Wednesday, May 30, 2007

There has been so much to blog about these past few days...it's almost like we're in POLAND or something.

I woke up today from the most incredible nap up in the mountain town of Zakopane where the air is tingly with goodness and the scene is vibrant--and I thought to myself, "Man. Where do I even start in terms of discussing the sun of Krakow and the hazy mountain calm of the South of Poland OR how much we all love and miss the Marcins and our Marianna and Marek and the Magda's we met and that cool chick Monika OR how every single name that I just listed starts with an M (my dad's name is Miroslaw, too) AND how there are a ton of other awesome Polish names we come across--like Helena and Stanislaw and Jadwiga and Pawel. Note: we love these names so much that we name our favorite inatimate objects with them. Examples: Janusz the Seal (named after my father's sleazy old school friend) or Tadeusz the Fleece (very handy down here in the colder hills).
Since I last blogged: Poznan, Gdynia and Gdansk and Sopot, Warszawa y Krakow. Now, I write from Zakopane. What is most fascinating to me right now is the differences in international tourism and intranational tourism. AKA--my dad came here as a kid to ski--this is the winter capital of Poland! And the richness and the visitor atmosphere shows that clearly! But we also see a lot of English or German adaptations made. Our menu today at a little (expensive) restaurant off the main street was translated in to both English and German. So for whom has this city been developed--the tourists of northern, central, eastern and western Poland, or for abroad travelers?

But also---I got some rad video of breakdancing MONSTA'S rippin' up Krakow's Main Square! Needless to say, I'm in love with about 6 very Typical Polish Bad A$$ES. Video will be posted as soon as I have capabilities. You haven't seen stuff like this in the states. And these kids can draw CROWDS!
Talk about creating your own flavor of tourism.

OLIVIA! with utmost excitement!
I am told Zakopane is beautiful and the pictures seem to prove it however, as Bruce said we are overrun with clouds. I will have to trust those who have seen it. :o) It will be a balmy 10 degress C tomorrow. (read, cold) Did I mention there is a chance for snow?? Snow at the end of May, perhaps it is the mountians or global warming. As Uncle Jurek said, 'all this means is you have to come back.'
Bruce, it sounds like you have a mission for round two: see the mountains.
Love to all espically Uncle Jurek, Aunt Martha, and my littlest Uncle. Now to find Aunt Wladzia :o)

Tatra Mountains

Well here we are in the most scenic part of Poland and we can't see a thing, low clouds and some rain are not conducive to mountain viewing. We hope for improving weather tomorrow with some great pictures to follow. Fingers are crossed.

Our accommodations here are the best yet but at a cost. This place is over-run by student groups that I didn't anticipate. Nothing against 10- 16 year olds - guess I was there once, but so many?

Everything going well as the adventure unfolds. I am taking notes on how to make next year's trip even better. Lauren is going to play a big part in that effort. Right Lauren?

b

Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Calcium

While the pictures may show that we eat a lot we do other things too, like shopping, touring, and eating.... :o) I think by far and away the food of choice is, wait for it, calcium. Today was our first adventure with Polish milk and no issues thus far. However we do not get our lovely calcium from milk. That comes from the ice cream!! Yeah ice cream. I have personally had three cones in one day. I like Poland. :o)
Ĺšarah

Monday, May 28, 2007

Traveling

So it has been a while since my last blog. This entry is dedicated to Bruce. Ok, so Since last time we have moved to two different citites. We have been to Gdansk and Warsaw. I really liked Gdansk and i really appreicated the help that Mariana's mom gave us and all the beautiful sites that we were able to see. I really enjoyed the Baltic sea, even though it was freezing cold. Our last night in Sopot was really nice, i really like the night walk we took to the pier and the cute little coffee shops that were all around.

In Warsaw we saw antoher castle, i think it was realyl nice. i wish we would have been able to see more than just a few rooms. I really liked the short tour and the guide was nice. I really liked the Old Town area in Warsaw. Everything looked classic and really nice. I liked the shops and the hand made pieces of art that seemed to be every where around us. i really thought it was nice to see somewhere that has been kept up for so long. I don't really think that we have anywhere like that around us. We certainly don't have any Castles!

I also liked the Downtown area in Warsaw. it was really nice and very highly developed. i was surprised to see how many stores and little restaurants that lined the streets. I would have really liked to have seen an Opera or a show, but i wouldn't understand it anyways. I had a great time in Warsaw, i think that it has been my favorite city so far.

We now have a new guide, Marek! i really like that Marek is our age he can better relate to the things that we would be interested in versus what some one older may think. I really like that our guides change every couple of days, i think you get to know more people that way!

This hopefully is enough blog fun for a couple of days. Today we go to the salt mines, which i'm pretty excited about and tomorrow is Auschwitz....yikes! I'm also not looking forward to the "train ride from hell" Every day is an adventure!

Lauren

Krakow
















Hi friends and family of the Poland crew! We've found ourselves a great internet cafe that allows us to post photos and navigate the internet a lot better with computers that are set for English-speakers. Krakow is great; my favorite city so far. I think I just really like the ambiance of the market square. It is much bigger and has an endless amount of shops and vendors to peruse. Also, it seems like there's always something going on in the middle of it, be it break dancing, accordian players, a puppeteer, or what have you. Yesterday there was even a British guy on his Bachelor's party but I don't think his intention was to entertain the Square. ;)

Pictures:
The top is a shot of our current living arrangements for Krakow- all five girls in one room! How cozy. :) The rest are all of the beautiful and vibrant Market Square of Krakow.

Anyway, it's really very interesting to be able to travel around Poland at a time when its tourism industry is just beginning to take off. Will have more to say in the next few days. For now, enjoy the pictures! Take care!
Old town square
City of Crakow from castle. Wisla river.
Wawel castle. Crakow
Warsaw park
King's castle Warsaw

Always feeding but the food is good

New Pictures Monday

Sarah and the gypsie

The Legend of The Wawel Dragon / Krakow

Hello
I had a lot of fun with the group!!!!
Here is the legend about Krakow I tried to tell in Warsaw:)

In a cave at the bottom of Wawel Hill there once lived a terrible fire-belching dragon. This dragon roamed around the countryside and did whatever he wanted to. He ate sheep and cattle and scared the farmers so much that they didn't let their animals graze in the field near the Vistula River. Many brave knights had tried to kill the monster, but before they could get close enough to him, he blew fire on them and they were burned to death.
The king wanted this dragon destroyed. He invited knights and noblemen to come and slay the dragon, promising that whichever one killed the dragon could marry his beautiful daughter and become king when he died. Many tried to slay the dragon so that they could marry the princess, but the dragon killed them. The people became even more frightened; they were afraid to leave their homes and the country became poorer.
One day, a young, handsome but poor shoemaker's apprentice named Krak asked the king if he could try to slay the dragon. The king said he could try, but noted that he had no armor, no horse and no sword. The apprentice had only his shoemaker tools and a plan. He didn't need armor, a horse, or a sword.
Krak bought a dead sheep from the butcher and some sulphur (a powder that is used in making matches) from a miner. Then he cut the sheep open with his sharp shoemaker's knife, stuffed it with the powdered sulphur and then sewed the sheep up with the shoemaker's thread. He put the sheep by the dragon's cave and waited behind a rock for the dragon to come out. After a while, the greedy dragon came out from his cave. He saw the dead animal and greedily ate it. The sulphur caught fire, like a match, and the dragon felt his stomach burning. He ran to the river to quench the fire in his stomach, but drank so much water that he filled up like a balloon. He kneeled down and was very sick. Krak came out from behind the rock, and began to throw stones at the dragon. The monster tried to blow fire at him but because of all the water he drank, all that came out from his mouth was steam. The dragon kept trying to breathe fire, but because he was so swollen, he exploded and died. At last the people were free of him. Krak and the princess married. After her father, the King, died, Krak became King, as promised. He built a castle on top of Wawel Hill and for hundreds of years it was where the Kings of Poland lived. Around the hill, the people built a city which they named Krakow, after their new king.

Sunday, May 27, 2007

Poland

While we might be partly done with our trip there is still much more to see. Poland is beautiful, strangely it is similar to Illinois with all the flatness - that said it has much more history. For me, it has much more to explore. Each and every city is beautiful. From stepping in the Baltic Sea and making sand castles to exploring 13th century castles Poland has many things to offer. - I may have made this sound like a travel agency ad, sorry. Hi my family and friends, I miss you! :o)

Friday, May 25, 2007

Teeth

So, poor ol' Becca keeps being made fun of because she grinds her teeth in her sleep. Apparently it is very frightening, but I highly doubt that. It isn't bad, they are just over exaggerating!

Thursday, May 24, 2007

Some random thoughts from Bruce

The trip to O'Hare on Sat. was a disaster for me - if it could have gone wrong it did but I made it in time. Suffice it to say I would never recommend the Lex shuttle service from C-U. The trip over was fine but a bit nasty in Heathrow. So much for the negative.

Since ariving everything has really gone well with a few minor exceptions (one noted below). The group really has come together which is wonderful and makes for good traveling. As expected, time if flying by and sleep is scarce.

Of greatest impotance is the fantastic support from the Poznan students, particularly Marcin, and Marianna ( U of I) - with asssitance from her mother in Gdynia. True Polish hospitality at its very best. My sincerest thanks to all. Oh yes, it was a distinct pleasure to again meet Prof. Golembsky and his faculty. I think we may be able to collaborate more in the future with some projects.

So far most of this trip has been over ground I'd traveled before with the exception of today's trip to Hel and back. It was great to just have a few moments to sit on the sand and absorb the sights and smells of the Baltic Sea on this beautiful day. Speaking of which, we have had absolutely perfect weather that has helped make the trip so enjoyable. How long it will last is anyone's guess but there has been flodding in the south of late that I hope we will avoid. Starting tomorrow it will be all new for me so I'll be a wide-eyed tourist again, but isn't that what travel is all about?

Spealing of Hel, I had the pleasure of having my first European driving experience today. Marianna's father was kind enough to lend us his car and her mother and I each drove to the Baltic Sea with our crew. Having grown up in New Jersey my "city" driving skills quickly returned as we navigated narrow streets in Gdansk, crazy drivers and traffic jams. Frankly, I'll take the corn fields and the wide-open spaces of central Illinois any day.

Thanks for looking at our blog and please leave a message if you wish.

Bruce

!Poznan!

Tuesday: UIUC team as the Giants:) - Park near to the Castle in Poznan
Tuesday: The interior of the Restaurant in Hotel Sheraton Poznan

Sunday:UIUC Team on the Old Poznan Biker Monument "Stary Marych"


Monday: Goats on Poznan Town Hall Tower hit each other every day at 12:00:D



Sunday:Probably the biggest bear mug in the World;)





Tues. Some new Polish friends from the university

Tues. Ice cream has been very popular.
Tues. Poznan Old Town square
Thurs. Sand castles on the beautiful Baltic Sea beach
Thurs. Cooling one's feet in Hel.

Poland: so far so good

Great to finally get a chance to post on the blog.

Poland has been wonderful so far. The first couple of days, we stayed in Poznan, and that was a great experience, especially because the university was there. We were able to meet all the members of the Tourism Department at the Poznan University of Economics, and hang out with a lot of the students. It was really great to interact with the students, because it allowed us to get a lot better taste of the culture than if we had just come to visit without contacts.

Then the next few days were spent in the Tri-cities of Gdansk, Gdynia, and Zopot. So far all have been beautiful. We've seen castles and spent time on the beach of the Baltic. Taken hundreds of pictures, but we might have to wait until we get home to post those. For now, check out the ones that Bruce has been posting. Tomorrow, we leave for Warsaw, and we're very excited.

Alright, have to run. We'll check back again soon, I'm sure.

Polska

So i am having an awesome time in Poland. I can't believe how beautiful it is here. On Moday we had our first official day in Poznan. Our guide Marcin, was very attentitive and took us to the college that he goes to. We had a really good time talking with students and faculity. From there we went on to tour the town square area. We saw thwe goats fighting at noon. I thought it was really cool. It was really nice to see all of the old buildings. We saw this nice old Church it was really beautiful inside and we took a lot of pictures. i had such a great time seeing the sites and meeting some new people. i really liked the night life in Poznan. i found it very interesting that some bars don't close until very early in the morning. I really appreiate what Marcin and Mariana did to set this trip up.

On Tuesday we visited the Sharaton and had a tour of the only 5 star hotel in Poznan. i thought the tour was very nice and the hotel was really great. I liked the castle we went to after the tour and i really didn't like the 5 hour train ride to Gdynia, but it could have been a lot longer. I am having a lot of fun in Gdynia and Gdansk. The castle we visited was so beautiful i can't believe the restoration that the people in Poland did. It is such a shame that the war destroyed the castle. I can't wait to see what other interesting and historic sites we visit next. Get ready for more blog fun from our next destination: Warsaw!

Do widzenia


Lauren

The Legend; The Myth--A Reminiscence

A slightly late, but ever-wonderfully interesting note about our first day in Poland; one that we like to call--MONDAY IN POZNAN.
After scoffing at the sanitary conditions of tap water in this southern Polish town, dear comrade and friend Olivia drinks half a bottle of said tap water. By 11am that day, Olivia had made her vomiting debut at the Poznan University building during the introductory meeting of UIUC student and Poznan tourism staff. By noon, she had enjoyed part of the famous clock tower goat performance and had also rushed the beautiful Antyka Gallery's marble restroom approximately two and a half times. Her coup d'etat came outside Poznan's most ornate cathedral, post pharmacetical adventure involving the purchase of herbal remedies for stomach ailments. They did not work as quickly as they could have, and only the grace of Marianna, guide extraordinaire and truest, bluest friend, allowed Olivia the dignity of a nearby closed-door bathroom.
Thus ends the legend of drinkable European tap water.

Yours,

Olivia

P.S. Poznan was wonderful, and we LOVE Gdansk, too! It's gorgeous (very simply put).
Greetings to all. It appears the pictures we posted on Monday never actually made it. However we will try again today but obviously they will be out of order.

Everything is going very well and by all accounts we remain healthy, happy and enthused as we explore this wonderful country. With some Internet Cafe time later today I hope we can get some great student posts as I know they have a lot to say. If they don't I'd be extremely surprised as excepting naps on the train lively conversation never appears to stop.

The schedule today (a drive up the Baltic coast) will be a bit more laid back so we can catch up on things. Our Polish hosts have been exceptional and we really apprecaite the reception in Poznan.

Wednesday, May 23, 2007

Wed. Gdansk. Woops. Turn you head for this one. Old town.
Wed. Malbork. Shopping 'till we drop!
Wed. Malbork View from tower. Lots of steps to climb.
Wed. Malbork
Wed. Up early and back on hte tain to Malbork to visit this great castle, one of the largest in Europe. We had a goide show us around and you will see pictures from the top of the tower we climbed. BTW, we have been blessed with great weather so far.

Tues. More great countryside
Tues. Taking the train from Poznan to Gdynia. Wonderful Polish countryside