Road Trip: Częstochowa, Kraków, Wieliczka, Auschwitz, Wadowice, Kalwaria Zebrzydowska

This past weekend was a long one for most Polish people because Thursday was a catholic holiday called Boże Ciało (Corpus Christi) so pretty much everyone had the day off. We took advantage of this long weekend by taking a road trip to Kraków to visit my aunt’s friend and her family. 

On the way to Kraków, we stopped by Częstochowa, which is known for the monastery Jasna Góra, which houses a famous painting of Mary (Black Madonna painting). Many pilgrims come from all over the world to see this painting and pray.

Jasna Góra

Czarna Madonna

After that stop, we continued until we got to Kraków in the evening. 

Then, on Thursday morning, we went to mass and took part of the Boże Ciało procession through town.

Boże Ciało procession

Then, we visited a church called Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia (Sanctuary of Divine Mercy) that was consecrated by John Paul II when he visited Poland in 2005. We also visited the John Paul II Centre.

Sanktuarium Bożego Miłosierdzia

 John Paul II Centre

Next, we explored Kraków! There were a lot of horse drawn carriages everywhere, and it was pretty lively (filled with tourists).

Karolina and I

Horse drawn carriages in front of the Mariacki church

hanging out with my cousin (Artur)

Artur and I climbed up to the Smok Wawelski (Wawel Dragon) statue. Smok Wawelski is a dragon that is famous in polish legends. This statue breathes fire every couple minutes, which is pretty cool!

Artur and I with the dragon

Friday we had a very busy day. We started off in Wieliczka, where there is a huge salt mine. We took the stairs down to the mines and got down to depths of about 130 meters underground. We had a great tour guide who has been giving tours here for 30 years. He showed us a lot of salt sculptures and we could even taste the walls, lol. There was even a chapel and restaurant down there! We spent about 3 and a half hours touring the mines and the museum. At the end, we took a super fast elevator that took us back up to the surface in about 30 seconds. 

Salty statue

largest underground chapel- some people have weddings here

salt chandelier

tons of salt- looks like cauliflower

with some giant salt statues

After that, we next stop was Auschwitz. 

Auschwitz

It was difficult to read some quotes from that time and to see pictures of everything. There were also many displays of items that were taken from the prisoners… piles and piles of shoes, glasses, brushes, hair… :( I am glad that I got to see it all with my own eyes... I remember reading about this place in school, but seeing it really makes the horrors of this place come alive… seeing the gas chambers, crematoriums, photos of the prisoners, their clothes… I can’t even believe that some humans could be so cruel and heartless. 

Auschwitz

Auschwitz

Auschwitz

After Auschwitz, we headed to Wadowice, which is the hometown of John Paul II. We saw where he went to mass, and after mass, he would go for kremówki with his friends. So, now bakeries sell papieskie kremówki (papal kremówki) in this town. 

John Paul II's hometown church

We were so set on finding some kremówki to try! It was quite an adventure though, because we got there after 7pm, so most bakeries were already closed. The ones that were open were out of kremówki, and restaurants that were open were out of them as well. The restaurants would tell us where they bought their kremówki, and we would head that way. We explored all of the bakeries and restaurants in the vicinity, and we were soon losing hope. We found one last bar/restaurant that was still open and decided it would be our last try, and what do you know, they had tons of kremówki! :) At that point, we didn’t even ask about the price, we ordered some for here and to go! And funny thing was that this bar/restaurant was located right near the church, where we started walking around when we first  got into town… lol. So we basically made a huge circle in town searching for kremówki.

Me with my kremówka- so worth the wait! :)

After our delicious desserts, we went to Kalwaria Zebrzydowska, which is a small town that is famous for it’s monastery. We barely made it inside to take a look in the church. They were closing the doors at 9pm, and we luckily got there a few minutes before.

Kalwaria Zebrzydowska

So Saturday was our last full day in Kraków, so we spent it exploring the city. It also happened to be Wianki, which is a huge festival that includes music performances, fireworks, and other attractions.

We went to Zamek Wawelski, a market, old town, love bridge, my friend Karolina’s dance show, Kazimierz (jewish district in Kraków where we had zapiekanki), and ended the day with the fireworks and music by the Wisła river. 

Me with my familyy at Wawel Castle

Found this on the love bridge...lol (Ja = I)

Artur and I with our zapiekanka (giant toasted sandwich) 

fireworks from the spectacle on the river

Overall, I had a wonderful stay in Kraków and hope to be back sometime!

Back in Białystok for a few days,

Magdalena

Strawberries, Białystok, and Center of Europe!

Here are just a few highlights from my time here so far (June 8th to 17th): 

I went strawberry picking a few times already while in Poland, and I gotta say that these strawberries are so good!! 

Freshly picked strawberries

I visited Białystok with Żaneta one afternoon, and it was cool to get familiar with my town. We took a nice walk around and even stopped for some ice cream.

In Białystok

In front of the Pałac Branickich

Ice cream stop at the park

I went to my old neighborhood where I used to live. I remember the playground castle being so tall and big, but now it doesn’t seem so grand, nevertheless, it brought back some good memories :).

Last time I was here, I remember the castle walls being soooo tall, lol

On Thursday, I made some tuxedo strawberries while hanging out at home and my family really liked them :).

Tuxedo Strawberries

Then, in the afternoon, I went to the movies with my aunt to see Powstanie Warszawskie (Warsaw Uprising) which is a film made entirely from documentary materials which follows two cameramen who document the Rising. It was a unique film, but a bit slow. There was not much action, but it was interesting to see actual footage from this time in 1944.

Here's the mall where I went to the movies.

After the movie, I went for tea and desserts with another aunt to meet one of her friends (who is around my age). We got along well and it will be nice to have another friend in town!

Mmmmm polish goodies 

On Friday, I went to the geographical center of Europe (well one of the few places that claim to be) and  I went to visit some family that I haven’t seen in a while, and I got to meet some more of my cousins. It was fun to hang out with all of them. They also had so many cute bunnies!!

At the center of Europe

Cute bunny!

On Saturday, Artur (another cousin) and I hung out with his cousins and played some fun WiiU games! It was my first time playing on the WiiU and it was pretty cool! We played some Wii Fit games and Luigi’s Mansion mini games. We also played a fun card game called Piktureka.  

On Sunday, I went to yet another dinner party in the countryside. The food was delicious as usual and it was nice to meet some new people. 

Off to Kraków on Wednesday,

Magdalena

First Days in Poland and Polish Wedding!

On Thursday night (June 5th), Żaneta and I arrived in Poland! It was really cool to be back! The last time I was there was about 10 years ago I think, so a lot has probably changed.

On Friday afternoon, I took a bus to Białystok, because I had a wedding to go to there on Saturday. I am staying with some of my family here, which has been great! It’s been so nice to catch up with everyone! :)

On Saturday, my aunt, her friend’s son, and I went to a wedding! I was not sure what to expect, but I was so excited to note the differences between a polish wedding and an american wedding (This is just what I noticed in this one particular wedding, so some people will of course do things differently, but by talking to other people there, I found out that most games played and songs sung at this wedding were pretty traditional). 

So in a polish wedding, there are no bridesmaids or groomsmen. There is only one maid of honor and a best man. Also, the couple come into the church together instead of the bride being led by her father. After the ceremony, all of the guests usually wait in line to wish them all the best and to give presents to the couple (most people bring flowers and money). Then, they take a group photo outside the church (all the guests and the couple). 

Then, we headed off to the reception which was held in a very nice hall outside of town called: Pięc Dębów (which means Five Oak Trees). There were tables with nice place settings and everyone had an assigned spot (this assigned seating is a relatively new practice here). There were appetizers already on the table, as well as different juices and water… and vodka, lol. It wouldn’t have been a polish wedding without the vodka, haha. 

Here's a glimpse of the reception venue! There were about 180 people at the wedding.

The first course was a soup. Then soon after, they brought another warm course which was broccoli, potatoes, and meat. The drinking began during the first course. If someone says “gożka wódka” (bitter vodka), then the couple have to “sweeten” it by kissing, haha. They have to hold the kiss for as long as they can, then if the public doesn’t think it was long enough, they tell them to try again! When the vodka is deemed sweet enough, everyone takes a shot. 

Appetizers and drinks!

Soup

First course

Next, the MC called everyone to watch the first dance :). Then, everyone took to the dance floor for a while. Then, we went back to the tables for another course. There was a fruit/dessert/coffee/tea table where you could go get whatever you wanted, and they brought everyone strawberry sorbets as well! Mmmmm… so much good food!!

Desserts I picked out

Strawberry Sorbet

Part of the amazing dessert table!

Then, the MC and the band came around and we played another game (involving alcohol of course, lol). This time they sang a song where they went through all of the months of the year, and you had to stand up when it came to your month. They sang that you had to drink a shot, and they would keep repeating “do dna” (to the bottom, as in down it in one go) until you did. Then the song says to refill your drink and then kiss the person on your left and on your right, haha. It was pretty entertaining. 

Then, they served us another warm course, of salmon, green beans wrapped in bacon, and potatoes! This time these were brought on big platters so we could take as much as we wanted. I only took a little because I was already getting so full!

Salmon, potatoes, green beans wrapped in bacon!!

Then they brought out deli meats, carrots, and zrazy(basically meat and veggies wrapped in more meat- bacon in this case!)

Then we danced some more, and then past midnight, maybe around 12 30am (reception started around 7pm), we had cake! The cake tasted like a traditional polish cake, not too sweet, but good!

The couple cutting their wedding cake!

Then towards the end of the party, we were served some more soup!

Some sort of mushroom soup

Throughout the reception, we played a lot of funny games. We did the train, where everyone holds on to the shoulders of the person in front of them as we walk around the room. But, this MC gave us all sorts of directions. We started off with our hands on the shoulders of the person in front of us, but then we had to move our hands to the persons ribs, then to their knees, then to their ankles! Haha, it was a funny sight! 

Then, we played another where the bride and groom danced in the center, then all of the women held hands in a circle, then all of the men held hands in a circle around the circle of women. Then the MC told everyone to break the circle and to pair up, boys with girls. I ended up with this random guy who knew how to dance pretty well! We danced together for a little while, then the MC started giving funny directions. He told the guys to pick the girls up and spin around, then the guys had to get on their right knee and the girls had to dance around them, then the MC told the girls to get on their right knee and the boys danced around them, then the boys had to kiss the girl’s hand, then the girls had to grab the boys by the ears, and then give them a kiss (on the cheek) lol. It was pretty funny because it got people mixed up and dancing with someone new!

We also played another game, where the bride throws her veil (in the US, she throws her bouquet) and when a single girl catches it, she becomes the new bride. So, all the girls held hands and walked around the bride (who was seated with her eyes covered) until she decided to throw it… the girl right next to me caught it! For the boys, the groom throws his bow tie out to the single guys, who are hopping around in a circle around him (groom is seated with eyes covered of course). The guy who catches it, is the new groom. He puts on the bow tie and meets the new bride (with the veil on) and they dance together. In order to make it funnier, the MC talked to the new groom about his outfit, complementing him on it, and then even asking to see his socks, lol. So, the new groom took off his shoes, and they were quickly replaced with huge flippers- which he had to wear during the dance with the new bride. It was quite funny to watch. The new couple got a prize to share as well, which was a bottle of vodka.

They also played another game where the bride and groom selected teams of 6 people and the MC played different melodies on the keyboard and they had to guess what each song was. It was fun to watch how competitive they were getting. The bride’s team ended up winning, and they got a bottle of vodka as well!  (Hmm, I am starting to notice a trend here…)

There was another point in the night where they played a little game where during this one song, everyone had a chance to dance with the bride and groom. You could cut in anytime and steal a dance. You just had to go up and say “odbijam” (meaning “to take away” in this case, you were taking the groom). It was cool to dance with the groom, he was such a nice guy, and good dancer as well!

It also happened to be the groom’s father’s birthday as well, so the more to celebrate! Seriously, polish people know how to throw a party! Your glass is never empty, the food is amazing, fun games, entertainment, dancing… and according to the other guests, they didn’t play as many games as usual, so there are even more to discover! 

Wedding Favor was a mini sękacz! This stuff is similar to pound cake, but soooo much better!!

Hope to get to go to another polish wedding soon,

Magdalena

Żaneta comes to France, Stops 2-5: Tours, Lyon, Roanne, Barcelona?!

Saturday night, we arrived in Tours! It was great to see my french family again :). They are actually hosting yet another american now, Rachel, so it was nice to meet her! We had a delicious bbq and Żaneta was surprised at how many courses they serve during lunch and dinner. First an appetizer, then main course, then cheese and baguette, and then dessert. 

That evening, we headed off to the Guingette in Tours, and it was so nice to be back there! There was some concert on the river so we stayed to watch it.

Guingette in Tours!

On Sunday, Brigitte, Rachel, Żaneta and I had a busy day. We started by going to this open air wine tasting event (that happens once a year in Tours) where many wine producers come to let people taste and buy their wine. After searching for a while, Żaneta found a wine she liked :).

Viti Loire

Then we returned home, had lunch, and then went to Ussé for the afternoon. Ussé is sleeping beauty’s castle. There were beautiful roses outside the castle, and we went up to the tower where she supposedly slept for a 100 years… It was fun spending the afternoon exploring the castle!

Ussé- the tower on the far right is Sleeping Beauty's tower

Beautiful roses

Here we all are in front of Ussé

After the castle visit, we went to an international chorus concert where groups sang from the US, Belgium, Ukraine, Ireland, etc! It was really cool to hear these different groups sing.

Chorus from Slovakia

Monday morning, we headed off to Lyon! We had to take a TER (slowww train) that took about 5 hours... We got to Lyon in the early afternoon, so after tea at Adam’s place, I took Żaneta around and showed her the main sights: Fourviere, Roman Theatre/Ruins (something that I saw for the first time), Musée de Miniature et Cinema, St. Jean, Creperie in Vieux Lyon, Pirate Candy Store, Place Bellecoeur, ONLY LYON sign, and Place Terreaux.

At the Roman Ruins in Lyon

Posing with statues

ONLY LYON :)

On Tuesday, we spent the day with Tyler, Zack, and Gaeton (who studied at UGA last year). It was fun to hang out and we went to the Parc de la Tête d’Or together. There, we had some sandwiches and lemon meringue pie for lunch!

Chilling at the Parc de la Tête d'Or

Beautiful day at the parc!

After lunch, we walked toward the Cite International, and there we saw INTERPOL headquarters.

Then we took a bus back to Part Dieu, where we said goodbye to Tyler and Zack! I hope they have a great stay in Europe and it was nice to hang with them!

On Tuesday night, Żaneta and I moved over to Gaeton’s place. We all hung out together and then Żaneta and I spent Wednesday in Roanne! 

We went out to lunch with my awesome host family in Roanne :). We had a delicious meal and it was so great to spend time with them! I hope to see them again sometime soon!

Żaneta and I with my host family!

Then, we went to the bank, and did some shopping. We met up with Tim and had tea/coffee. It was nice to catch up. In the evening, we went back to Lyon, and Gaeton cooked us a delicious dinner (salad and cordon bleu)! We bought him a Praluline from Roanne as thanks and he liked it! I swear everyone loves the Praluline :).

Thursday morning, Gaeton helped us get to the station with my huge suitcases. It was so nice of him to see us off!

We were really lucky to have such great hosts everywhere we stayed and I am thankful for all of my awesome friends! :)

We took the Rhone Express to the airport, then a plane to Barcelona, where we had about a five hour layover. We explored the airport, watched Pitch Perfect, and had Mexican food for lunch. The weather was so nice in Spain, I wish we could have spent a few days there :).

Mmmm taquitos and fajitas!

Flying to the motherland,

Magdalena