Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Following Up
Yes folks, I'm bad. I know I need to finish this blog. I have literally 1,000s of photos and lots more stories to finish. Wait until you hear about Zosia getting to meet her 5 older birth siblings and her birth mom! WOW! For now, I know summer will take up a lot of time but I'll be back to finish, I promise :-) I promise because I want to pull this into a photobook and what easy way to do that than with a very complete blog.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Thursday - Zakopane
Thursday
Today was our whirlwind trip to Zakopane, the winter capital of Poland. It is situated in the Southern portion of Poland in the Tatra Mountains. We had a private tour scheduled and they came to pick up 8 of us in a 17 passenger mini-bus. Needless to say, we were very comfortable. I say 8 of us because once again, we were fortunate enough to have Adam come along with us. Our guides name was Pawel and he worked for the "Cool Tour Company" in Krakow.
Our day started with breakfast once again provided by Pan Toto. A beautiful spread of donuts and meat/cheesed sandwiches, tomatoes, and cucumbers. At 8:30 we were met at our front door by the mini-bus and we were off. The ride to Zakopane is about 2 hours long. It might have been shorter but traffic was heavy today. The first thing we did when we arrived was to take the gondola to the top of one of the mountains. This after a 2 hour wait in line...totally worth it! When we got to the top, we were surrounded by multiple mountain tops, snow covered and absolutely beautiful. Everyone but me (mom) went on a walk to the top of one of the side peaks. I didn't go because I am afraid of heights and I am darn happy I made it as far as I did. Even Grandma made it all the way up to the peak and back down again. Although, she came down earlier than the rest because the kids were making her nervous on the top of the peak (another reason this mama couldn't go up as well).
After the gondola ride, we walked through the main street of Zakopane where Alex found a great present for Bry ( I won't tell you what it is in case Bry is reading this!). It was time to eat so we were taken to an authentic highlander restaurant. Zosia and I had potato pancakes with goulash, Alex had chicken, Rob had a kabob of some sort, and Daniel, Ally, and Grandma all had Russian pierogies. I think Daniel is going to make himself sick on all the pierogies he is eating.
Grandma K and I also had an amazing appetizer. It is smoked sheep cheese, cut into slices and fried and served with a cranberry sauce. It was excellent. We are going to have to find some smoked sheep cheese at home and try to replicate it.
On the way home we made a brief stop to watch a wayward cow jump around on the highway...the owner came sauntering down a side road with 2 additional cows on ropes, not seeming to be in too big of a rush to gather the one cow who was stopping traffic.
We also stopped at yet another church the Pope John Paul II visited. It is a very big deal to the Polish people that the Pope had visited a specific spot. We also see many plaques with words from his speeches printed them. While at the church, we saw another gathering of cows, about 10 of them being herded down the middle of the town's main street!
The only advice I would give on Zakopane would be to try and stay there at least 2-3 days, 1 day did not do it justice at all.
We returned home around 8 pm and are ready to turn in for another night...
Today was our whirlwind trip to Zakopane, the winter capital of Poland. It is situated in the Southern portion of Poland in the Tatra Mountains. We had a private tour scheduled and they came to pick up 8 of us in a 17 passenger mini-bus. Needless to say, we were very comfortable. I say 8 of us because once again, we were fortunate enough to have Adam come along with us. Our guides name was Pawel and he worked for the "Cool Tour Company" in Krakow.
Our day started with breakfast once again provided by Pan Toto. A beautiful spread of donuts and meat/cheesed sandwiches, tomatoes, and cucumbers. At 8:30 we were met at our front door by the mini-bus and we were off. The ride to Zakopane is about 2 hours long. It might have been shorter but traffic was heavy today. The first thing we did when we arrived was to take the gondola to the top of one of the mountains. This after a 2 hour wait in line...totally worth it! When we got to the top, we were surrounded by multiple mountain tops, snow covered and absolutely beautiful. Everyone but me (mom) went on a walk to the top of one of the side peaks. I didn't go because I am afraid of heights and I am darn happy I made it as far as I did. Even Grandma made it all the way up to the peak and back down again. Although, she came down earlier than the rest because the kids were making her nervous on the top of the peak (another reason this mama couldn't go up as well).
After the gondola ride, we walked through the main street of Zakopane where Alex found a great present for Bry ( I won't tell you what it is in case Bry is reading this!). It was time to eat so we were taken to an authentic highlander restaurant. Zosia and I had potato pancakes with goulash, Alex had chicken, Rob had a kabob of some sort, and Daniel, Ally, and Grandma all had Russian pierogies. I think Daniel is going to make himself sick on all the pierogies he is eating.
Grandma K and I also had an amazing appetizer. It is smoked sheep cheese, cut into slices and fried and served with a cranberry sauce. It was excellent. We are going to have to find some smoked sheep cheese at home and try to replicate it.
On the way home we made a brief stop to watch a wayward cow jump around on the highway...the owner came sauntering down a side road with 2 additional cows on ropes, not seeming to be in too big of a rush to gather the one cow who was stopping traffic.
We also stopped at yet another church the Pope John Paul II visited. It is a very big deal to the Polish people that the Pope had visited a specific spot. We also see many plaques with words from his speeches printed them. While at the church, we saw another gathering of cows, about 10 of them being herded down the middle of the town's main street!
The only advice I would give on Zakopane would be to try and stay there at least 2-3 days, 1 day did not do it justice at all.
We returned home around 8 pm and are ready to turn in for another night...
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Wednesday - Krakow
Wednesday
One again this morning Pan Toto made us a Polish breakfast of pastries, open face sandwiches, cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries. Strawberries must be in season now, they taste amazing.
Adam came to the house around 9 and we all (along with Pan Toto) took a walk to a newer Catholic church, Divine Mercy Basilica (http://www.krakow-info.com/lagiewni.htm). We were able to take an elevator to a viewing platform and had an great panorama of the city of Krakow. We then went into the church to see the famous Divine Mercy painting but First Communion services were being held so we were unable to get very close. Yes, first communion services were being held on a Wednesday morning (during a normal school day for Polish children).
Pan Toto returned home and we continued onto the tram to visit Wawel Castle where the majority of Poland Kings and Queens made their home before the country's capital was moved to Warsaw. We took a tour of the Royal Apartments. We had a personal private tour because Adam ( a long time ago he says) used to work as a tour guide there. The tapestries were beautiful and so were the rooms themselves. Next to Wawel castle is Wawel Cathdral. We did try to visit but the lines were just too long. Only a few short months ago, the Polish president, his wife, and some 80+ other high ranking members of the Polish government were killed in a plane crash on their way to Russia to commemorate the anniversary of the Katyn massacre. The president and his wife were laid to rest in Wawel Cathedral and many, many Poles were there to show their respects.
After the castle tour we went below the surrounding castle walls to see the statue of the Krakow dragon which is famous in Polish legends.
We then had lunch at a restaurant that Adam suggested. Excellent food was had by all. The kids had Russian pierogies, Grandma K had plum pierogies, Rob had a steaks salad, and I had a cucumber salad that we ended up having to buy seconds of because all of the kids wanted it. It was simply cucumbers covered with a sour milk cream and dill, very similar to a recipe my Grandmother taught me to make.
Then it was onto one more basilica...Basilica of the Virgin Mary. I don't even know how to describe it in words. I will just have to post pictures once I have them downloaded. It was so over the top that I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again in my life.
As a side note, because of the tragic events a couple of months ago, the Polish people are getting ready to elect a new president this weekend. While we were visiting the basilica, one of the presidential candidates was holding a rally not even 150 feet from where we were. There was some security but not much. I walked to the front of the stage and was able to take his photo, without any security or metal detectors or anything....this could never happen in the US.
We then took another tram back to Pan Toto's home. We then went to his daughter Kasia's home. We were able to meet Kasia's family but not Kasia as she was not there. Things were a bit lost in translation on us so we don't know what happened!
One again this morning Pan Toto made us a Polish breakfast of pastries, open face sandwiches, cucumbers, tomatoes, and strawberries. Strawberries must be in season now, they taste amazing.
Adam came to the house around 9 and we all (along with Pan Toto) took a walk to a newer Catholic church, Divine Mercy Basilica (http://www.krakow-info.com/lagiewni.htm). We were able to take an elevator to a viewing platform and had an great panorama of the city of Krakow. We then went into the church to see the famous Divine Mercy painting but First Communion services were being held so we were unable to get very close. Yes, first communion services were being held on a Wednesday morning (during a normal school day for Polish children).
Pan Toto returned home and we continued onto the tram to visit Wawel Castle where the majority of Poland Kings and Queens made their home before the country's capital was moved to Warsaw. We took a tour of the Royal Apartments. We had a personal private tour because Adam ( a long time ago he says) used to work as a tour guide there. The tapestries were beautiful and so were the rooms themselves. Next to Wawel castle is Wawel Cathdral. We did try to visit but the lines were just too long. Only a few short months ago, the Polish president, his wife, and some 80+ other high ranking members of the Polish government were killed in a plane crash on their way to Russia to commemorate the anniversary of the Katyn massacre. The president and his wife were laid to rest in Wawel Cathedral and many, many Poles were there to show their respects.
After the castle tour we went below the surrounding castle walls to see the statue of the Krakow dragon which is famous in Polish legends.
We then had lunch at a restaurant that Adam suggested. Excellent food was had by all. The kids had Russian pierogies, Grandma K had plum pierogies, Rob had a steaks salad, and I had a cucumber salad that we ended up having to buy seconds of because all of the kids wanted it. It was simply cucumbers covered with a sour milk cream and dill, very similar to a recipe my Grandmother taught me to make.
Then it was onto one more basilica...Basilica of the Virgin Mary. I don't even know how to describe it in words. I will just have to post pictures once I have them downloaded. It was so over the top that I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again in my life.
As a side note, because of the tragic events a couple of months ago, the Polish people are getting ready to elect a new president this weekend. While we were visiting the basilica, one of the presidential candidates was holding a rally not even 150 feet from where we were. There was some security but not much. I walked to the front of the stage and was able to take his photo, without any security or metal detectors or anything....this could never happen in the US.
We then took another tram back to Pan Toto's home. We then went to his daughter Kasia's home. We were able to meet Kasia's family but not Kasia as she was not there. Things were a bit lost in translation on us so we don't know what happened!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
SATURDAY
We had a very busy day today. It didn't start out the way we would have liked but it ended up great. We wanted to go to the Jewish museum but when we finally found it (it's a bit off the beaten path) it was closed. Umm, yeah, a Jewish museum would be closed on Saturday. We then decided to attend the organ concert in St John's
Church. After a half hour concert of popular tunes ( edelweiss, Jesu, Joy, and Hallelujah chorus, we went down into the tombs underneath the church. The tombs were amazing to see, from the last Polish king to several bishops to the author of the book that Aleksandra is currently reading (The Deluge). We then went shopping for a bit in Old Town Warsaw.
At 3, we were invited to go to our friend's Barbara and Waldek's home in outer Warsaw for a barbecue. Barbara was our social worker/contact in Poland in both Daniel and Zosia's adoptions. It was great to see them, along with their son Rafael (8) and daughter Ada (18). Their oldest daughter, Paulina, (24), wasn't there but we learned that she has finished college and is engaged to be married next May. Waldek's cousin was also there. We had met him when we adopted Daniel. Interesting character who is fascinated with politics and cars.
Despite a couple of mishaps, we had an amazing time. Barbara had set up two tables in the back yard, and true Polish hospitality, the food did not stop for a long time. We started with a pork meat, 2 different types of salads, 3 different types of bread, fresh cherries, and tomatoes. Then came vanilla and chocolate ice cream, which turned out to NOT be dessert. We were then treated to kielbasa and spare ribs from the grill. We then rested our stomaches for a while and the kids played soccer with Waldek (who used to play on a professional rugby team for Poland). It was then that the mosquitoes came out and about ate us up alive. Alex has always been allergic to mosquito bites and these were pretty bad, swelling up the size of half dollars. The mosquitoes were so bad because of the incredible flooding that Warsaw had been experiencing. Barbara's home was only 3.5 km away from where the Wisla River was going over its banks. It was time to go inside to get away from the bugs.
Inside we watched one of the World Cup soccer games and were treated to about 6 different types of Polish candies/cookies/wafers, chips, and nuts. The next mishap occurred when we were watching the game, it had started to rain outside and Waldek and Barbara had gone to the back to grab some of the plates that were still outside. Barbara fells down about 7 stair steps and hurt her foot. It was swelling quite large by the time we left but we don't know yet how she is doing. While we were there, she refused to go go the hospital so we tried to make our exit quickly but not impolitely.
FRIDAY
Happy Birthday to Grandpa K today!! We miss you and promise to take good care of your bride while we are gone.
What an amazing day we had today. With the help of Ally's adoption agency in the states, we were able to contact her orphanage and arrange a meeting. We got to the orphanage around 9:30 this morning and met Agnieksa, one of the agency workers in Poland, the director of the orphanage (a very nice nun who had not been at the orphanage when Ally was but who knew of her), and (another) Agnieska, Aleksandra's court appointed guardian. The ladies were extremely excited to see Aleksandra as it is fairly rare for any of the children to come back and visit. We were treated to homemade apple coffee cake, and a large amount of ice cream. Aleksandra then got to meet one of the nuns who had been their when Aleksandra's family was at the orphanage and remembered all of the kids. As one would expect, they had lots of questions about Aleksandra and all her siblings and we tried to answer them as best we could.
We then took a tour of the orphanage and the surrounding grounds. Aleksandra said she could remember the stairway, the kitchen, and the director's office but that was about all. Much had changed and been repainted or upgraded. We took a lot of pictures for her scrapbook and to send them onto her stateside siblings. It was really nice for all of us to experience because it we now have a frame of reference when Aleksandra talks about some of her life her in Poland.
After the orphanage, we went back to our apartment because it was time to move to our next apartments which were directly in Old Town. After settling into 2 smaller apartments instead of just one large one, we decided to explore the shops and food in Old Town. We found another great place for pierogi and everyone ate their fill, including Daniel who ate everyones leftovers. Daniel has been eating every bit of Polish food he can get his hands on!
SUNDAY
Today we went to Lazienkowski Park to hear a Chopin concert (which is located on Ujazdowskie street for our plumber friends). 2010 is the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth and the people of Poland are celebrating. The concert was about an hour long. Grandma K, Alex, Daniel, Alexandra, and I went to the concert. We then walked though the park itself and saw the palace on the water.
Rob and Zoey stayed at the apartment. Zoey is starting to have very mixed feelings about being here in Poland. She had pretty much worn herself out with lots of thoughts of family and about seeing her foster mom next week. She literally slept until 2 pm when we called to meet up for lunch. The kids once again ate at Subway and the adults ate at the salad spot. More shopping and church viewing (there is one almost every corner, each one more beautiful than the last) took up the balance of our day.
Grandma K. had an adventure this morning as she went out for a couple of things for breakfast. The normal store we had been going to wasn't yet open...so she found a pub(!) that also sold a bit of groceries on the side. Leave it to Grandma to go to a pub on Sunday morning for bananas!!
Grandma would like everyone to know that we probably walked over 8 miles today and she is doing great!
We had a very busy day today. It didn't start out the way we would have liked but it ended up great. We wanted to go to the Jewish museum but when we finally found it (it's a bit off the beaten path) it was closed. Umm, yeah, a Jewish museum would be closed on Saturday. We then decided to attend the organ concert in St John's
Church. After a half hour concert of popular tunes ( edelweiss, Jesu, Joy, and Hallelujah chorus, we went down into the tombs underneath the church. The tombs were amazing to see, from the last Polish king to several bishops to the author of the book that Aleksandra is currently reading (The Deluge). We then went shopping for a bit in Old Town Warsaw.
At 3, we were invited to go to our friend's Barbara and Waldek's home in outer Warsaw for a barbecue. Barbara was our social worker/contact in Poland in both Daniel and Zosia's adoptions. It was great to see them, along with their son Rafael (8) and daughter Ada (18). Their oldest daughter, Paulina, (24), wasn't there but we learned that she has finished college and is engaged to be married next May. Waldek's cousin was also there. We had met him when we adopted Daniel. Interesting character who is fascinated with politics and cars.
Despite a couple of mishaps, we had an amazing time. Barbara had set up two tables in the back yard, and true Polish hospitality, the food did not stop for a long time. We started with a pork meat, 2 different types of salads, 3 different types of bread, fresh cherries, and tomatoes. Then came vanilla and chocolate ice cream, which turned out to NOT be dessert. We were then treated to kielbasa and spare ribs from the grill. We then rested our stomaches for a while and the kids played soccer with Waldek (who used to play on a professional rugby team for Poland). It was then that the mosquitoes came out and about ate us up alive. Alex has always been allergic to mosquito bites and these were pretty bad, swelling up the size of half dollars. The mosquitoes were so bad because of the incredible flooding that Warsaw had been experiencing. Barbara's home was only 3.5 km away from where the Wisla River was going over its banks. It was time to go inside to get away from the bugs.
Inside we watched one of the World Cup soccer games and were treated to about 6 different types of Polish candies/cookies/wafers, chips, and nuts. The next mishap occurred when we were watching the game, it had started to rain outside and Waldek and Barbara had gone to the back to grab some of the plates that were still outside. Barbara fells down about 7 stair steps and hurt her foot. It was swelling quite large by the time we left but we don't know yet how she is doing. While we were there, she refused to go go the hospital so we tried to make our exit quickly but not impolitely.
FRIDAY
Happy Birthday to Grandpa K today!! We miss you and promise to take good care of your bride while we are gone.
What an amazing day we had today. With the help of Ally's adoption agency in the states, we were able to contact her orphanage and arrange a meeting. We got to the orphanage around 9:30 this morning and met Agnieksa, one of the agency workers in Poland, the director of the orphanage (a very nice nun who had not been at the orphanage when Ally was but who knew of her), and (another) Agnieska, Aleksandra's court appointed guardian. The ladies were extremely excited to see Aleksandra as it is fairly rare for any of the children to come back and visit. We were treated to homemade apple coffee cake, and a large amount of ice cream. Aleksandra then got to meet one of the nuns who had been their when Aleksandra's family was at the orphanage and remembered all of the kids. As one would expect, they had lots of questions about Aleksandra and all her siblings and we tried to answer them as best we could.
We then took a tour of the orphanage and the surrounding grounds. Aleksandra said she could remember the stairway, the kitchen, and the director's office but that was about all. Much had changed and been repainted or upgraded. We took a lot of pictures for her scrapbook and to send them onto her stateside siblings. It was really nice for all of us to experience because it we now have a frame of reference when Aleksandra talks about some of her life her in Poland.
After the orphanage, we went back to our apartment because it was time to move to our next apartments which were directly in Old Town. After settling into 2 smaller apartments instead of just one large one, we decided to explore the shops and food in Old Town. We found another great place for pierogi and everyone ate their fill, including Daniel who ate everyones leftovers. Daniel has been eating every bit of Polish food he can get his hands on!
SUNDAY
Today we went to Lazienkowski Park to hear a Chopin concert (which is located on Ujazdowskie street for our plumber friends). 2010 is the 200th anniversary of Chopin's birth and the people of Poland are celebrating. The concert was about an hour long. Grandma K, Alex, Daniel, Alexandra, and I went to the concert. We then walked though the park itself and saw the palace on the water.
Rob and Zoey stayed at the apartment. Zoey is starting to have very mixed feelings about being here in Poland. She had pretty much worn herself out with lots of thoughts of family and about seeing her foster mom next week. She literally slept until 2 pm when we called to meet up for lunch. The kids once again ate at Subway and the adults ate at the salad spot. More shopping and church viewing (there is one almost every corner, each one more beautiful than the last) took up the balance of our day.
Grandma K. had an adventure this morning as she went out for a couple of things for breakfast. The normal store we had been going to wasn't yet open...so she found a pub(!) that also sold a bit of groceries on the side. Leave it to Grandma to go to a pub on Sunday morning for bananas!!
Grandma would like everyone to know that we probably walked over 8 miles today and she is doing great!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Today is Grandma Kaminski's birthday. We slept in late after just about everyone but me decided that perhaps 4:30 in the morning would be a good time to wake up. grandma read a bit and fell back asleep. Rob made the kids eat a bit and then sent them back to bed. Then it was difficult to wake them up at 9:30. We finally got rolling and went to the Tomb of the Unknown soldier. We were lucky enough to be there during a guard change. Interesting to see the plaques on the monument that goes back to the 10th century. Ally (in all seriousness) asked who was the unknown soldier. Good thing she wasn't wearing her "naturally blonde" t-shirt at the time :-)
We were VERY VERY hot as it was in the 90s today and humid. We still walked a couple of miles with the kids complaining all the way....the adults were just fine. We had periogis for lunch, the kids and I had Ruskie periogis and Grandma had "Grandma" periogis which had mushrooms, sauerkraut, and other goodies in it. Rob had dessert periogis.
In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the Summer Palace. It was a beautiful palace with a lot of paintings of the monarchy to look at. I was a bit disappointed because the gardens are under construction for the next 2 years. The last time we visited, they were just gorgeous.
We took another taxi back to our apartment and then we had salads (the adults) and subway (the kids). Grandma had a couple od bites of carrot cake to help celebrate her birthday. She asked us not to sing to her ( we were in an outdoor cafe).
We came back to the apartment to crash fro the night. Of course, that is when Rob decided he wanted to go shopping. He and zosia went for an hour or so. Grandma K then decided to go shopping as well. She was concerned we were going to run out of toilet paper (really!). So, she set off on her own. She did just fine and was back to the apartment a short time later.
It is time to sign off for the night. Visiting Aleksandra's orphanage tomorrow morning.
We were VERY VERY hot as it was in the 90s today and humid. We still walked a couple of miles with the kids complaining all the way....the adults were just fine. We had periogis for lunch, the kids and I had Ruskie periogis and Grandma had "Grandma" periogis which had mushrooms, sauerkraut, and other goodies in it. Rob had dessert periogis.
In the afternoon, we took a taxi to the Summer Palace. It was a beautiful palace with a lot of paintings of the monarchy to look at. I was a bit disappointed because the gardens are under construction for the next 2 years. The last time we visited, they were just gorgeous.
We took another taxi back to our apartment and then we had salads (the adults) and subway (the kids). Grandma had a couple od bites of carrot cake to help celebrate her birthday. She asked us not to sing to her ( we were in an outdoor cafe).
We came back to the apartment to crash fro the night. Of course, that is when Rob decided he wanted to go shopping. He and zosia went for an hour or so. Grandma K then decided to go shopping as well. She was concerned we were going to run out of toilet paper (really!). So, she set off on her own. She did just fine and was back to the apartment a short time later.
It is time to sign off for the night. Visiting Aleksandra's orphanage tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Day 2 in Wasaw
Today is day 2 in Warsaw. We slept a lot and everyone is feeling bit more normal. We went the Warsaw Uprising Museum this morning. Very sobering experience. The main monument inside the museum beats like heart all the time to symbolize all the people who died in the uprising.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch ( very American) and then went to the Winter Palace in Old Town. We then walked the couple of miles back to our apartment to get our exercise in. Supper was snacks at the apartment because we were still full from lunch.
We went to the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch ( very American) and then went to the Winter Palace in Old Town. We then walked the couple of miles back to our apartment to get our exercise in. Supper was snacks at the apartment because we were still full from lunch.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
We're Here!!!!
All 7 Kaminski family members arrived in Warsaw today safe and sound. Grandma K and I flew Chicago to Cincinnati to Paris to Warsaw. Rob and the kiddos flew Chicago to Atlanta to Prague to Warsaw. Grandma and I arrived a couple of hours before the second Kaminski contingent and we were able to navigate the taxis and get checked into our apartment all on our own. We then headed out to grab some groceries and to check out some of the neighboring shops. We found a pizzeria which we took everyone to for supper. We thought it would be good for everyone to have familiar food since we are all very tired and suffering a bit of jet lag. No one slept very much on the flights. Crying babies seemed to be the order of the day for both of the long flights. I know this is a pretty boring post but they'll get better with a bit of sleep :-)
If someone could let Grandpa K know we have arrived safely, we would really appreciate it!
If someone could let Grandpa K know we have arrived safely, we would really appreciate it!
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