Friday, August 31, 2012

Chateau.

Last week in Zamo艣膰 I had to use my ATM Citihandlowy card to get some cash but entered the wrong pin number twice. Today I used it again but when I entered the correct pin it said I could not access my card and the machine was keeping the card. I called our banker and he said that was standard policy for security reasons.  So we had to go to the bank, have a new card issued and then everything was alright. I could have been upset about it but I wasn't and just accepted the 15 minute drive to the bank.

Since we've been living in Poland we have seen many beautiful palaces, castles and manor houses and today we discovered another one although it's in a different country, France.  It's called Chateau de Chambord and it's south of Paris, past Versailles.  It's an immense chateau. The royal Ch芒teau de Chambord at Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, France is one of the most recognizable chateau in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture which blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Renaissance structures. The building, which was never completed, was constructed by King Francois I in part to be near to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, wife of Julien de Clermont, a member of a very important family of France, whose domaine, the ch芒teau de Muides, was adjacent. Her arms figure in the carved decor of the ch芒teau. I don't know when we will ever get to see it but it's certainly been added to our list of places to see.

I finished the china cabinet today and now the dishes and glasses are all in place and we think it looks good.



Ostatni tydzie艅 w Zamo艣ciu musia艂em u偶y膰 mojej karty CitiHandlowy ATM dosta膰 troch臋 got贸wki, ale wpisano z艂y numer PIN dwukrotnie. Dzi艣 u偶y艂em go ponownie, ale kiedy wszed艂em do prawid艂owego pin on powiedzia艂, 偶e nie mo偶e uzyska膰 dost臋pu do mojej karty i maszyna zosta艂a utrzymanie karty. Zadzwoni艂em nasz膮 bankiera i powiedzia艂, 偶e by艂 w standardzie polityka ze wzgl臋d贸w bezpiecze艅stwa. Wi臋c musieli艣my i艣膰 do banku, maj膮 nowe karty wydawane i wtedy wszystko by艂o w porz膮dku. Mog艂em zdenerwowany o tym, ale nie jestem i po prostu przyj膮艂 oko艂o 15 minut samochodem do banku.

Od kiedy mieszkam w Polsce widzieli艣my wiele pi臋knych pa艂ac贸w, zamk贸w i dwor贸w, a dzi艣 odkryli艣my kolejne chocia偶 jest w innym kraju, Francja. To si臋 nazywa Chateau de Chambord i to jest na po艂udnie od Pary偶a, obok Wersalu. To ogromny pa艂ac.Royal Ch芒teau de Chambord w Chambord, Loir-et-Cher, Francja jest jednym z najbardziej rozpoznawalnych na 艣wiecie zamku ze wzgl臋du na bardzo wyra藕n膮 architektury francuskiego renesansu, kt贸ry 艂膮czy tradycyjne francuskie 艣redniowieczne formy z klasycznych struktur renesansowych.Budynek, kt贸ry nigdy nie zosta艂 uko艅czony, zosta艂 zbudowany przez kr贸la Franciszka I w cz臋艣ci by膰 blisko swej kochanki Comtesse de Thoury, Claude Rohan, 偶ona Julien de Clermont, cz艂onkiem bardzo wa偶nej rodziny z Francji, kt贸rego domaine, Ch芒teau de Muides, by艂 obok. Jej ramiona postaci膮 w rze藕bionym wystroju zamku. Nie wiem, kiedy b臋dziemy kiedykolwiek go zobaczy膰, ale z pewno艣ci膮 zostanie dodana do naszej li艣cie miejsc do zobaczenia.

Sko艅czy艂em kredensu dzi艣 i teraz naczynia i szklanki s膮 na miejscu i my艣l臋, 偶e to dobrze wygl膮da.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

We're going!

We made the decision today to add Budapest to our next trip as part of our trip to Vienna.  Like I said yesterday, we will be so close it wouldn't make sense to return to Pozna艅 after Vienna only to go to Budapest at a later date. So our room is booked already in Budapest and now it's just a waiting game until October. Of course we're getting advise already on what to see and where to go in Budapest and we'll take all suggestions into account as we plan our trip.

At home it was a nice day outside and we met with Zbyszek for our weekly meeting to talk about our past trip and what he had done while we were gone. Once a month or so I meet with a man who is very interesting to talk with about all subjects and he told me that everyday this summer he has been swimming in Rusalka lake for about a half an hour to get his conditiong up. He invited me to join him but I think it's not someting I could really do now. We have a difference of about 15 years in age and I'm on the upper side of that.  I like talking with him because he's so knowledgeable about many subjects and very good about history, something I like.

P.S. If you're into genealogy research, all the U.S. Census are free to search online until Sept. 3rd.
https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/1397397e121cdbba

Podj臋li艣my decyzj臋 ju偶 dzi艣, aby doda膰 Budapeszt do naszej nast臋pnej podr贸偶y, jako cz臋艣膰 naszej podr贸偶y do Wiednia. Tak jak m贸wi艂em wczoraj, b臋dziemy tak blisko, 偶e nie ma sensu wraca膰 do Poznania po Wiede艅 tylko uda膰 si臋 do Budapesztu w terminie p贸藕niejszym. Tak wi臋c nasz pok贸j jest zarezerwowany ju偶 w Budapeszcie, a teraz to tylko gra czeka do pa藕dziernika. Oczywi艣cie jeste艣my coraz doradza膰 ju偶 na co warto zobaczy膰 i gdzie si臋 wybra膰 w Budapeszcie i we藕miemy pod uwag臋 wszystkie sugestie jak zaplanowa膰 podr贸偶.

W domu, to by艂 mi艂y dzie艅 poza i spotkali艣my si臋 ze Zbyszek dla naszego tygodniowego spotkania, aby porozmawia膰 o naszych dotychczasowych podr贸偶y i to, co zrobi艂, podczas gdy nas nie by艂o. Raz w miesi膮cu lub tak spotka膰 si臋 z cz艂owiekiem, kt贸ry jest bardzo ciekawy rozmawia膰 o wszystkich sprawach, a on powiedzia艂 mi, 偶e codziennie latem zosta艂 on p艂ywanie w jeziorze Rusa艂ka na oko艂o p贸艂 godziny, aby dosta膰 jego conditiong up. Zaprosi艂 mnie do niego, ale my艣l臋, 偶e to nie jest cos naprawd臋 mog臋 teraz zrobi膰. Mamy r贸偶nic臋 oko艂o 15 lat 偶ycia, a jestem na g贸rnej stronie tego. Lubi臋 rozmawia膰 z nim, bo on jest tak wiedz臋 na temat wielu dziedzin i bardzo dobre o historii, co艣, co lubi臋.

Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Another trip?

A nice autumn-like day in Pozna艅 so we made a little venture outside to the rynek to sit and discuss an idea we have now relating to Joan's new found ancestry.  Since we are going to be in Vienna next month and Budapest is only 2-2 1/2 hours from there we're thinking of extending our trip. It would be a much more time consuming and expensive thing to do if we just came back to Pozna艅 after Vienna and then. at a later date, make another trip south to Budapest. We still haven't made up our mind but we're kind of leaning toward the extended trip idea. I found an inexpensive room in Pest for 45zl a night using Airbnb so if we did it that would be the way to go.

This has been a good summer for us traveling around Poland to see more of it and to the Czech Republic.  With Vienna and Budapest added, I think that would end our long distance trips for this year. We're greatful that we are able to do this and still maintain our life in Pozna艅.

The china cabinet is almost finished. I just have to add a few more wood strips to hold the dinner plates upright and then it will be done.

艁adny jesie艅-jak dzie艅 w Poznaniu, wi臋c si臋 troch臋 przedsi臋wzi臋cie poza do rynek, aby usi膮艣膰 i przedyskutowa膰 pomys艂 mamy teraz dotycz膮ce nowych Joanny znale藕膰 przodk贸w. Poniewa偶 mamy zamiar si臋 w Wiedniu w przysz艂ym miesi膮cu i Budapeszt to tylko 2-2 1/2 godziny od tam my艣limy rozszerzenia naszej podr贸偶y. To by艂oby znacznie bardziej czasoch艂onne i kosztowne, co zrobi膰, je艣li po prostu wr贸ci艂 do Poznania po Wiedniu, a nast臋pnie. w p贸藕niejszym terminie, kolejn膮 podr贸偶 na po艂udnie, do Budapesztu. Wci膮偶 nie sk艂ada si臋 nasz umys艂, ale jeste艣my troch臋 pochylony w kierunku rozszerzonej koncepcji podr贸偶y. Znalaz艂em tani pok贸j w Peszcie na 45z艂 na noc u偶ywaj膮c Airbnb wi臋c je艣li to zrobi艂 to b臋dzie droga.

To by艂o dobre lato dla nas podr贸偶e po Polsce, aby zobaczy膰 wi臋cej z niego i do Czech. Z Wiede艅 i Budapeszt doda艂, my艣l臋, 偶e sko艅czy si臋 nasze d艂ugie podr贸偶e na odleg艂o艣膰 w tym roku. Jeste艣my wdzi臋czni, 偶e jeste艣my w stanie to zrobi膰 i zachowa膰 swoje 偶ycie w Poznaniu.

Szafa Chinach jest prawie gotowy. Musz臋 tylko doda膰 kilka pask贸w drewna do przechowywania talerzy pionowo, a nast臋pnie b臋dzie si臋 to odbywa膰.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Vacation?

I need a vacation!!!!!!!!!!!!! Monday almost seems like Monday when I had to work for a living but of course we don't now. Being home is nice and working the get the china cabinet is good but seeing new places is so much more exciting.

An interesting but somewhat distrubing article I read today about beggars in Wroc艂aw. It seems they are becoming very aggressive and don't take no for an answer. There have been fights between beggars and those they solicit for money and the police are getting more and more involved.  When the beggar is fined 500zl the beggar just takes the money from his/her own pocket and pays the fine immediately.  In some cases, they even use credit cards.  Imagine that, a beggar with a credit card!  I don't know if it's happening in other cities yet.

Potrzebuj臋 wakacji!!!!! Poniedzia艂ek wydaje si臋 prawie jak poniedzia艂ek, kiedy musia艂em zarabia膰 na 偶ycie, ale oczywi艣cie nie teraz. B臋d膮c w domu jest 艂adny i pracy dosta膰 kredensu jest dobre, ale widz膮c nowe miejsca jest o wiele bardziej ekscytuj膮ce.

Ciekawe, ale nieco distrubing artyku艂 czyta艂em dzisiaj o 偶ebrak贸w we Wroc艂awiu. Wydaje si臋, 偶e staj膮 si臋 bardzo agresywne i nie przyjmuj膮 odpowiedzi nie. Nie by艂o walki mi臋dzy 偶ebrak贸w i tych oni zabiega膰 o pieni膮dze i policja coraz bardziej zaanga偶owany. Kiedy 偶ebraka grzywn膮 500z艂 偶ebrak prostu bierze pieni膮dze od jego / jej w艂asnej kieszeni i p艂aci grzywny natychmiast. W niekt贸rych przypadkach, nawet u偶ywa膰 kart kredytowych. Wyobra藕my sobie, 偶e 偶ebrak z karty kredytowej! I nie wiem, czy to si臋 dzieje w innych miastach jeszcze.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Home again.




An 8 1/2 hour drive from Rzesz贸w to Kelce to 艁贸dz to Pozna艅 ending our latest adventure. We saw some beautiful palaces, met some very nice people, ate some great food and took a lot of pictures.

The day before we left I commented to Joan it would be nice to see a large field of golden rod in full color and in eastern Poland we saw many, many fields like that. As I was told by several people, eastern Poland is different than western Poland.  In the east there are greater expanses of empty land and forests.  Houses are farther apart between towns and farm machinery is not uncommon to see blocking traffic on roads as they slowly move along. Even the hay/straw is stacked in the old ways of bales instead of in big rolls that need special machinery to lift.  It wasn't uncommon to see whole families in the fields working and the women still wearing the head scarves like they did many years ago. The people we encountered seemed friendlier and more willing to help a stranger. Highways between towns were less crowded with cars and there didn't seem to be a rush to get to the next place.

Now that we're back we have a month or so off before we go to Vienna for our next adventure. This week we'll spend getting our new china cabinet in order and straightening up the dining room.

8 1/2 godziny jazdy z Rzeszowa do Kelce do 艁odzi do Poznania ko艅cz膮c nasz膮 najnowsz膮 przygod臋. Widzieli艣my kilka pi臋knych pa艂ac贸w, spotka艂 tam bardzo mi艂ych ludzi, jedli艣my 艣wietne jedzenie i zrobi艂 wiele zdj臋膰.

Dni przed wyjazdem I skomentowa艂 do Joan, 偶e by艂oby mi艂o, aby zobaczy膰 du偶e pole naw艂o膰 w pe艂nym kolorze i we wschodniej Polsce widzieli艣my wiele, wiele p贸l tak. Jak mi powiedziano przez kilka os贸b, wschodnia Polska jest inna ni偶 zachodniej Polsce. Na Wschodzie istnieje wi臋ksze po艂acie pustej ziemi i las贸w. Domy s膮 dalej od siebie mi臋dzy miastami i maszyny rolnicze nie jest rzadko艣ci膮, aby zobaczy膰 blokowanie ruchu na drogach, jak powoli przesuwaj膮 si臋 wzd艂u偶. Nawet siano / s艂oma jest u艂o偶one w starych sposob贸w bele zamiast w du偶ych rolkach, kt贸re potrzebuj膮 specjalnej maszyny do zniesienia. To nie by艂o rzadko艣ci膮, aby zobaczy膰 ca艂e rodziny w zakresie pracy, a kobiety wci膮偶 noszenie chusty tak jak to by艂o wiele lat temu. Ludzie napotkali艣my wydawa艂o bardziej przyjazny i ch臋tny do pomocy obcego. Autostrady mi臋dzy miastami by艂y mniej zat艂oczone samochodami i nie wydaje si臋 by膰 po艣piechu, aby dosta膰 si臋 do nast臋pnej pozycji.

Teraz jeste艣my z powrotem mamy miesi膮c lub tak zanim pojedziemy do Wiednia na naszej nast臋pnej przygody. W tym tygodniu b臋dziemy sp臋dza膰 coraz nasz膮 now膮 kredensu w porz膮dku i prostuj膮c si臋 do jadalni.

Saturday, August 25, 2012

艁a艅cut






We left our room at 8:45AM and stopped at McDonald's for a quick breakfast.  It was only a half hour drive on route #4 to 艁a艅cut so we got there at 9:30. Already it was loaded with people waiting to in to see the palace. Before we could  enter we had to buy tickets and we decided to get the audio guide in English. It was a smart idea because inside there is so much to see and learn about.  The cost for all was 26ZL for one retired person.

The town of 艁a艅cut is small but the palace draws a lot of people into it and on this Saturday it was no exception.  One thing that was surprising also was the amount of motorcyclists driving through the town on their way someplace else.  It was noisy for about a half  hour.

Because there were so many people waiting at the beginning we decided to walk around the outside  of the palace first and view the gardens. I was surprised to see that the palace has a moat all the way around it, empty of water now, of course. I always think at should be called a castle when there is a most.

So after our tour outside we entered the front door, had to put on the little slippers over our shoes so we wouldn't scratch the beautiful wooden floors and got our audio guides. The guide said no pictures could be taken but I did anyway so I could show them to you. I don't understand why no pictures should be taken.  It seems to me it's good advertising the palace. I could write twenty paragraphs describing the beauty of the inside of this palace but the pictures do a better job. One thing the guide told us was that this palace was never ruined by invading forces because when the Russians advanced on the palace someone put a note on the gate that said the Russian government declared the palace as a monument of Polish history so the Russian soldiers did not destroy it.

We spent about three hours inside, looking at everything and listening to the guide for each room we entered. All you can see is the second floor but there are a lot of rooms to view. When we were done we walked a few blocks into town and had some coffee, relaxed for a little and then returned to walk around the park behind the palace with it's music school and riding school.  After that, Joan thought it was a good idea to go back to the rynek in Rzesz贸w and have some ice cream. I agreed.

An hour later, ice cream sundaes consumed, we walked to a little church by the rynek to visit an unusual cemetary.  Maybe not unusual, but certainly not in the style of the newer cemetaries.  In old cemetaries you can find some beautiful sculptures so I wanted to photograph them.

Now we're back on the patio of our room, relaxing and waiting for kolacja time when we will go back to the rynek, eat, come back, pack, sleep and return to Pozna艅 tomorrow at 9AM. It's going to be a long drive so we want an early start.

Zostawili艣my nasz pok贸j w 08:45 i zatrzyma艂 McDonalda na szybkie 艣niadanie. Dopiero p贸艂 godziny jazdy samochodem na trasie nr 4 do 艁a艅cuta, wi臋c dostali艣my si臋 tam o 9:30. Ju偶 zosta艂 za艂adowany z os贸b czekaj膮cych, by zobaczy膰 pa艂ac. Zanim mogli艣my wej艣膰 musieli艣my kupi膰 bilety i zdecydowali艣my si臋 na audio przewodnik w j臋zyku angielskim. To by艂 dobry pomys艂, bo w 艣rodku nie jest tak du偶o, aby zobaczy膰 i pozna膰. Koszt dla wszystkich by艂 26ZL jednego emeryta.
Miasto 艁a艅cut jest ma艂y, ale pa艂ac przyci膮ga wiele os贸b si臋 do niego i na tej soboty nie by艂 wyj膮tkiem. Jedno, co by艂o zaskoczeniem by艂a tak偶e ilo艣膰 motocyklist贸w jazdy przez miasto w drodze gdzie indziej. By艂o g艂o艣no na oko艂o p贸艂 godziny.
Poniewa偶 by艂o tak wiele os贸b czekaj膮cych na pocz膮tku zdecydowali艣my si臋 na spacer na zewn膮trz, wok贸艂 pa艂acu pierwszy i zobaczy膰 ogrody. By艂em zaskoczony, aby zobaczy膰, 偶e Pa艂ac ma fosy dooko艂a niego, pusty wody teraz, oczywi艣cie. 呕e zawsze co nale偶y zwany zamek, kiedy jest to najbardziej.
Tak wi臋c po naszej wycieczce poza weszli艣my do drzwi, musia艂 za艂o偶y膰 ma艂e pantofle na nasze buty wi臋c nie zarysowa膰 pi臋kne drewniane pod艂ogi i dostali艣my nasze przewodnik贸w audio. Przewodnik powiedzia艂 偶adnych zdj臋膰 mog膮 by膰 podj臋te, ale zrobi艂em tak wi臋c mog臋 pokaza膰 je do Ciebie. I nie rozumiem, dlaczego nie ma zdj臋膰 nale偶y podj膮膰. Wydaje mi si臋, 偶e to dobra reklama pa艂ac. M贸g艂bym napisa膰 dwadzie艣cia paragrafy opisuj膮ce pi臋kno wn臋trza tego pa艂acu ale zdj臋cia zrobi膰 lepiej. Jedn膮 rzecz膮, przewodnik powiedzia艂 nam, 偶e ten pa艂ac nie zosta艂 zniszczony przez inwazj臋 si艂 bo gdy Rosjanie awansowa艂a na kogo艣 pa艂acu umie艣ci膰 notatk臋 na bramie, kt贸ry powiedzia艂 rosyjski rz膮d og艂osi艂 pa艂ac za pomnik historii Polski, tak uczynili 偶o艂nierze rosyjscy nie zniszczy膰.
Sp臋dzili艣my oko艂o trzech godzin w 艣rodku, patrz膮c na wszystko i s艂uchaj膮c przewodnika dla ka偶dego pokoju weszli艣my. Wszystko, co mo偶na zobaczy膰, to drugie pi臋tro, ale jest wiele pokoi do wy艣wietlenia. Kiedy sko艅czyli艣my chodzili艣my kilka blok贸w do miasta i mia艂 kaw臋, zrelaksowany na troch臋, a potem wr贸ci艂 do spaceru po parku za pa艂acem z jego szko艂y muzycznej i szko艂y je藕dzieckiej. Po tym, Joan, 偶e to dobry pomys艂, aby wr贸ci膰 do Rynku w Rzeszowie i maj膮 lody. Zgodzi艂em si臋.
Godzin p贸藕niej, lody lody spo偶ywane, chodzili艣my do ma艂ego ko艣cio艂a przez Rynek do odwiedzenia niezwyk艂ego cmentarza. Mo偶e nie jest niczym niezwyk艂ym, ale na pewno nie w stylu nowszych cemetaries. W dawnych cemetaries mo偶na znale藕膰 pi臋kne rze藕by, wi臋c chcia艂em je sfotografowa膰.
Teraz wracamy na patio naszego pokoju, relaks i czeka na czas kolacja, gdy wr贸cimy do rynek, je艣膰, wr贸ci膰, pakiet, spa膰 i wr贸ci膰 do Poznania jutro o 9 rano. To b臋dzie d艂uga droga wi臋c chcemy wczesny start.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Rzesz贸w




The ride to Rzesz贸w only took 2 1/2 hours. I had a route selected but "Aunt" Bola was concerned we might get lost on the way tp route 19 so she insisted on showing us the way to 19 and then took a bus back home. This lady went out of her way so many times to make our trip enjoyable and comfortable in Lubline that I think we owe her a lot.

Route 19 was uncrowded with cars so the drive was easy all the way to Rzesz贸w and we found our room with no problem.  It's a typical small room with two beds and serves it's purpose, just a place to sleep. 

After checking in, unpacking and going to the rynek we found it to be a little different than most ryneks because it is more rectangular than square and the town hall sits on one end of it. Cafes line three sides of it and we chose one that had the comfortable seats.  We sat for about two hours and when dark clouds rolled in we walked back to our car to get our umbrella.

Back at the rynek at 6PM we chose the Grotesque Cafe for dinner, a rather strange name for a restaurant but the food was excellent. Darker clouds came in and just before we finished eating there was a tremendous downpour that had the wait staff pushing up on the huge umbrellas to get the water to run away from the floor but to no aa艅cutvail. All the cafes got soaked while the rain came down and then suddenly the sun came out. We asked for the check and the poor girl who waited on us was so afraid of storms that her hands were shaking when she gave me our change.

Back in our room now we're just planning our excursion tomorrow to 艁a艅cut, only 1/2 hour drive away.

Przejazd do Rzeszowa zaj臋艂o 2 1/2 godziny. Mia艂em wybran膮 tras臋 ale "ciocia" Bola chodzi艂o mo偶emy zgubi膰 na drodze tp trasie 19 tak nalega艂a na pokazano nam drog臋 do 19, a potem wzi膮艂 do domu autobusem. Ta pani wysz艂a z jej drodze tak wiele razy, aby nasza podr贸偶 przyjemne i wygodne w Lubline 偶e my艣l臋 zawdzi臋czamy jej sporo.

 Route 19 zosta艂a niezat艂oczona samochodami tak 艂atwo by艂o dojecha膰 a偶 do Rzeszowa, a my si臋, 偶e nasz pok贸j bez problemu. Jest to typowy, ma艂y pok贸j z dwoma 艂贸偶kami i s艂u偶y sw贸j cel, tylko miejsce do spania.

 Po odprawie, rozpakowywanie i przechodz膮c do rynek okaza艂o si臋, 偶e jest troch臋 inaczej ni偶 wi臋kszo艣膰 ryneks poniewa偶 jest bardziej prostok膮tna ni偶 kwadratowa i ratusza siedzi na jednym ko艅cu. Kafejki linii trzy strony to i wybrali艣my jeden, kt贸ry mia艂 wygodne fotele. Siedzieli艣my przez oko艂o dwie godziny, a kiedy ciemne chmury walcowane w wr贸cili艣my do naszego samochodu, aby dosta膰 nasz parasol.

 Powr贸t na Rynek w godzina osiemnasta wybrali艣my Grotesque Cafe na obiad, raczej dziwne imi臋 dla restauracji, ale jedzenie by艂o doskona艂e. Ciemne chmury przyszed艂 i tu偶 przed sko艅czyli艣my je艣膰 tam by艂 ogromny ulewa, 偶e gdyby kelnerzy pchanie si臋 na ogromnych parasoli po wod臋 do ucieczki z pod艂ogi ale bez aa艅cutvail. Wszystkie kawiarnie dosta艂em moczy podczas Spad艂 deszcz i nagle wysz艂o s艂o艅ce. Poprosili艣my o kontroli i biedna dziewczyna, kt贸ra czeka艂a na nas by艂o tak boi burzy, 偶e jej r臋ce dr偶a艂y, gdy da艂a mi nasz膮 zmian臋.

 Powr贸t w naszym pokoju, teraz jeste艣my po prostu planujemy nasze jutro wycieczka do 艁a艅cuta, tylko 1/2 godziny jazdy.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Zamo艣膰





After another nice breakfast with Aunt Bola, Joan and I left for our hour and a half trip south to Zamo艣膰.  Route 17 had work being done on it for the first half hour we were on it but after that it was an easy drive. We arrived about 11:30AM, parked and walked up ul. Stasicka to the rynek.  It's beautiful.  The town hall is impressive with it's two wing winding staircase and all of the buildings surrounding the 100 meter square rynek have been renovated and painted. At first the Town Hall was a single story building decorated with arcades. A thorough redevelopment was done in 1639 and made into a three story with attic building. The square seems larger than Pozna艅's square and really is beautiful.

We sat for an hour drinking coffee just looking at everything and then decided we had to get a present for Aunt Bola from Zamo艣膰. Joan chose two porcelain mugs with lillies of the valley hand painted on them.  It's the least we could do for all of her hospitality to two complete strangers.

After visiting the rynek and some of the ancient gates that opened to the city we walked to the cathedral and at first it seemed we couldn't see it inside because of the renovation going on the outside.  That proved to be wrong because we found the museum of the sacristy opened and from there we saw the side door open to the cathedral.

The cathedral itself dates back to 1587 and completed in 1598. It was founded by Jan Zamoyski, also founder of the city.Next to it is a 47 meter high belfry erected in 1755 and under renovation now. The sacristy was interesting because of all the beautiful, original, clothing that hangs in many cases.

From there we walked up ul.Akadamicka to the Zamoyski palace but it was nothing like the one in Koz艂贸wka because the city was in charge of it and it was just a huge office building that needed repairs on the outside and people were living in some of the apartments.

Next we headed the the Zamek Fortress, once one of the most pwowerful and modern strongholds of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. It was completed in 1618. It has 9 metre-wide walls with seven bastions that once were equipped with canons. From one of the bastions you can get a good view of the old city. Inside are statues of men wearing the old uniforms.

We spent most of the day there then went back to Lublin to the old square to have dinner and we were actually able to find our way this time back to Aunt Bola's place. Tomorrow we end our stay in Lublin and head to  Rzesz贸w for the night before visiting 艁a艅cut palace on Saturday.

Po kolejnym dobre 艣niadanie z cioci膮 Bola, Joan i ja wyjecha艂 do naszego godzin臋 i p贸艂 po艂udniu wycieczka do Zamo艣cia. Route 17 mia艂y prac臋 wykonywan膮 na nim przez pierwsze p贸艂 godziny byli艣my na nim, ale po to, 偶e by艂 艂atwy jazdy. Dotarli艣my oko艂o 11:30, zaparkowa艂 i ruszy艂 ul. Staszcka do rynek. To jest pi臋kne. Ratusz jest imponuj膮ca z to dwa skrzyd艂a i kr臋te schody wszystkie budynki wok贸艂 100 metr kwadratowy Rynku zosta艂y odnowione i pomalowane. Pocz膮tkowo Ratusz by艂 jeden budynek historia ozdobiona arkadami. Gruntowna przebudowa zosta艂a wykonana w 1639 roku i przekszta艂cony w trzy opowie艣ci z poddasza budynku. Wydaje si臋 wi臋kszy ni偶 kwadrat placu Poznania i jest naprawd臋 pi臋kna.

Usiedli艣my na godziny picia kawy po prostu patrz膮c na wszystko, a nast臋pnie postanowi艂 musieli艣my dosta膰 prezent dla cioci Bola z Zamo艣cia. Joan wybra艂em dwa porcelanowe kubki z lillies od strony doliny namalowane na nich. Przynajmniej mo偶emy zrobi膰 dla wszystkich jej go艣cinno艣膰 do dw贸ch zupe艂nie obcych.

Po zwiedzeniu Rynku i niekt贸re z dawnych bram otwieranych do miasta poszli艣my do katedry i na pocz膮tku wydawa艂o si臋, 偶e nie mogli艣my zobaczy膰 go w 艣rodku z powodu remontu dzieje na zewn膮trz. To okaza艂o si臋 by膰 b艂臋dne, poniewa偶 okaza艂o si臋, 偶e muzeum zakrystii otwarte i stamt膮d widzieli艣my boczne drzwi otwarte do katedry.

Sama katedra si臋ga 1587 i zako艅czono w 1598. Zosta艂 za艂o偶ony przez Jana Zamoyskiego, tak偶e za艂o偶yciela city.Next do niego jest 47-metrowa dzwonnica wzniesiona w 1755 roku w trakcie remontu teraz. Zakrystia by艂a ciekawa, poniewa偶 wszystkie pi臋kne, oryginalne, odzie偶, kt贸ry wisi w wielu przypadkach.

Stamt膮d chodzili艣my ul.Akadamicka do pa艂acu Zamoyskich, ale to by艂o nic jak to, w Koz艂贸wce, poniewa偶 miasto by艂o za niego i to by艂o po prostu ogromny biurowiec, 偶e potrzebne remonty na zewn膮trz i ludzie 偶yli w niekt贸rych apartament贸w.

Dalej udali艣my si臋 na Zamek Forteca, niegdy艣 jedna z najbardziej pwowerful i nowoczesnych twierdz polsko-litewskiej Rzeczypospolitej. Zosta艂 uko艅czony w 1618. Ma 9 metr贸w szeroko艣ci 艣ciany z siedmioma bastionami, kt贸re kiedy艣 by艂y wyposa偶one kanon贸w. Z jednej z baszt mo偶na dosta膰 dobry widok na stare miasto. Wewn膮trz s膮 pos膮gi kobiet nosz膮cych stare mundury.Sp臋dzili艣my wi臋kszo艣膰 dni tam nast臋pnie wr贸ci艂 do Lublina na starym placu na kolacj臋 i byli艣my naprawd臋 stanie znale藕膰 drog臋, tym razem z powrotem do miejsca, w Aunt Bola. Jutro ko艅czymy nasz pobyt w Lublinie i g艂owy do Rzeszowa na noc przed wizyt膮 艁a艅cucie Pa艂ac w sobot臋.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Lublin



Today started with sniadanie with Aunt Bola and then the three of us went to old town to meet with the guide who would show us Lublin.  It was a hot day today, 33c, and after four hours I was a little tired of walking.  We saw a lot of Lublin, places we never would have found and learned a lot about the history. It wasn't until later that I learned Zamek Lubelski had a personal meaning to the lady we stayed with because a member of the family was arrested by the Gestapo in WWII and spent a year in prison in the Zamek. He was also tortured during this time.

One of the good things we encountered were places where water was sprayed from a fixture and anyone could walk under them to cool off.  Joan and I took advantage of this three or four times. It was great getting wet and then feeling the cool wind on our skin.

Dzi艣 rozpocz膮艂 si臋 sniadanie z cioci膮 Bola i trzech z nas uda艂 si臋 do starego miasta, aby spotka膰 si臋 z przewodnikiem, kt贸ry poka偶e nam Lublin. To by艂 gor膮cy dzie艅 dzi艣, 33c, i po czterech godzinach by艂em troch臋 zm臋czony chodzenia. Widzieli艣my wiele z Lublina, stawia nas nigdy nie znaleziono i dowiedzia艂em si臋 wiele o historii. Dopiero p贸藕niej dowiedzia艂em si臋, Zamek Lubelski mia艂 osobistego znaczenia dla pani Mieszkali艣my z powodu cz艂onek rodziny zosta艂 aresztowany przez gestapo w II wojnie 艣wiatowej i sp臋dzi艂 rok w wi臋zieniu na Zamku. By艂 te偶 torturowany w tym czasie.

Jedn膮 z dobrych rzeczy napotkali艣my by艂y miejsca, gdzie woda zosta艂a rozpylona z urz膮dzenia i ka偶dy mo偶e chodzi膰 pod nimi, aby si臋 och艂odzi膰. Joan i ja skorzystali艣my z tego trzy lub cztery razy. To by艂o 艣wietne zmokn膮膰, a potem czuj膮c ch艂odny wiatr na naszej sk贸rze.


Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Koz艂贸wka.




OK, so yesterday is over and today was really good.  Last night we had a chance to meet Anna's aunt Bola, her niece, Monika and Monika's husband, Sy艂wek, all VERY nice people.  Monika rescued us because we were lost in Lublin and couldn't find our way to her aunt's house so she and her husband drove to get us. It was embarrasing to be lost but I was. Mainly because of the lack of street signs.

We finally arrived at aunt Bola's house and we're very surprised by the house because it is so unique with a lot of wood paneling and 3 levels. She showed us our sleeping room, then our sitting room and then the bathroom which is the largest one I've seen in Poland. This house is amazing like it's owner. Aunt Bola arranged with an English speaking guide to take us on a tour of Lublin on Wednesday and this morning made breakfast for us.

We left at 10AM for Koz艂贸wka and got there before 11. We signed up for the tour but would have to wait until 1:30PM for the guide to take us through the palace although we could visit the chapel, stables and another building without a guide so we did that to take up the time.

The chapel is beautiful and has a statue of the founding mother of the Zamoyski family. In the stained glass and many stars of David and the windows are very nice.

The gardens are of course exceptional and filled with many different flowers.  We walked through them all before the tour started of the palace.

This palace has so many original pieces of furniture and paintings and that it what makes it so unique. Every room we were shown, both upstairs and down had beautiful furnings and elaborate woodwork. It's hard to imagine living back in those times with so much luxury surrounding.  The tour lasted only an hour and then we headed back to Lublin to the old town to have dinner and return back home.

Probably one of the most interesting building was the Socialrealism building.  In it were all things collected when Poland was under the domination of the U.S.S.R.. Statues, paintings, posters, and othe things from that area were saved and put into this exhibit.

OK, wi臋c wczoraj si臋 sko艅czy艂a i dzi艣 by艂 naprawd臋 dobry. Ostatniej nocy mieli艣my okazj臋 spotka膰 Anny ciotka Bola, jej siostrzenica, Monika i m膮偶 Moniki, Sylwek, wszyscy bardzo mili ludzie. Monika uratowa艂 nas, bo zagin臋艂y w Lublinie i nie mog艂a znale藕膰 drog臋 do domu ciotki, wi臋c ona i jej m膮偶 pojecha艂 po nas. Zosta艂 embarrasing zosta膰 utracone, ale by艂em. G艂贸wnie ze wzgl臋du na brak znak贸w drogowych.

W ko艅cu dotarli艣my do domu ciotki Bola i jeste艣my bardzo zaskoczeni domu, poniewa偶 jest tak wyj膮tkowe z wielu boazerii i 3 poziomach. Ona pokaza艂a nam nasz pok贸j do spania, to nasz salon i 艂azienka, kt贸ra jest najwi臋kszym widzia艂em w Polsce. Ten dom jest niesamowity, jak jego w艂a艣ciciel. Ciocia Bola u艂o偶one z przewodnikiem angielskoj臋zycznym wzi膮膰 nas na wycieczk臋 z Lublina w 艣rod臋 i dzi艣 rano si臋 艣niadanie dla nas.
Wyjechali艣my o 10 rano w Koz艂贸wce i tam przed 11. My zapisali艣my si臋 na wycieczk臋, ale b臋dzie musia艂 poczeka膰, a偶 1:30 PM dla przewodnika, kt贸ry zabra艂 nas po pa艂acu, chocia偶 mogli艣my odwiedzi膰 kaplic臋, stajnie i innego budynku bez przewodnika tak zrobili艣my, 偶e do czasu.Kaplica jest pi臋kny i ma figur臋 za艂o偶ycielskiej matki rodu Zamoyskich. W witra偶e i wiele gwiazd Dawida i okna s膮 bardzo 艂adne.
Ogrody s膮 oczywi艣cie wyj膮tkowe i pe艂ne r贸偶nych kwiat贸w. Szli艣my przez ich wszystkich przed wycieczka rozpocz臋艂a si臋 z pa艂acu.
Pa艂ac ten ma tak wiele oryginalnych mebli i obraz贸w, i 偶e to, co czyni go tak wyj膮tkowym. Ka偶dy pok贸j pokazano nam, zar贸wno na g贸rze i na d贸艂 mia艂 pi臋kne furnings i opracowa膰 stolarki. Trudno sobie wyobrazi膰 偶ycie w tamtych czasach tak wiele luksusu okolic臋. Wycieczka trwa艂a tylko godzin臋, a nast臋pnie udali艣my si臋 z powrotem do Lublina, do starego miasta na obiad i wr贸ci膰 do domu.

Prawdopodobnie jednym z najbardziej interesuj膮cych w budynku by艂a budowa Socialrealism. W nim by艂o wszystko zebrane, kiedy Polska by艂a pod panowaniem ZSRR. Rze藕by, obrazy, plakaty, i inne ciekawe nagrody rzeczy z tego obszaru zosta艂y zapisane i wprowadzone w tej wystawie.

Monday, August 20, 2012

Too pooped!

I'm just too exhausted to write today.  11 hours driving in 38c temperature took everything out of me. I'll tell you about it tomorrow.

Jestem po prostu zbyt zm臋czeni, by pisa膰 dzisiaj. 11 godzin jazdy w 38c temperatury wzi膮艂 wszystko ze mnie. Powiem ci o tym jutro.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Not quite ready.

Packing will be later tonight so this morning we just went to Castorama to pick up some strips of wood that will hold the plates upright against the back wall of the china cabinet and wood stain for them so they match the wood color. Outside it was 32c and I sweated like crazy staining the four small pieces. The weather forecast for the week in Lublin is between 25-30c so it should be good weather with no rain but, of course, that can ALWAYS change.

Joan is getting her clothing together for the trip and other things she wants to take. For me it takes about 15 minutes but for her a little longer. Tomorrow we'll be out of the door at 9AM on the long ride to new places and people. It should be interesting. Of course, my laptop goes with us so stay tuned for pictures and the story of our trip to Koz艂贸wka, Lublin, Zamo艣膰, 艁ancut and Rzesz贸w.

Opakowanie b臋dzie p贸藕niej wieczorem wi臋c rano po prostu poszli艣my do Castoramy podnie艣膰 kilka pask贸w z drewna, kt贸re b臋dzie przechowywa膰 pionowo w stosunku do p艂yty tylnej 艣cianie kredensu i bejca dla nich wi臋c dopasowa膰 kolor drewna. Poza to 32c i poci艂 si臋 jak szalony barwienia cztery mniejsze kawa艂ki.Prognoza pogody na tydzie艅 w Lublinie jest od 25-30C wi臋c to musi by膰 dobra pogoda bez deszczu, ale, oczywi艣cie, 偶e zawsze mo偶e si臋 zmieni膰.

Joan staje si臋 jej ubranie razem na podr贸偶 i inne rzeczy, 偶e chce podj膮膰. Dla mnie to trwa oko艂o 15 minut, ale za ni膮 troch臋 d艂u偶ej. Jutro b臋dziemy z drzwi przy 9AM na d艂ugiej jazdy do nowych miejsc i ludzi. Powinny by膰 interesuj膮ce. Oczywi艣cie, m贸j laptop idzie z nami wi臋c stay tuned do zdj臋膰 i opowie艣ci o naszej podr贸偶y do Koz艂贸wki, Lublina, Zamo艣cia, 艁a艅cucie i Rzeszowie.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

It's here.




I got a call last night that our china cabinet would be delivered this morning and it was. Now it's just a matter of putting everything away and cleaning up the dining room when we get back.

A bonus to all of this is that Joan asked the delivery men if they wanted a free, working, analog TV and they took it out of our flat so now I don't have to think about carrying that monstrously heavy thing down 4 flights of stairs. What a great thing that is. It's been sitting in our dining room for about 6 months and it's good to finally have it gone. Nothing like the word "free" to help get rid of something. They'll probably sell it for 2 or 3 hundred zlotys but who cares, it's gone.

One more day and we start our adventure to eastern Poland.

Dosta艂em telefon w nocy, 偶e nasza szafa Chiny by艂yby dostarczane rano i to by艂o. Teraz to tylko kwestia oddania wszystkiego si臋 i sprz膮tanie jadalni, kiedy wr贸cimy.

Bonus do tego wszystkiego jest to, 偶e Joan zapyta艂 ludzi dostawy, je艣li chcieli wolnego, pracy, telewizji analogowej i zabrali go z naszego mieszkania, wi臋c teraz nie musz臋 my艣le膰 o wykonywaniu tego potwornie ci臋偶kie rzeczy w d贸艂 4 lot贸w schody. Co to jest wielka rzecz. To siedzia艂 w naszej jadalni na oko艂o 6 miesi臋cy i to jest dobre, by w ko艅cu go nie ma. Nie ma to jak s艂owo "bezp艂atny", aby pom贸c pozby膰 si臋 czego艣. Pewnie go sprzeda膰 za 2 lub 3 sto z艂otych, ale kogo to obchodzi, to nie ma.

Jeszcze jeden dzie艅 i zaczynamy nasz膮 przygod臋 z Polski wschodniej.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Customs.



Today was the first time in a long time that I was totally frustrated by governmental bureaucracy. This time it has to do with Customs.

My sister sent a package to me of glassware she found while looking through some of our fathers belongings. She discovered glasses with our last name, Piekarczyk, and what appears to be a crest above it. Whether or not the crest is legitimate or not remains to be proved.

We arrived at Customs to pick up the package, waited an hour and a half before anyone interviewed us and then were told to wait. Another hour passed and finally a man asked what was in the package and I told him I thought it was glassware of my family sent to me by my sister. Not knowing for sure what the contents was we opened the package to find glassware. The shipping form said it was worth $100 in value.  With that information we were again told to wait.  An hour later we were handed a bill for $25, told to pay it and then we could receive the package.  All total we spent three hours for this absurd process to take place.

When we first entered Customs there were two people in front of us who were taken  care of during the first hour and a half. During that time 5 other people came to claim packages and all 5 left before we did.  We were the last to be taken care of. It as hard to hold back my anger at the inefficiency of this agency. Surely there are dramatic changes to be made here but as of yet nothing is being done about it.  This package was sent to me as a present but still I had to pay import charges. HOW RIDICULOUS!!!!

Dzi艣 po raz pierwszy od d艂u偶szego czasu, 偶e jestem ca艂kowicie sfrustrowani rz膮dowej biurokracji. Tym razem ma do czynienia z Ce艂.

Moja siostra wys艂a艂a paczk臋 do mnie ze szk艂a znalaz艂a patrz膮c przez naszych ojc贸w rzeczy. Odkry艂a okulary z naszego nazwiska, Piekarczyk, a co wydaje si臋 by膰 herb nad nim. Czy herb jest zgodny z prawem czy te偶 nie pozostaje do udowodnienia.

Dotarli艣my Ce艂 odebra膰 pakiet, czeka艂 na godzina  i p贸艂 zanim ktokolwiek wywiad z nami, a nast臋pnie kazano czeka膰. Innym godzina min臋艂o i wreszcie cz艂owiek zapyta艂, co by艂o w zestawie i powiedzia艂em mu, my艣la艂em, 偶e to szk艂o z mojej rodziny wys艂ane do mnie przez moj膮 siostr臋. Nie wiedz膮c na pewno, co zawarto艣膰 zosta艂a otworzyli艣my paczk臋 znale藕膰 szk艂a.Forma wysy艂ki powiedzia艂, 偶e warto by艂o 100 dolar贸w na warto艣ci. Dzi臋ki tej informacji mo偶emy znowu kazano czeka膰.Godzin p贸藕niej wr臋czono rachunek za 25 dolar贸w, powiedzia艂 do jego zap艂aty, a nast臋pnie mo偶emy otrzyma膰 pakiet. Wszystko 艂膮cznie sp臋dzili艣my trzy godziny w tym absurdalnym procesie si臋 odby膰.

Kiedy po raz pierwszy wszed艂 Customs by艂y dwie osoby przed nami, kt贸rzy troszczyli si臋 w ci膮gu pierwszej godziny i p贸艂. W tym czasie 5 innych os贸b przysz艂o domaga膰 pakiety i wszystkie 5 w lewo przed zrobili艣my. Byli艣my ostatnio by膰 pod opiek膮. To tak ci臋偶ko powstrzyma膰 sw贸j gniew na nieefektywno艣膰 tej agencji. Z pewno艣ci膮 nie s膮 dramatyczne zmiany, kt贸re nale偶y wprowadzi膰 tutaj, ale jak dot膮d nic nie jest tym zrobi膰. Pakiet ten zosta艂 wys艂any do mnie jako obecny, ale jeszcze musia艂em zap艂aci膰 nale偶no艣ci przywozowych. JAK 艣mieszne!!