More pictures as promised

I'm back in Canada for the next three days, so I thought that I'd update the site with the rest of my pictures from Poland. I'm sure that you're curious to see pictures from Babcia's house and the cabin in the woods that I visited on my last weekend in Poland. Unfortunately I was wrestling with a nasty head cold all weekend, so I wasn't snapping pictures with my usual gusto. I did get some good shots of Czocha (a medieval castle 130 km outside of Wrocław) and of the cabin in the woods of Zapusta. I'm starting to feel better now that I get to sleep in my own bed (yay!) and I hope to be completely recovered by Saturday when we leave for Japan. If I don't get to see or talk to you before I leave again, I appologize, but I hope to post at least once a week from Japan. The itinerary is that we'll be flying to the south-most point of the country then taking a ferry to the small jungle island of Iriomote then make our way progressively northward over the next 30 days or so. Our main shelter will be our tent and I'll be clutching my Japanese phrase book most of the time. Wish me luck!

I'm back...briefly

Ok I'm finally able to update you on my travels. I should first tell you that I'm writing this on a friends computer in a forest near the German border (Zapusta, near 30km from
Gorlitz). I'm using a super slow internet connection with the help of an antenna placed on the top of our picnic table roof (pictures to follow, because I can't connect my camera right now). We have wooden cabins complete with power and flush toilets, but it's still a little rustic.

Anyway, I can update you on the last couple of days. I actually stayed in Kraków for an extra night and on Thursday I spent the day driving through the countryside in search of former synagogues for an art project. Alicia, the art major, had rented a car for this purpose and procured a guide (Zigi) at the bar the night before, we were also joined by Jason (who slept almost the whole time). It was a really nice day and gave us a perfect oportunity to see some out of the way towns and villages in the farmland north of Kraków. Some highlights included the lady in the ditch cutting grass with a scyth, the children riding in the wagon of hay and the many interesting forms of architechture. We also drove though Nowa Huta, with it's many smokestacks and bluff faced architechture. After a day of driving Zigi suggested that we go to a quary just outside of town for a quick dip. The hike down into the quarry was trecherous (especially since I had to do it barefoot) but was totally worth it when we jumped into the freezing and strangely saphire coloured water, I wish I remembered what this place was called because it was really amazing.

On Friday, I travelled by train to Wrocław to Babcia's house. It was an uneventful trip, but I alway love riding the train through the countryside. It's amazing to see the lush farmland next to abandoned factories and villages which could use some sprucing up. Once I arrived at Babcia's I was given the grand tour of the garden and was soon holding a branch of cherries (still warm from the sun), apples, strawberries, raspberries and red currants from around the property. She was very concerned that I should eat and although I kept her at bay for maybe an hour, I eventually had to give in. She made me a wonderful feast of kielbasa, bread, homeade pickels, soup and (of course) 3 shots of vodka (Gorzka Żołądkowa). Needless to say, I was a little sleepy afterward and fell asleep around 9pm. The next morning breakfast was another spread of the same things that I had for dinner, but with only 2 shots of vodka.

Krzysiek and Gosia picked me up shortly thereafter and we drove out here for a rest. I'll have to post more later because the battery is dying. See you tomorrow in Canada!!

Farewell

This will be my final post from Kraków because I'm packing up and leaving for Wrocław tomorrow. I'm actually kinda happy to be leaving because I haven't had a green salad or a decent night's sleep since I got here. I haven't been writing much because I reached a saturation point last week and since then it's been a struggle to speak in full sentences, let alone write in them. It's been raining and cold almost everyday so I've got cabin fever and I'm pretty homesick. Tonight I'll go to the farewell ceremony and party then maybe I'll go out dancing. I have to say that the "intensive program" is a little too intense for me. I'm including some pictures of everyday stuff around here and of my trip to Częstochowa last weekend (which I didn't have time to write about). I'll try to find an internet cafe in the next couple of days and update you on my recuperation. See you then.

School

Language class is like being in elementary school again, except you don't know what the teacher is saying to you. We're learning how to count, tell time, describe stuff and talk about ourselves. It's strange because everyone is at a different level, some can speak and understand but not read or write and others can write but not read etc... Our teachers are nice, they have infinite patience and try very hard to teach our unruly class to communicate in Polish. We walk about 5 min each day to get to class in a liceum nearby (I'm not sure if liceum is elementary or highschool, maybe you can tell me). We have these cute classrooms and a little canteen with a nice lady that sells us coffee. We are in class from 8:30 am until 1:30 pm with a couple of breaks, but honestly it's killer. By the third period we're pretty beat.

Today I wrote the final test and did my oral presentation to the class. I feel that I could have done better, but I also feel that I've tried really hard over the last three weeks and I can accept that I'm not going to be fluent overnight. I'm sad to leave but also happy to be finished.

Comments

Some of you have had trouble leaving a comment, I've changed some settings so you may be able to add one now.

Ognisko

One truly Polish tradition is the Ognisko (or bonfire), where people roast sausage and sing songs. Since Tuesday nights are "cultural" nights we all hopped on a bus and headed to The Wolski Wood (Lasek Wolski) which a big park (>450 ha) in the west of the city for a bonfire. The woods were really nice and secluded and it had a really nicely organized firepit with lots of comfy benches to sit on. The organizers came prepared with rubbermaid containers of sausage, potatoes and corn on the cob as well as pre-made roasting sticks and a projector to show the song lyrics. We were taught a couple of songs and some dances and games then headed back to town on the bus. It's always hilarious when we try to go somewhere on the public transit because our groups are always huge (I don't even know how many people, but I would say 50-100) and we take over the tram or the bus. The locals must just love us!

Food

We have three meals a day here: śnadanie (breakfast from 7-9am), obiad (dinner from 2-3pm) i kolacja (supper from 6-8pm). Unlike back home, lunch doesn't exist and dinner is the main meal of the day (and my favourite) and we always have a meat and a veggi option, but the later is usually full of cheese. So I guess I'll start at the beginning. Śnadanie is a buffet of ham, bread, various cheeses, tomatoes, cucumbers, boiled eggs, yogurt and of course juice, tea and coffee. If you really want there is a pot of boiled wieners and cereals of various kinds. Needless to say, breakfast is not my favourite meal, the idea of eating meat for breakfast everyday is foreign to me, but I've started doing it since there is such a long time between the first and second meals, as you'll soon see I'm eating a lot of meat. Obiad is usually a full dinner starting with a delicious soup, then a tasty kutlet or chicken leg, potatoes, carrots and kompot to drink. The dessert is always cream based so I skip it and opt for a cup of tea. Kolacja starts with sałatka (salad, which sometimes has lettuce in it) and is almost always followed by pierogi of some kind, but I'm happy to report that the potato ones (ruskie) are not my favourite any more. This meal is always smaller, if not lighter, and I sometimes skip it all together since it's mostly potatoes. When it's not pierogi, they serve potato pancakes with sauce, zepiekanki (which I can't translate) or gulasz, then a piece of fruit (which is never ripe and I save in my room for breakfast a few days later). Overall I'm surviving pretty well, but I fear that my pants won't fit when I get home.

Meltdown!

The inevitable mini-meltdown happened in class today, due to a combination of lack of sleep, a persistent headache, a random charley horse that appeared in the night and the sheer volume of information which I've tried to absorb in the last 10 days of class. In addition (since I'm on the subject) the laundrymat, which is not self-serve and costs a fortune, accidentally shrunk a load of my clothes, it's been raining and cold for days, and the lack of veggies is starting to take it's toll.

The crisis is about to pass because I skipped my afternoon classes today to sleep, I found a drugstore and bought some Advil, the cafeteria has started serving more corn and peas (I'll take it) and the weekend is coming. I have some posts lined up about the Polish bonfire on Tuesday night, food here, my classes and everyday stuff, which I really want to show you so I'm just going to stay in my room, drink some wine and play with that tonight.

p.s. I excitedly check everyday to see who is reading my blog, but there's rarely any comments. Send me an email if you can't sign up to comment, I miss you!

Around Kraków

Yesterday I had the day to myself so I decided to spend it sightseeing in the old city. On Sundays most stores are closed except in the Jewish part called Kazimierz and in the really touristy parts of the old city square. So I headed out to the Sunday market in Plać Nowy of Kazimierz, which is like a flea market held in the old butchers square. It was cool to hunt for treasures among the piles of new and old stuff. I bought an old wallet for 40 zł then realized when I got home that it had some old German stamps in it. I wonder if they're worth anything?

I had a really nice lunch in a quiet out-of-the-way patio then headed to the center of town to tour some churches and possibly a museum. I didn't really have a firm plan so I just headed out in the direction of the old University. Along the way I came upon a shop with shelves of glass containers each with a different type of Polish liqueur. Naturally I stopped to try some since it kind of reminded me of Paweł's uncle's basement, which is full of glass jars with liqueur made from all kinds of fruit from his garden. After sampling a few different ones (blueberry, cherry, lilac berry and currant) I drowsily headed back out into the street.

It was really hot yesterday and I was starting to get tired so I decided to go to the Church of the Holy cross, which I read is a 15th century Gothic church with a central pilar that holds up the entire structure. When I got there, though, only the foyer was open, but it was so cool and quiet inside that I decided to sit for awhile on the inside steps. A man, who I assume is the priest there, arrived let me in to the main church for a couple of minutes. The arches of the ceiling were amazing with the center column fanning out like a palm tree to support the side chambers. The inside of the church had been gutted by fires throughout the years, so only the architecture is Gothic but it's filled with ornate gold and marble articles which seem out of place. Even thought this church is in the middle of a bustling area of the old city, inside it was totally calm. It was a bit of a shock to step out into the steamy, bustling street again.

I continued my adventures for the rest of the afternoon, but I never made it to the museum since it closes too early. I did visit the Florian gate, Jagiellonian University courtyard, Rynek and lots of art shops. I just had time to get back to the residence and have dinner before falling into bed, unfortunately I forgot that I had the "midterm" today in my language class so I got up a little early to study and now I can't think straight. I can't wait to go to sleep!

p.s. From now on you can click on the title of the post to see the rest of my pictures or follow the link in the sidebar.

Night out

I just got home from dancing my ass off in town. We finally get a day off tomorrow, so in celebration the whole group went out dancing. Many of the bars in Kraków are underground in these cave-like dens made of stone and brick. It's pretty standard to have many different rooms that lead off each other in random directions with lots of little cubby holes to hide in and two to three bars. You can walk around for 5 minutes before you find the pulsing dance floor way in the back. They really like techno, trance and a bunch more that I can't name, but at one place I actually heard a dance remake of "Greased lightning". Some friends and I walked from bar to bar in the center of town but the best one was a trance bar called RDZA. It had a really good dj in this vaulted room made of huge stones. There were so many people dancing, it was cool. I added some pictures from their web site, since my camera dosen't work well in dim light. Ok, I'm going to bed now, since I want to get up for the market in the Jewish quarter Kazimierz.

Update

I wish I had something more interesting to tell you than "I'm really busy", but that's about it right now. The language class is improving but the food and the lectures have been declining in quality lately. I wanted to take pictures of the food to show you how well we've been eating, but for the last two days there hasn't been anything to write home about (he he). Hopefully by next week the kitchen staff will be rested and I'll have something to post. The language teachers are really nice (and gorgeous) and super perky so I'd like to post some pics and stories soon. What else would you like to know about? Well I'm going for a pint then it's off to bed. By the way, I just discovered that the beer here has something like 7% alcohol, which is probably why two pints knocks me on butt.
Post comments so that I know you're out there, miss you!

A truly Polish experience

As it turns out, we need to acquire the reading materials for our classes. Many of these are located in the main (głowny) bookstore which is 5 tram stops away. Our teachers have made strong suggestions that we acquire the books by tomorrow, so today after five hours of class, I asked the teacher if I should skip lunch and go down to the main square and get the books (actually only one is required), and her answer was yes. Against her advice I had a quick dinner then bravely searched for the store in question, with about 1 hour of time until my next class. Well... I navigated successfully to my desired tram stop, located the store, then tried to locate the section where the language books are kept. Once there I realized that my book was not available, a suspicion which was quickly confirmed by the (brisk) cashier. Having only 2o minutes left to get to my "History of Poland" lecture, I raced back toward the west of town, sans book. Unfortunately for me the directions given for how to get to the lecture hall are less than ideal (see picture). But seeing as I had been there once I decided to give it a try. I wandered around becoming more and more distressed until I finally arrived 10 minutes late. Our professor had made it clear that latecomers would be subjected to ridicule, but as I hesitated outside the auditorium room I realized that I would be more upset by missing the lecture than by suffering his comments on my late arrival. But all was well and I learned about the Jagiellonian dynasty and its impact on the political and economic history of Poland. The second lecture was also good since it was about Marxist theory and the implementation of socialism in Poland after WWII. I'm sure my teacher will ask me tomorrow where my book is, to which I'll reply "nie ma" (there's none).

My first day of school

Today I had over five hours of Polish language lessons (in Polish), three hours of lectures on Polish history and politics and two hours of conversation, so I apologize if my spelling is atrocious. So last week after arriving here we immediately took a placement test to help the teachers decide which level of Polish we should be studying. It was a one hour written test followed by an oral interview. Needless to say, after being awake forever and the jetlag and everything, I bombed the test. So today I was assigned to the A1.1 class, which is the most basic level. We learned how to count to five and to pronounce the alphabet, but I'm happy to report that now I'm in the A1.2 class. Maybe tomorrow I'll graduate to A2 but I doubt it since I can't understand anything anyone says to me. We have this really nice teacher that writes everything on the board which is a big help though. I'm going to fall into bed now and start over tomorrow. P.S. We had strawberry pierogi for dinner, yum.

Chilly Zakopane

In order break the ice and get everyone settled in before classes start on Monday, we have the option to attend some touristy excursions. Today I went to the mountain village of Zakopane at the foot of the Tatra mountains. Unfortunately it rained all day so things were a little chilly and soggy.

Our first, and my favourite, stop was at the Willa Koliba museum of Zakopane style designed by the famous artist and writer Stanisław Witkiewicz at the turn of the 20th century. To tell you the truth, I did not catch all the details since there was no guide and all the signs were in Polish. I was able to glean some information from the handout given to us by our program leader and from the internet, though so here are the interesting bits. The house was basically an experimental design that Witkiewicz was trying out in an attempt to develop a unique Polish style of architecture (see more at www.culture.pl). It was originally built as the summer home of Zygmunt Gnatowski, who collected Tatra folklore and artifacts, but is now a museum containing treasures of Góral (or Highlanders) culture. All the furniture was carved with ornate Tatra motifs and many examples of ornate lacework and embroidery from early in the 20th century. It was really something. Also displayed are pastel sketches by the architect's son Stanisław Jr. (a.k.a. Witkacy) which were done in the late 1920's. Featured prominently is a woman named Neny Stachurski (pictured here) who I can only assume was an intimate friend of the artist.

Next we visited the old cemetery, which had some of the more artistic tombstones I've seen. Many of the headstones were hacked out of bigger rocks which were already weathered, a light layer of moss and an elaborate garden planted in or around it added an interesting effect.

In order to escape the rain we rode up Gubałówka hill by funicular, which is essentially a railcar with a rope underneath to pull it up the hill. At the top we had a much needed break and sat inside one of the large wooden halls at huge tables made of logs and drank beer. Some meandering through the touristy streets and some light shopping and it was time to go home. I'm pooped.

Ok, more info

Now that my belly is full I can give you more info about what I'm up to in the heart of Poland. I'm starting a three-week intensive polish language and culture course (http://www.uj.edu.pl/SL/en/) at the Jagiellonian University (www.uj.edu.pl). I'm staying at the PIAST student house, which is student residence in the west of town. My room is really cozy, I share a bathroom with only one other person, I have internet and a phone in my room and the cafeteria is more like a banquet hall, with waitstaff and polish ladies that henpeck them. The meal situation is very communist-esk with food stamps for every meal. My timetable is essentially language classes in the morning and optional cultural classes in the afternoon with movies (subtitled) in the evening. Since classes only start on Monday I'll be sightseeing this weekend with the group: on Saturday we're going to the Zakopane mountains and Sunday we'll be taking a guided tour of Krakow and Wawel castle. I'll keep you POSTed...

Safe and hungry... I mean sound.

After a delay of more than six hours my flight left Toronto (finally!) at 12:30 am (EST). I think I waited all day to leave without really doing much else. So much anticipation and very little sleep later I arrived at Warsaw Intl. Airport at 3:15 pm local time (+6 hours from EST). One quick jaunt across the terminal, which was not direct by any means since I had to force every poor person wearing a badge or holding a walkie-talkie to speak English to me, and I was on a flight to Krakow. My luggage however had other ideas and is spending some time chillin' in Warsaw. One airplane, one bus and one train later and I was chatting happily with my new Brazillian friend Jose-Louis in the old town square in the center of Krakow. Thanks to the maps that Pawel printed for me I had no trouble navigating accross town to my student residence, however I arrived just after the caffeteria closed... so no dinner for me. I was so happy to arrive during daylight that I didn't stop for food. Well I'm rested and happy and the caf opens in 30mins for breakfast so I'll talk to you later!