The Serendipitous Travelers

He Who saves One

2011-10-23T14:44:00.028+02:00

The Polish heroes and heroines of the World War II era are aging, and passing away. Ninety year old Jerzy Bielecki died Thursday 20 October. He a polish Catholic, fell in love with a Jewish girl, and saved both of their lives when he orchestrated escaping the death camp in Oswiecim, or known under the Nazi name Auschwitz. Jerzy was among the first inmates sent to Auschwitz in 1940, and had been imprisoned two years by the time Cyla's family was sent to Auschwitz. His tatooed number is 243 and hers is 29558.
Upon escaping, they went into hiding in seperate locations, planning to meet after the war, but never were able to do so. Fate took her to New York USA, and he to Novy Targ, Poland.
They did meet again. In Krakow airport, with him presenting her with 39 roses, one for each year they were apart.
He stayed in Poland with his family, and she returned to the USA. She passed away in 2002. I encourage you to read more about their story, follow the link below.

http://auschwitztourguide.com/pole-who-sneaked-jewish-girl-out-of-auschwitz-dies

Easter Monday Tradition

2011-04-25T04:46:00.002+02:00

"Smigus Dyngus" or Wet Monday. If you are in Poland or many other Eastern European countries this day (Easter Monday), watch out for buckets of water being tossed about. Traditionally it is a fertility ritual from way back. The custom of pouring water was an ancient spring rite of cleansing, purification, and fertility, and now-a-days, is practiced by young males towards young females. But we were warned that even the opening doors of the city tram sometimes would open to "hoodlums" and their buckets of water.

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/04/21/6507371-annual-watering-of-the-girls-goes-back-centuries

in honor of Poland and her late President

2010-04-17T17:56:00.010+02:00

The funeral for Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, will be held in the Wawel Cathedral. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Polish people as they remember their First family.

Elvisa Presleya -- 75th Birthday

2010-01-08T16:37:00.044+01:00

The Sisters of Norbet Convent in Krakow's Zwierzyniec district held a Sunday mass for Elvis Aaron Presley. That's right, Poles love him too. I hope the link below will get you to The Polish Daily, and the article on Jan (John) Blajda, Krakow's well known Elvis fan.

We would pass St. Norbet's Convent, when we would go on our runs to the Blonia, or up to the Salwator cemetery, and the Kosciuszko Mound.

We still look for news from Krakow. It is a wonderful city. Even Elvis knows...

Polish Hero Passes

2009-10-05T16:56:00.009+02:00

One of our last ventures outside of Krakow was to the city of Warsaw, January 2009. Today I read on the internet that the last-living leader of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising 1943, has passed away. His name Marek Edelman, at the age of 90.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/33145701/ns/world_news-europe/
He saved many, and has lived in their honor since the end of WWII.
If you are fortunate to go to Warszawa, spend a day at the Warsaw Rising Museum.

new territory

2009-07-19T02:48:00.004+02:00

It's been a while since we have posted any thing.
We left Krakow at the end of Feburary 2009, and are now back in the States.
There are still many photos of the time we spent in Poland, I plan to continue posting them on this blog - sooner, rather than later...

territory

2009-02-21T14:00:00.001+01:00

I like walking to Kazimierz. This is sort of the boundary between districts

Door to the Skalka Sanctuary

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A very sacred place

over the river

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no more graffiti

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I love the way he looked at me

souvenirs

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more of man's best friends

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another place we go by almost everyday. These guys are the 12 apostles

the monument to man's best friend

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here his name is Dzok, pronounced Jaque, or Jock. This is outside of our apartment.
I just love going by here everyday, someone is always looking at him or taking his photo.
In case you can't tell, it is a dog being held inside a pair of giant open hands.

supper time

2009-02-08T14:00:00.002+01:00

Food in Krakow is unbelievable good. Very upscale, and gourmet. But just the other day, we found a place that really did taste like "home".

relic of communism

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He's Everywhere

2009-02-06T22:30:00.000+01:00

Waiting for the tram.

Wawel's Chakra

2009-01-30T14:00:00.002+01:00

We live next door to a dragon, Hank has stated such in his travel blog. And we really do ! And the dragon lives in a cave, under the castle. Wawel Castle's Towers are within shouting distance of our apartment. But the most mysterious aspect of Wawel dwelling is the "chakra stone". To Buddhism, and Hindu followers, I think this would be considered an important site.

Chakra's are energy fields. A place of serenity and self knowledge. There are 7 chakras on the earth. And our dear Wawel Hill hides one of them. Any time that I go into this courtyard there are people standing in the corner, where the chakra is said to be. Or is said to be buried.

All you have to do is absorb the energy. But if you ask the guides about it, they may profess they know nothing about it! This is a Catholic nation, and since there is a national cathedral right here, on the castle grounds, not many believe in the "energy" of the stone.

In the photo, you can see a man leaning against the wall reading a paper. He may be a believer in the energy force. You can see that the area has been roped off. But look to see the wall and how it is discolored where people have been.

All I can say is that when I am there, my teeth rattle.

Music

2009-01-29T21:13:00.011+01:00

In this area there is no shortage of musicians. From chamber music to Klezzmer jazz, to street-accordian, any night we can hear talented people. Last night we walked to the Kazimierz district, (in the falling snow) to hear the Klezzmates. They were all business. Not a word was spoken. Not a "hello", "this next song...", or anything! The sound they produced was fantastic. Yet, they didn't offer a CD, nor did the venue where we saw them.

One of the many things we will miss when we return home, will be the music. The tone of the church bells ringing every quarter hour. The trumpeter at St. Mary's, sounding the hour as he has for centuries. And the harmonica man who sits off the beaten path.

the corner

2009-01-27T14:00:00.000+01:00

Bogaty Smak!

2009-01-26T12:49:00.001+01:00

20 January, 2009

2009-01-20T18:03:00.018+01:00

Today we sit here watching the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. The television is showing Indonesia, Kenya, New York City, and even Memphis. Poland is also watching, with the world.
We are watching with personal interest. Living abroad has opened our eyes to other ideologies, other ways of life. But also renewed our pride of being "Amerikanski" We were proud to send in our absentee votes for the republican candidate. And we are proud to hear our new President tell the world that our country will be strong, and just, and "a friend to each nation that seeks a future of peace and dignity."
This country's, Poland's, freedom was denied them for decades, but not their dignity. Living here has made us more aware of our precious freedom. The peaceful transition of power, is an example to the nations, today Keith's co-workers noted that they had seen the polls that stated 80% of the American people were supporting Obama. It is a strong probability that here, the opposing party would not receive support after an election.
America is a young nation, and I know we will continue to be an example of putting aside our differences, to be united.

minding the store

2009-01-20T10:51:00.004+01:00

Souvenir vendor near the castle

A double "toast" to Krakow

2009-01-19T11:49:00.000+01:00

These guys walk through town handing out coupons for-

you guessed it - piwo. Hardly ever see two of them together.

And yes, we still have decorations up.

It is still the season, until the 2 or so of February

snowy nap

2009-01-18T11:45:00.001+01:00

2009-01-17T11:26:00.010+01:00

The river is frozen. Layers of ice were drifting by,

steam is rising from the water.

castle grounds on Wawel hill

2009-01-15T11:21:00.004+01:00

I went to the post office on the castle grounds yesterday,
it is quiet there this time of year.
There is a small music shop there and the sound
of classical music made the scene even more calm.
The stacks of reeds are covers to protect the plants
from the cold temperatures.

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2008-12-20T14:00:00.000+01:00

Kawiarnia entrance

2008-12-18T14:00:00.000+01:00

angel and the moon

2008-12-17T14:00:00.000+01:00

the big head

2008-12-16T14:00:00.000+01:00

huge hollow sculpture
in the main market square

13 December 1981

2008-12-13T10:05:00.001+01:00

memorial to commemorate

the day martial law began in Poland.

Poles endured being cut off from the

rest of the world until 22 July 1983,

when the military rule was lifted.

dogs grow on trees

2008-12-08T14:00:00.003+01:00

magpie

2008-12-07T14:00:00.000+01:00

Our fire breathing Dragon, our neighbor

2008-12-06T14:00:00.001+01:00

his name is Smok, "dragon" in Polish

Turkey Feet (Happy Thanksgiving)

2008-12-05T13:37:00.000+01:00

Who is he? The King?

2008-12-03T15:18:00.001+01:00

Sunset on the Vistula River

2008-12-01T15:27:00.000+01:00

Barbakan beer

2008-11-05T14:15:00.001+01:00

St. Mary's on the square

2008-11-02T14:00:00.000+01:00

Break Dance Show ! !

2008-11-01T14:00:00.000+01:00

Autumn

2008-10-31T14:00:00.000+01:00

We did, did you?

2008-10-30T18:57:00.003+01:00

It took some persistance, but we got the ballot and it has

been sent. We feel very global, living in one place and

having our voice "count" in another...

street sign

2008-10-24T17:32:00.005+02:00

30th Anniversary of Jan Pawel II

2008-10-17T14:24:00.044+02:00

Lanterns lining the wall around St. Francis church

Karol Wojtyla was elected the 264th Pope

16 October 1978

lighting the memorials

outside his apartment

one of many admirers

we stood in the rain

autumn

2008-10-14T14:00:00.000+02:00

rainbow

2008-10-13T14:00:00.000+02:00

Open door

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Castle spout

2008-10-10T00:19:00.001+02:00

red umbrella

2008-10-04T14:00:00.002+02:00

more rainy planty pic's

after the rain

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on the Planty

on the castle grounds

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The Cathedral

2008-10-01T14:00:00.001+02:00

on the Wawel Castle grounds

halo

2008-09-30T14:00:00.001+02:00

in Cemetery Rakowica

enormous snail

2008-09-29T14:00:00.000+02:00

crawling on a moss covered grave

Chopin's fountain on the Planty

2008-09-28T14:00:00.001+02:00

On our tour of Old Town,

Katie guessed

what this fountain represented,

a piano.

Planty tree

2008-09-27T14:00:00.000+02:00

One branch of a maple tree was

pure white

Grazyna on the Planty

2008-09-26T14:00:00.002+02:00

now that autumn is near, I thought

I should put up some photos from

our short-lived spring and summer.

Which, by the way, is beautiful here

Pied Pipers

2008-09-25T14:00:00.002+02:00

traditional folk musicians, being followed by

one of the many field trips

that visit the Wawel Castle

bread of life

2008-09-24T14:00:00.000+02:00

traditional obwarzanek seller

in front of St. Peter and St. Paul's

night time on the square

2008-09-23T14:00:00.000+02:00

clock tower

beach day

2008-09-22T14:00:00.000+02:00

the weather is beginning to cool off,

so I thought I'd publish some

of the pictures from summer

Monastery wildflowers

2008-09-21T14:00:00.003+02:00

17th century Bielany Monastery,

atop Silver Mountain. Cameldolite monks live

here, secluded from the world.
Only having contact with each other during

prayer, and eating together maybe five

times a year. Women may enter the church

a dozen days, while men tourists

are allowed in during specific times daily.

Lining up for Lody

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ice cream is worth waiting for

Skalka Sanctuary

2008-09-19T14:00:00.000+02:00

King Boleslav II killed

bishop Stanislav here in 1079,

because the bishop had exposed him

as a excessive tyrannical ruler.

You can still see the blood on the walls

Balconies

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great place for a piwo

Mleczarnia

2008-09-16T14:00:00.000+02:00

bar in Kazimierz

best seats in the house

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watching the crowd at the Jewish Culture Festival

St. Mary's

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from the top of the Stary Hotel

Piotr Skarga

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a preacher for King Sig III

17th century

Buggy procession on Grodzka

2008-09-12T19:05:00.001+02:00

carrying members of a wedding party

Dragon's Bone

2008-08-29T12:23:00.002+02:00

a rib bone?

view from Castle

2008-08-26T11:43:00.003+02:00

toward Old Town

Hard work

2008-08-24T14:00:00.000+02:00

August Harvest

2008-08-23T22:57:00.005+02:00

in memory of Elvisa Presleya

2008-08-15T14:00:00.002+02:00

I can't tell you how excited I was when we ran across

this monument to Elvis! We were out riding our bikes

and took a detour to avoid a busy road and there he was!

The name of the street is Aleja Elvisa Presleya,

Elvis Presley Avenue. There is a little tavern

across from the monument, and family gardens

are tucked away along the street.

So, since tomorrow is the anniversary of his death,

this is our tribute to Elvis, from Poland.

I have an entry on our travel blog about Graceland

and tribute week 2007. Have a look

http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/Tennessee/Memphis/blog-215191.html

a peek inside St. Adalbert's Church

2008-07-31T14:00:00.003+02:00

Sailing

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evening's coming

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Happy Ending

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What would a legend of

Dragon be unless there
were the princesses and

the brave knights?

more draggin' tails

2008-07-27T14:00:00.000+02:00

Dragon Day

2008-07-26T14:00:00.000+02:00

In May the town celebrates Dragon Day.
In case you didn't know, we have a dragon that
lives at the base of the Wawel Hill,
in a cave under the castle.
A fire breathing dragon, named Smok.

Along with the carnival atmosphere,
by the river, there is a parade through town.
All the schools have entries, of their version
of the dragon.

The littles kids are recruited
to be the dragon tails! By the time they got around
to our side of the square,
the dragon tails were draggin'!

Planty intersection

2008-07-25T13:54:00.000+02:00

Keith has taken to riding his bike to work.

Is this commuter him?

No, but looks like it could be him!

Wawel Hill on the Vistula River

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after work

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visitors from home

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Alex, Jim, and us.
Our friend, Kate, shared her company with us!
They came out to travel with Kate, and we thoroughly
enjoyed spending time with them.

Turns out Alex and Jim share a feline bond with us.

That old 3 legged cat has added their side of

our old neighborhood to his 'meal train'.

He's now called "Buddy" We laughed over his

quirky personality, and wished them well.

Afterall I did "leave" him behind...

Mr. Buddy

Midtown friends.

A lovely summer evening

above the old town of Krakow.

Scripture on the door posts

2008-07-19T14:00:00.003+02:00

And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart;
ז וְשִׁנַּנְתָּם לְבָנֶיךָ, וְדִבַּרְתָּ בָּם, בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ בַדֶּרֶךְ, וּבְשָׁכְבְּךָ וּבְקוּמֶךָ.
7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
ח וּקְשַׁרְתָּם לְאוֹת, עַל-יָדֶךָ; וְהָיוּ לְטֹטָפֹת, בֵּין עֵינֶיךָ.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes.
ט וּכְתַבְתָּם עַל-מְזֻזוֹת בֵּיתֶךָ, וּבִשְׁעָרֶיךָ. {ס}
9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates

Book of Deuteronomy

There were decades that Kazimierz was left to deteriorate.
After the war was over
The communists didn't allow the rightful
owners to move back.
Now there is a renaissance going on
and many buildings are being restored.
Some are leaving the door frames
and preserving the places where the mezuzahs were.
(the little diagonal areas held the family's mezuzah)

I should put a disclaimer here -
obviously I'm not Jewish,
and I don't know how accurate
my statements are. They are only my
interpretations.

Podgorze

2008-07-17T14:12:00.033+02:00

The ghetto wall.

The Nazis relocated the Jews from Krakow,
across the river to the district of Podgorze.
They created a ghetto, 320 buildings,
crammed with 15,000 people.
We have walked over to Podgorze many times.
This time, I was struck by the fact that the tram
continued to go thru the newly walled-in ghetto,
but just rumbled thru, never stopped.
How those people must have felt,
watching the tram pass by.
And what were the passengers thinking?
The tram still follows the same tracks,
and as we wait to cross the street,
I had a sick twinge in my stomach
when it went by.

crossing the bridge over the Vistula

Synagogues

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Kupa Synagogue Blessing

detail of ceiling and women's gallery

Old Synagogue

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Now a museum.

Remu'h Synagogue

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oldest and most active synagogue

Kazimierz the King

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In the 14th century,

European Jews were encouraged to settle in Krakow,

mainly due to King Kazimierz

allowing banking and trade privileges.

Legend states that King established the village of Kazimierz

for a favorite girlfriend.

But there is also references to a "clash" between the university and

the Jewish community which resulted in them being forced to

move to Kazimierz, around the end of the 15th century.

Still allowed to do business in Krakow, the village fourished and

by the time WWII broke out 65,000 lived in the district.

Szeroka Street. Center of Kazimierz, synagogue,

museum, cafes, restaurants, and the Police station.

It's a great little place to hang out.

Jewish Culture Festival in Kazimierz

2008-07-09T15:30:00.051+02:00

I have become very interested in the history of the Jewish people of Krakow.

The little district nearby is Kaizmierz which now is enjoying a renaissance. Maybe only 10 years ago the town wasn't on the tourist map, even considered a bit shady. But now there are numerous rebuilding projects, trendy little cafes and "drink bars", great hotels and restaurants.

I do enjoy strolling through the streets, antique shops and galleries. My latest excursion was to take part in some of the offerings of the Jewish Culture Festival. Over the next several days I will post some of the pictures I took and give you a brief explanation. I'm not sure way this has such a fascination for me. Having not been brought up Catholic, or Jewish, so many of the holidays and customs are a little foreign for us. But the history of this area holds my interest.

I have attended many exhibits since we have been here, and in the old photographs I often see a familiar face. Many Jewish men from the photos taken in the 1920's -1950's remind me of my grandaddy. I've even called home recently, to see if I can pin point a town of our families origin. I do know that his relatives were German. And since we have been here in Poland, we have heard how the countries boundaries have fluctuated over the decades. Even did a little research into the family name, to my surprise the origins included a Jewish version. Ashkenazic Jews that inhabited this area of Poland centuries ago. Just proves we are all related some how.

These direction markers illustrate how this Jewish area
and Catholic area has existed side by side for centuries.

Rainbow

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This was a carnival for Dragon Day, listen closely to hear

a little girl singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow"

The rainbow appeared a couple of weeks later behind the house!