Awesome Poland

Linking to:

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday - Create with Joy

Good Fences

 Train - Eastern Poland

Tram - Krakow

Bridge over Vistula - Warsaw

Krakow Paddle Boats

Fenced ramp

Wawel Castle - Krakow, Poland

Linking to Rubbish Tuesday

and Our WORLD TUESDAY

Wawel fire-spitting dragon. Early medieval legends tell stories of a dreadful dragon that lived in a cave on Wawel Hill, about his slayer Krakus and about the daughter Wanda who drowned herself in the Vistula rather than marry a German knight.

Wawel Castle on the Vistula River

 It was definitely a big hill to climb up to the castle especially on a hot day.

 Gates were open. For those with special permission, the barriers in the middle of the driveway lower when cars pass through.

Wawel grounds

Original footings of older buildings. 

Reflections in Southern Poland

Linking to weekend Reflections

 Reflections in Czestochowa

 Younger cousins, my English interpreters - reflections in window

 Reflections in Old Town Krakow

Vistual River - Krakow

Krakow Fences

Linking to Good Fences

 Blue fences in Krakow, Poland

 Niebieski Art Hotel (niebieski means blue in Polish). This is where I stayed during my visit to Krakow.

 Interior of Wawel Castle courtyard.  The Polish kings and their families are buried in the Wavel Cathedral. 

Restoration of the courtyard is an ongoing project.

The only regret was that I was too late to view an original DaVinci painting of the Lady with Ermine.  I missed the last viewing by about a half hour.

Farmer's Market in Czestochowa

 I had no idea what these items of food were but when I got home, I looked up the words and I'll be darn if all of them on the stand are types of cheeses.  If I had known that, I would have bought some for a taste.

 I don't know if the gigantic bread rounds could fit in my oven. I have never seen such large portions of bread.

 I thought that these were pretzels (swieze obwarzanki means fresh bagels) so I was close.

 Fun little tied up ribbons and bows of garlic.

 I am the biggest blueberry fan there ever was and I couldn't get over how large these blueberries were.

I didn't know that Tupperware was abounding in Europe.

While viewing the farmer's market, three groups of people came marching down the center esplanade singing with their group or chanting in Polish.  It was the most astonishing thing to witness. There were at least 100 in each group on a pilgrimage to Jasna Gora with their Priest.  Also as I left Czestochowa on a bus, miles from the city was another group were marching on the road toward Czestochowa on their pilgrimage.

Fans from Poland

Linking to wordless wednesday
and

Wordless Wednesday create with joy and a third
Wordless Wednesday

St. Marcina in Klobuck

Linking to Our World Tuesday

Church Steeple 

Pathway on the side of the church with 1339  Klobuck.

Pathway on the opposite of the church with 1480 to 2007.

Cousins: Left to right: Ruth and Tadek - 4th cousins, Elle is Tadek's wife and she is leaning on the table, next to her in white is her sister.

Center of the church inside.

Sacrament table.

Tadek and Karoliny (his grandniece) came and picked me up from my hotel at 1:30 PM on Friday. Karoliny spoke excellent English and she was my translator. 

For lunch, Elle fixed a marvelous homemade meal of tomato soup of which you added either rice or noodles. Then the main course of golabki (stuffed cabbage rolls), shredded beets, roasted potatoes, fasole (beans), and apple compote. Smachna!

Tadek escorted me around Klobuck, picked up information and post cards about the city for me. Later, we went back to his home for desert which Elle had gotten from her favorite bakery and let me tell you, it was almost too much. Elle said I needed to try everything and I tried but I just couldn't get those last two pieces in.

You are looking at salt and pepper hugging on the right. There was cheese cake, apple and rhubarb tort, berry creme tort, berry tort, chocolate loaf and pound cake. Yum, yum and yum (Smachna). 

They treated me royally.

Klobuck Reflections

Linking to: Weekend Reflections

Skywatch Friday

 New Buildings in Klobuck, Poland

 Klobuck Cemetery

 Klobuck City Building

Town Square

Klobuck Church Tower - St. Marcina

Klobuck Fences

Klobuck is the hometown of my grandfather's family. My ancestors have lived here for more than 350 years and I have many cousins still residing here. I expected Klobuck to be small like Sztabin but it is much larger and not far from Czestochowa (about a 15 minute drive).  The population is about 13,000.  

Linking to Good Fences

The pathway around St. Marcina Church in Klobuck.

The monastery next to the church.

Klobuck's school across the street.

Klobuck was granted town rights in 1339 but long before the town was established, this area was part of a major trade and it is possible that the ancient Roman trade route called “amber track” ran right through the settlement. The amber track was used to join the Mediterranean coast with the Baltic Sea.