Gdansk, Poland

We traveled by train to Gdansk, Poland,  located on the Baltic Sea.  What an experience--I was very grateful that my son and his wife were our guides and that they spoke Polish. The train station was very large and crowded. Just before each train departed, a huge board with many slots started changing rapidly-it was mind boggling!! And of course all the announcements were in rapid Polish. The only places I heard English spoken in Poland were at the Marriott where we exchanged money, very few restaurants and the American Embassy. One interesting thing to note is that we had to be very aware of pickpockets. I  wore a hidden money pouch, so I felt prepared, but was vigilant anyway. The train ride was great--we had a private compartment and it was fun to watch the scenery go by.I found it much more pleasant than driving in heavy traffic.  I took a great photograph of  Malbork Castle  as we went flying by. My knowledge of world history is pitiful--I didn't know that Poland had castles!! A surprising country.

                                                          Malbork Castle

Gdansk itself was a treasure. A huge open square dominated the area that we visited. We were in luck--a parade was forming just as we arrived-apparently some sort of church oriented parade-the main characters were a devil and an angel.

                                                    Gdansk Parade

Gdansk is famous for its amber, so naturally we visited several amber shops.   I felt wealthy-it was so reasonable--at one point I had a whole velvet lined tray filled with amber in one shop.The shops were dark inside with lights  located to enhance the beauty of the amber.  Beautifiul pieces!

And believe it or not, I met my "knight in shining armor."

                                                    My Knight in Shining Armor


Too bad he couldn't come home with me!!


 We took a launch and visited the spa town of Sopot. A pleasant day! On the way we passed through the famous shipyards that were the birthplace of Solidarity (the movement which, under the leadership of Lech Walesa, was instrumental in ending the Communist rule in Poland). It was a very moving experience-I had almost the same feeling as when I visit the Alamo in Texas.

                                                  Shipyard

                                                         

We had a very nice dinner in Gdansk that night to celebrate my birthday . The restaurant presented all the ladies with a rose. Nice! One thing to note--unlike in the U.S., every restaurant gave us all the time in the world to enjoy our meal. No hurrying us out so the next table could be seated.

We ate lunch the next day outdoors at a restaurant on the square. I had the absolutely best capachinno I have ever tasted! Inside, the decor was very neat! I took a picture of the light fixtures which were made from gourds. I planned to make one when I returned home. Of course, that is one of my many projects which I haven't started yet. :)
Anyone know of a source for large gourds?

This is me trying to figure out how it was made.

Stay tuned for another day in Warsaw!

Poland - a Wonderful Surprise!

Old Town-Warsaw, Poland

Outer Wall-Old Town, Warsaw, Poland

Warsaw, Poland -
I really never thought this Texas girl would be traveling abroad. But there I was, on a plane to Poland, of all places. My son, Paul,  had become a Foreign Service Officer and he and his wife, Dawn,  had moved to Warsaw for his first post. They  encouraged my mother and me to visit. So there we were, on our way! We had planned this trip for months. I had obsessed over what clothes to pack, how much money to take, who to get to keep my dogs, etc. etc. Mother and I had marathon telephone conversations before  the trip. I really didn't think I would like Poland all that much but wanted to visit my son and his wife. Mother and I had booked a tour to Spain after the Poland visit, so I was really more excited about going there. Boy, was I in for a surprise! I just fell in love with Poland. I will have to tell you, though, that traveling with my son and his wife is better than any tour--they took care of every detail and tailored the trip specifically to us. Luckily for us, they both had learned Polish-we didn't find anyone who spoke English! Oddly enough, the first thing that fascinated me was the plumbing fixtures-definitely a cut above ours. :) Their house had ceramic heaters-I'm still not sure how they worked--with hot water I think. Parts of Warsaw were just what I expected--Soviet era ugly buildings-but with one bright spot--geraniums spilling out of every window box! . Then we went to Old Warsaw--absolutely beautiful. The architecture was wonderful, the buildings colorful, and the people very friendly even though Mother and I only knew "good morning","thank you" and "you're welcome". I felt as if I had gone back in time. The buildings surrounded a large square, which had artists, restaurants and performers.  There was even an organ grinder--he had a parrot instead of a monkey!

I wanted to come back there, rent an apartment facing the square  and stay for a month, but what to do about the language?? Polish is not an easy language to learn. So I settled for a return trip the next year. :) I told my son that I would probably save money because I didn't expect  Poland to  have any good shopping. Wrong again! Their hand painted Boleslawiec pottery (which is quite popular now) was outstanding-I bought several pieces of it. Then my daughter-in-law took us to a really neat little store in the basement of a building. An artist  had hand carved things of all kinds.I purchased several things, my favorite of which was a delicate bird (I hand carried it all over Poland and Spain so it wouldn't get broken!). One special thing--each store gave us something "extra" with every purchase, such as a hand painted egg, etc. and wrapped all our purchases.  A high spot of our trip was a visit to the American Embassy. Very impressive-especially the Foreign Service Officers--I don't believe I have ever met a more gracious and friendly group of people. We were able to meet the Ambassador, which was a great treat. He was also very gracious. The  grocery stores in Poland  are really something! There was an entire aisle devoted to milk products. We weren't sure what they all were. And the vegetables--so fresh some still had their roots! They also had all sorts of other things from appliances to clothes. We saw small community gardens scattered about the city. One fun thing we did was to dine at a restaurant that specialized in traditional Polish dishes. They also had traditional folk dancing in which we participated. What fun!

 Traditional Polish Dance-I'm in the back!

Stay tuned for the next leg of the trip-on to Gdansk, Poland where I met my "knight in shining armor"!
TRAVEL TIP:  Pack your suitcase, then take half the clothes out!! Take an extra one for souvenirs!

Mornings in the Springtime

 Redbud  Tree

Field Violets

One of my favorite times to be out at the barn is early in the morning just at daybreak on a Spring day. The horses greedily eat their grain, getting every last drop and then leisurely stroll to their hay. As I listen to them munching, I look out across the pasture. The sun is peeking through the pines, casting white-golden rays through the rising mist.

The pond is covered with a fine yellow-green layer of blooms shed by the trees. Later, when a breeze clears a place, I will look for tadpoles. I hear a "rat-a-tat" above me, and spy a little downy woodpecker in the pecan tree. He never seems to mind that I'm so close to him. The bluejays are hanging out in their favorite oak tree by the gate. The big crows are clumsily stalking about in the paddock, not one bit afraid of the cats, who are playing nearby. A lone bluebird is sitting on the pipe fence--hopefully it is checking out the new bluebird house. The woods come alive with the sounds of the birds noisily staking out their territory. I could stand out here forever, just watching and listening to the morning come alive, but there are chores to be done. Before tackling the paddock, though, I take Rufus in the golf cart and we go down to the creek. I'm eager to see if the redbuds lining the creek are blooming. Last year I marked a few so I could transplant them to the side yard this year, but it is too wet to do the digging. I find the redbuds are in full bloom, so I climb through the fence and carefully make my way through the trees along the edge of the bank-I see the perfect one for my photograph. All the while I'm keeping a watchful eye out for snakes! I cut a few branches to bring into the house. .. Back to the paddock to muck; however, I'm sidetracked again. I find a treasure--there are field violets in the top pasture this year. I didn't expect to find any this year, since their usual habitat below the creek was under water.Naturally I had to postpone mucking long enough to take photographs. Could this be why I never get finished with my chores? :=) After a long, cold, wet winter, Spring is welcome! I thank God allowing me to experience this day.