Polska!

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We are having an amazing time in Poland thanks to Krzysztof and his father. Krzysztof and Marcus were house-mates in Oxford 2001-02, when Marcus was working on his masters there. We are grateful for the Piskorski's generous hospitality.

These are just a few highlights of our experinces in Poland so far. We have seen so much in such a few days. It is safe to assume that we have sampled and savored many kinds of sausages, pierogi, breads, cheeses, soups, crepes, beer and liquors every day! We stop often to see the Gothic brick cathedrals and churches. Evidence of Poland's devotion to the Catholic faith and love for their own Pope John Paul II abounds.

18 October

Arrived in Warsaw and saw parts of city centre. Went to the Palace of Culture and Science and viewed the city from the top (34th) floor. The Palace was a gift from the peoples of the USSR to Warsaw and boasts 1950's Soviet-style ('social realism') architecture. The Palace is next to the Congress Hall, where the Communist delegates convened to run the country.

19 October

Ventured into Warsaw's Old Town, which was rebuilt after being destroyed in WWII. About 90% of Warsaw was destroyed, much of it by the retreating Germans. We toured the rebuilt Royal Castle and then saw some monuments and memorials in Warsaw. These included monuments for the Warsaw Uprising as well as monuments for Jews and Christians living in Warsaw and sent to the camps. We saw the newly opened Warsaw Uprising Museum--very informative and moving.

Marcus was excited to see that the former Communist Party headquarters has been converted into the Stock Exchange!

20 October

Survived Polish driving in the country roads as we headed to Torun. Saw Copernicus' house and statues. Sampled some of Torun's famous gingerbread cakes.

21 October

Continued to Malbork, and saw the massive castle built by Teutonic Knights in 1276.

Before we arrived in Malbork we spotted an interesting diversion - the Commonwealth Cemetery. We took some time to pay our respects to these men from the U.K and all over the Commonwealth who had died in some way in Poland, either in POW camps, in air raids or other battles.

Instead of a birthday cake, Marcus opted for a selection of sausages--including garlic and chicken flavors--with tasty cheese-bread and washed down with local yoghurt. A very happy birthday indeed!

We drove to the Baltic coast and came within reach of Russia (that is, Kaliningrad). Had a Polish fish supper! The fish had been freshly brought in by local fishermen that morning. We came across and toured the Stutthoff Nazi work camp.

Drove on to Gdansk.

22 October

A visit to Gdansk allows you to take a walk through Poland's history over the last five hundred years. We admired the beautiful old burgher buildings in the Old town surrounding Neptune's fountain and the ornate town hall. Found our way down to the riverside and 600 year old dockyard's complete with 15th century crane. Browsed the many amber shops (a gem specific to the Baltic region). Marcus managed to run out of time for buying some beautiful jewellery for Fiona!

Coming more up to date we visited Westerplatte where the first shots of the WWII were fired on the morning of 1st September 1939.

Finally we visited history that happened within our lifetimes at the Gdansk Shipyard. This is where the Solidarity Movement was born and persistently undermined the Communist system. It was fascinating to see how a movement that started in 1980 took another nine years to reap the rewards. Even now we are witnessing knock on effects all over the former Eastern bloc.

It was all made even more poignant by the fact that there was a political campaign going on at the same time. The Polish people have been voting for their President and have the last round of voting tomorrow.

23 October

We had 300km to cover today in order to get back to Warsaw. No mean feat when you consider the Polish roads! However, we still found time for some little detours including Biskupin. This site was strangely not listed in our guidebook and so many people will have missed this amazing prehistoric dig where a whole village was found in the peat and has now been reconstructed as closely as possible.

We had a quick look at Gniezno, the ancient seat of the first Polish Kings and finally found our way to Poznan. Unfortunately it was about 4pm by the time we got there and we had missed the famous goat butting spectacle that takes place at noon. (Two metal goats come out of a door above the clock and butt each other 12 times at noon.) But we are sure it was as good as you said Ravi!

We had (another) delicious meal which included pickled herring, (apparently a traditional Christmas dish here) before hitting the road. We enjoyed the new motorway for part of the journey but unfortunately only 150km has been built yet so it was back to the more scenic route for the rest of the way. We didn't mind though as we were in no hurry and and the Polish Radio kept us entertained until we arrived home.

The PIS ("Law and Justice", conservative) candidate for presidency won the election. Has anyone in America noticed?! As of midnight still no comment on Fox news!!

We will watch with interest the political and economic developments in Poland over the next five years.

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Comments

[James]

Voyage of discovery
Hi guys sounds really enchanting in Poland. I will have to pay a visit before the decade is out. While you two are on a 'jolly' abroad, I am slaving away for capitalism as usual - so make your voyage of discovery timeless. But seriously, have a great time in Czech Republic, remember, Gambrinus is the beer to try and go to the Hostel Imperial for a coffe in Prague.

[Dad B]

SOLIDarity
Some tough people, the Polish. And still full of heart, guts, freedom, family and church [honest to God for REAL]. John-Paul II was no accident considering where he came from. Anxious to hear more about your sense of things there. Assume you visited your first concetration camp from WWII. That will changed you inside forever. Don't be too long between visits with us out here. God bless, Dad.