Wadowice - Boyhood Home of a Pope

Fot: Basilica in Wadowice, Aneta

My Tuesday surprise begins at 8 AM as we pull away from the flat with the GPS turned so that I can't see it. Destination unknown. Travel time about 2 hours. We arrived in Wadowice late morning in a heavy, cold fog. Not a great day for taking photos but a terrific day to visit the home of the Polish Pope, John Paul,II.

This is one of the more charming cities I have visited in Poland. The shops are eclectic and line the cobbled streets in abundance. The array of goods displayed in store windows and on mannequins sitting out front on the sidewalks is enticing to say the least. As we make our way from the parking lot up in to the town proper I spot a sidewalk flea market down one of the side streets and make a hard right down the hill. Aneta gamely trudges along beside me. I need a pair of gloves and I know I will find something from the sidewalk vendors. I purchase a beautiful pair of cashmere lined red leather gloves for 30 zl ($10 - well slightly less than $10 actually, put them on and continue our journey to the pilgrimage site. However, walking past a store window, with some spectacular items on display, I am inexplicably drawn inside as if an unseen hand reached out and pulled me in to the shop. I spend the next half-hour trying on red felt hats in every manner and style imaginable. I did not find a single hat that really pulled by chain though and left empty handed. Well, not entirely empty handed, I did find a nice Christmas gift for someone else on my list (not a red hat either!)

Onward and upward toward the magnificent church dominating the town square, which is undergoing a major renovation in preparation for the onslaught of new visitors who will descend on this charming small city once Pope John Paul, II attains Sainthood. We enter the church around 11:35 AM and just sit and take in the beautiful view. This is the church in which the future Polish Pope was baptized as an infant. It has clearly undergone a major renovation as the ceiling fresco's are dated 1998. The art works in this ornate church are indeed spectacular. The church has multiple domes and each dome features a lovely fresco with a biblical theme, of course. We weren't able to stay but 10 minutes in the sanctuary as a mass was scheduled for noon.

Across the street from the church is the boyhood home of Karol Wotyla, who became Pope John Paul, II, the most popular Pope in modern history. The boyhood home is filled with mementoes from the life of this remarkable man who was an outstanding student and athlete as well as a serious student of literature and drama. He appeared in many theatrical productions and seriously considered a career in the theater. No matter what one's religious convictions, or lack thereof, may be, this is a life retrospective of a remarkable human being. I thoroughly enjoyed this pilgrimage.

Aneta says, "It is on UNESCO site. We are going there."

Fot: Do not wash your shoes in a sink

And go there we did, climbing up the cobblestone courtyard and bearing left around a long low structure lining the perimeter of the square that I later discoverd was a long row of confesssionals lining two sides of the large square. We walked up a gentle slope in search of the WC, then took a right into a courtyard behind the cathedral where I discovered that this is a Franciscan and Domenican Monestary. Black robed monks were everywhere and a few nuns in the traditional headdress of yesteryear, but with shorter garments. We found the WC where Aneta whipped out her camera in delight to take photos of signs that said not to wash your boots in the sink! Who'd a thought? Moving back across the courtyard toward the back of the huge church we saw a small group of priests and a nun in animated conversation and greeting each other as wonderful old friends do, without the hugs of course just hand shakes with a second hand over the top of the held hand. Very close and very happy to see each other.

We entered the church through the back door. Apparently it is the Cathedral of St. Francis as there are indications of this name everywhere but Aneta is still researching the exact name for this site. The grounds run up a fairly steep hill behind the cathedral and are beautifully landscaped with a pilgrimage through the 12 stations of the cross that is quite arduous to undertake and complete. Apparently at Easter they do a reenactment here of the entire 12 stations of the cross and the crucifixion, attended by thousands of people. The church was not as large on the inside as it appeared from the outside, or maybe we just didn't find the whole thing. In any case there were Monks and Nuns everywhere praying arranging flowers working behind alters, chatting in the halls. It is obviously a very active site of great religious significance to the Polish people.

Fot: Outside the small caffeteria in Wadowice, Aneta

Our next stop is a special place Aneta has discovered on an earlier visit to Wadowice. A charming little cellar serving the Papal Creme Cake often mentioned by the Pope when he reminisced about his boyhood in Wadowice. We are the only customers and take our time looking through the gift shop before wandering through the brick archway into the cafe itself. The young woman staffing the counter helps us select tea from the many large canisters of loose teas available and prepares a pot for each of us with our selection. The teapots each had a little wire mesh umbrella stuck into the spout to prevent tea leaves escaping into our cup. Quite clever and not something I had ever seen before.

Fot: Kremowka, Aneta

Our Papal Creme Cake (Kremowki) slices arrive at our table and I am eager to get my first taste of this famous delicacy. There is a thin layer of Phylo type dough on the bottom, a delicious vanilla creme filling followed by a layered phylo type dough on the top with a heavy dusting of powdered sugar on top for good measure. The Creme Cake is every bit as delicious as the Pope remembers it being and Aneta assures me it was much better when he was a child. (Although I always tease her about being a Luddite since she thinks everything was better 100 years ago! She counters with "I was just born 100 years too late." To which I respond, "It wouldn't have made any difference. You'd just think things were better 100 years before you were born whenever it happens to be!") So we laugh, sip our tea and enjoy our Kremowki.

There were two other kinds of creme cake - one chocolate and one strawberry - on the counter and Aneta ordered one of each, split in two, so we could sample all the cafe had to offer! I was so full and had such a sugar high when we left the cellar I could have flown under my own power to our next stop. So that was lunch in Wadowice, three kinds of cake and real loose leaf tea.

We went back to the car and pointed ourselves in the direction of our next stop but it wasn't that easy. Every road the GPS told us to take was blocked, one way going the wrong way, or closed for construction. It took us about a half hour to find a way out of Wadowice.

Once on the road again we drove up into the mountains. Aneta had in mind a small village famous for its old wood houses. The name of this village is Lanckorona and it is a favorite of artists in the summer season. I can understand why as it is high in the mountains and has some pretty spectacular views off the side of the mountain in several directions. We took a few photos and then moved on as Aneta thought we were close to another place she wanted to show me but it turned out to be 150 kilometers distance so we turned around and returned to Lancaorona to find a place to eat dinner. I know, it sounds like all we do is eat! Pretty much.

Fot: Old cottage in Lanckorona, Aneta

Aneta spotted a sign for a Restauracja Atlier on our exit the first time so she wanted to try it. We found the sign again and made our way up then down a winding narrow lane that eventually led to a hotel/restaurant sitting alone in the woods. It was quite lovely and we decided to give it a try. What a surprise! The place looked old but was actually brand new. It has only been open two months (terrible time of the year to open a new hotel/restaurant in a summer tourist area, but whose counting?)and we are the only customers. The lady behind the reception desk leaves her post to give us a guided visit to the restaurant, which is up three flights of stairs situated in a glass enclosed bridge between two halves of the hotel. The waitstaff were a pair of charming young boys, unsure of themselves and anxious to do a good job. They discerned that we were speaking English and brought one Polish menu and one English menu. Good observation and good call. Aneta was horrified at the prices but I said I'd buy dinner and she should have whatever she wanted. She read the menu, looked up at me with an incredulous look on her face and said, "no Pierogi!"

Fot: Linda in action, Aneta

"No," I said, "but the menu looks wonderful. Is there anything here you think you might like? I'm going to have the Beef Tenderloin in Truffle Butter with Fresh Steamed Vegetables."

"What does Truffle Butter taste like? Mushrooms?"

"Well, Truffles are a fungus so probably something like mushrooms but I don't think I've ever tasted Truffles so I can't say for sure."

"I'll have the first one."

"So Roast Pork in Orange Sauce with Chocolate?"

"I guess so."

The waiter came to take our order and Aneta had a brief conversation with him in Polish and changed her mind and ordered the Roast Duck. Something about vinegar. I ordered a potato/leek soup for a starter.

The soup came and was absolutely wonderful. It looked like squash soup - golden in color and very creamy. Perhaps sweet potatoes were used to get this rich color but whatever kind of potatoes were used they made a delicious soup. I ate half the soup and then passed it to Aneta who ate the remaining portion and pronounced it "very good." I felt the soup was a precursor of things to come and I was correct. Soon our main course arrived on large, very warm, white porcelain plates. The presentation was on a par with any 5 star restaurant in NYC. My steak was perched atop the fresh steamed vegetables that consisted of Zuchini, Sweet Red Peppers, Mushrooms and Onions, all topped with Truffle Butter. I sliced off a slim bite of the steak and placed it in my mouth where I was treated to an explosion of delectable flavors. The meat was as tender as a sweet pea and juicy beyond compare. I chewed slowly, letting the flavors sink into my taste buds and and brain. I think I had an out of body experience. This was one of the best meals I have ever eaten, anywhere, anytime, any place.

When I emerged from my gastronomic revery I looked over at Aneta to see how things were looking on her side of the table. She was staring at her plate with a puzzled look on her face. "My plate has chocolate on it," she announced. Indeed there was a chocolate sauce drizzled around the plate as part of the presentation.

"Lucky you!" I enthused as she cut off a piece of the Roast Duck and slipped it between her lips. The next time I came up for air her plate was clean. So we paid the bill - a whole 108 zl ($36) for two of the best truly gourmet dinners I have ever experienced. Aneta agreed with me that this restaurant was very special indeed. Her wheels started turning and we stopped at the front desk on our way out and asked to see a room and collected information about room rates and group discounts with our next trip in mind. This location - just 25 kilometers from Krakow would make a good base of operations for day trips to both Krakow and Wadowice and the surrounding villages of interest. Always thinking, this girl.

Wel, home again, home again, jiggidy jig. I read to Aneta as she drove the car until I suddenly fell asleep. When I woke up I continued on but first I had to go floor diving for my iPad which had slipped off my lap and disappeared into the dark at some point. I don't know why I was so tired all of a sudden but the short nap refreshed me. Aneta left me at the flat and went to collect the little one from her grandparents.

As far as the blog goes, this day will be out of order as I forgot to blog about Monday and it was actually kind of an interesting day.

Linda

Dinner and Dancing Anyone?

It is Sunday and you know what that means, right? Dinner at someone's home. This week - after a nearly two week hiatus - we were off to the Weclawek's again. On the way we made a detour to look at the 100 year old brick house again and dangle it in front of the practical man in the partnership. He came, he saw, we left and there hasn't been any further discussion of the 100 year old brick house. Well, some rapid chatter in Polish as we pulled away coming from Witek's mouth and a brief interpretive statement from Aneta making it clear the subject was closed.

Dinner was delicious, as usual. Today we enjoyed Greek Fish - a white fish prepared under a bed of shredded carrots and seasonings and then oven baked (I think), chicken breast rolled in a seasoned coating and pounded thin before being stuffed with peppers and cheese and rolled for baking, mashed potatoes with fresh dill, pickles, red pepper slices and white cabbage salad. Dessert was a delicious chocolate and raspberry creme filled layer cake made by Alicja's own hand and served with Herbata (tea) or Kawa (coffee). What a feast.

I presented Witek and Alicja with a flash drive with nearly 3gb of 50's, 60's and 70's rock music from my personal collection. Of course there were a few country pieces thrown in for good measure - Emmy Lou Harris, Linda Ronstadt and Dolly Parton from the Trio Album - to be specific. I have been working on this compilation for several weeks as Witek loves this era of music and Alicja and Witek like to dance to it. They will make good use of it during the summer months as they entertain at "the garden" cottage. After dinner Witek brought out his lap top computer and had son-in-law Witek put the flash drive in so he could listen to what was on it. Son-in-law Witek said, "You'd have to be smoking marijuana to like this music!"
But he was wrong. Alicja, Witek, little Ania and I danced for hours to the Golden Oldies and had a ball. Aneta and young Witek went shopping for the elusive ski helmut for Aneta and came back empty handed. But while they were gone we managed to cut a rug through about 50 songs
before we collapsed in exhaustion. Actually father Witek wouldn't dance except when his tiny granddaughter would go take his hand and pull him off the sofa but he was a good sport about it and indulged her most of the time. Her favorite song is Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and she dragged her grandfather off the sofa to dance to it more than once. Okay - that song is newer than the 70's and so are a lot of the others on the drive but the bulk of them are the 3 decades noted.

We returned home around 9 pm with a worn out,sleepy baby in the car. Witek returned to school and Aneta announced that tomorrow she has a surprise for me and we must be up early. So off to bed

Saturday Surprise

We left Ela's this morning at around 11 AM. We drove to a sporting equipment shop to purchase ski helmets for Ela and Aneta. After an hour of trying on helmets Ela made her purchase but Aneta didn't care for the way any of them felt on her and left empty handed. We headed back to Knurow and I thought we were going home. Wrong. We pulled up in front of an apartment I didn't immediately recognize. I said, "Where are we?"

Fot: Dinner at Marianna and Franek, Linda

Aneta: "Witek's parents. We will have dinner."

Me: "Okay, oh dear, I'm going to have to climb 20 flights of stairs to get there right?"

Aneta: "It's only 30 stairs."

Wrong. It is 56 stairs. I counted.

It was worth it though as Marianna and Franek had prepared a lovely meal for us of Pork roasted with onions, white cabbage salad, purple cabbage salad and mashed potatoes. As they don't speak English it was a little difficult for me to engage so I just ate, appreciated and enjoyed the companionship of this lovely family. Marianna and Franek returned to Knurow on Thursday after a three week stay with their daughter, Beata, in Torun. They were anxious to see Ania and Aneta and Witek, of course, as this is a family who engages daily with each other.

Fot: Linda and Kamil

Shortly after dinner Aneta sked me if I was going with her to get the gift certificate for Ania's birthday party this evening. She said, "we must be in this place at 4 and the party is at 5. It was 20 minutes to 4 so I suggested we leave immediately as we also had to pick up Agnes. Remember I still had 56 stairs to descend to the parking lot! We picked up Agnes and went to the masseuse from whom we were buying the gift certificate for a full body peel, hot rock massage and chocolate facial for friend Ania's birthday. Mission accomplished, yes ladies, the price was just $40 for all of that and we split it three ways. Then we rushed back and dropped Agnes at her flat and Aneta dropped me at our flat while she went to collect Witek at his parents flat. I changed quickly for the party and touched up hair and make-up. Aneta came in just as I was finishing and jumped in the bathroom for her doing up. She wet her hair down and I blow dried it for her. She put on her cute little dress she bought at that nifty shop in Sibenik, Croatia. She looked absolutely adorable and everyone at the party thought so too. Agnes, Michael and Konrad (thank goodness this kid has a name that is pronounced just the way it is spelled!) arrived and Agnes and I wrapped the gift - a very large coffee table book on decorating to make new look old with the gift certificate tucked inside. Michael asked me if I would like to ride with them and I gratefully accepted. They have a lovely Honda four door sedan with lots of room and very comfortable seats.

Fot: Queen Linda with her boys:)

We arrived at the same time as Robert and Ewalinka (Linka) and their three adorable little boys. I went into the house and was greeted warmly by Kamil with a kiss and a hug. Kamil told me he had to attend another birthday party on this night so he would be leaving right away. He did not leave though and we had a wonderful visit. The crowd of well wishers in Ania and Mareks big house kept growing with the addition of Agnes and Chris. So this was the first time I have already known everyone at a gathering. It was very comfortable for me for a change. These young men all seem to have adopted me as their grandmother or something and they cater to me, serve me, fuss over me and generally make me feel like a queen. Michael and Chris actually got into a little disagreement over which of them I liked the best! Makes me feel so special!

Fot: Agnes and Ania with her present

It was a great party and I hope Ania felt properly feted for her birthday. Marek bought her a 20minute ride in a glider and she was very excited about it. Robert and Linka's little boys took to me like three little ducks to water. The middle one - three year old Karol - was, in fact, quite smitten with me. He came up to me with his little angelic mouthed pursed into a kiss posture and looked up at me adoringly. I bent down and kissed his little lips and he said, "I like you", in Polish of course, but it was immediately translated for me by several adults who were amused by his behavior. Later, his mother told him I lived in the wild, wild west where cowboys live and he ran up to me and said, "are you inviting me to the wild, wild west?"

I said, "Well certainly. You come anytime you'd like."

He asked, "is it over water? And do I have to fly in an airplane?"

"Yes," I said, and he hugged me and ran off giggling. What a cutie.

Things always begin to disintegrate the more people drink and this was no exception. Soon Witek and Aneta realized it was time for us to leave before things got any crazier. So at 9:30 PM we left the party in full swing, right behind Robert and Majina and their three children.

Fot: Linda and Chris

Now I have a date for coffee with Chris on Wednesday, an invitation to visit Robert and Majina and see their new house, and a date for coffee with Michael. Kamil also invited me to do something with him this next week and he called Aneta this morning and suggested a castle excursion but she told him I had already been there. So he is thinking of something else to invite me to do. And tonight Michael called to say he and Agnes want to take me on a trip with them next weekend. Do you think I feel special and well loved in this place? You better believe it. These friends of Aneta's and Witek's are a really special group of young people. I feel privileged to know them and hope each and every one of them will make to America one day as my guest.

Linda

Slovakia or Not Slovakia, That is the Question

We were scheduled to visit Trenczyn, Slovakia today but life is what happens while you are making other plans, right? Ania had a very difficult night and Aneta and Witek were exhausted. No one got around very early and soon it was explained that it was too late to go to Slovakia so we would go to Zar Mountain and ride the Gondola to the top since the weather had cleared off again and we had another really nice day for viewing.

So off we went. It is a beautiful area and we were able to see many gliders in the sky, hot air balloons, parasailers and small planes towing the gliders up into the sky. The gondola was really nice and entirely enclosed, although standing up was the only option for riding as there were no seats inside the cars. We rode to the top and shed our coats and hats to enjoy the warm weather while we took photos in every direction and of each other.

Fot: Ela, Ania, Witek, Linda at the Zar Mountain, Aneta

After a half hour or so we decided to walk down the mountain instead of riding back down in the Gondola. Big mistake - at least for me. Walking down a ski slope is a hairy experience and this one was especially long and steep. We started out with poor Aneta holding onto my arm to keep me from falling down on the steep gravely terrain. After a few hundred feet I said, "I don't think this is a good idea." She concurred and we turned around and hiked back to the top and caught the Gondola down. My legs felt like a pair of rubber bands and every downward step I took hurt either my left knee or my right hip. Climbing back up raised my heart rate to aerobic levels but it was immensely more easy than going down.

Fot: Aneta and Witek at Zar Mountain, Linda

Of course Aneta and I reached the bottom long before Witek, Ela and Ania so we had time to sit and take in the scenery while we waited. Mountain bikers were hurtling off that mountain one after another and hikers were making their way up and down in a steady stream. Do I feel like a panty waist for not hiking down? No way. I get dizzy just thinking about it! It was a recipe for disaster for me.

Ela knew of a fine restaurant in Cieszyn where she wanted us to go for dinner. It was truly wonderful. We were placed upstairs in a room especially for diners with children complete with a children's play area to keep the little ones occupied. The menu was broad and complete with an International section as well as traditional Polish cuisine. I ordered chicken teriyaki with rice and steamed vegetables and it was just outstanding. Dessert was equally delicious and Witek and I shared a poached pear in rum and vanilla sauce with ice cream and whipped cream. Aneta had apple pie with ice cream and Ela had Flambe with plums in rum and sugar. To say we were sated would be an understatement.

On the way back to Ela's we stopped and bought two decks of playing cards to make a Pinoucle deck. After the baby was down for the night I taught the three of them how to paly the game and we played two rousing games. Witek caught on very quickly. The challenge for me was they all speak Polish and I only speak English so whatever conversation they may have been having went right over my head! Anyway we had fun, some wine, some hazelnut vodka and good conversation. It was a fun evening.

Linda

Off to the Mountains - Cieszyn

Witek's cousin, Ela Grabowska is the Executive Director of an S.O.S. home for displaced children age 3 - 18 years near the town of Cieszyn. The home is in a residential neighborhood a short walk from the magnificent Wistula River - the longest river in Poland. The headwaters are near here in the Beskidy Mountains. The place is very peaceful.

Ela has a nice apartment on the lower floor of the building that houses 12 children in the upstairs with 24 hour-a-day staff. She enjoys a large, pleasant kitchen and has two bedrooms, a TV room with a dining table and sofa that folds down into a guest bed. This is the room I was given and it was lovely. Witek and Aneta brought a blow up bed and took the second bedroom with Ania. We had a wonderful time.

the plan the first day was to rise early and go to the mountains, ride a Gondola to the top and take in the spectacular views before walking off the mountain for our daily exercise. However, the weather Thrusday was overcast, cold and foggy. Not a good day to go hunting for a viewscape on a mountain top. So Aneta made a couple of phone calls and arrangements to take me to Zywiec to visit the brewery.

Fot: Zywiec brewery, Aneta

I wasn't all that excited about seeing a brewery but what a wonderful surprise I had in store for me. We were able to get into the 11:30 AM guided tour but we had to drive like a bat out of a hot place to make it on time. We got there just as the tour was beginning. This is so much more than a brewery. In fact what we toured was the brewery museum and it was absolutely one of the best I have ever seen. The exhibits were all interactive and historically accurate in depicting the time.

Fot: Old barrels, Aneta

A pub from the 1800's has been recreated, wherein you actually sit down as if you were a customer and soak up the atmosphere just like it would have been in 1830, or you sit at a cafe in 1939 and hear Eva Hapsburg tell the story of the German take over of the city followed by the Russion Red Army coming and what happened to the town and the brewery during those historic times. The brewery and the town were both owned by the Hapsburgs of Germany but the man who founded the brewery became a Polish citizen and the family was thereafter referred to as "the Polish Hapsburghs". Production at the brewery went up 60% under the Germans but the quality went down in equal portions because they added so much more water to the beer.

Fot: Krakus advertisement in USA, Aneta

This beer was sent to the German troops. After the war the brewery ws able to regain its reputation for a quality beer. They lay claim to a special group of springs from which the water is exclusively used in the making of Zyweich beer. In a dry year production is reduced to compensate and in a wet year they are able to increase production but there is no compromise by adding water from a different source to maintain production in a dry year.

Fot: One of the exibit in Zywiec brewery, Aneta

At the end of the tour we were guided to a cafe where we were able to order a beer with our entrance ticket. I drank my beer (I am so not a beer drinker that this was a stellar effort on my part; Aneta couldn't drink any because she was driving)and actually enjoyed it. Then we stood up to go. Oh wow was I drunk. I never remember feeling drunk like this in my life. My speech was slurred, I couldn't walk straight, my head was spinning and I was generally inebriated. I don't know the alcohol content of that tasty beer but it sure as heck gave me a cheap drunk. Aneta took ahold of my arm and guided me into the closest restaurant and ordered me a big lunch. I felt fine after I ate but it was touch and go there for a half-hour or so. We were each given a free beer glass as we left the tour as well. A nice souvenir.

Fot: Traditional Zywiec clothes, Aneta

Our next stop was the Zywiec castle and Palace. We purchased tickets to see the cultural heritage, archeological exhibits and the torture museum. The palace museum was really a great find. The cultural heritage of this unique town was on full display right down to the clothing that is worn no where else in Poland, this region or the world. The Hapsburgh's lived in this palace until fairly rent times. The displays of artifacts, the artworks, the interpretation of exhibits was all very well done. We were allowed to go through at our own pace with audio boxes located in each room with a variety of languages from which to chose your narration. It was so nice to hear American English narration and I got so much more out of the tour for having that opportunity.

Fot: Zywiec Park, Aneta

By the time we left the palace in Zywiec it was dark out and we had quite a drive back to Ela's. Rush hour in Poland seems to happen everywhere. We were hung up in traffic for a couple of hours for what was a 40 minute drive in the morning. Ela fixed a nice light supper and we had a pleasant evening
visiting.

Fot: Small gifts from the Zywiec Museum

Linda

House-hunting and Swimming: Do those go together?

A couple of weeks ago when we were doing castle, castle and more castles, we went through a town called Paniowki and spotted an old brick house sitting in a field with a for sale sign on the fence. Aneta commented that it was the kind of house she wanted. I kept bugging her to go back and look at it and today she agreed that we should do that.

I spent the morning packing up some items to send home so I don't have to carry them on the airplane and we took the box to the post office to mail. That was quite an experience. You may think postal workers in the US get a bad rap for being slow but I have to say the lady graciously helping us at the post office in Knurow takes the prize for slow. I am sure she views it as methodical but Aneta was extremely frustrated by the experience. She offered me two options for shipping - both costing considerably different amount of course - but could not give me an estimate of delivery time for either one of them! Lengthy conversations resulted in the determination that the least expensive method could take up to three months! I opted for the more expensive one as I have some Christmas gifts tucked into that box and I don't have three months!

Mission accomplished we head for Paniowki to see if we can find the house again. We were successful, after a few missteps and false starts, and Aneta called the number on the sign. The owner just lived a couple of blocks away and came right down to show us the house. It was a 100 year old brick house with a full unfinished attic. The downstairs has four good sized rooms plus a bathroom that was added on after the fact. The place sits on a nice piece of property and has a wonderful old brick barn as well as an addition on the house with animal stalls in it! Of course Aneta loved the place and it really was quite charming but the reality of what it would take to make it habitable is quite daunting. But it gives us something to talk about and dream about and fantasize about.

Fot: A small house spotted by us, Linda

Next stop a swimming pool near this house. This is the pool Aneta takes Ania to for her swim lessons each Thursday evening. It is my first visit to the pool and what a nice surprise. This is just a fabulous pool. No other words to describe it. The pool my grandsons frequented at the YMCA in GreenBay, WI was very similar with a giant yellow solid tube slide that shoots around and around and dumps you out in a special area. Not that we went on the slide - no way - but the children's pool here is very large and even has some depth to it so Ania could actually swim, and did she swim! What a happy little girl when she is in the water. I swam laps in the big pool and had the lane all to myself for the entire hour. Everything about this pool was state of the art and very clean. It was a great exercise day.

Witek is home again tonight as his group is heading to the Tatra Mountains near Zakopane for mountain rescue training and he is qualified to teach the course. He gets a 5-day break and he is really ready for it!

Linda

Rest, Regroup and Run Errands

Monday was laundry day as we are heading to the mountains on Wednesday. Aneta is still not feeling 100% and it seemed like a good day to stay close to home. However, she had to go to her "work" for a few minutes and left me the keys so I could actually leave the apartment and get back in if she wasn't home. She even took Ania with her. I lazed around here until near noon enjoying my breakfast and the quiet. Then I walked up to the village and stopped in at my favorite Italian restaurant and ordered a KAWA tall with milk (a latte). It was so warm out I took it outside to the patio seating and enjoyed the midday sun while I sipped away. When I finished I walked across the street to a clothing store and a shoe store I had noticed before but never been inside. I found a beautiful accessory for something I had purchased as a gift for my daughter-in-law earier. However, the youngster behind the counter could not find a price, could not tell me how much it was, would not speak English (although she readily admitted studying English in school), couldn't figure out who to call and finally hid in a corner to get away from me! Eventually an older lady returned to the shop and looked up the price and sold the piece to me. That nearly took an act of congress but I left happy. Nest I went to the Buty (shoe store) and found the cutest shoes ever. I bought some Christmas gifts for folks at home, as well as some adorable boots for Ania. I was apprehensive about size for Ania so I called Aneta to see if she was headed home yet. She was in Knurow - basically right outside the store I was in so she brought Ania and we tried the boots on her. They fit just fine so that bit of Christmas shopping is done.

After shopping Aneta wanted to go get something to eat and she had a particular restaurant in mind. I wasn't hungry, having had breakfast so late in the morning, but I went along for the company. I had Zurek soup and it was delicious for about $2. Aneta and Ania had full meals and said the PIerogi were delicious. The restaurant was really cute and tucked away in the bottom of one of these cement block apartment buildings so that unless you lived in the vicinity you would never know it was there in a hundred years. I liked the decor but Aneta thought it was a bit "cold". She doesn't like anything very contemporary as it seems to remind her of the "communistic era". She is a Polish Patriot through and through and recoils at anything that reminds her of the difficult past thrust on her country by the Russians.

After dinner we walked to the town market square of Knurow - which Aneta thinks is quite an enthusiastic overstatement. The square is very small and there aren't many shops but she says Witek, who is from Knurow, is very proud of their market square. Aneta is from Gliwice and finds the suggestion that this is a legitimate market square, laughable. There was a very nice children's clothing store that I managed to spend 15 minutes browsing through while Aneta tried to manage Ania's mood outside in the cold. I soon tired of browsing and we walked back to the car and headed home where it would be warm and cozy. Remember how warm it was at noon? Well by 4 pm that was over and the temperature had dipped into the "zimno" (very cold) range and I only had a very light cotton jacket with me.

See you tomorrow.
Linda