Trams, Trains, and Hotels

Saturday, July 26, 2008
I rode a train for the first time today. It wasn’t a commuter train, like the one Easel and I rode into Chicago one time, but a regular train for transporting people between cities. We took the train from Warsaw to Krakow. On Friday, Easel and I rode the tram downtown to purchase our tickets. He had a note, provided by a coworker—in Polish, explaining what we wanted so we would be sure to get the correct tickets. We definitely wanted the express and not the one that stopped at every town. The express train took three hours to Krakow, the other took five. With tickets in hand, we returned home. This morning, we trundled our bags along the bumpy, lumpy, brick and broken pavement route to the tram. We got on the tram with our bags—we packed two bags for three of us and we had Easel’s backpack—and headed downtown to the train station. We got to the train station almost an hour early but since we didn’t know the “routines” we wanted to make sure we were there in plenty of time. The train came and we had to hustle a bit because our car was further back along the train than where we were waiting. We got on with no trouble, found our seats, stowed our bags and sat down. “Whew!” We made it. As the train began moving a few minutes later, we realized that we had the compartment to ourselves. We were on a newer train and the compartment only seated six (instead of eight as we had been told to expect). How luxurious to know we would be traveling for three hours and have room to stand and move and stretch. By the time we arrived in Krakow, we were very comfortable. Even if there had been three more people in the compartment (though I’m glad there weren’t) we would have had much more room than on a plane or in a car. Riding on the train was wonderful. The compartment was quiet (it was air conditioned so the windows and door were closed) and the window was large so we sat back and watched Poland flow by. Once we got into the countryside, which really only took a few minutes, I enjoyed looking at the fields. I’m not sure why the fields look like “stripes” rather than the “squares” or “rectangles” I’m used to at home but they were very attractive as we rolled by. I saw several fields with strips of cabbages that looked like great blue-green garlands draped on the hillsides along the edges of the fields.

Upon our arrival in Krakow, we found a young lady who helped us determine that our hotel was in walking distance of the station. It turned out to be no further than the tram stop is from our apartment. We arrived, checked in and left our luggage (the room wasn’t ready but they were happy to keep our bags safe.) We left again to find some lunch. We ate at the Cyklops Pizza “restauracja”. This was the first time I ever had pizza with peas, corn, and carrots but the crust was great. We wandered to the square, looked at some of the stalls in the “Cloth Hall” and listened to some music (with dancing) for a while. We then headed back to the hotel to get into our room and rest a bit. The sun was very hot! Our room was nice but did not seem to be air conditioned. We found out later in the afternoon that there was an air conditioner but you needed to ask for the remote control at the reception desk. The air conditioner was wonderful to have, not only because it cooled the air but because the train tracks ran just below our windows and the train noise was MUCH less with the windows closed!

Grotto, Castle, and Tower (Oh My!)

Friday, July 25, 2008
I’m a little behind in my writing! Last weekend, we traveled to two small towns, Pulawy and Kazimierz Dolny. At Pulawy, we visited a palace that was once a home but now houses government offices. The grounds around it are open for exploration and we wandered around looking at the “Gothic House” and the “Sybil House”. Then we followed the trail to the Grotto, where, for 2 zloty each, we were handed a flashlight and sent into the Grotto. I’m not sure of the original purpose of the grotto but it was interesting to walk through and give Elizabeth a hard time (she’s not fond of caves!) We saw a small chapel and an area that could have been a cell for a prisoner but the most unique feature was the passage way we saw that was ten feet or more above the floor where we stood. Seeing something like that always gets my mind going; wondering where it leads and why it was built that way.

We ate the picnic lunch we’d packed and went on to Kazimierz Dolny. When we got there, a festival of some sort was going on and we decided to park in the first place we found. We were right beside the levee along the Vistula and since there were stairs to the top and a nice walkway, we climbed up and strolled along the river. We then saw a dock and boats where you could pay to spend an hour on the river so we did! On a Viking ship—OK, not a real one but it had the basic shape and a dragon head on the front and 50 or so benches. From the river, we had a great view of the town and as we sailed (motored) along, we saw two windmills and a huge castle we hope to visit on another trip. The windmills were the type I’ve always associated with Holland and neither was moving when we saw them. After we returned from our hour on the river, we walked into the town of Kazimierz Dolny. Because of the crowd (and the loud music from the stage) in the square, we just walked through the square and up the hill to the castle and tower overlooking the town. I suspect I will have the same feeling often as we travel through Poland and wherever else we may go, but I was awestruck by the antiquity of the castle and the tower. The tower was built at the end of the 13th Century and is 20 meters tall (almost 66 feet), on top of a hill, overlooking the Vistula and the entrance is 6 meters above the ground. Easel and I climbed to the top where the views are spectacular but I kept thinking about the men who built it. What was their technology like? How did they build this thing that has stood for over 700 years? The castle remnants were also impressive. The castle was built in the middle of the 14th century and rebuilt several times until it was destroyed by the Swedes in 1712. What was left remained until some restoration was done after World War II. But think about it, this castle had a history and was left in ruins before anyone was sure the Colonies in the New World were going to be a worthwhile endeavor!

As we returned to Warsaw after a (very, very) long day, Elizabeth and I looked for stork nests in the farms along the highway. We saw several, some with storks in them, and she tried to get some pictures as we drove. Sometime when we aren’t tired and trying to get home, we’ll have to stop and get some good pictures that are a little closer and not done at highway speeds.

A Different Way of Looking at Things

Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Have I mentioned the number of babies and young children I’ve seen since we’ve been here? It seems everywhere we go; there are people with babies, pregnant women, or pregnant women with young children. There is definitely a “baby boom” going on if my anecdotal evidence is even close to accurate! Seeing all these babies and children makes me smile but it does not seem to help me to make eye contact with their parents. It really doesn’t even help me make eye contact with the children. My observation of the Polish people says that they avoid eye contact. When walking down the sidewalk, people don’t smile and nod or say good morning the way they would if they were walking in Kansas City. We (Midwesterners) have been taught to hold our heads up and look the other person in the eye. We speak; even if the other person is a total stranger. We are very relaxed with most people we see whether we know them or not (read that: many of us have “never met a stranger”). Our approach to others is very informal. It’s not, “Mr. Smith”, it’s “Joe”; even children call adults by their first names. This is neither bad nor good. It is just the way we do things. Poland is different. And that shouldn’t be a surprise.

It seems to me that adults don’t usually speak to people they don’t know unless it is “przepraszam” (“pshe-pra-sham”—I’m sorry or excuse me) or if there is a specific reason, as in a store transaction. When we were in a grocery store, a lady said, “Przepraszam” to ask if I could hand her something because I was taller than she. When Elizabeth and I went to the Royal Castle, an older gentleman and I bumped shoulders and I said “Przepraszam” and he repeatedly said “Przepraszam” while slightly bowing before he turned to hurry away. Walking down the street to catch the tram, walking in the park, or waiting at the tram stop you will not find many people who will meet your eye. The individuals whom I have met have been very warm and welcoming. This lack of eye contact should not be considered an indication of coldness or aloofness. It is apparently part of the culture. What does seem strange to me is that most times even the children will not make eye contact. I have seen very young children—some still in strollers—who will actively avoid eye contact. The wonderful exception we experienced was two young girls in the park around Chopin’s birthplace. They came walking up the path toward us and smiled and shyly said, “Dzien dobry” (good day). Every child I’ve seen has been quiet and well behaved. Had I spent a month visiting local attractions, stores, and bus stops in Kansas City, I would have seen several tantrums. I’ve seen none in Warsaw.

Another thing I find interesting is that there are a lot of dogs in Warsaw. When I walk to the mall or walk in the park or walk to the tram, I will usually see several dogs. They are all sizes and breeds and they may be on a leash or not but they all have one thing in common. They do not approach strangers. We have met one or two exceptions but for the most part, the dogs are like their owners and they don’t make eye contact or even indicate that they might want to come over for a “sniff”. Even the dogs who are off-leash are attentive to their owners and studiously ignore passersby. I’ve seen dogs get on the tram with their owners and sit quietly among the feet of the standing passengers. In my neighborhood at home, as I’ve walked my dog, I’ve seen dogs barely controlled by their owners. These dogs are at least as gregarious as their people but they often are not as well behaved as other people walking down the street would like. Is there some special training method for these dogs or are they just taking on the characteristics of their owners?

There may be unruly children or untrained dogs in Warsaw, but I haven’t seen them.

I'm (maybe) Cooking with Gas

Sunday, July 13, 2008
I was trying to fix lunch today and the gas stove top wouldn’t light—AGAIN! It seems like such a simple thing; turning on the stove to cook. Unfortunately for me, we have a diabolical cook top that refuses to light the first time I try to turn it on. Today, it seemed that all my pent up “angst” about moving to Warsaw, taking Elizabeth back for college, living here without a “job”, and struggling with the language came into focus when that one burner refused to light. I cried.
Please understand. I’m happy I’m in Poland. I really like our apartment. I’ve mastered a new washing machine, I’ve mastered and come to enjoy the way I dry clothes here, I’ve mastered a microwave oven that has browning capabilities, I’ve mastered an oven that can be convection or not depending on how I set it, and I’ve begun to conquer (for my use) the tram system and driving. But a simple—or at least it should be simple—thing like turning on a burner has got me stumped. To make matters worse, our landlord came by (to repair something else) and I asked if there was a trick to turning on the burners. He laughed and said, “No, you just do this,” and simply turned on each of the burners. I copied his technique, one quarter turn, hold, release, and it works sometimes!!! Other times, like today, I stand there and listen to the ignition clicks until they stop, watch the flame come up, and then watch the flame die when I release the knob. One, two, three times. I feel incompetent! How hard is it to turn on the stove? Apparently, on some days it is too hard for me! But I won’t give up…
In my list above, I mentioned that I’ve begun to conquer the tram system and driving. This past week, I had to drive to get Easel from work. It’s not far but I felt that I had really accomplished something. Driving in Warsaw requires a certain amount of confidence and that your head is in constant swivel mode! If you look at my pictures on Flickr (check the photo stream “First Warsaw Excursion Plus”) you will see one of the issues with cars in Warsaw. Parking on the sidewalk is not only allowed, but it is the norm! If parking on the sidewalk is not allowed for a particular reason, there are painted markings or posts that make that clear. Now, add to people parking half on the sidewalk, half on the street, trucks stopping beside those parked cars. As a driver, you must work your way around that truck without being struck by oncoming traffic or the drivers behind you will inform you in no uncertain terms that you need to get out of the way! You aren’t too close to the other car unless you trade paint!
The pictures will also show some of the things Elizabeth and I saw on our first “solo” trip to Old Town on Friday. When Easel and I went last Sunday, we didn’t take a camera, on purpose, so Elizabeth and I had a lot of fun taking pictures as we walked through Old Town, visited St John’s Cathedral, and toured the Royal Castle. We were very proud of ourselves for making the trip without Easel. (Just don’t tell anyone that all we had to do was take one tram downtown and get on the same one to go home. Easy stuff!)

Walking through History

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Sunday, Easel and I took the tram and went to Old Town. This is in central Warsaw and is the area where Warsaw began as a city. What visitors see today is a reconstruction of the area because the Nazis destroyed the area. Their goal was to leave the entire area leveled. This was a response to the Warsaw Uprising on August 1, 1944. The uprising was organized by the underground Home Army and was a valiant attempt to liberate the city from the Germans and prevent the communists from taking over from the east. This mass revolt ended in defeat after two months of fighting. Around 200,000 inhabitants were killed and survivors were expelled by the Germans. The city was systematically looted and then it was burned to the ground and destroyed with dynamite. There is a marvelous sculpture commemorating the Warsaw Uprising just outside of Old Town.
As we walked the streets of Old Town, you could feel the history all around. Those who rebuilt this area did a great job of creating the feel of antiquity. We wandered along until we came to St John’s Cathedral. I saw people entering and leaving so we walked over and entered. As we left the entryway, we stepped into a beautiful sanctuary with vaulted ceilings of stucco and brick, old wooden pews and amazing stained glass windows. After standing and taking in the whole, we decided to sit on a pew and just be still for a few moments. As we sat down, an organist began to play and the music filled the cathedral. I looked at the stained glass windows and was amazed. They were each 50 feet tall and full of colors as they depicted a large number of people. I don’t think there was a single piece of glass in any of the windows that was more than an inch square. The sun was shining brightly and it made the stained glass windows glow with jeweled light. I sat there feeling a little overwhelmed by the beauty and the majesty surrounding me.
We left the cathedral and walked to pl. Zamkowy (pronounced platz zamkov-e). In the center of this open area is a statue on a column. It is the Zygmunt Column which was the first secular monument in Warsaw. It was erected in 1644. The current granite column is the third column. The first two are near the Royal Castle which is across the square from the Column. We did not go into any museums on this, our first trip to Old Town. That will have to wait for another day. We did see the Mermaid statue which is the coat of arms for Warsaw and several other statues and buildings of note. We walked down the street where Marie Curie was born and stopped to eat at a lovely outdoor restaurant. We walked back to the tram (taking a rather long and roundabout route) and rode home. I almost forgot to mention that on this trip I saw the Palace of Culture for the first time. The best thing I can say about it is that it is very large and has a lot of decoration on it—it is not pretty but it is decorated. I may talk about it more, later.

Trams and Chopin

Monday, July 7, 2008
This past weekend we began to get acquainted with Poland’s history—beyond what we’ve read in books. Saturday was threatening rain so we postponed our trip downtown to Old Town. Elizabeth and I had our “Intro to Tram Riding 101” lesson. It really wasn’t a big deal but since we’d never done it before, it was something to be learned. After riding the tram a few stops, getting off, walking around, getting back on, and walking home, we ate lunch and prepared for a different kind of excursion. We took the car (It’s a Volvo, diesel, stick shift—6 gears! It is a very nice car.) and drove out of Warsaw. We got on route 580 drove through several small towns until we arrived in Zelazowa Wola. According to the guide book, this is where, “in a Romantic manor house surrounded by a park, Frederic Chopin was born on 1 March 1810.” We paid the fee to visit the house and the park. Only the ground floor of the house was open for the tour and we were given a laminated sheet (in English) to use for a self-guided tour. It seemed small compared to my image of a “manor house” but we walked through about six rooms so it really wasn’t a small house. The wooden plank floors were beautiful and the painted ceilings were lovely. I loved the ceramic tile heating ovens that warmed the house in its prime. We were intrigued by the wood inlay tables and the veneer work that had the pattern of the wood grain consistent over the faces of several drawers in a dresser or up the side and over the top on another cabinet. The most fascinating things for me were two pianos in the house. One was about the size of a baby grand but instead of the sweeping curves we expect on a piano of that style, this was all straight edges and angles. I have seen a square grand piano but never one that was a truncated triangle. The other was referred to as a “giraffe” because the sounding board is vertical. I have included a photo I found online that is similar to the one in the house. The guide information said Chopin composed some of his earliest works on such an instrument.
After touring the house we wandered through the park. We seem to have just missed many of the spring blooms but after about a week in the city, the green of the park was a wonderful respite. We also enjoyed watching the young newlywed couples with their photographers. It seemed around every bend in the path there was another couple being positioned “just so” by a photographer. As we were ready to leave the park, we noticed a small, outdoor café and decided to step in—chocolate was prominently displayed on the menu! We ordered the cold drinking chocolate which was a terrific way to end our visit to Chopin’s birthplace.
As we returned to Warsaw, the rain that had been threatening all day came down with a vengeance but we made it home safely. I consider our first venture into sightseeing a definite success.

My New "Line"

Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Doing laundry in our apartment is a little different than doing laundry at home. There are some similarities and there are differences. For example, the washing machine is a front-loader like mine at home with a similar drawer for adding detergent. I have several choices for the water temperature and type of clothes (permanent press, delicate, etc.) But it is at about this point the differences begin. The washer is much smaller than the one I have at home and there is no clothes drying machine.
I have two methods for drying clothes, both of which require the use of clothespins. I’m old enough to remember using clothespins. Elizabeth has only rarely seen them used for clothes. She has mainly seen them used for crafts. One of my two drying methods involves a string and pulley system in the laundry room. It allows me to lower a rod that is a little longer than one meter long on which I can place the wet clothes and then pull the rod back toward the ceiling and out of the way. I have six of these rods in the laundry room. When the clothes are hung on the rods and raised, there is another string to pull against the back wall that starts a small vent fan which helps to pull the damp air from the room. The second method for drying clothes is similar but more portable. I have a folding frame of “strings”.
The legs of the frame are similar to ironing board legs in that they fold flat when not needed. The top consists of a hinged, rectangular frame. The center of the frame has seven coated wires that run the length of the rectangle. On each of the short sides of the rectangle are two “wings” that fold out with six coated wires on each wing that run the width of the rectangle. This framework can be set up inside the apartment (probably will do that in winter) or on the balcony to allow the clothes to dry in the sun and fresh air. The great advantage to this system is that all our clothes smell wonderful! No fabric softener or dryer sheet can match the smell of clothes dried in fresh air. The down side to both drying methods is, of course, time. It just takes time to allow things to dry—even with a breeze. As a consequence, I will be doing laundry more often, in smaller batches, and possibly even ironing!

The Mall the Merrier!

Sunday, June 29, 2008
I mentioned something about malls previously but I want to describe what I see now as a new arrival. First, I should say that our apartment is within walking distance of not one, but two malls. I am talking about malls like Independence Center—large, enclosed, self-contained, malls. Neither is as large as the Mall of America in Minneapolis but, you get the idea. The closest one is visible from the window of my computer room.
Let me stop here and take a moment to describe our apartment. It is on the fourth floor of the building (we would say fifth but here the first floor is the “ground” floor and the next floor is the first floor) and we have two bedrooms, an office, a living room/dining room, a galley kitchen, one bathroom, a laundry room—which I will discuss at a later date, and a balcony. The apartment is really lovely with high ceilings, hard wood and tile floors, and comfortable furnishings. We have no air conditioning but so far we haven’t even needed a fan. Even with the windows open, it is fairly quiet. Only occasionally do we hear other people and then it’s not intrusive.
The closest mall is called Blue City and has a large blue glass dome. It is six or seven stories tall with a parking garage located next to it as well as having more parking below it. The other mall is called Carrefour. It is reached by walking through a tunnel under a six lane highway and is smaller, since it is only two or three stories tall. Both of these malls have stores that you might not recognize by name but you certainly would by type. Elizabeth was looking around and saying, “That’s like Old Navy, that’s like Abercrombie, and that’s like Best Buy.” Both malls have grocery stores included in them. The one in Blue City is Piotr y Pavel and the one in Carrefour is Carrefour, although Carrefour is more of a “hypermart”. Both stores contain much more than just groceries. Think of Super Wal-Mart or Super Target but in the case of Carrefour, think much larger. You can find just about anything you need for yourself or your house, except furniture, at Carrefour. I’ve never been much of a mall shopper but it is nice to know that just about anything I might need is only five or ten minutes away—by walking! Mall walking has a whole new meaning for me, now.
With so much of America going to “strip” shopping centers and areas like Zona Rosa where the shops are close but not enclosed, you might wonder why Warsaw is so “mall crazy”. I think the answer lies in history. Poland’s history, the little I’ve read of it, seems to be a series of occupations by other governments. During World War II, the Germans took over Poland and just about wiped Warsaw off the map. Many historic buildings were literally leveled as the Nazis left. Then, we have the years when the Communists were in control. People were not able to buy products they needed and luxuries were simply that, luxuries, and no one was buying them. Now, things are different. The Communists are gone, the economy is booming, and people have more disposable income. In many ways, Warsaw today is like the US in the 1980’s. Everyone seems to be in a hurry and everyone seems to be “upwardly mobile”. The only down side to all this excitement that I can see is that the road system hasn’t been able to keep up with the boom. Traffic is a nightmare and is quite an encouragement for me to walk to the malls!

Our First Shopping Expedition

Saturday, June 28, 2008
Today was move in day! Moving in with two suitcases per person and no furniture shouldn’t take very long. Unfortunately, we had beds but no linens and a kitchen ready to cook but no food. So, we headed to IKEA (a favorite store we discovered in Seattle!) Have you ever tried to shop for specific items in a place where you don’t speak the language? Have you ever tried to find a specific size (say for sheets) when you can’t read the package? That was among the problems we faced today. Easel, as an engineer, had measured the beds and so we had an idea of the sizes of the beds in centimeters. We started looking and became frustrated when everything we found seemed to be for the twin bed Elizabeth will use and nothing larger. Easel approached a salesperson, who (hurray!) spoke English, and found that we were just in the wrong part of the store. Once we reached the right area, we quickly found what we needed. Shopping at IKEA was comforting. We had an idea of how the store was laid out and how it worked. We found most everything on our list and took our purchases to the car. IKEA is attached to a mall (more on that later, apparently malls are a BIG deal here) and we decided to take a quick walk to see what other stores were there. We found an electronics store which allowed us to complete our shopping list with a fan and an alarm clock—two items we needed for the apartment and couldn’t bring from home. Then came the hard part—grocery shopping!
We went to a store called “Piotr y Pavel” or “Peter and Paul”. At first glance, you might think, “no big deal” you just go in and get the things that you know, or recognize, pay and leave. It is definitely not that easy. First, you enter the produce section. It seems pretty straightforward. You pick up the fruits and vegetables you want, put them in the little plastic bags provided and put them in your cart. Wait! Did you remember to take them to the produce person who must weigh each item you bagged and put a sticker on it showing the price? If you don’t have that done, you won’t be buying any non-prepackaged fruits or vegetables. How about buying bread? Just grab a package and go? Not so fast, you have to look at all the choices, and there are quite a few, and decide whether you want bagged and sliced or fresh baked and whole. If you are looking for low-fat, reduced-fat, or Weight Watchers, you will look for a VERY long time! Yogurt, butter, and eggs are pretty easy, unless you are thrown by eggs coming in boxes of ten instead of twelve, or seeing quail eggs and ostrich or emu eggs (I don’t know which they were but they were HUGE!) Then you come to milk. Most of the milk is in aseptic packaging which means that it comes in boxes and sits on the regular grocery shelf—not in the refrigerated section. I’ll let you know how that is. Up to this point, I felt we were navigating the store fairly well. We’d had some forewarning about things like the produce and Easel had been to a couple of stores before we arrived. But, then we faced the meat counter. None of the fresh meat was packaged. If you want fresh, you tell the butcher what you want and “oh, by the way” it is mostly pork with some chicken and turkey thrown in—at least that was what I recognized. Since my Polish hasn’t progressed to telling a butcher what I want and since I’m not sure what I’d do with a “random” piece of meat, I turned to the frozen section. I picked up Tilapia (because I knew what it was) and a duck (because it was whole and it wasn’t a goose or a rabbit or something else large that I couldn’t identify). I cooked a duck once and I guess we will see if I can do it again. We will not starve but we will probably be eating a lot more vegetables, at least until I get the grocery shopping down a little better.
With a very full day behind us, we are now relaxing in our apartment, enjoying the breeze coming in the windows and each pursuing some activity. That’s another little “perk” of our time in Poland; TV watching will be limited to BBC News, CNN News, and sports. I watch news to keep up with world events and then I’m done because I don’t really care about sports. Easel will also watch the news to keep up but he doesn’t mind watching sports with commentary in Polish. With the Olympics coming soon, I may watch some sports with Polish commentary, too. As I said, it has been quite a day. I think it is time to quit! I’ll write more tomorrow.