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.

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)

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!

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.