Day 6

Posted on 20 August 2011 by lkonieczny

I will type fast today because I have no idea who’s network I am on. The secret police could be at my door any moment! LOL…. Well, just kidding…. I hope!

We started out the day today with a quick breakfast at the hotel, then packed up and headed out for Zamość, to see the Zamoyski Palace. We made it in about 70 minutes, not too bad, though we had some traffic and some road construction. Eventually, the road from Lublin to Lwów will be four lanes, but they are still working on it…and we had to turn off to Zamość.

After arriving at Zamość, we parked at the town square (rynek) and then walked around for a while. It really is a very beautiful and wonderful city, not quite like old town Lublin, but still very quaint. We saw the Zamoyski palace, very impressive. It was built by Hetman something Zamoyski, basically the leader of the military in times past. I surmise the job paid well–if you did a good job and lasted (i.e. did not get killed in battle….unlike today’s military leaders, long time ago leaders actually led–in front of the troops! But I digress….) . Anyway, Zamosc was very beautiful. We left the downtown around 10 AM and started to head out.

On our way, we stopped at Kaufland, a supermarket. It is a very nice store. I cant’ wait to post all the pictures I took on my blog, as you will find it very cool. It was very clean and very nice, and I thought the prices seemed low by American standards. Eventually, we hit the road, headed towards Lwow.

The distance to Lwow was about 126 Km, but it took us a good 3 hours to make it. Part of the delay was at the border. Stop and go, see this offical and then that one. My passport was looked at by probably at least four different people and got three different stamps. Fortunately, they took pity on children and because we had Filip with us, we did not have to wait in the really, really, really long line. Just the really long line. It really only took us an hour or less to get through the border though we had to go back one time because we were missing some stamp. As an American, they barely glanced at my passport. It seems like they were more suspicious of their neighbors in Poland…. Quite interesting!

Eventually we were on the road to Lwow. Oh my. Ukraininan roads could take some hints from cowpaths. At first, the road was really bad. Then it degenerated. But eventually, we got on a new road….that they were building…..and only one lane was open. Well, after lots of waiting and moving forward 1o meters (if that) at a time, we got past that construction and got on our way. We arrived in Lwow about 2:30 Poland time (we later discovered that Lwow is in a different time zone!).

After finally finding our apartment ( it’s really nice with a kitchen, a sitting room or parlor–mine–and a bedroom–along with a toilet and a bathroom) we struck out to walk along the downtown. It is really nice, but very old and in need of repair. Ukraine seems to be a very poor country. We eventually ended up having a so-so dinner at a high price, but the beer was cold. Then we headed back to our apartment for a bit.

After a short respite, we went to the train station about 3 or more km away, quite a walk. But it was worth it. Very cool. We walked around it a bit and saw it all, then took a taxi. The drive took us to the highest spot in the city, overlooking the city, formerly a castle, I think. And all around the old town. Eventually he left Wojtek and I to fend for ourselves and Alicja and Filip (who was very tired) went back to the apartment.

Wojtek and I had exactly one beer (and two nice sized shots of Vodka) at a restaurant, then headed back to the apartment, stopping for some Vodka on the way. Once we got back here, we had some vodka with Alicja and stayed up and talked in Ponglish for quite a while. Wojtek eventually went to bed and I stayed up and talked with Alicja for a while.

Lwow, is a very interesting city, and was for a long time a very Polish city. A lot of that history survives. Tomorrow we will explore more of it. And I will tell you more about it tomorrow.

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, Ukraine | 1 Comment

Day 5

Posted on 19 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Well, Day five is history, but I sure learned a lot today. And it really made me question some things. Ask yourself this question… How come, after over 100 years of “no Poland” on the map, and 20-some years of a new Poland, then 6 years again of “no Poland”, then 45 years of “communist Poland”, has Poland emerged as a great and free country in the world, a shining example to many, and in reality, the one country that was almost single-handedly able to do what 40+ years of cold war could not do…..bring down the Soviet Union. Well, I found myself thinking about that late tonight, and I have some thoughts about that. But first, about my day…

We got up early this morning and got ready for our trip. Of course, as you may guess, breakfast was on tap first. We had rolls with butter, gołąbki, galaretka, and sałatka. It was, of course, all very good. Eventually we were all showered, shaved, packed and ready to go. We took off about 6:40 AM on our way.

It was a long day of travel, and our first destination was the Zamoyski Palace which is located not too far from Lublin, in the town of Kozłówka. We had a bit of trouble finding the place, and got some bad directions on the way. But on the way I saw some of the most amazing scenery. We started out in the żuławy area of the lowlands near the Baltic. Eventually we crossed the Wisła river, then started to get into some hills. Later we were in a lot of wooded territory with very tall pine trees. Eventually we came to Warszawa and drove past the old city. Then we drove sort of along the Wisła , again on a scenic route, until we eventually broke away to get to Kozłówka. It was some amazing scenery. Fields of various grain, farms, hay, apple orchards, black currant patches, gardens, and small (and some not so small) dotted our path. We really did see a lot of the heartland of Poland, from areas with big combines collecting grain, to areas with poor farmers tilling soil and even a horse-drawn wagon or two! It was an amazing trip, for sure.

The Zamoyski palace at Kozłówka is really quite the place. I really enjoyed it and took lost of pictures. The Zamoyski family has been very prominent in Polish history. If you’d like to learn more about it (and I suggest that you do!), check this out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koz%C5%82%C3%B3wka_Palace.

Eventually, we headed into some traffic and made our way to Lublin, our resting place for the night. We found our hotel OK. It is very quaint, and very historic. If you’d like to find out more about it–and I suggest you do–check this link: http://www.waksman.pl/site/witamy_e.htm.

Once we got settled, we went out for a bit of a walk. A short summer storm kept us from straying too far. We did make it to the castle, but it was closed. We’ll go there in the morning. We stopped at a local restaurant (about 20 meters from our hotel) during the rain and had a beer there. Eventually, Filip tired, and Wojtek took him back to his room. During that time, Alicja and I took off on a tour of the old town of Lublin. It is fantastic. Well, actually, words cannot describe it. Lublin dates from at least the 13th century, and it is very historic. We saw some extremely old buildings, alleys, and the like. Eventually we ended up at a church where there was a service going on, and we went in and attended it. But more about that at the end of this post, because it really made me ask and maybe answer some hard questions about Poland and it’s history.

Eventually, we got back to our hotel. It turns out Filip was not that tired , so we took off again, this time to a bar/restaurant a mere 11 meters or so from our hotel door. We ate and had a few beers there. Well, maybe more than a few. I had the most wonderful soup there. I do not remember the name of it, but it was creamy and I think had spinach in it, besides some mushrooms and garlic. It was divine. I also had some zubrowka, besides a few of the local brew, Perla. Right now, I can still hear the party in the street through the open window in my hotel room.

Ok, it’s time to ask the big question. And maybe provide some clues. In the history of the world, various countries and civilizations have come and went. Same in recent history. But think about Poland. At one time, Poland was the largest and most powerful country in Europe, a fact that most modern day history books totally ignore. But Poland also tried to be all things to all people. It was kind to Jews. Though a Catholic country, it was kind to protestants. It had the second constitution in the history of the world, only a few years after the US. But along the way, it’s attempt to be fair to everyone led to it being torn apart by less fair neighbors: Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia. For many years, Poland did not exist. Then after World War I, it was reborn. Yet it was the first country to fall, though definitely not easily, to Hitler and the Germans, while countries sworn to its defense (like Britain and France) stood idly by–and then torn in half by a secret treaty between Hitler and Stalin. Then after World War II, Poland was “sacrificed” by Roosevelt and the US and “given” to the communists. And yes, in all of this, the People of Poland did not lose sight of the hope of being a free country again.

And then, in the midst of the terrible cold war, and amazing thing happened, the Catholic Church elected a Pope–and he died a month later. So the elected another Pope, a Polish man, as Pope. I firmly believe that you have to be totally ingnorant of history and live in a hole in the ground to not realize that the fall of communism began with this action. Some may credit the American president, Reagan, with his help in this, and I’m inclined to agree. But I believe that the root of the liberation of Poland, into a really free Poland, was the result of years of profound belief, hope and prayer. The Polish people are deeply religious, and it was their beliefs who helped propel a man like Karol Wojtyła to become Pope, and to inspire the movement that led to the fall of communism. The whole world is a much better place because of this. Many people in many countries were liberated by this, and it all began in Poland, because a people have remained steadfast in their culture and their believe in god over many, many years.

So, that is what I’ve discovered today. It still has me wondering, and has left me nearly speechless. But I believe you can thank the Polish people and their faith in god for the free world we and they live in today. In that freedom is a message and a promise for our future. Don’t miss it!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, culture, current events, historic sites, History of Poland, My love of Poland | 5 Comments

Day 4

Posted on 18 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Day four of my adventure Poland started like so many other of the days….with breakfast, called śniadanie. And once again, it was very good. This morning I had some bigos two ways, one just baked, and one fried. Both are very good. Also some Polish ham (synka) a roll (butelka), and more galaretka. And some herbata. Another good break fast, for sure.

Then, the day’s adventures began. Adventurers today, besides myself, were Alicja and Filip, and we were joined by Patrycja and her son Victor.

There were two main parts to our adventures this day, after a stop for some business in Pruszcz-Gdańska, the nearby “big city” of about 25,000 people. Once we were done there, we headed to the tiny town of Będomin and a museum dedicated to the Polish national anthem, Jeszcze Polska Nie Zginęła. It was very interesting, with lots of history about the anthem and it’s writing by the author, Józef Wybicki in about 1797, just two years before the third partition of Poland. [For those who did not know it, Poland was once a huge and powerful country, but in part it’s desire to “get along” with its neighbors and be friendlier to its citizens led it’s “friendly” neighbors–Germany, Russian, and Austria-Hungary–to divide it up amongst themselves in the 1790s.] It is a song that tells the story of the heart of a strong and proud people, and a determination that they will never perish as a nation. The song became a rallying point for many over the course of the next century, and became the national anthem of Poland when it again emerged as a free nation following World War I. The museum is a small and old building set in the hills and valleys of the Kashubian region southwest of Gdaṅsk. The setting was beautiful, and the museum interesting, and a tribute to a proud nation.

After that we took off for a local attraction, built by a gentleman who builds log homes. But this is really a conglomeration of several things. First, there are some log homes there, and even a sales office, just in case you’re interested in buying a log home. But the main attraction of the place is an upside down home. Yes, really. It’s build totally upside down, and when you go in it (and there was about an hour wait to get in), the floors are all built at angles to the rest of the house, so you kind of stumble around as if you’ve had way to much to drink. That was a lot of fun as it was very hard to navigate and the angles all played tricks with your sense of balance. As you can imagine, the two kids really enjoyed it.

But there were a number of other things there as well that were interesting. We took a tour (in Polish) and Patrycja was able to summarize or give me the highlights. About the first thing we saw was a table that is in the Guinness Book of World Records, the longest table from one continuous log. It was sawed some years ago and even Lech Wałęsa and other dignitaries took part. It was indeed very long!

Then there was a house that had been transported from Siberia. All made out of wood, And a section where Stalin’s prisoners would have been kept, with flat platforms on either side of a central walkway–the beds. It’s said that often if one was unfortunate enough to sleep by the wall, they’d freeze to death in the night.

Also there was a train like what was used by the Communists to transport people to the prison camps. Many hundreds of thousands of Poles and others disappeared in the Soviet prison camps, never to be heard from again.

And there was a recreation of a partisan camp from World War II. Built undergound, it was typical of what was constructed during that time. Very small, dark, and underground. Not a fun place, for sure.

There was a church that had various artifacts in it as well, including prison (concentration) camp uniforms from Stutthoff a German concentration camp near Gdansk–yesterday when we took the ferry over the Wisła river, that was the same point from where those prisoners were “liberated” by the Soviets in 1945.

And they have a brewery and brew their own beer there. It is not available anywhere else. While some of the other waited in line, I had a chance to look around a bit, and I did stop in there for a quick piwo. It was good!

Since the area and the owner are Kashubian, the place was also dedicated to preserving and explaining a bit about Kashubian heritage, as well as a section devoted to the Kashubs who many years ago emigrated to Canada.

They have other things there, like a few animals, and a zipline. It was a very busy place and seems to be a nice local tourism destination, though I did hear some German being spoken there, and saw a few tour busses there are well. It was a very good time.

The area we were in today is Kasubian. It reminds me a lot of Wisconsin, with maybe bigger and more dramatic hills, but still a very lot like Wisconsin. There were lots of farmers working–I saw quite a few huge combines in the field combining grain. Much of it appeared to be wheat, and other similar grains, but some I could not identify. There were also corn fields, big corn fields, nice and tall with all the rain they’ve had this year. It was very scenic and would be a great place to live, I think.

Here in Grabiny-Zameczek where the Grabowscy live, it is flat. This area is called the Żuławy, and is the former floodplain of the Wisła river. So the soil here is very fertile, but it is also quite flat and the field are drained by ditches that feed into central canals. Some of the area here is actually below sea level!

On the way back, I learned a lot more about family history from Alicja, by way of Patrycja. I learned a lot about the ethnic cleansing done by the Ukrainians in 1943-1944 during World War II when tens of thousands (and possibly 100,000 or more) of Polish people were massacred by the UPA, a Ukrainian National Organization. I also learned a lot about why my Polish family left the Ukraine at the end of World War II, because of the persecution. And I learned how one of our great-great uncles was killed by the UPA, just because he was Polish. It is a rather sad page in history and there is a lot about it that is not resolved to this day. So there was a sad note to the day as well, but sad as in it’s sad to hear what people can do to each other in the name of religion or culture or some other manufactured reason. And those “ethnic cleansings” were particularly gruesome in some cases, meant to torture and intimidate. Truly another sad page in history, and one that directly affects our family as well.

But the day is ending on a more happy note as Wojtek and I are about to enjoy just a little bit of Żubrówka . Any day ending with Żubrówka is a good day. And so this day and my story about it, though filled with some somber reality in the middle of it, will end on a happy note!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, culture, history, My Polish Family | 4 Comments

Day 3

Posted on 17 August 2011 by lkonieczny

Where to begin? Well, I may as well start at the beginning. As you may surmise, my day started out with breakfast, sniadanie…. But nothing simple, a wonderful vegetable salad containing leeks, cork, onions, celery, leeks, mayo, and other secret ingredients…. And pierogi. And other goodies like herbata (tea)… I was certainly filled.

Then, after a bit, we took off. It was Alicja and Wojtek and Filip and it. We barely got out of the town of Grabiny-Zameczek–a few hundred kilometers from the house, when Wojtek offered me the chance to drive. So, of course, I took it. Me and Polish roads and Polish drivers. Well, in the next hour or two, I did not set any speed record, but we did arrive at our destination safely.

Eventually, we arrived at Kandyn, a small down on the coast of a part of the Baltic Sea. There were supposed to be some horse stables there we did not find them. But we still had a nice walk through the downtown area, if you can call it that. It was very quaint and the roads are under construction. Oh, and on the way, we came to a ferry. We had to wait a bit, but eventually took the fairly over a tributary of the Wisla river.

After Kandyn, we did a bit of driving…well, Wojtek did now. We went all the way to the Russian border that goes to Kaliningrad. The unfriendly guard there told us “no pictures” but you can check my web site when I get home… LOL…but we did see Russia!!

The we went to Frombork. It’s a very impressive church that is fortified with a wall around it. Wojtek and I climbed to the top of the steeple and I have some great pictures. You can see the Baltic Sea from there, among other things.

After that we started to head back and find some dinner, but first there was a very sobering stop….. We’d seen this cemetery earlier on our way, but now decided to give it a brief visit. It was a sobering remembrance of World War II. In a large area there were some mass graves or Russian soldiers, and some markers around the outside. A few of the markers had actual names on them, and a very small number had flowers or some other sober remembrance that someone knew who was buried there. But for the majority, it was just a nameless mass grave of Russian soldiers who died in 1945 trying to defeat the Germans. There were over 31, 000 people buried there. Think about that number. Thirty One Thousand. …. 31,000…. Over that. Amazing.

After that, we needed some fun…and some food…so we headed to the Baltic, of course, to a beach. Eventually we ended up in Stegna, and went to the beach there. We also had dinner there. I had a bowl of soup (grochowa) which was a sort of split pea with ham and very good, and fish (dorsz), fried Cod, with potatoes. Also a salad of cabbage, red cabbage, and carrots which was very good.

After that we went to the beach for a bit. Nice sand, nice wave, sand people in the water. Filip went on a ride or two, but it was a good time. Eventually it was time to leave.

We took a route along the Baltic home, too, and had to take a ferry across the Wisla..actually not the “real,” historic Wisla, but a channel artificially created by the Germans. But we got across after a bit, and eventually arrived “home” in Grabiny-Zameczek. I could live here, no doubt!

After a brief respite, the evening’s activities began with the arrival of (English speaking) friends Zygmut and Patricja and their two boys. It was a wild evening, fueled in part by three boys and by a combination of (a) Jack Daniels and Coke and (b) White Zubrowka and orange. And then we had dinner. Once again, Alicja out did herself, with various pierogi, salad, and a lot of other dishes. Eventually there was szarlotka as well. It was all delicious.

And now it is time for bed, time to end my amazing adventure for today. Let me just end with telling you that Polish people are not much different than other, ordinary, American people…except that they are very solid and firm in their beliefs, and family and friends seem to come first….

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, My Polish Family, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Day 2

Posted on 16 August 2011 by lkonieczny

I guess I may as well start at the beginning. I got up early, before my alarm. I imagine my system was a bit “off” from the previous long day and the time shift. But eventually I made it out to the living room and was joined by Wojtek, Alicja, and Filip. We visited a bit (and Filip, being 4, entertained), and then sat down to breakfast. Well, it was more like a feast. Alicja really made a wonderful Polish breakfast. Bigos, a polish hunter stew, was excellend. The galeta (?) which was pork in a gelatin and formed was not only beautiful, but tasty too when topped with a bit of vinegar. There was a salad that was mixed fruits and vegetables including corn, onions, maybe apple, and a bunch of other flavors, all blended well and it tasted awesome. Of course we had some pickles and bread. And then there was pierogi–who doesn’t love pierogi? And ham and kabunosy. It was a great meal, and big meal, and certainly fit for a king.

A bit later, Ludwika, Alicja’s mother, came buy and “picked me up.” Well, actually, this 77-year old mother of my third cousin walked me back to her son’s house where Marek was ready to show me his farm. He has a big farm and he recently expanded. He grows a variety of grains including wheat and peas (like in split peas) and some sore of bean that’s made into a popular European cooking oil….he did not recall the name in English. We saw the granaries and some of the machinery. And we drove out in the fields and saw more. All the time, we had Marciek as a translator, a family friend who teaches English in the nearby school. We even stopped for a while to visit another relative, Wladek, who owns an implement (farm machine) dealer. While there we did have to drink a couple of require shots of cognac. Yet, it was not even noon yet!

Later, I had my first lunch. Ludwika make a traditional Polish dish, Flaki. It was excellent. Such exquisite taste and seasoning made it really good. And there was cake and tea to go with. I’ll call that my first lunch.

Later we went to the cemetery in nearby Pruszcz-Gdanska and saw many family graves, including that of Ludwika’s husband, Alicja’s father, who died last November. We paid our respects, lit some candles, and of course I took some pictures.

After that we had the second lunch. Patricja, Marek’s wife, made chicken, carrots, potatoes with dill and an excellent pork dish topped with cabbage–it was really delicious and had a great flavor and nice tang.

In between all of that, we talked family history. Our common family history is quite complicated, and I know that Marciek who was translating for us found it difficult at times to grasp. But I learned an awful lot. And I learned some of it in Polish as well.

Eventually it was time to return to Alicja’s, where Bartek and Paulina were waiting to take me to downtown Gdansk, to the famous St. Andrew’s Fair which just happened to be going on. We wandered around there a bit and had some oscypek with cranberries, it was wonderful. Then we went to a local brewery that I believe brews their own beer. It is a German place, but the beer was good nonetheless. By the time we left it was pretty well dark out, and the temperature dropping–did I mention that it was a gorgeous sunny day with temperatures in the 70s?

Once back here we had a beer and then some supper. Alicja had made some golubki. Wow, was it every good and flavorful. I have to find out how she does it. They are more or less steamed with water, not baked in tomato. Then they’re served with some butter-fried onions and another sauce that had just a hint of tomato. The flavor was outstanding.

So I had a long but fun day, seen some real polish life first hand, eating authentic food, better than restaurant food, just excellent and real. And talking to (often with help of an interpreter) family about family and Poland. It really was a wonderful experience.

But now it is late (here) and time to go. But there will be more tomorrow as we’re heading into Gdansk!

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, My Polish Family | 6 Comments

Day 1 — The Adventure Begins

Posted on 15 August 2011 by lkonieczny

My “day” started on Sunday when I left home in Orlando about 7:45 AM, headed for the airport. The travel part of my day ended about 1:00 on Monday when I was met at the Gdansk airport by my family in Gdansk. In between, there was a lot of stuff, made longer by a 5+ hour layover in Chicago, but shortened also by two LOT flights where I had no one in the seat next to me. Let me tell you, that comes in handy on an overnight flight that’s almost 9 hours long. Factor in the 6 hour time zone difference, and you have a long day. But my amazing adventure really begins after the flight, and that’s the reason I’w writing this.

I was met at the airport by Bartek and Paulina, as well as Asa, Bartek’s girlfriend They found me right away, and we quickly stowed my suitcase and began the trip to Alicja and Wojtek’s home in Grabiny-Zameczek. I was met at the door by Alicja, Wojtek, and Filip. It was a very nice homecoming. Eventually we were joined by a few others, friends of Alicja and Wojtek’s, and by Ludwika, Alicja’s mother. Alicja prepared quite a huge spread of Polish food, each dish better than the other. There was first a clear chicken/vegetable broth soup made with fresh noodles. Yumm. Then there was the cutlet, similar to a schnitzel. Follow that with potatoes and dill, then two types of pierogi (ruskie and meat), and add two salads, one primarily of cucumbers, the other a few mixed vegetables, and you have quite a feast of good Polish food. And it was good–excellent even. Once I’d eaten my share, then the cakes were brought out. Yes, cakes, two of them. One was decorated like a hedge hog, very cute. Both were tasty.

But as wonderful as the food was (and an appetite fueled by a few toasts of vodka with Wojtek) the company was even better. A mix of Polish and English, a fair amount of tranlation going one, but it was definitely a wonderful time.

Later, Alicja brought out some family pictures and we took a look at them. They really told a story about some of our common relatives. It was alot of fun.

Then a bit later, I went with Paulina and Bartek to a nearby restaurant where even more family was gathered. This was a lot of the Cymski family from Ludwika’s side of the family. They were eating and wanted me to join them. Though full, i did manage to have a few small portions. Once again, more English and Polish were mixed together and we had a very nice time. I learned a lot from them, and I think they from me as well. It was great.

Upon returning here, we sat outside for a while in the quiet evening air until a few stray sprinkles chased us in, then inside for a bit until I tired. But not so tired than I can’t at least write a bit.

Earlier, Alicja went over our itinerary. She has a lot of very great things planned for us, and I am very excited about all we will see and do. And I know that language will not be a barrier, for I’ve found that I can speak Ponglish–and so can they.

So, it’s been a long day. I’m tired and going to bed. But there is a lot more to come on this amazing adventure.

Posted in 2011 Poland Trip, My Polish Family | 1 Comment

It’s time to begin another amazing journey

Posted on 14 August 2011 by lkonieczny

In a few hours, I will be on my way–first to Chicago, then to Gdańsk by way of Warszawa.  It will be a long day of travel, but in about 24 hours, it will be just past noon in Poland, and I’ll be landing in Gdańsk, ready to start this amazing trip. My bags are packed and ready by the door. If I forgot anything, well, they have stores in Poland, too. It was hard to know how and what to pack for three weeks. Maybe I overpacked? Maybe I didn’t take enough? Well, with stores, laundries, and the like, I will get by.

But mostly my trip will be about being a sponge. Yes, I plan on being a sponge and soaking up as much of Poland (and Ukraine) as I can. Meeting people, learing about them, the history, the culture. Experiencing daily life in Poland. I will soak up as much as I can and write as much as I can here in my blog, too. And pictures. Yes, I will take plenty of pictures. I have two cameras with me. One is a small (but powerful) point and shoot, small enough to fit in a pocket. The other is my digital SLR (DSLR), for the “bigger” jobs. I think they’ll both get a good workout this time.

So, I’m about to embark on an adventure. Thanks for reading along with me. Feel free to leave comments along the way, if you like. Next time I write, it’ll be from Poland, and it’ll be about “moja miłość do Polski.”

Posted in My love of Poland, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

It was less than two years ago….

Posted on 13 August 2011 by lkonieczny

…. September 9th, 2009, that the steps to my 2011 trip to Poland began, and that was with a short, seemingly innocuous, email message from someone I had never heard of. I received a short email from “Alice Grabowski” and in a few short sentences it said “Hi, I am a relation of yours via the Symbal side of your family.” I was amazed. And also a bit skeptical, I will admit. In the past, I exchanged emails with someone who was going to be in the hometown of another ancestor, and after he was supposedly there, he offered to send me some pictures…for a price. So i treat all unknown email on the Internet with some degree of polite suspicion. But I responded to “Alice” who is really Alicja, and, lo and behold, she set back pictures of my great-grandparents and some great-uncles and cousins. It turns out here family had been in contact, many years earlier, with some other of my family. It did not take long to break down the barriers there and realize that we were indeed family. We exchanged several emails with family history, aided in translation by my dear friend, Ewa.

And then in March, 2010, my sister Mary sent me a brochure about a trip to Poland being led by a friend of hers. And before you know it, I was on my way to Poland where, at almost the last minute, there was a knock on my hotel room door and there was Alicja, my third cousin, along with her husband and oldest son, Wojtek and Bartek. We had a chance to talk and take pictures and they invited me to come for a visit, a long visit. That was about 11.5 months ago.

And so I sit here today. Tomorrow I will be traveling, on my way to Poland, and in two days I will be there, In Gdańsk, and they will be picking me up at the airport. I will be spending three weeks with them. We will spend about a week in Gdańsk and about two weeks traveling in Poland and Ukraine. Ukraine is where our shared ancestors are from, and we have relatives there to this day. To say that it will be an amazing experience is probably quite an understatement. Somehow, I know it will be an amazing three weeks, and I am really looking forward to it, and to sharing it with you, all who read my blog and will follow my adventures.

Stay tuned, the fun has not even yet begun…..

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What an Opportunity….

Posted on 12 August 2011 by lkonieczny

It’s Friday evening, and in 48 hours I will be high in the air and on my way back to Poland. It’s a bit surreal. The trip last year was the “trip of a lifetime” I said at the time. But I fell in love, I really did–with Poland. I was not there very long when I realized that I’d be back–again and again, as much as I can. And meeting family there last year was like a dream, an amazing dream. And the fact that they’ve invited me back to stay with them and to travel with them across Poland and Ukraine–I am so very fortunate, that’s about all I can say.

There are so many things I want to see and do when I’m there, and I’m sure I’ll do many of them (but of course I’ll save some for other visits!). Sitting here tonight, I can’t imagine what all I’ll do, what all I’ll experience. I will just have to sit back and take it as it comes.

I’ve already written about some of the things I hope to see, do, and experience. But even deeper, I want to gain an understanding of what it is to be a Pole, what it is that makes Poles who they are. I want to understand that sense of national identity that has lasted over a thousand years and brought the Polish people, the Polish nation, through all sorts of good times and bad times. Many have tried to douse or curtail what it mean to be Polish, but the have not been able to do so. And I feel a bit of that inside of me to. I can’t describe it, I can’t really tell what it is. But I sure am very proud to be of Polish descent and I know that that, in and of itself, has a big bearing on who and what I am today. My parents and grandparents–and even great-grandparents–all had a hand in helping me become who I am today, and deep down inside, i feel a special bond to whatever it is that makes me, too, Polish.

So in a few days, another great adventure begins. I’ll be writing about it here, for sure. Stay tuned. This is only the beginning….

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Less than 4 days….

Posted on 11 August 2011 by lkonieczny

…and counting. Yes, in less than 4 days I will be back in Poland. I cannot convey how wildly excited I am. Sure, there is some apprehension and anxieity, but I do know in my heart that this trip’s outcome will wildly exceed my expectations.

Years ago, I read about Poland and dreamed about what it must be like there. I loosely followed Polish politics through the years, keeping track to some extent of what was going on there. But as the years have progressed, my love and appreciation for my heritage has grown much deeper. I now have some glimmer of an understanding of what my ancestors went through when they left their homeland, and of what they left behind. I have a profound appreciation for this. And so I am going back again to learn and experience even more of the land of my ancestors. As I learn and experience more of the heart of Poland, I understand them more, too. 

I am so excited about my return to Poland….

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