Moja miłość do Polski

Today was a day where we had a chance to look into the interior of Poland, into it’s heart and soul by looking at the people as they live in the countryside, in the little towns and villages.

It was quite a productive day on so many different levels. As always, we started the day with breakfast here at the hotel. I am eating less breakfast but trying to have some fruit and yogurt each day along with the less than healthy spot of eggs and piece of polish sausage and maybe a bit of bacon. But I have also learned and again today made a small sandwich that was my lunch on the bus, since dinner was not scheduled until late this evening.

We saw a bit more of Rzeszow on our way out of town. We learned that during the Communist times, Rzeszow was one of the dirtiest cities in Poland, just filthy. But in the past 20 years, it has made an amazing turnaround and now is one of the cleanest cities in Poland. Well, we sure did see a clean city.

We started the day’s bus tour with an hour or hour-and-a-half bus ride to the south and east of Rzeszow. Almost immediately we entered some more hilly terrain, and eventually we were in some fairly hilly terrain. We had to take a roundabout route today as several bridges were washed out by the flooding that occured in June. Along the way we saw something unusual–Oil wells! Yes, that’s right. Though Poland is still dependent upon Russia for about 90% of its oil needs, it does produce about 10% of its needs right here in Poland. That actually started in the days before electricity when the Oil was refined for kerosene for lanterns.

Eventually we arrived at our first stop, the town of Pilzno. Pilzno is on the Wistoka River. There we visited a church, a very fine and ornate church. It was amazing inside, absolutely amazing. Later on we walked around the town square for a bit. It’s a very picturesque town set in the rolling hills of south Poland.

Eventually we made our way to Bielowy, only a village or two away. There we saw a small, newer church. I believe someone was checking on some records there, but we did not stay long.

Finally, we made it to one or our main destinations for the day, Lubcza.  Lubcza was not at all easy to get to for two reasons. First because of all the bridges that had been washed out by the floods, and second because we had to take the back roads which by this time had become quite steep and narrow. It became a very hilly area. We stopped several times to ask directions, and at one point a local man even led us by car to where we had to go, a good several miles away. People are in general very friendly and helpful. But after quite a lot of turning and twisting, we made it to our destinate at Lubcza. It is the town where the grandparents (or maybe it was great grandparents) of one of our group. Christine, was from.

By this time we were deep within the middle of nowhere, places where normal tourists don’t adventure, places where time seems to have stood still. We saw lots of small farms carved out of steep hillsides, and a lot of land being cultivated with various crops. We even saw some sheep here and not many cows at all. At times we saw people in the fields as well. It was really, really rural Poland. About like what Lublin or Withee is in Wisconsin. Very rural.

Eventually we made it to the church, but it was locked. It took some doing, but eventually our tour guide, Marek, convinced the wife of the Sexton that we were honest people and she opened it for us to take a look. It was another marvelous chruch, quite ornate and very beautiful.

AFter that, we made our way to the cemetery. It turns out that Christine’s relatives are very numerous in this area, almost like Smith in the American phone book!  We saw lots of graves of her relatives. It was quite a bitgcemetery. It was also like all the other cemeteries we saw in Poland, the people are buried in the ground, but then elaborate monunments are placed on top with very nice headstones and then there are flowers and candles and all sorts of things everywhere. We heard that there was to be a funeral later that day and indeed even saw the open hole, freshly prepared, awaiting its new casket. Eventually, though, we had to move on.

It was at that point that the highlight of our day happened, and it was quite by accident initially, though our tour guide, Marek, had a hand in its instigation. We’d been driving a long time and a few people needed to use a bathroom, but there was really none around. Now manybe one or two of the guys used a tree in the cemetery–I could not say–but that was not sufficient. So Marek decided we’d stop at the school that was nearby and ask to use their facilities.

What happened next would surely never happen in most schools in the USA, most definitely not! But, the teachers and or the administrator welcomed us into their facility and said, sure, go ahead. It was the end of lunch time and so all 300 or so students of all levels were milling about. They certainly gave us some looks of inquisitiveness. I’m sure many had never seen a foreigner before, being from such a rural area.

But then, Marek talked to some teachers and administrators and volunteered that we’d be happy to talk to one of their English classes. And so it happened that us 18 or so American tourists went to an English class in a Polish school, a class of 15-year-olds, I believe. One of us talked a bit about why we were there. The students then sang Jescie Polska, nie zginiela. Then they sang another Polish Song. Then we said a few more words and then sang America the Beautiful for them. Then the teacher had them break into groups for a bit, and after that they asked us some questions. They actually spoke pretty good English, and all of this conversation was taking place in English as well. Towards the end, they sang a few more songs, and then so did we, Old MacDonald Had a Farm, and Roll Out the Barrell. They enjoyed it thoroughly and will probably be talking about it for some time.

But in the middle another amazing thing happened, the teacher asked if there was anybody in the class with the same surname that Christine was searching for…and there was, a 15-yearold boy named Slava. So Christine met a distant cousin of hers as did he. I believe they exchanged email addresses.

On our way out, the Principal (Administrator actuallY) had us all get togehter and we had some pictures taken. Actually, since I had the fancy camera, I have the pictures. I will send them to the teacher later.

We had a most excellent time in this school. The student were all very well behaved (though of course, they were still kids and somewhat silly and giggly). They were all very friendly as well as very courious as to what all was going on. As I said, many had probaby never seen a foreigner before. For us it was a very rewarding experience, as I hope it was for them.

With that impromptu and amazing part of our day done, we hit the road again. We journeyed back through this amazing and picturesque countryside, but it was a long trip. We went through Jaslow and then had a short stop in Krosno, a town of about 50,000. We stopped at the town square, of course, the place where everyone hangs out. Both cities, by the way, have refineries (though I admit to really missing Jaslo due to a slight nap!).  It was about 4:30 or so when we made it back to Rzeszow and hour hotel.

When we got to the hotel, we were all told to wait outside and stay together. Of course, I knew the reason for this as Marek and Chris had made the arrangements earlier in the morning. When we went in, Pat had to go first. YOu see, today was her 75th birthday. So the hotel had a little like a cake with a candle for her. They all sang Sto Lat and then we all sang Happy Birtday. I believe she was pleased though earlier in the morning she begged Sonja and I that we not tell anyone it was her birthday. Too bad, huh?  We even had gotten a card (thanks, Janet) a few days earlier for her.

After this, I quick went to my room for a bit, then took a walk in the gorgeous, warm, and sunny afternoon on the square. I ran into Janet and Dennis, two of our group, who were soaking up the sun over a beer, and I joined them for a beer. It was just a perfect afternoon out, not hot, but sunny and pleasant. It does not get much better than this.

At 5:45, about a dozen of us gathered for a tour of the underground. You see, starting in the 14th century—yes, than long ago–they began excavating under the market square and under the buildings on it, creating storage rooms, other rooms, tunnels and passageways. So we took a tour. In tough times when there were invaders, villager  and warriors would take refuge here, it was very easy to defend. And in good times, they would use the rooms for storage, for workrooms, and the like. During world war II a group of Jews were hidden there from the Nazis, though unforunately they eventually perished, I believe from starvation (that Nazis were not very nice people, you know).

At 7 PM we all gathered in a large room around one large table for dinner, about 20 of us all togeher including our guide and driver. We had a very nice meal there as well. We started with a wonderful soup. I learned it was a leek soup though the leek flavor was very mild and refined. I detected a bit or turmeric in it as well. It was absolutely wonderful, I could have eaten several bowls of it. Our main course was a stuffed pounded chicken breast. The stuffing was a carrot and leek stuffing and it to was very, very good. There were also some delicately boiled potaotes with a bit of dill and a white cream sauce. Accompanying that were some green beens, cooked and seasoned to perfection. I’d say this was one of our best meals yet. And to top it off, we had a wonderful dessert. A yellow angel food type cake base was topped with a chocolate mousse, then some vanilla wafers, then a pudding that was creamy and not too sweet, and then topped with a pinapple slice embedded in cherry jello. There was a dollop of whipped cream and a bit of chocolate ganache on the side. It too was very good.

At the end of dinner we once again brang in the small cake Pat had had earlier and again sang happy birthday, then eventualy devoured the cake, though by this time none of us was hungry.

After the meal I took a walk out on the square and in the surrounding area. I found a liquor store that had a small bottle of my new favorite, Zubrowka vodka. It is a half liter bottle, so about a pint, and was a whopping 22 PLN….about 7 dollars US. Can you believe that?  And here we were paying at least 4-6 PLN for just one shot. So I am having just a wee bit of that tonight, but not very much as you can see, because I can still type!  I’m not sure that anyone was going out tonight, but I know that I was not, it will be nice to get a nice night’s sleep. Tomorrow we leave at 8 AM for our long journey to Zakopane with a stop at the Niedzicza Castle on the way. We’ll have a “late lunch” there too. We should go through some very picturesque scenery tomorrow as well as well be into the Tatras, the Carpathian Mountains. I am excited for that as well.  So, I will finish for now, but you never know when I will choose to write some more. I am having such a wonderful time and know that even after my return I’ll be able to go back and read this blog and be transported back to that moment. And, I have so very many pictures I’ll eventually post, to! Dobranoc!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Since I have a bit of time this morning, I’ll tell a little bit about the agriculture and farming of Poland, based on what I have seen so far.

Much of Poland seems very rural, with towns of varying sizes scattered here and there between very small villages. villages are just some clusters of houses, maybe a few small shops, sometimes none at all. The roads are all quite winding, following the natural lay of the landscape for the most part. There can be sharp turns and even some steep grades. I won’t even mention the way people drive, but I’m glad I’m not sitting in the front seat!

The farms all appear rather narrow and elongated. The houses and other farm buildings are along the roads, and then the fields stretch way back, eventually bordering on some other farms located on another road. Since the roads are curvy and winding, the farms are not necessarily rectangular either. But often the crops are planted long and narrow too. That is to say, a hay field may be next to a grain field, both rather narrow, then more of the same, alternating. I suppose some is for drainage and erosion.

The types of farming are quite varied by region and also by soil type. I’ve seen dairy farms and cows, lots of those. I’ve seen an occasional goat, and a few flocks of geese, even some swans. I have not seen any pigs, however.

As for crops, this is just a partial list of what I’ve seen:

• Apple orchards
• Raspberrie
• Strawberries
• Currants (black currants, I believe)
• Elderberry
• Wheat
• Rye
• Hay
• Corn
• Potatoes
• Cabbage
• Hops
• Sugar beets

…and many more that I’m forgetting at the moment. And perhaps more to come, we’ve only seen a part of Poland so far.

So, Poland has a great deal of diversity in their agriculture and farming, which is very good as it makes them a very self-sufficient nation. Add to that their abundant mineral features such as coal, etc., and you have a quite productive country.

With the recent downturn of the worlds economies, I am told that only Poland and Poland alone did no suffer any decline. That is to say, they did not lose value such as their stocks, etc. The ceased to grow much, but never went below where they had been, such as the US stock market decline. Of the Eurpoean Union, Poland alone did not go below zero, how amazing that it. And a lot of it is a testament to very hard working and productive people who are proud and glad to be free, and show it every day. It is truly an amazing country.

We saw a lot of Poland today, though generally under cloudy skies. But no matter, we had mostly inside stuff to do anyhow.

We started out with breakfast at the Novotel Centrum in downtown Warsawa, then about 8 or so we all piled back into our small bus and off we went with our luggage in tow in a trailer behind. Our first stop was somewhat impromptu. But we stopped to see the home of Josef Pilsudski. This was the man who was responsible for bringing Poland back together as a nation in 1918 after world war I, and for repelling the Soviet/Communist/Bolshevik invasion in 1920. Back in the 1400s or so, king Jan Sobieski, at the request of the Pope, was responsible for stopping the Turkish/Islam invasion of Europe. And in 1920, Josef Pilsudski of Poland was responsible for stopping the Communists from overrunning Europe. Both “savings of Europe” done by the Poles. But, you do not have to take my word for it, check it out on Wikipedia, read what the modern history books over gloss over, ever so slightly! It was the Poles who’ve saved Europe, not only once, but twice!

After that, we were on the road to Kazimersk where we had some time two walk around this old city. Some of the buildings are from the renaissance times. I climbed to the top of a huge hill–not an easy feat–but was rewarded not only with a spectacular view of the city far below, but also of the Wisla River, far below, but also far outside it’s banks due to recent flooding in Poland. It was an impressive sight.

Later, we continued on to the mineral springs at Naleczow, where we had a most excellent meal! The first course was soup, a clear broth wiht some sort of sausage meatballs in it, and carrots and a few turnips. It was delicious.

The second course was some various salads. They were all very good. We had roasted beets wiht some sort of sweet note, possibly pear. And a celery root and tangerine salad. And a romaine, dill, corn, red pepper, and scallion salad. All were excellent.

The main course was roasted pork loin wth a mushroom gravy. The mushrooms were abosolutely fantastice, best I’ve ever had!  With that we had delicate kopytky–they were excellent. And we also had some mixed fresh vegetables, carrots, squash, broccoli, Cauliflower, beans, carrots, and maybe even a few others…very good.

Dessert was a very filling crepe-like thing. I think it has some cheese in it. It was topped with cherries and powdered sugar and was fantastic.

Add to the meal the mineral water we had, and we all had an excellent meal and a great time.

After that, we had a bit of time to wander around this spa, but then it was back on the bus and on to Sandomierz.

The trip to Sandomierz was pretty quiet, probably because I got in a bit of a snooze. We arrived here around 6 or so and found our hotel. It’s a very nice place, though a bit older. But still a very nice facility with lots of charm and character.  After I checked in I managed to get my INternet connection settled, then set out. Quite a large contingent of our group was heading to church, but I opted to go my own way instead and explor a bit.

I walked around the old city a bit but there were lots of young kids around attending some sort of rap music festival. Yes, Polish Rap music. I did not venture to far into that but eventually ran into Dennis and Janet, two of our group. We had a beer togehter at one place, then went to another.

At the second place, when we couldn’t communicate well with the waitress, a very attractive young man came to our rescue and translated. We had some Wybrybowa (vodka) and then another. Eventually we got a table. We each ordered a sort of salad and some Nalesniki, which was very good. Then we had another beer. When in Poland….

Eventually I made it back to the hotel. I found Pat and Sonja having a good old time with a part of the tour group. Eventually they ate some food and had a good time.

So we had a very exciting day today, even though it was a lot of travel. Saw some hops being grown and also some tobacco being grown and cured….very exciting stuff. But tomorrow, after breakfast, we get a tour of the old town, and then it’s on to Rzszeszow for two nights. It will be another buy day of travel.

So, you may wonder, how am I doing? Well, I am doing very well. The stories of the vodka may seem excessive but it is not so at all. It’s a very great tour and I’m having a very great time. I am learning a lot more of Polish history and also gathering a great appreciation  for this wonderful race, these wonderful people, my ancestors. I become more and more proud to be polish each and every day. I love it here. Oh sure, I’ll go home, but I hope to come back many times here over the next few years!

Wow, day five in Poland and I’m already feeling overwhelmed. And at home, too. It is a very amazing feeling.

We started off the day very early, just after 8 AM, when we left the hotel after breakfast and piled into our mini-bus to head to Warsaw. Our main target was a 5:30 PM dinner that was scheduled.

We spent a fair amount of time on the road, but Marek, our tour guide, is an endless font of knowledge, which he was more than willing to share with us. The main story that captivated our attention was that of is parish priest and confessor or years ago, Father Jerzy Popieluszko. This was a Catholic Priest who dared to hold monthly masses for Solidarnosc, the young Catholic priest who became the chaplain to Solidarnosc, and then dared to hold monthly Masses which were attended by thousands of people. But I cannot tell the story that well, I encourage you to look it up on Wikipedia, but have a handful of tissues handy, because the Communists kidnapped, beat and killed him in 1984. But so big was the public outcry that the people who did it were caught and sentenced to prison. It is a sad story, and yet a story of heroism, I encourage you to read all about it. Lets just say that the Communists killed him, but his spirit lived on and emboldened the people of Poland. And he was recently beatified, on his way to becoming a saint. The site of his burial is most impressive and visiting it was a very sobering experience. I cannot say more if I want to continue to type this. Suffice it to say that he embodied the heart and soul of the Polish people with his desire for a Poland that was a proud nation again. He was a true martyr.

After that somber visit, we saw the apartment of our tour director, he lives in a building owned by his family, a building which suffered various degrees of destruction in World War II, but which he is currently fixing up in magnificent fashion.

After that it was a tour of Warsaw, and then we were let of at Lazienki Park. We walked around the park and saw all the old buildings, many very old. We took lots of pictures for sure. But you’ll have to wait until i get back to see them. Somewhere in the midst of this day, I filled the 1 GB card from my small point-and-shoot cameral and exhausted the battery on my digital SLR. Thank god I had a second! All is charging now.

Eventually we made our way to our hotel. I am on the 12th floor. I thought a hotel in the heart of Warsaw would be small and quaint, but I’m on the 12th floor and the other elevator does floors above 17 I believe! Wow a huge hotel, but i sure have a view out of my window.   We had a short time to get all dressed but I put on my best, a nice shirt, tie and sport coat. All the men and women in our group were dressed to the 9s, how nice that was. Then we set out for more of a tour before eventually ending at our Dinner destination, a fine restaurant just off the market square in Warsaw.

We were expecting guests from the embassy for dinner, and indeed we had them. It was a pleasure to dine with three representatives of the US government who each told us a bit about what they do. All had very positive things to say about Poland and the relations of US companies there. And, as it turns out, I went to high school with a girl who is the sister of one of them! What a small  world.

Dinner was very good, though the portions small–not that it was a bad thing! We started with a delicous salad and some bread (after a tall Zywiec, piwo), then a wonderful main course of a nice Bigos, some ziemnaki, and a breaded cutlet, and finally an sweet apple dessert. Oh, and throw another piwo in there. And some kawa.

After dinner a few went back to the hotel but a number of us chose to walk the mile or two (maybe three!) back to our hotel. Some were a bit afraid of getting lost but not me, and i was right, we found our way fine. We stopped a few times for various stuff. At one point we stopped for some piwo in the market square. That was fun. Later on I stopped for some rurka z kremem, yum!! Ask me some time about the guy who called me a bad word in Polish–thinking I did not know Polish, but I did. I told him that was a very bad word and he smiled. I was quite a comical moment to me.

Eventually we made our way back to the hotel, but a few of us were not ready for bed and so we went to the bar and had a few drinks. I had a vodka, and then a  Wodka Zoladkowa Gorzka–to make sure I felt good in the AM. Finally I came up to my room and that’s what I’m up to now.

We leave a t 8 AM, just over 7 hours from now. So it will be a short night of sleep for me. Tomorrow we are on to Sandomierz for a night, so another long day of travel. Well, I can sleep then.

This has been the most excellent trip. I cannot wait to come back here next year. Maybe you are interested in coming here with me? If so, let me know, it would be a great time. The people are friendly, they speak English (the guy sure did laugh earlier when I tried to order in Polish though), and the place is relatively save and very clean. And, for the first time in a long time, my bed is being made up every night by people who speak the language of this country! It’s really a great place to vist.

Oh, and if you are wondering, Pat and Sonja too are having the best time ever. Sonja thought she’d did some things out, but our group is having none of that and wheeling here wherever we are going. She is not going to be a party pooper, we won’t let her. It’s a great time, for sure.

Another long day today, but a good day. Also a productive day. And, for three of our group, an amazing day…but more about that later.

I didn’t sleep the best last night, probably from a large meal later in the day which followed a day of only a few preztels, and then a 1.5 hour ride and nap on the bus. So I awoke just not feeling 100% in the middle fo the night, but eventually got back to sleep and slept well. However, tonight I am taking the advice of our tour guide who passed out stomach remedies on the bus yesterday. It’s called Wodka Zoladkowa Gorzka or “bitter stomach vodka.” It is supposed to be what is needed after a long flight such as we had at the start of the week. I’m sipping it now, I’ll let you know how it works!

Our day today was visiting some ancestral villages in north eastern Poland in the Olsztyn area. This was at one time an area of the Teutonic Knights, and then of Prussia. But in World War II the Germans moved most of the Poles out and after world War II the russians moved most of the Poles out. Who was left, I wonder.

The countryside is somewhat reminiscent of rural Wisconsin, though here there are a few much older buildings and even some ruins. In some places ther are rolling hills, in others it’s flat. In some areas the soil is quite good, in others, it’s poor and sandy. There is not a lot of indstry, it’s mostly farming.  Dairy in some areas, other crops in others. Very varied.

The one thing very different than Wisconsin is the roads. First, even the “main” roads are barely two lanes wide. When we pass a truck or other vehicle, i could easily reach out the window and touch it! I am glad I’m not sitting in front. Another thing is the curves….more like sharp turns. You cruise along a bit, and all of a sudden you brake and turn, then speed up, then brake and turn.
And in the towns, they seem to love rotaries, which work very well, actually.

This is grzyby season, and we saw some in the forest, one of our party actually picked a few and a few people tried it. And on the roadside there are stands of people selling mushrooms here and there.

We had generally very nice weather today but on the cool side. There were a few periods of showers, but all came when we were driving an d none lasted too long. We got home right at dusk.

We saw a number of trucks of logs today, and even a few sawmills. All of the buildings are made of brick however, so I’m not sure what all the logs were for.

Our first stop of the morning was at Mikolajki, a town on the junction of two lakes, one the largest in Poland. It’s a quaint town. We unloaded at the sqare (very town seems to have one) and walked by the marina. Then later we stopped at a store. Having learned our lesson yesterday about “lunchtime” (which was about 5 PM), we each got some snacks and water to tide us over. It was a smart move, as today’s 3 PM lunch was early…it was at about 4:30 PM! We’ve also learned the important lesson to use the bathrooms when we can, espcially if they are free–they are not always free. One of our group paid 5 zloty today, another 2 zloty, just to use the bathroom. But, when you have to go, you have to go.

So we saw a lot of interesting scenery, for sure, and I took a fair amount of pictures. Most of our travels today were on a quest for  some ancestral information for three of us on the tour. We went to Kolno, Pupkowizna, and Myszyniec. We visited a few cemetaries looking for some tombstones, and a few churches and rectories, looking for some information. We were directed to another town, Lyse, and headed there. On the road we found a girl walking, and she actually knew some info about the surname we were searching for. She directed us, and we stopped by a small sort of convenience store where a guy there said “follow me.” a kilometer or two later we pulled into a driveway at a farm. For Chris and Harold and Missy from our group, that was a distant relative. It was quite an amazing event for them, and so nice to be a part of it. They visited there a while and exchanged information. It was the first lead they had on some of their relatives and they were on cloud nine.

After all that, we headed to “lunch” which had really turned into “dinner.” We ate at a very local and quaint restaurant. New foods that I tried included sour milk. It’s actually kinda good. It was good on the potato pancakes, too. We had tomatoes (in season), goat milk cheese, bread, pickles, etc. And that was just some appetizers. We had some of the most delicious Zupa grzybowa I’ve ever had, a beef broth based mushroom soup with a very wonderful mushroom flavor (remember, they are in season now) and some potatoes. It was absolutely, divine. Then we had pierogi. Finally! Yumm, they were good. Some were sauerkraut and Musroom, others were mieso. Both were good though I preferred the meat. It was a lot of food. And then for dessert we had a coffee cake. We sure ate a lot.

To go with my meal I had an unpasturized Lomza piwo, it was very, very good. I’d have it again, but stopped at one.  After the great meal, we got back on the bus for the drive back to the hotel which was about an hour. I dozed a bit.

Once back here I had a bit of a walk, down to the water and back. it’s not too far, but 150 steps–short steps which is even harder to walk, if you ask me. By then the sun had set but it was still dusk. I needed the exercise. I will probably go out for a bit one of the bars here, i’m sure some of the others will be there. But it will not be a late night for me, as tomorrow is a very full day, and we leave for Warsaw at 8 AM!

Well, the experience of Poland continues. As you read in my first post for this day, early in the day I met more family. There are no words to convey the great joy that was a part of that meeting. But eventually we had to move on, so now I’ll tell about today’s journey.

We left Gdansk a bit after 9 AM today. Our goal was the castle at Malbork. But first we had to travel there. We left Gdansk and soonfound ourselves in some low lying land, about 5 feet below sea level to be more precise. Very fertile and very wet farmland with many drainage ditches. The house style here is reminiscent of the Netherlands with good reason–many people from the Netherlands at one time settled here. It’s a very pretty area. Eventually we left the flatlands forthe rolling hills which we saw both beforeand after Malbork. Some interesting things Inoticed.

• The trees and plants are lot like those foundin the upper midwest
• There are war ruins, never rebuilt, that areseen from time to time.
• The roads at times are very rough and narrow, but in places there is also a lot of road construction and improvement.
• There are some really, really nice homes that appear to be recently built.

Eventually our travels took us to the Castleat Malbork. It is the largest brick castle in Europe and was built in the 13th and 14th centuries by the Teutonic Knights. In 1410 which is exactly 700 years age, the Teutonic Knights were defeated by the Poles in the Battle of Grunwald. I suggest you look that up in wikipedia, it can give you a lot more info than I can, and more accurate. I suggest you check it out to learn how the Poles decisively defeated these ferocious warriors that they’d previously invited, but who overstayed their welcome. The Castle is quite a marvelous site. You can actually see a picture of it because it is the graphic you see at the top of my blog, currently. Yes, that is the castle at Malbork. Quite impressive, isn’t it? We had a guided tour of the castle and all I can say is “wow.” It is an amazing place. It recieved quite a lot of damamge in World War II but a lot has been restored and more is in the restoration process. It is awesome.

After that, we again journeyed through the countryside, driving several hours in some rain at times, but eventually we arrived at our “lunch” destination. Well, time is defined a bit differently here as it was after 4 PM when we got to our destination, but what was in store for us was well worth the wait.

We arrived to some location just outside of the city of Olsztyn and parked on the roadside by two waiting horse-drawn wagons. The first had an accordionist and a trumpter. We got on and were given an enoyable though bumpy ride through the countryside. At one point near the end we stopped and a goup of four on horses entertained us with some horsemanships tricks and showmanship.

 Eventually we arrived at our “lunch” location, a farm.We gathered in the barn where we had a wonderful and entertaining meal. The food and drink included beer and wodka, pickles, excellent bread and lard (smalec), bigos, steak, a vegetable salad, grilled kielbasa, sweet pierogi, more wodka, a sliced meats plate, and coffee and cake. During all of this drawn out affair (it lasted 2-3 hours) we were treated to music, singing, and audience participation including dancing and the like.

It is hard to describe. The atmosphere included some horsemanship with food and music and had a wedding-like theme as well. It was very much fun, quite entertaining, and a wonderful time.

Eventually, we had to leave, it was getting near dark and we were not on the road long before darkness came, so we did not see a lot more scenery, and the area we’re at now is supposed to be very sceninc. But after another 1 1/2 hours, we made it to our hotel. After checking in and getting all my electronic devices attached (camera batteries are in need of charging), I headed down to the bar where I had dwie piwo with some of the others.

And that was my day. I am very tired, having got up early today for the continued amazement, but I figure I can sleep when i get back to the US…if I return. Yes, I am having that much fun. And I also want to report that Sonja and Pat are having very, VERY much fun as well. But, to some extent, I should not comment further. We’ve all agreed that “what happens in Poland stays in Poland! Dobry Wieczor!