Patty and Dan's Polish Adventure 2009

Krakow, The Third Capital of Poland

Wednesday morning was a walking tour of Krakow. It was one of those perfect fall days.  The sun was shining and the weather was about 75 degrees with a slight breeze.   We took a short bus ride through the streets of a very old part of Krakow. This is where all of the Jewish people lived before the war.  It was also the most filmed area of Krakow for the movie, Schindler's List.  Schindler's factory was just a short distance from where we were. 

We began our walking tour at Wawel (pronounced, Voval) Castle and Cathedral. Krakow is the city where the Polish kings ruled, so you can imagine how magnificent the castle was. This city goes back to the year 1000 and was the only major city in Poland to come through World War II essentially undamaged.  I think God may have had a hand in that one, because it is an absolutely spectacular city.  The buildings, churches and art work are really breathtaking.  Every street of this city is literally steeped in history.

We eventually made our way to the Market Square, which, again, was spectacular.  St. Mary's Church is located in the square.  It is a beautiful, Gothic style Basilica, erected in the 15th century. One of the things that was really magnificent in the church is the Veit Stoss Alter.  It is an example of Medieval sculpture and was designed for the worship of Mary (a very Catholic thing).  It is the largest alter of it's kind in all of Europe and during World War II, it was dismantled and hidden away in an attempt to protect it from the Nazis. It was found by the German soldiers and sent to Germany.  After the war, a group of art historians, traveled through Germany in search of Polish art treasures that were stolen.  The alter was found and returned to the church of St. Mary.  Everyday at 12 noon, there is an opening ceremony, where the doors of the alter are opened, revealing three beautifully carved scenes from the life of Mary.  It remains open each day until 6 pm, when they have a closing ceremony.

High on top of the church is a beautiful steeple with a tower underneath it.  It is from there that a bugle is played every hour on the hour, twenty four hours a day, everyday of the year.  This is a tradition that dates back 700 years. Polish firemen are the people who have the honor of sounding the bugle. They work in three 8-hour shifts. Everyday at 12 noon, the trumpet sound is broadcast over the radio.

We only had a short time to explore the Market Square, but we knew that we would be returning on Friday night and we would have all day Saturday to explore. Dan's cousin, Chuck and his wife, Mary and I had lunch on the plaza at the most charming outdoor cafe.  We had salads so fresh, we could have sworn they had a garden out back and picked our product on the spot. The entire square is filled with these wonderful outdoor eateries, and I suspect you couldn't pick a bad one if you tried.  The ambiance alone is worth the price of admission.

After lunch, we gathered again with our tour and headed for the Wieliczka Salt Mine. This mine is the oldest operational salt mine in Europe and has been working for over 700 years. The actual mine is enormous, but the tourist area is only 20 chambers. We traveled down the first part in the world's tiniest elevator. The ride down was pitch black and there were 7 people in our car. I have to admit, that if you are the least bit claustrophobic, you might have a little trouble.  Again, thank God for yoga breathing!  The tour was a walking tour once we got off the elevators and we continued to travel down the mine to a distance of 135 meters, which doesn't mean anything to me because I don't know the metric system.  The chambers were amazing and many of them contained very elaborate salt sculptures made by the miners.  It is hard to believe they had that much spare time!

The most impressive room was by far The St. Kinga's Chapel. It is located 121 meters below the surface and it is enormous.  Let's just say, I have never seen a ballroom this large.  The entire room is made of salt, including the stairs, the banisters, the alter and the chandeliers. The floor looks like marble squares, but it is made of salt and the shoes of the tourists keep it shinned to a high gloss. They conduct weddings and other events in this chapel. You have to see it to believe it. 

We continued traveling down through other chambers until we reached almost the lowest point we could go and then we came into another chamber where they have documented a hot air balloon flight, (very short one though) and someone bungi jumped for the Guinness Book of Records.

When we left the mine, unfortunately for me, it was by the same elevator system, only this time they put nine people in the car.  I thought of the Jewish people as they were packed in the box cars and transported to the camps. It helped me take my mind of of me. 

When we left the salt mines, we walked a short distance to a a very cute little local place and had a wonderful meal and very interactive entertainment. The local group made sure that everyone had a chance to experience the dances.  Most of the group took part in one particular dance where one person picks out another person from the circle. Then they put a piece of cloth down on the ground and both people kneel down and give each other a kiss on each cheek.  This dance went on for a long time and everyone seemed to have a good time. Just as we were all sitting back down, one of the dancers, came and took Dan by the hand and he had a solo dance with two of the women.  Of course, in true Dan Alger fashion, he was all smiles.  He totally got into it and they danced and twirled and danced some more. I told our group that even Polish women know a hot guy when they see one!

We arrived back at our hotel in Krakow and again gathered for a drink to talk over our day and plan the next day.  Our tour was officially over and most of the people would be returning to Warsaw in the morning, flying home on Friday morning.

We had arranged for another smaller bus and a driver to take us to the towns where the Rycz and Kobylarczyk grandparents were born. Everyone in our group was very excited for what the next two days might bring.  Having been raised around Polish grandparents and hearing about the old country for all of their lives, it was a little surreal for them to think that they would actually visit the towns and churches of their families. I thought it would be fun to share this with all of them and I looked forward to the next day.

The Incredible Beauty of The Polish Alps

As we left Auschwitz, we were a tired and somber group. It definitely took a lot out of everyone emotionally.  We boarded our bus and headed towards Zakopane, a beautiful city situated at the foot of the Tatra Mountains.  We stopped along the way at a lovely mansion that had been converted into a restaurant.  We had a wonderful dinner and then drove another two hours before finally reaching our hotel in Zakopane.  It was already 10:30 an night, so we went right to our room to go to sleep. Dan looked out the window as he shut the drapes and declared that we did not have much of a view.  Of course, the fact that it was pitch dark out did not seem to cause him to doubt his observation.

When we woke up the next morning, I opened the drapes and was greeted by the most spectacular view you can imagine; beautiful green hills, a tram and flowers everywhere. The dining room where they served our breakfast overlooked this same view. We wished we could have stayed there for a few nights, but we had a full agenda, so we pressed on. 

After breakfast we took a tour around the village of Zakpane on our bus and finally a walking tour through the streets.  We took a cable car to Kasprowy Weirch peak, the highest point in Zakopane.  The view was majestic.  Dan and I took a ride on these little sleds, like a luge. There was a track that snaked down the mountainside for awhile.  I told Dan to go first, so I could see him, because I was a little unsure of this ride.  Well,  he went first and within 10 seconds, he disappeared.  If you ask him, it did not go all that fast....if you ask me I will tell you that I think we had a qualifying time for the Olympic Team!  Okay, maybe that is a slight exaggeration, but I know for sure that heights and speed are not my thing.  I did manage to keep my eyes open and take in the incredible scenery as I whizzed by.  As we came to the end of the ride, a cable caught our little luge and took us back up the mountain.  This was the most surprising part, because we were so vertical, that I thought at any minute I would tumble backwards.  There was nothing to hang onto, so all I can say is thank God for all the yoga I do, because my core is stronger than I thought. 

After taking in the sights from the top of the mountain, we took the cable car down and waked the streets.  Zakopane is very scenic and filled with local traditions. It is definitely a tourist destination and the the streets are filled with hundreds of booths, selling beautiful handmade wool items, but also the cheep little souvenirs that people love to buy.  

Zakopane is the winter capital for Poland and the winter sports center, but it also attracts a lot of people in the summer who enjoy hiking, climbing and mountaineering.  If a trip to Poland is in your future, I would definitely recommend Zakopane as one of your destinations.

Later in the afternoon, we took a raft ride down the Dunajec River Gorge.  This is one of those trips, that cannot be described in words or pictures. We took a two hour ride down the river through the Pieniny Gorge.  One one side of the river was Poland and on the other river bank was Slovakia.  Our raft floated lazily down the river through the most majestic, towering cliffs and limestone rock formations.  The scenery was absolutely breathtaking.  We all decided that the only thing missing was our floating cooler filled with beer and wine.......note to self for next visit.

After rafting, we drove to Krakow, arriving at around 8pm.  We had dinner at the hotel and then our group sat around and had a few beers and shared our insights from our trip so far.

Two of Dan's cousins organized this tour and then invited anyone who wanted to come along.  Our group consisted of Chuck Rycz, his wife, Mary, Tom Rycz and his wife, Sue and one of their sons, Brad.  On the Rycz side two more cousins came along.  Virgie (Rycz), her husband, Mike and their son, Tommy.  Virgie's sister, Janet Rycz also came. Then on the Kobylarczyk side (Dan's mother's side), there was Dan and I and his sister, Karen Hadzima.  In case this is hard to follow.......pay attention:  Chuck and Tom's mother is Josephine and she is Martha's (Dan's mom), sister.  Their maiden name is Kobylarczyk.  Chuck and Tom's father is Johnny Rycz and his brother was Virgie and Janet's dad.  So, Tom and Chuck had two first cousins on their dad's side and two first cousins on their mom's side along on this trip. It had been a lot of fun getting to know the other people and it has been really fun to have two twenty somethings along.  

It was great fun sharing our thoughts about the trip with each other. We all agreed that Poland is an absolutely beautiful country and we were all surprised about that fact, even though all the cousins remembered their grandparents always telling them how beautiful Poland was.

The Symbol of Terror, Genocide, and the Holocaust

We traveled for about two hours through the beautiful countryside of southern Poland, thoroughly enjoying the view.  As we entered the charming little village of Birkenau, suddenly there it was.  Such an ugly contrast to the beauty we had been enjoying.  Birkenau was the site of Auschwitz II.  It was sobering to see the long stretches of electric fences, strung with barbed wire as an extra precaution.  The imposing fences contained over 300 buildings, some brick, but mostly wooden structures that had once served as field stables for 52 horses, During the war they were used to accommodate up to 1,000 prisoners in each building. Unlike the other concentration camps that functioned as labor camps, Birkenau's only purpose was to be a death camp.  The majority of Jewish men, women and children that were deported to Birkenau, were immediately sent to the gas chamber upon arrival in the camp. They were not registered or given an identification number, so there fate was unrecorded.

We only stopped briefly at Birkenau and then we went on to Oswiecim, otherwise known as Auschwitz, which was just a few miles away. This was the first camp established in Poland and had formerly served as barracks for the Polish army.  Auschwitz was initially intended only for Polish people, but later people from all over Europe, mainly Jews began arriving at Auschwitz. Even though, the camp functioned as a labor camp, it's main purpose was to exterminate all who came.  People not only died in the gas chamber, but also from starvation, disease, torture and hard labor. 

There really aren't words to describe the horrors that we learned about during our brief visit to Auschwitz.  It is incomprehensible that people could do to other people what they did there.  During our visit, we were able to see what the living conditions really looked like for the prisoners. There were also several rooms that contained very moving displays of items found at the camp after it was liberated.  The most difficult one for me to see was a glass case that contained small, infant outfits and next to that was another, larger display of shoes that had belonged to toddlers and children. 

I could write for days about the awful details that were shared with us, but instead I will give you some statistics:  It is estimated that between 1,100,000 and 1,500,00 people died in the Auschwitz camps and over 90% of them were Jewish.  These people were taken from their homes and from each other and then they were brutally terrorized and most of them murdered.

I am humbled to think about how spoiled we are and how much we take for granted in our everyday life.  After experiencing such a place as Auschwitz, I have realized that most of our problems are just problems in our head.  We have so much to be thankful for and really nothing to complain about.  I hope I can remember this as I slip back into my routine and regular life.  We owe it to all who perished, to never forget them and their spirit.  Everyone should make a point of visiting one of these camps in their life time.  It is incredible to think that these people who surived the horrors of these camps went on to live productive lives, raise families, start businesses, etc.  Although, I am quite sure they were forever changed by their experiences, their spirit was amazing.

A Mystical, Medieval Atmosphere

Dzien Dobry!  (jyen dobri) means Good Morning or hello.  First, let me finish where I left off...we did have a fabulous dinner on Sunday night.  When we arrived at the restaurant, we had a table for twelve.  In fact, we were the only customers in the restaurant for the entire evening. It felt like we had our own beautiful, private dining room.  In the US, if you were the only customers in a restaurant, it would feel like you picked a bad place, but in Europe and many other places, it doesn't seem to be an indicator. Anyway, our food was wonderful and the evening was great.

In the morning, we boarded our bus at 7:30 am for a very full day. Our first stop was the town of Czestochowa, which is pronounced (chestahovia). It is considered to be one of the principal centers for the religious life in Poland.  The main attraction in this town is the monastery and church that were built in the 14th century and it is here that the beautiful painting of the Black Madonna is housed.  In the Christian world, only Lourdes in France and Guadalupe in Mexico receive more pilgrims. Many people believe that it was a miracle that the Madonna turned black, but in fact it is only because of the candles that are burned in the church.  To protect the painting, they make very elaborate, jeweled coverings for the Madonna, so all you can see of the original painting is her face and hand and the face of baby Jesus.

Krczma is the name of the quaint little restaurant that we stopped for lunch. When our meals are part of our tour, it is always a set menu, and then we come along with our "vegetarian condition".  Everyone else in our group had Golabki, which is pronounced (go-womb-kee). It was a cabbage roll stuffed with a mixture of pork, beef and rice.  Then they had shredded carrots (they are very big on this side dish) and a little cabbage.  We had the same two side dishes and our main course was a 5" x 5" block of cheese that had been deep fried!  Talk about a cheese stick on steroids.  I ate two bites and knew that if I ate anymore, it could be a bad decision.  Luckily, Dan and I packed some protein bars for occasions such as this.

After lunch we continued on our day headed for Oswiecim, better known as Auschwitz.  As we traveled through the countryside of Poland, I was really struck by how beautiful it all was.  The farm houses and buildings were so neatly maintained, and the rolling pastures reminded us all of Wisconsin.  What a contrast for what we were about to see.......

A History Lesson On Warsaw

We began our day at 9am this morning.  Our first stop was Lazienki Park.  This is a very large and beautiful park in the city.  Within the park is a wonderful rose garden with hundreds of red rose bushes and in front of the roses is a heart-shaped pond and an enormous bronze sculpture of Frederic Chopin.  Polish people are very proud to be able to claim Chopin as one of their own. 

Our many stops today included the tomb of the unknown soldier, and the monument of the heroes of the Warsaw Ghetto.    Each stop provided a difficult history lesson and a glimpse into the horror of World War II.  I know that when I think of that war, I think of Germany and what happened to all the Jewish people there.  I really was not aware of all the atrocities that happened in Poland.

Poland was invaded by Germany on September 1, 1939.  Warsaw suffered the most damage of any city in Poland.   By the end of the war, only 15% of the cities buildings survived.  Over six million Polish people lost their lives during the war and out of over three million Polish Jews, only 80,000 survived. 

Our bus took us through a neighborhood that was very beautiful and well preserved. Our guide explained that this neighborhood has survived because it is where the Nazi's lived during their occupation of Warsaw.  The rest of the city is very interesting because almost the entire city was rebuilt by the Russians who took over Poland shortly after the war ended.  The architecture is not very ornate, but rather stark and efficient.  Then in the middle of a block, you will see a beautiful building that happened to survive.  

We visited Old Town and spent time there having lunch and just checking out the many shops and museums.  If you saw this place you would think it was one of the most picturesque places, complete with a beautiful center square and very quaint buildings that surround it.  Everything you see in Old Town is an exact replica of what it had been.  The entire area was destroyed by the Germans during the war.

After World War II the Old Town was meticulously rebuilt. Many of the original bricks were reused and the rubble was sifted for reusable decorative elements, which were then reinserted into their original places.  Pre-World War II architecture students' drawings, were used as essential sources in the reconstruction effort. This whole area is really an amazing testimony to the unstoppable pride the Polish people have for there country.

We ended our afternoon back at Lazienki Park for a Chopin concert by his statue and all the beautiful red roses.. The entire area was filled with people and it was a magical experience.

Tonight we are having dinner at a very quaint little restaurant that happens to have a whole page of vegetarian entrees.  We tried to make a reservation for twelve people and the girl just kept smiling and saying "yes, sure".  I am quite sure that is secret code for "I don't have any idea what you are saying, but you look like nice people, so I will just smile and say yes!"  I will report back tomorrow.

The Polish Adventure Has Begun

We arrived in Poland yesterday morning after a 9 1/2 hour flight.  There are twelve people in our party, all cousins and all Polish!  Even though our plane was a Boeing 767, which is like an old DC10, the seats were unbelievable close.  Dan and I had to sit a little sideways because our legs didn't fit.  You can imagine how great we felt at the end of the flight. 

At the airport, we were met by a van and taken to our hotel.  We all checked in and then, even though it was 10:30 am in Warsaw and 3:30am in Minnesota, we decided that it was 5pm somewhere and everyone headed to the bar for some Polish beer.  I must confess that I couldn't bring myself to join in, so I ordered lasagna!  I was starving and they did not serve breakfast. 

We all slept in the afternoon and our tour officially began last night at 6pm with a dinner.  While we were on the bus driving to the restaurant, our guide was going over the usual housekeeping details.  She asked if anyone on the tour had any "conditions", like food allergies, diabetes or vegetarianism.  So, we have been officially diagnosed! 

We had dinner at a very quaint, rustic little restaurant last night.  Meals in Poland consist of three courses, soup, a main dish and a dessert.  In between courses, we were entertained by two young couples who performed Polish folk dances and music,  It was all very charming.

For our first course, everyone else had chicken soup and we had borscht soup which I found out is beet soup.  It was not bad, except it had the biggest kidney beans in it that I have ever seen.  They reminded me of a delicacies that Andrew Zimmerman was eating on one of his shows.  He was scrounging inside rotted tree trunks for giant beetles that he and his host family fried  and ate.  These beans looked just like those beetles.  I have to admit that I might have been a little freaked out about those beans, but my mom would have been proud of me, because I just ate them and tried not to think about the beetles.

I think that food might prove to be an adventure in itself, especially when one has the condition of vegetarianism!  more on that later.

Packing for Poland

Today I am attempting to pack for my upcoming trip to Poland.  Because Dan is completely entralled with the website onebag.com, I am challenged to organize my belongings and make sure they fit in only one bag!  My skin care, cosmetics etc. would ordinarily take up one bag.  I have read the site and I am supposed to choose a basic color theme, like black or gray.  Then add a few shirts, a sweater or jacket etc.  This task has made me realize that I am not a very effecient shopper.  I have a lot of brown shirts and gray and black pants.  This is going to take some work.