not been a lot of rain recently so it was not a torrent of water, but still was quite beautiful. I’ll temp you to come back again and again to my blog, as I will eventually post some pictures. By the way, a number of cars went even further than us, there was of course the usual postcards and stuff for sale as well. Very cool.

We continued on our journey and soon came to a sign for Bukovel, a ski area. It was a very nice road and appeared to be newly constructed, so we took it…until we came to the end of the new construction and had to turn back. But the nice guard told us we’d need to backtrack a ways, and so we did. You cannot imagine what this place is like (yes, we finally got there). First, we parked in the finished parking ramp (a second is under construction) and everywhere there is construction….and a lot of ski lifts. Maybe four or five or more, some not yet complete. Ukraine is a very poor country but is sure putting some of it’s money into winter tourism, and is building a very fine place. Again, you’ll have to wait for my photos. They are unbelievable.

The one “sour” note, we stopped at the bathroom in the parking ramp and it was about the second worst smelling bathroom I’ve ever been in. I’d have taken a picture of the lone “stall” where you just stand to do your business, but I was holding my breath. And t flush water was brown, as was the sink water. Hope they fix that. But otherwise, it was a cool place. Oh, and they even have a Taco Bell that is being built! Amazing.

We stopped for dinner in a small place in some town whose name I don’t know, and had barszcz and pelmeni (pierogi) with meat for lunch. After that we were joking that it’s the only things we’re eating. In part because they were the only recognizable things on the menu, written totally in Ukrainian.

Eventually, we hit the road again. Our goal turned out to be Romania. As we were heading there though the mountains, we saw some of the most amazing scenery I’ve ever seen. Eventually we found a small border crossing and made it through, then began our drive though the Romanian side of the Carpathian Mountains….very cool. Again, wait for the pictures.

We travelled very far through the mountains, up and down the mountains, and then were trying to get back to Ukraine, but it was getting late. We did not have any Romanian money nor any Euros on us, and I had not notified my credit card companies I’d be in Romania. We stopped at a number of hotels, but they were either (1) not really hotels or (2) full or (3) did not take dollars or any of the other currency (Polish or Ukrainian) we had. We also found that most Romanians do not understand Polish… but some do understand English, and so I became the interpreter in some cases, getting directions, looking for a room, etc.

So we drove a long way, until after dark. But then we got to wherever we are now, and found a hotel where they both speak English and are willing to take dollars. And so that’s where we’re at tonight (again, wherever that is….I am not sure, the name is quite long). But, I have dollars, they have cold beer, and we have nice–very nice–rooms for the night.

Let me finish by saying that Romania–like Ukraine and Poland–is a very beautiful country and has some beautiful scenery. I have also seen a lot of “mountain folk” who are cutting hay by hand, stacking it in the fields, and using horse-pulled wagons for transport. Very interesting to say the least. I hope a got a few pictures of that as well. Very beautiful country, that’s my final word!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip | 2 Comments

Day 8

Posted on 22 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Well, day 8 of my wonderful trip is about over, and it was yet another great day. We began the day in the wonderful city of Lwów, and have ended it in the also nice city of Yermecze, in the Carpathian Mountains. But, let’s start at the beginning.

We started the day again with śniadania–breakfast. Rolls and bread, sausage, cheese, butter and tomatoes, along with some tea. It was a good start to the day.

After a few false starts and a few stops for directions, we were on the way to our next stop, the historic town of Ivano-Frankivsk.

But along the way, we had a stop. We spied a castle or fortress of some sort way on top of a hill in the town of Galich (or maybe Halich in English or Halicz in Polish). Filip was sleeping, so Wojtek and I sought out the road to that high place. It was indeed a fortification of some sort from the 12th or 13th century, high atop a hill. I took plenty of pictures which I will post when I get back. Quite a view from hundreds of meters above the town.

In the town square, there was a celebration of some sort going on. Apparently, Ukrainian Independence Day is one of these days while we’re here, so they were remembering that. It’s a mixed bag of feelings for Polish people–a lot of what is now Ukraine was once Poland and/or Lithuania, and a lot of people were resettled after World War II, after a lot of violence that transpired to found the free Ukrainian state. That violence included some “ethnic cleansing” by a radical Ukrainian group, the UPA, as they sought to get rid of all the Poles. When the Communists took over after World War II (having been given basically free reign by the Allies), they did their version of ethnic cleansing–forced resettlement. And that included some of my family. But so also did the violence of ethnic cleansing touch us, a one family member was killed by the UPA, too. Sad.

Along the way we spied a few old Polish Catholic churces that were abandoned and in ruins, a testament to the previous presence (and in large areas, predominance) of the Poles, and a testament to the fact that there are few Poles left here.

Eventually we got to Ivano-Frankivsk. It is indeed very historic. We visited a number or churches there. They are all very beautiful, each in their own way. We went to the city museum (housed in a former church) but it was closed on Monday. And we walked around the ruined Potocki Palace, though the ruins are mostly blocked by a wall. Still, I found it to be a very vibrant city and full of life.

Eventually we were on the road again and headed for Jeremcze where we are staying tonight. Jeremcze is a city in the mountains, the Carpathian Mountains. It is absolutely beautiful here. The mountains are not so tall that they are snow covered and devoid of trees, yet are quite impressive. Jeremcze is in a valley and a river flows down that valley. We stopped and visited some impressive waterfalls/rapids along the river. There were even a few younger boys playing and swimming in the rapids. At first we saw three, but later there were only two. We’re not sure where the other one went! It was a beautiful day out, very warm, around 80 F, and there were a few people sunning on the rocks, too. It’s kind of touristy, with an area with vendors selling all their stuff. Interesting, for sure. And of course I took lots of pics.

After a while, we set of in search of lunch. Filip wanted pierogi with meat, but the first two places didn’t have that. They directed us to a third. When we asked, they said they didn’t have them either, but had pelmeni with meat. Duh! Pelmeni are basically small pieorgi.

The place where we ate dinner also has a few rooms for rent, so we are staying there tonight. They are beautiful rooms, each with their own bathroom, very new and modern. And they want somewhere in the rich area of US $40 a night, actually less. Amazing. So that’s where we are tonight. And each room has its own bathroom, and a fairly nice one at that!

After we ate and arranged our rooms, we took off again for some other scenery, along the river, in the valley between all the mountains. Among the things we came across is an Orthodox church–very beautiful–an cemetery. But at the front of the cemetery is a recent remembrance of the 72 local people who were Polish, killed in 1944-1945 by the Ukrainian insurgents, trying to form their own country. In this case, the monument to the 72 murders was erected in 2005 by a descendent. In Ukraine today, people are friendly to the Polish, partly because they hate the Russians more. Very interesting politics, I will say. There have been some recent attempts to at least acknowledge the atrocities of the past, though to this day, many Ukrainians see those people (bandits, murderers, terrorists, I may want to label them) as heroes who helped get Ukraine free and rid of the Polish, though at least this part of Ukraine was Polish for a long time.

We eventually made it back to the place we’re staying. No Internet, but so it goes. We had a few beers in the restaurant and that’s the end of our day. It’s been another great day and I sure am having a great time. Tomorrow we’ll move on, and we may even make it to Romania. Stay tuned!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, history, Ukraine | 1 Comment

Day 7

Posted on 21 August 2011 by lkonieczny

It has been a long day today, and we covered many kilometers today, both emotionally and in reality. It is nice to sit down for a bit and remember the day’s activities.

We started–as we always do–with sniadania, breakfast. Wojtek and Filip and I took a short trip to a nearby Sklep and found what we needed… bread, buns, butter, cheese, sausage, and juice. Wojtek was the chef this morning and he created quite a nice feast for us.

Eventually, it was time to get going on the first leg of our day, and for this one we took the car. We headed to a place that is very historic, but also very emotional for Poles–Cmentarz Łyczakowski we Lwowie. It is famous because in part the Communists tried to hide it by building a plant of some sort, and a road, over part of this. But Poles do not forget. And with the fall of communism, even though years ago under the communists Lwow was “cleansed” of Polish elements–those Polish elements still care, are still around, and are working on restoring the Polish part of the cemetary. It was indeed quite impressive. Though a long-time burial place for the city’s elite, it was also the burial place for almost 3,000 Polish soldiers who fought in the battle for Poland in 1919, along with a number of Americans. There is a long history of the cemetery, and I suggest you take the time to read it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lychakiv_Cemetery.

After, that, we headed back to the apartment and then Alicja and I set out to visit St. George’s Cathedral–truly exquisite–and the Church of Sts. Olga and Elizabeth–both truly exquisite.

Eventually we returned to the apartment to find Filip asleep, so Alicja and I went and had a wonderful lunch at a local place, loosely transliterated as Pushata Wata. It is a large buffet-style place with all Ukraininan food (and beer) and is very good. We had a good lunch there, for sure.

Eventually we connected with Wojtek and Filip after the nap, and then headed to downtown Lwow and the market square. We spent a good amount of time looking around there and visiting Churches and other historic buildings. You’ll have to wait for me to post some pictures to learn more–but I will eventually.

We did a lot of walking and saw a very lot of historic Lwow–it really is a very nice town. The roads could use improvement, yet the people are very nice and the streets and areas very clean. I like it here a lot.

In the morning we will get up and take off for the Karpaty, the Carpathian Mountains. That will be another wonderful trip. I don’t know if I’ll have any internet connection there, but we’ll see.

I am tired and it’s bedtime, but remind me to tell you about the Cymbala… the source of our common ancestors’ last name. We saw one being played tonight and I do have some video!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, historic sites, history, Ukraine | Leave a comment