Moja miłość do Polski

I have been adding more and more pictures to my online album. You can see it here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/images/2010PolandTour/. So far I’ve posted this (numbers refer to day number of the tour, 1-14):

• 01-02 Gdańsk
• 02 Wetterplatte-Solidarność
• 03 Malbork
• 03-04 Mrągowo
• 05 Warszawa
• 06 Sandomierz
• 07-08 Rzeszow
• 08 Lupcza
• Family
• Group Pictures

I am working on the other cities as well as other topics such as churches and cemeteries, hotels, the food, the people on the tour, etc. Keep checking back, it takes a long time to wade through all these photos and often times I get lost in the memories and forget what I’m doing!  Enjoy!

I have finally begun to post some pictures. There are a lot to go through and I’ve tried to select an assortment. Check back again as I’ll keep adding to them as the days go on, I have a lot to go through.

The link is http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/images/2010PolandTour/.

So far I’ve published these:

• 01-02 Gdansk — Pictures from the Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot area.
• Family — Pictures of me, Sonja, and Pat with our second and third cousins from Gdansk
• Westerplatte – Solidarnosc — Pictures from our visit to Westerplatte commemorating the day and place where, 71 years earlier, World War II began, and the place where, just over 30 years earlier, the fall of communism began…..

Keep checking back, and I’ll post an update here when I upload more pictures.

In case there are any pictures you want a copy of, just email me, leon@leonkonieczny.com, and I’ll be happy to share the full size version. Thanks!

Make sure you’re sitting down when you read this…. I gathered all my pictures together tonight in one folder. I used two different cameras when in Poland. For a small camera, I used my Canon Powershot SD 550.  It’s a small camera that fits in my pocket easily. I used that when I didn’t want to carry a lot or look like a tourist, and used it from the bus to get some shots of the countryside through the window. It can (and did) also take AVI’s–movies. For a large camera, I used my Nikon D40x, a digital SLR. It takes larger pictures but is much more adjustable and also can take many shots in a row.

I downloaded the pictures from the camera and SD cards. I filled 2 8GB card and started on a third with the Nikon. And with the Canon I filled a 1 GB, a 2 GB, and had a fairly full 1 GB.

So the total damages? About 21 GB or about 7,000 photos. Yes, you heard right, about 7,000. Now some of those will certainly not turn out, expecially through the bus windows. And in many cases wiht the DSLR, I took multiple shots of something with varying exposures. So there are a lot of duplicates. But still, I took a lot of photos. Look for me to begin posting some within a few days, I hope…. When I do, I’ll put a link here so you can find them!

Our tour of Poland may be over, but the memories, impressions, and feelings will long live on. We had an early breakfast yesterday and then for one last time, boarded our tour bus, this time headed for the Wrocław airport. As airports go, the Wrocław airport is very small. I think maybe they have 8 gates. But there is also a lot of construction in the area. A new road to the airport is being built, and there are plans to expand the airport itself. Yes, Poland is a growing country, and growing quite quickly, now that it’s thrown off the shackles of nearly 50 years of socialism.

We had some farewells at the Wrocław airport as our tour guide, Marek, and our drive, Andrzej, were driving back to Warszawa. The took very good care of us on our tour and I believe we all rewarded them handsomely for their expert care. They were truly wonderful.

After our short, 50 minute flight to Warszawa, we bid farewell to three of our group. Chris Kulinski, organizer of tour, as well as Jeanne and John, were staying on for a few more days. Well, Chris for a lot longer. But he was going to help Jeanne and John with some continued ancestry research.

Finally, the remainder of our group boarded our LOT airlines plane for the long ride home. It was over a 9 hour trip. For me, it was a long trip. I had maybe two 45-minute naps, but that was about it, even with the help of some Żubrówka on the plane ($2 or 5 PLN each, quite a bargain!). But I did have one amazing experience–I saw Greenland from the air, and it was fascinating. First I saw it in the distance, looking like mountains. But then as we got close i saw the bare rocks covered with snow, the glaciers, and the icebergs that had broken off. It was an amazing sight, something I’ve never seen before. It alone was worth the 9 hour plane ride.

Eventually we landed about on time in Chicago. Polish people applaud when the plane lands, bu the way. I’m not sure, they just do! Anyway, we got to Chicago, then had to go through immigration (passport check) and then customs. It was a painless experience, the just asked a few questions and that was it.

After that, it was on to our respective destinations. For Sonja and Pat, Sonja’s daughters Debbie and Sue were there to pick them up. It was nice to see them and we had lots of good hugs and goodbyes (and maybe if you’re a friend you saw the pic of us three Poland-travelers on facebook). For me then, it was on to my flight to Orlando. But first I managed to find the rest of our group and was happy to see that they all arrived safely at their gates.

Finally, about 22 hours after the day began for me, my flight to Orlando touched down and my friend Crieghton picked me up and took me home. What a long day. My sense of time is still messed up a bit, but that’s OK. I can honestly say it was well worth it.

I thoroughly and immensely enjoyed every second of my time in Poland. I hated to leave. It is a wonderful country with a rich history and culture, and filled with the most wonderful people on earth. From my fledgling studieds of Polish history, I understand why my Polish ancestors left this wonderful country and came to the USA to make a better life, and they succeeded. But now I think life in Poland is improving greatly and quickly while in the USA, things are stagnant and even going downhill. So Poland is a very attractive place right now, full of hope and promise, maybe what the USA was 100 years ago for my ancestors. I have nothing but the highest respect for the people of Poland, they have preservered through all kinds of toil and pain and have come out on top once again. It’s a wonderful place to visit, and I cannot wait to go back again. And so the title of this, my blog, Moja miłość do Polski–My Love of Poland–makes perfect sense to me.

But this is not the end, this is only the beginning…..

This will be short as I’m using the computer in the lobby at the hotel. Intersting using a computer where the icons are all in Polish. But I speak the universal language of Windows! LOL.

In a short time we leave for the Wroclaw airport, fly to Warsaw, then later fly from Warsaw to Chicago. And later yet I’ll fly from Chicago back to Orlando. It will be a very long day for me with a 6 hour time zone change. But it’ll have been worth it, every bit. I had a wonderful time here, a real dream come true. But I’m sure just the beginning. My appetite has been whet and I can’t wait to visit again. There are so very many things to see and do, just as there are in the US, true. But it’s special here, the people are special. I will write more about all that in this blog in coming days, weeks, and months, so check back in every so often to find out what I learned. And when I get my pictures posted, I’ll put a link here, too.

So to Poland i say do weidzenia, and “see you again soon!”

Today is not the end, but is only the beginning. We had a fabulous “last dinner” this evening with lots of good food and good times. But I will write more about that at a later time as currently the Internet connection at the hotel is down…thank god for my iPhone!

Suffice it to say it’s been a great trip and one I will never forget but only the beginning. I will be back, most assuredly. And I will continue the stories of my amazing travels very soon, I promise!

I am sad to say that today is my last full day in Poland–for the time being–but it is certainly not the last I shall write in this blog. First I will tell of the first part of the day. Any maybe later I will write again about the dinner we’ll have tonight—our farewell dinner. But then there are quite a few other things I want to write about, lest I forget them all, especially about the people here, the history and culture of Poland, the roads and construction, the automobiles, the cleanliness, the politeness…the list goes on and on. With your encouragement and continued kind works, I know there is lots more to write down, this is an amazing and, yes, enchanted and blessed place. I know it. I feel it. I’ve experienced it.

After breakfast this morning, we had a 9 AM start for about a 4 hour or so tour of Wrocław. Our tour guide for this particular tour was very competent, spoke very good English, and was also funny. It was a good tour.

We had a nice tour all around the older parts of the city with a number of stops. Wrocław used to be known as Breslau, and it’s a very old city, over a thousand years old. But at various times it’s belonged to the Czechs, Hungarians, Russians, Prussians, Austrians, and just about everyone else you can think of, besides the Polish and Poland. But at the end of World War II, it became a part of Poland and many Germans from the area were “resettled” by the Communist Russians. Such was the way of the world that Truman and Roosevelt bartered away with Stalin. But, you can look up that history if you want….but make sure you read the truth, not just what some people would tell you.

As that “last” city between Moscow  and Germany, the Germans in World War II defended it heavily, and so there was a lot of destruction. Not quite to the extent of Warszawa, but close. So a lot of what we saw today was rebuilt, though some original structures remain. The cathedral here dates back nearly a thousand years as well, can you believe that? It is very pretty inside and out.  And old.

We also walked along and around the town square, the second largest on in Poland, second in size only to that of Kraków. It is very nice and full of life. I sure wish we had town squares back home in the US, they are a very cool thing.

There are many bridges in Wrocław as well. Sometimes it’s called the venice of Poland. It has a lot of canals and the like too over 100 bridges, maybe 138 was the number, but a lot. The Odra (Oder) river runs through Wrocław. It is the second biggest river in Poland, after the Wisła, of course.

Eventually we went to a museum where there is a huge panoramic painting of the Battle of Racławicka. This is a very famous battle in Polish history because it’s where Tadeusz Kosciuszko let the Polish insurrection against the Russians—and defeated them. Hundreds, maybe thousands, of Polish peasants armed with sickles managed to defeat the Russian army with their artillery. Unfortunately, though the battle was won, the insurrection failed and Poland remained partitioned between Austria, Germany, and Russia for another hundred years. But it serves as a memory to every Pole that “yes we can.” See, the Poles invented that phrase, not some American politiciansf who merely think they can (or thought they could).  But I digress. The panorama is 15 meters high and 115 meters long, an huge artwork. It is very impressive and tells a great story. I was very moved by it.

So the battle depicted in the panorama, though a win in a loss (won the battle, lost the war, so to speak), still speaks for the feeling all Poles have of the love of their country and their desire to be free. If it was not for that spirit that came out in 1980 and subsequent years, the world would be a very different place today. Because of that spirit, the oppressive socialistic, leftist yoke of communism was eventually thrown off and the result was not only a free world for much of eastern Europe and more, but an end to the cold war that existed from the end of World War II. So this panorama speaks to the heart and soul of the Polish people, and I felt that today.

After the tour, I returned with my “stuff” to the hotel, then walked back to the square, maybe ¾ of a mile away. I met some of the others there at Karczma Lwowska, a very nice restaurant ( and coincidentally right next to  Dwór Polski where we are having our farewell meal later.). I had dwa drugie piwo and the Talerz pierogów mieszanych. It was very good, and the pierogi dough was very homemade like. Excellent food, but I could not eat all 12 of them. Oh well, I had my fill!

After that, I did some more souvenir shopping, picking up just a few trinkets here and there. More stuff that I didn’t need but wanted. Oh well.  I will return with an empty wallet but a full head—and stomach!

So that is pretty much the end of this travelogue, but not the end of the story. Actually, it’s only the beginning. I’ve had a sweet taste of something very good, very intoxicating, and very addictive. I know I will be back….I have to come back, I just have to. And I will. But for now, I will continue to tell some of what I learned about this amazing country, the land of my ancestors. In learning about it, I also learn more about myself. How amazing is that?

I do not have a lot to write about this day, but still it was a fun day.

I went down for breakfast at 7 AM only to find that it didn’t start until 7:30. Perfect! I went for a walk to the Kraków square. It was strangely silent there, a testament to the importance of Sunday, the Lord’s Day, in Poland. There were a few people about but not many at all, not like Saturday morning. I did see quite a few pigeons sleeping, that was about it.

Eventually I had my breakfast and then we were on the bus and off for our first adventure of the day, a stop at the mound dedicated to Tadeuz Kościuszko. If you do not know who he is, then shame on you. He is one of the heroes of the American Revolution, a Polish military expert who helped us gain our independence from the English. Of course he came to the colonies and helped us, hoping that in return we’d help protect Poland from those who were preying on her at that time. He was mistaken, not the first time that the United States left Poland to the dogs, so to speak. But we in the US owe a lot to his military expertise….like our freedom!

The mound is an amazing place, a big man-made hill, made up or dirt that people brought to honor him after his death, not only from Poland but from all the battlefields he fought on in the American colonies. I climbed to the top of it and saw quite a spectacular panoramic view of Krakow, even on a cloudy day. Quite impressive. Also there was a wax museum there that we visited, depicting a number of Polish heroes. Believe me, if you are Polish, even just a part, you have an awful lot to be proud of.

Eventually it was back on the bus and headed to Wrocław. But first a stop at Opole for lunch. We had a very nice lunch here in a Manor built in the early 19^th century by a German landowner. After World War II, the Germans in the area were “relocated” to Germany. But after the fall of communism in 1989, this place was eventually bought and restored and now is a very nice place where we had lunch.

Our soup was a źurek, and it was very good, full of egg and kiełbasa and all kinds of great flavor.  Four our main course we had chicken and potates, covered with a white mushroom sauce, and nice, fresh Polish mushrooms. It was outstanding. Wow, what flavor. I wish I could take home a gallon of that sauce. We also had some carrots and broccoli with the main course. Our dessert was a layered dessert of cake, a coconut flavored layer, and a pudding type of filling that was absolutely delicious and contained some nuts, I’m not sure what they were. All I know is that it was very good. We also had coffee/tea. A very good meal, and quite filling.

Then we hit the road again, and arrived at Wrocław about an hour later, this time at the home of some friends of Chris. Talk about Polish hospitality. We had quite another feast there, from fresh peaches and blueberries, to polish sausage and kabunosy, to cheese and candies and pickles, quite the feast. We topped it off with beer and coffee, and finished with some very good dessert. It was very nice to be welcomed into their home and to have this wonderful feast.

Eventually, we had to leave and got to hour hotel, not very far from the square near downtown Wrocław. Once settled in a bit, I went for a walk with Pam and Jeanne to the square where we had a beer and enjoyed the atmosphere. Once back at the hotel, Pam and I had another beer (OK, I’ll admit that I also had a Żubrówka, I think I’m addicted to that stuff), and for now, that’s the end of the story of this day.

However, some of our group are playing cards on the first floor, so I think I’ll wander down there with my camera and take a few pictures. I’ve had a full day and am tired, but there is so little time left. I know I can sleep on the plane and when I get home, I don’t want to miss a minute of whatever I can see here in Poland!

Tonight I had dinner at Wesele. This is a fine restaurant in Kraków, right on the rynek. It is only a few blocks from our hotel. Yes, we are very fortunate in that we are right in the heart of things for all our hotels. That is very good.

I went to dinner early with Chris as he was meeting some friends there. Anna, who helped us mail stuff earlier, was already here, and we walked over. A short time later several other friends of Chris’ joined us. Now most of them did not speak English, though Anna speaks some. And later Yurik came, and he spoke very good English, having lived in Chicago for 11 years. But even though I was not sure what all was being said, it was fun and interesting and occasionally I’d catch the gist of the conversation, or someone would catch me up.

Wesele is a very interesting restaurant, and it has a bit of a history. According to my Polish-but-not-in-Florida friend, Ewa,

“Wesele restaurant (Wierzynek in polish from the name of the first owner many centuries ago) is a historic institution.  The latest history – during the early 20^th century all Polish intellectual elite: writers, painters, journalists, philosophers,  etc., representing so called period of ‘Mloda Polska’ gathered there, drank, and  discussed the meaning of life to no end, and created. They were mostly poorer, the ‘church mouse,’ so often they payed with their painting or poems, that were worthless then, but cost millions today.  Kind of like Paris was an impressionists Mecca. Fascinating people, fascinating times.  My favorite art periods: art deco, art noveau. Mloda polska.  I dinned there once. It was an awesome experience.”

So we dined at a place with a “history” as it were.

We dined on the second floor. It is very nice there and looks very “Polish.” You will have to see my pictures whenever I get to it, I have some. Since we were there early, we started with a bit of Chopin (vodka) and I had a beer. Eventually the rest of the group arrived, many of them fresh from the afternoon tour of Oścwięcim (Auschwitz). But we will not discuss that today. Our meal was very good.

We started with a soup. I am not sure the name of it, but it had a tomato base but no cream, and had short pieces of angel hair pasta in it. I believe also garlic and paprika. It was good and was a huge bowl. Of course there was also some chleb i masło to go with it.

Prior to our next course, several small salads were set out on the table. The each consisted of a bit of mixed salad greens, quite a variety and very fresh. The salad was dressed lightly and was very good. Our main course consisted of three elements. First as hand mashed potatoes, the kind with the little lumps in them, with dill. They were very good. Then there was a bed of braised read cabbage—it was excellent—and on top of it two slices of pork loin. I thought the pork loin would be dry but it was not, it was very tasty. Overall, it was a pretty good dish.

For dessert we had a type of maybe a cherry bread pudding, I’m not sure exactly what to call it. But it was very good. It was garnished with a piece of star fruit (carambola) that was not at all ripe but looked good. And of course we had kawa and herbata for those who wished.

After dinner we were entertained. Well, a Polish “Krakovian” group played and and for another group near us, so we got to enjoy as well. There were I think three instruments and two dancers, whooping and hollering. It was very entertaining.

So once again we had a nice meal, this time in Krakow. You cannot say we starved to death or did not eat well, we’ve eaten all too well. But we’re on vacation and will do it again a few  more times, I think. Thankfully….