Be Our Guest: Polish Food Favorities

Thought I would give some information about some restaurants and foods I liked while in Poland... It's my extended "Best Thing I Ever Ate..." in Poland edition.

FYI: ** Means I like it a lot. :)

1. Chains (Polish or International)

-Dessert: Ice cream, sorbet, chocolate, etc.

• Grycan: this is all over Poland, so should not be too difficult to find in a big city; I prefer sorbet because I like fruit and the displays for all of the ice creams and sorbets are always so pretty here. http://www.grycan.pl/
  
• E. Wedel: there are candies sold all over and then there are the special E. Wedel cafes (pijalnie czekolady - named because they are meant to be places for drinking the chocolate, but foods are also offered at them); thick hot chocolate, chocolate fondues, and other desserts - made right in Warsaw at the Wedel factory in the Praga district.
  http://www.wedel.pl/

-Vegan, vegetarian, salads...

• Salad Story: decent chain of quick-service salads; the menu is decently large and varied; I've had a smoked salmon salad ("Rybaka") there and a few others looked pretty good as well. The prices are inexpensive and this is a fast meal when on the road or at a mall. http://saladstory.pl/
• **Green Way: great VEGETARIAN chain in Poland, yes, a POLISH chain that is meatless. The USA cannot exactly claim its own and Poland beat the US to it. :-P This place has a set menu and daily specials (meals and soups of the day). I have been to several of these in Poland (Toruń, Łódź, ate at two of the three in Warsaw) and know they are cute, fast, tasty, and inexpensive. I LOVE soup and this place had a lot of great soups, many of them being famous Polish soups (sometimes with the same recipe, but with any meat removed if the directions call for it). Some of the best foods I had in Poland were here: zupa grochowka (split pea soup) and krupnik soup. http://greenway.pl/
• **Loving Hut: the only FULLY vegan place in the city, it is part of an international chain of places serving only vegan foods. I strongly recommend the Heavenly Salad; this place is cute, quick, and inexpensive. Plus, it is healthy, animal-product-free, and mostly Asian-inspired dishes. http://lovinghut.waw.pl/

-And there is always Pizza Hut... at least it's much nicer outside the US: http://www.pizzahut.pl/ ;)

2. Non Chains

-Warsaw

• **Malinova: considered the BEST ice cream in Warsaw. The shop is adorable and the place is close to where I lived and my spring semester school. There are rotating flavors and I tend to hear they are either good or amazing, so it seems that anyone wins with whatever is chosen. :) As with Grycan, personally, I go for non-dairy/sorbet and fruity. This place was a favorite among me and my fellow American abroad students.
• **VEGA: not easy to find, but really inexpensive, fast, and tasty. This is another "bar" or quick service lunch spot. I think the soups are pretty good and all of the salads and sides that were made always tasted great (I love me some shredded beets and other "surowki" - sides/salads). http://www.vega-warszawa.pl/index.php
• POLKA: one of the two Magda Gessler restaurants I ended up dining at while in Warsaw. I liked the salad with grilled cheese and tomato sauce. http://www.restauracjapolka.pl/
• **Jumbo Salad: another place that is not so easy to find (it's in an apartment complex neighborhood area, not exactly close to the beaten path since VEGA is at least directly off of a major street), but worth the trouble (sadly, I only went once, but it was pretty close to my area). This is another adorable place with good, fast, inexpensive food. I had a salad with crab meat and vegetables, which was tasty. I wish I had gone again, but I am glad I went at least one time. http://www.jumbosalad.com/
• Giovanni Rubino: I did not go to too many Italian places while in Warsaw, but this is a good choice near Old Town. http://www.giovanni.pl/
• **Literatka: another good choice near Old Town, but this one is mainly Polish food. The outdoor sitting area is very nice when the weather allows (but the inside of the restaurant looks really pretty as well). I really enjoyed the dishes I had on my visit there: fish soup and a salad with sun-dried tomatoes and grilled salmon. http://www.literatka.com.pl/
• **Pod Czerwonym Wieprzem: this is another Polish/Eastern European/Russian restaurant that was well-reviewed by me and others I know who have gone there. It has a neat newspaper menu and the Communist theme is interesting (I loved their website and name-dropped the place a lot before ever going...). I had a tasty meal there of borscht and seasonal salad with grilled chicken and strawberries. This place seems to be pretty memorable and eating outside is recommended if possible. http://www.czerwonywieprz.pl/
• Salad House: another salad bar place with a good-sized menu. This one is similar to Salad Story and Jumbo Salad, but its location is close to city center and the Swietokrzyska Metro station.

-Gdańsk

• Velevetka: This place has dishes that are regional for near the Baltic Sea area and this city in particular. I remember the pickles served to the table were a great combination of sweet and sour. I had a regional (Kashubian) fish soup that had large pieces of salmon in it and was quite tasty. http://www.velevetka.pl/
• **Kresowa: more Polish/Eastern European/Russian cuisine. I drank some clear barszcz (one of the best I had in Poland) and I REALLY liked my main dish: white fish (cannot remember what kind) with cooked, shredded beets on top. Unfortunately, I was with a large group on a busy Restaurant Deal Weekend in the area, so our service was not amazing and we waited a lot, but the food was delicious.

-Kraków

• Da Pietro: good Italian cuisine near the main rynek. I remember having another good fish soup here as well. http://www.dapietro.pl/
• Wesele and Miód Malina: two good Polish restaurants near the rynek (Wesele is in the rynek, but Miód Malina is not too far from it). At Wesele I had a salad with duck meat and was quite surprised at the way duck meat looks and tastes; it was almost as if it were red meat... http://www.weselerestauracja.pl/ and http://www.miodmalina.pl/
• **MOMO: along with many of my favorites in Warsaw, this place is vegetarian/vegan-friendly, with a lot of organic and healthy foods. Plus, it is in a cute little location with great prices, fast service, and a varied (somewhat daily) menu. I had some tasty miso and vegetable soup. Also, I remember having as part of my main dish some zucchini and broccoli in a sauce that was GREAT.
• Horoscope: [http://www.restauracja-horoscope.pl/horoskop.html] I did not eat at the actual restaurant, but ordered my first ever zapiekanka at their to-go window. It was delicious, plus hot and fresh from the oven. Kraków seems to be THE place for zapiekanki, as I also saw (but did not try, though my friends were eating them and offered to give me a bit) a well-known and strongly recommended place called "U Endziora" at Plac Nowy in the Kazimierz district of Kraków. This place may be a little kitchen with a window in a market square, but it also may serve the best zapiekanki in Poland... My friends raved about them as they ate, but they also were a bit under the influence and it was late at night (in Polish, but good pictures: http://prowincjalnawioska.blox.pl/2008/08/Bylam-U-Endziora.html). I encourage the use of garlic sauce, spinach, mushrooms, and chives (but there also could be chicken, bacon, ham, salami, peppers, onions, ketchup, mayonnaise, and other toppings).

-Lublin

• **Mandragora: this is a Jewish restaurant in the main area of Lublin. It was here that I had another fantastic soup, this time a great cabbage soup. Also, I finished off with a warm Israeli drink that had cinnamon and bits of apple. Yum. http://www.mandragora.lublin.pl/

-On the road

• Brovaria (Poznań): great location in the main rynek. I really liked my lunch here: a grilled tuna salad with fruit slices and vegetables. http://www.brovaria.pl/EN-H28.html
• Random food/milk bars (Legnica & road): Now, milk bars are a mixed bag... some are nicer than others in looks and some are better than others in dishes, while at one place alone there could be both great and inedible foods. The price is so cheap that you may be given what you pay for, but it is an experience whether your food turns out well or not... at least the price was not so high that it would be a complete waste of money and time. Give them a chance and they could surprise... and maybe even give a second chance if the first time does not turn out so well. I am a fan of borscht (well, I am a soup lover in general), especially Ukrainian borscht, which I had at a bar on the road and at a restaurant in Legnica. Both were great.
• **Don Giovanni (Legnica): good Italian food in the rynek. I had a grilled salmon salad that was really good and the entire menu looked great. http://www.dongiovanni.legnica.pl/
• **Krotoszyce Palace (near Legnica): gorgeous palace and grounds, commonly used for weddings and other important events. The restaurant is great with a wonderful menu. I really liked my lunch main dish of a green bean salad with sun-dried tomatoes and sliced turkey (usually served with grilled tuna, but the waitress said they were out of tuna or some issue and asked if I could replace it with turkey) http://www.palackrotoszyce.pl/

3. Products

-Eko chipsy: dried apple chips

http://www.bioavena.pl/

-Cisowianka: lekko gazowana (lightly carbonated water)

-Whomus: Hummus

http://www.whomus.pl/

-Sonko: rice cakes/waffles and other crisps

-piernik/gingerbread

4. Street food

-gofry: freshly made waffles with or without toppings. Warm with strawberry jam, that's how I did it. I also would have tried with other jams or with fruit (not really into whipped cream or other syrups and sauces).

-zapiekanki: PLEASE do not eat any ho-hum zapiekanka. Seek quality, which may mean waiting in a line and/or for a fresh zapiekanka to be made for you on REAL baguette bread, toasted in an oven with your toppings of choice (cheese, mushrooms, chicken, etc), with sauce(s) (ketchup, mayonnaise, garlic sauce), and seasoning (chives). I trust certain fresh ones made in Kraków. Go for the real deal, a big and fresh one over the sad wannabes at any gas station or stand.

-kebabs: I am not much of an expert and they are everywhere. It seems there are a lot of good places to go for these and they are common in any city with at least a few people (from big cities to smaller towns). If there is a line waiting for them, then that might be a good indication for taste. I wish I could say more, but I went to a pretty good one in Kraków and I heard of many good ones in Warsaw. I just do not eat much meat, so I had to wait to find a vegetarian version, which means I was not a good judge of where to eat them. Sadly, there are probably a lot more bad or mediocre ones than good ones, but that goes for anything.

-pączki: I am not really a fan of these Polish baked goods (I find it difficult to call them donuts), but this is another item where I stress looking for freshness and quality. Please go to a good, known place where they are warm, soft, and delicious. It does not matter too much about large selection versus no selection over fillings, but what does matter is quality. I know, based on recommendations and Fat Thursday/Pączki Day, that A. Blikle is good (only one filling, but this place is a chain considered to sell the best pączki in Poland) [http://www.blikle.pl/] and Cukiernia Pawłowicz (MANY filling choices from rose jam to chocolate and cherries) in a stand on Chmielna Street in Warsaw.

-cupcakes: recently popular in the US, now becoming very popular in Poland. My first-hand recommendations: Cupcake Corner in Kraków [http://cupcakecorner.pl/], Lola’s Cupcakes in Warsaw [http://www.lolascupcakes.pl/], and Goodies in Warsaw [http://www.goodies.pl/]. All have interesting flavors, fillings, and toppings in cute, little shops.

Polish Favorites: Bookstores

1. Traffic Club, Warsaw (there is at least one other in Wroclaw, but the Warsaw store is pretty epic)

http://www.traffic-club.pl/

Over 4 levels of merchandise

Basement has music and movies, ground has cafe, periodicals, gift items/cards, and some top sellers of music, books, and movies, next two floors have books, and the top floor had a birthday party when I was there once. This place has materials in both Polish and English (the amount of English is not too much, but still very good).

2. Empik, all over Poland (I particularly like the Megastore in Krakow's rynek)
http://www.empik.com/

Ahh, the memory of walking in here and stumbling into the Sephora 5 years ago...

Empik is basically a good Barnes & Noble or Borders (since I think Borders beats BN in the free rewards program and the media area - music and movies - but BN seems better in atmosphere, cafe, and ties for overall and books). However, Empik also advertises and sells tickets for concerts in Poland and offers classes in foreign languages (I know people who take English lessons offered).

3. Massolit, Krakow
http://www.massolit.com/

Want books only in English? Then this place is great. It offers a good selection of Polish authored books translated into English, plus a wide variety of genres (poetry to specific area studies to general literature). I was saddened to leave empty handed, but my list of books to buy did grow. And, yes, there are comfy seats, couches, and a cafe in this two-level store.

4. American Bookstore, all over Poland
http://www.americanbookstore.pl/

Again, only in English. BUT, this one is a chain! There is one on Nowy Swiat in Warsaw, plus several in many malls across the country. Helping English-reading expats and travelers (or those fluent enough in English looking to improve their reading skills) find books easily.

5. Museum Bookstores/Gift shops
Many museums, especially art ones, have great bookstores/gift shops. I was surprised that many had English-language books as well. I remember some cool books at the Zacheta National Art Gallery and the Center for Contemporary Art.

There are definitely many other bookstores that I did not have a chance to see or did not know about. There were also many cities that I visited and did not stop at bookstores. But these are some definite good ones if in need of a book, in Polish or in English. If another language is needed, well... that depends.

Transatlanticism

Today was the last full day in Warsaw (and Poland). After breakfast at the hotel, we took a bus to city center and went to the observation deck of the Palace of Culture and Science.

I had not been there since February, so it was interesting seeing all over the city now that it is nearly summer. I liked being able to see places from above (even figuring out directions and sites from the 30th floor of this famous building) and the piano key crosswalks nearby. After the palace, we walked to Saski (Saxon) Garden/Park and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It was a pretty day as the sun shined, the temperature rose, and flowers looked colorful. I also appreciated all of the lovely fountains around the city. We walked from the tomb down Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street (stopping for a break and some drinks at the restaurant at Kino Kultura [http://www.kinokultura.pl/page.php?pid=6] to Old Town and New Town, before going back to Krakowskie Przedmiescie Street for lunch at Literatka [http://www.literatka.com.pl/; I had a fish soup and the grilled salmon salad]. We then walked along this street and Nowy Swiat Street, ending on Chmielna to buy paczki and ice cream for my Mom. We took a bus back to our hotel to relax and to cool off after this trip. This evening, I went for a walk to buy some items for a light dinner, which we ate while watching the news. Now I am watching TV after taking a shower since we have a quiet night before an early trip tomorrow. We have one flight Warsaw to Amsterdam, then Amsterdam to Paris, then Paris to Philadelphia, which is followed by a car drive home. Taxis, Planes, and cars home. :-P We have had a lot of great meals, great experiences, and great weather the last couple of weeks (and I have had the greatest time this semester). I am almost beginning to miss Warsaw, Poland, and Europe before even leaving yet. I hope to be back in the near future, but I have to finish up at Fairfield first of course. :) And I have completed the work for three out of five classes this semester (two papers to complete when I am back at home in NY). Back to the USA soon...

Pretty Prague

Today, we had breakfast at the hotel before our first Metro ride in Prague (and the first underground transport my family has had since we used trams and taxis mostly in Warsaw). We went to Old Town and walked around, taking pictures and enjoying the sites. We walked along the river and down all kinds of streets. Our lunch was at a small cafe on the river (I had another Nicoise-like salad and some rye bread) before buying some fruit and heading back to relax at the hotel. Tonight we are attending a performance of a Cinderella ballet. The weather is warm and sunny, which made walking outside easier since traveling by foot would be difficult if it were cold or raining. Tomorrow we have some plans to go on tours of the city and I am not sure what else. Now I may do some homework...

Photos added to Photobucket. :)

Not in Prague, but pretty :-P

“If I had a flower for every time I thought of you…I could walk through my garden forever.”

― Alfred Lord Tennyson “Millions and millions of years would still not give me half enough time to describe that tiny instant of all eternity when you put your arms around me and I put my arms around you.” —  Jacques Prévert

Jak Byka Kartofel

Last couple of days in Warsaw (other than another short stay pre-flight in about a week and a half). Yesterday was spent packing, going to Loving Hut for lunch (with a stop for a tiny bit of Malinova ice cream shop gelato-like ice cream/sorbet (apparently extra healthy from the sign about it and Italian-looking with the name 'Rosso'), and then heading to the airport. After picking up family and the car, we drove to our hotel - first hotel stay in Warsaw for me. :) After some relaxing, we went to Old Town and some of the city center. We had dinner at a restaurant in the rynek of Stare Miasto/Old Town (I had red borscht soup with a weird baked pancake with meat paste inside that I did not like and did not finish; I also had a salad with tuna, olives, tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumber). It was nice weather and we had a chance to go by the castle, some monuments and churches, and near the President's Palace. Today, after hotel breakfast, we went to the "state" office, where I learned that I was not fully prepared for gaining Polish dual citizenship unless I lived here a bit longer, in which case I would need my documents in English translated to Polish. I could go to do this procedure where my mother last lived in Poland (Legnica), but I would also need translated documents there. Otherwise, it might be best for me to do this at the consulate in NYC. Once we finished there, we packed up and fully moved out of my dorm, giving up my card, key, and bed linens when the room was checked over. We left one suitcase with the coat room for my program director to keep in his office while we travel around. Once we dropped off some luggage at the hotel, we left for Nowy Swiat Street and lunch at a milk bar (I had some bean soup - being called 'bean' does not mean 'meatless,' since it had pieces of pork or bacon - that was OK and a sampling of 'surowki,' which are basically different sides or pickled and/or shredded vegetables such as lettuce, carrots, cucumbers/pickles, and such that are normally used as sides in dishes. Most of them were good). We walked around a little before going to Lazienki Park; we saw (and heard) some pretty peacocks, the palace, and some monuments (Sobieski and Chopin). We then went to Nowe Miasto/New Town to a cafe before now relaxing at the hotel for a bit before going to dinner later. More to come (including a few pictures to be added soon)...

The End Has No End

Quick note since I have sunshine outside I need to enjoy and some packing, so I just wanted to jot down some quick points of the last day or so. I took the Polish exam and then went out for a bit. I checked out the Warsaw University Library (garden and rooftop). Not only gorgeous, but amazing views. After that, I went to the cytadel area before heading back to the dorm for a few minutes. A little after 5PM, I went to Old Town, where we all met for dinner at POLKA [http://www.restauracjapolka.pl/en]. I had some broth soup with noodles (rosol) and a salad with neat tomato sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, and the famous Zakopane OSCYPEK (smoked cheese), which was grilled on some small pieces of bread. This was my first time having the cheese since I was a bit nervous based on the testimonials of others. :-P It was not terrible, but WAY too salty and the smokiness was not too bad; I had the main issue that our director has with it: the salt. We gave our program directors flowers and cards. In exchange, we were given tote bags with gifts inside (krowki - Polish butter caramel candies - in a tin and SGH pin and pen and yo-yo), in addition to a whole several course dinner with champagne toast. After a long dinner, the whole group when to the SGH student club, PARK. (Terrible beer comes with the entry free... the beer was worse than I remember when I had a few sips a couple of months ago...) Today I am about the head out for lunch and I receive guests very soon! :-D

Some photos added to Photobucket. :)

I'm Good, I'm Gone

Today was my last day of regular classes. I had history in the morning (where there was mostly a debate/discussion on conspiracy theories... not sure where that one came from...) before our program had a visit to the Presidential Palace. The tour was very quick because there are only certain parts available for public viewing (either in general or due to renovation) and since there was an event about to happen (details vague, but tourism was mentioned...). Gosia - our program assistant director - said this was the first time the program was allowed to visit the palace, which made us feel special. ;) It was neat to see where the Round Table Talks took place and rooms visited by the president and his guests. There was even a room where Chopin gave his first concert at eight years old. Our tourguide here reminded me of another person I know... :-P She also seemed to be knowledgeable of English, but Gosia acted as her translator instead of her presenting to us in English. After the tour, I walked along Krakowskie Przedmiescie and Nowy Swiat Streets, thinking about somewhere to have lunch. I ate at a popular Vietnamese place (Toan Pho) - some vegetarian pho (it was just ok; not the biggest fan of cilantro, so that was the main issue), sajgonki (Spring rolls... and I thought more along the lines of Summer rolls when ordering, which I prefer because I don't like fried foods; my bad, so I did not really care for these fried rolls), and a salad with fried tofu (only because most menu items had meat (beef, chicken, etc.) and/or fried foods), lettuce, nuts, mung beans, broth, noodles, etc. (salad was good - especially the broth and vegetables). After that, I headed back to the dorm before heading right back out for a trip to the Lazienki/Ujazdowskie Park area. I wanted to check out the Warsaw University Botanical Gardens, but I made it there close to a time that I would need to start heading back to school for literature class. So, I walked a bit in Ujazdowskie Park (so pretty) and along the street before going to class. I had Jews in Poland class (the only class I am completely done with until tomorrow I end Polish) when the literature one ended. Now, I have one more Polish class tomorrow and three papers due in a few weeks (mid-June and end of the month). I will begin my papers tomorrow... I hope. :-P I also plan to do a bit of packing and touring with my last couple of days.

Some pictures from today on Photobucket! photobucket.com/kab1221/

Underneath The Sycamore

A busy couple of days have happened since my last entry. On Friday, we took a train to Lublin and checked into our hotel (it was neat to have card keys and to each have our own). Our room had a nice view of the square towards the rynek/old town area - which at one point gave us a view of a crowd of spectators and dancers doing 'Brazilian Dance Fighting.' :-P Once we made it to our rooms and left our bags, we went around the city, seeing a group that is trying to preserve Lublin's Jewish history and their exhibit at a special gate in the city. After that point, we went near the city's castle, into an underground area near the town hall to see models and hear stories of the cities historical progress (including a moving model with lights, sounds, and Wislawa Szymborska reciting a poem before we heard the story of a fire that almost burned down the city). We later walked around the town, seeing the remains of a former cathedral, a former orphanage, 'Christian' versus 'Jewish' areas (before and now) and the gates and bridges between them, different places of worship, a Jewish university, a Jewish cemetery, and more of the city (paths, squares - but in the shape of an eye with 10 buildings on one side and stairs to the castle hill on the other). It is a cute little city. We stopped for snacks at one point before having a nice dinner at a Jewish restaurant in the Old Town area. I had a really good cabbage soup, plus an okay grilled salmon salad and this neat Israeli drink (with little bits of apple and cinnamon, which I had served warm since it was a chilly day). Later on, I had the chance to watch some TV and then some of us spent some time at a cafe.

On Saturday, we had a nice breakfast at the hotel (one of the better I have had at an accommodation since coming to Poland) before going to the Majdanek concentration/extermination camp. It is very well-preserved, which makes it seem as though we are on a movie set. It is also very close to the city and interesting to see after visiting Auschwitz (especially for comparison reasons). It is free to enter (just need to set up and to pay for a guide if wanted). It had some neat historical exhibits and the different buildings seem almost left untouched since the camp stopped being used. There was one room that had THOUSANDS of shoes. It was as startling as the amounts of hair and belongings on display at Auschwitz, but Majdanek also has gas chambers and crematoria that were not destroyed. It was a very informative trip and interesting to see how more than one camp appears, even so many years later. We also have been fortunate to have had AMAZING tour guides on every tour, from tours in Warsaw to tours in the tri-cities on the Baltic to Auschwitz and Krakow and Lublin and this camp. The guide also reminded me of someone I know, which made me almost laugh to myself. I appreciate people who care to learn and to teach about historical places with such knowledge and passion (particularly difficult places, such as cemeteries and death camps).

After we returned, I relaxed and did some work before going to the wonderful Night of the Museums. I stuck with a group of us who went, so we mostly saw just a performance at Lazienki Park (cool lights, tons of people, jazz music, a guitarist from Genesis) - on the way there some of us saw a few Annie Leibovitz portraits up along the street - then walked around the park (pretty dark except some candles, lanterns, or lights shined at certain points; saw some loud - they were making their presence known in sound, not sight - peacock friends again, but hard to spot in the tops of trees) and then headed towards a park near a castle/museum before walking around (the soccer stadium was lit up with cool lights and we walked by a hip-hop/rap concert in a park) and then going to Old Town. We sat at a cafe before heading back for the night. There were so many events and available museums (a couple of us checked the extensive schedule for the participating museums, galleries, cafes, and other places), it was crazy! And I am not sure I have ever seen so many people out... even during the day. :-/ There were lines and people everywhere, of all kinds and ages. :-P

Today, sadly, I have work and it is predicted to rain. HOWEVER, I may try to head out in the grayness soon. ;) Not sure what and when, but I want to see Wilanow and the first day of Chopin concerts! On Tuesday, we go to the Presidential Palace for a visit/tour.

Photos added to Photobucket. :-D

Parks & Recreation

Part of "Grass" by Animal Collective:
I was very nervous how I felt in there
I was very cautious when you said "hey there"
Would you like to see me often
Though you don't need to see me often
Because I'd like to see you, often!
Though I don't need to see you, often!



Today, I began my day with a Polish lesson, during which we were given our practice tests to work on for next week's final exam. We then had a lesson on Zakopane (people, culture - food, music, clothes, art, animals, etc.) and Polish slang. Since the weather was so nice, I decided to head outside and go the Lazienki Park. I am glad to see it now that winter is over (last time I went inside the park was my first full day here at the end of January). The trees are flowering, the animals are out, the sun is shining... it was a nice day to walk around and see most of  the monuments and other sites around the park. After my walk, my program had a meeting; we talked about our trip to Lublin Friday to Saturday (our train departs Friday at about 9AM, to arrive less than 2.5 hours later; we are staying at Hotel Europa: http://www.hoteleuropa.pl/en/; We will almost immediately begin our tour of Lublin - mainly places of Jewish significance - after we check-in and drop off our luggage. In the evening, we have a group dinner at Mandragora Restaurant: http://www.mandragora.lublin.pl/, which apparently is Jewish cuisine to fit with the trip's theme/purpose of Jewish education.) Saturday, we have breakfast at the hotel before a tour of Majdanek concentration camp. Our train back to Warsaw is at about noon, so we can prepare for Night of the Museums and have some time to ourselves. Also, we received information at the meeting about our final dinner (Wednesday evening in Old Town), our program evaluation, and finishing the semester - checking out of the dorm, finishing classes, etc.

Only one more day of classes this week, plus I need to finish a paper before leaving for our Lublin trip. :-/ After that, I have classes and one test next week, plus 3 final papers that need to be completed by early June.

Photos from today on Photobucket...

Make Some Noise

Some upcoming events:
-Monday, May 9 = Back to school
-Last couple of weeks = filling in free time with any places I have yet to visit around Warsaw (library roof, parks, etc.)
-Friday, May, 13-Saturday, May 14 = Lublin trip (Majdanek death camp, cemeteries or synagogues and other important Jewish sites around the city)
-Saturday, May 14 night = Night of the Museums [http://noc-muzeow.pl/index.php/noc-muzeow/wojewodztwo-mazowieckie/warszawa]; in particular, I will try to attend the inaugural Chopin in Lazienki Park performance that night... and maybe head back for the weekly day performance the next day
-May 16-19 = last week of classes

There will also be one more group dinner for us CIEE students. Not sure what else may happen or is being planned, but on our last day in Krakow we heard about the Lublin trip this weekend and the final dinner.

Then CIEE is done for the spring and I head on 2 weeks of family travel to such places as back to Swiebodzin and Legnica, but also to Prague, Dresden, and near Rzeszow/Jaroslaw.

Another cool website: http://www.tastingpoland.com/index.html

Source Code

Have not written since Tuesday, so I have some bits to fill in from the last few days in Krakow. On Wednesday, we went on a trip around Wawel Castle - the royal tombs, rooms full of weaponry (I was pretty interested in the weapons, especially the swords...), the castle itself (where, in one room, people wore period clothes and sang or used archaic instruments to perform a song), and the cathedral. It was really nice, but sadly no pictures were allowed of most of it. :-/ After the tour, I had my first Krakowian pretzel (obwarzanek; it had a mixture of seeds and such on it) and a vegetarian kebab (basically a regular kebab without meat or cheese or falafel - so lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, tahini-like sauce in a roll). I walked around the city a bit (including going back to a famous store for my family - a deli in the rynek that has candies on one wall and alcohol on the other). For dinner, I went to a place called MOMO (it is an eco vegetarian bar), where I had a miso soup with mixed vegetables and a plate with rice, beans and onions in a sauce, spinach and tofu, and zucchini and broccoli in a sauce (the best of the three; I liked it a lot). After dinner, we all met up for a string concert at a church near the hotel. The music included pieces by Handel, Vivaldi, Chopin, and Mozart. It was really nice. On Thursday, I went out for a walk and saw a monument for a famous Polish battle and then walked a bit at a mall and around the city before taking our group bus to Oswiecim/Auschwitz. This second time at the death camp, for me, was interesting since last time I did not watch the video shown to tourists. We also had two great guides - the one from the museum and our program director (who had previously worked as a guide at the camp years ago as a summer job when still at university). I learned a lot more and had another chance to look at the camp. I did not mind going again to experience it with different people and to learn some new or additional information. Thursday night included a little going out at night to dance and to see the city when it's dark. :-P On Friday, we went on a tour of Kazimierz, the Jewish area of Krakow. The tour included a few synagogues and a cemetery (I also saw a more recent Jewish cemetery later on after I went to the nearby mall). After the mall, we all met up at the restaurant at our hotel (http://www.podwawelem.eu/), where I had some barszcz with dumplings and an oriental salad with shrimp, before catching a train ride back to Warsaw. Since then I have been relaxing since I have more "travel lag" with fatigue and aching muscles. This has led to 24 hours of nothing. I have some schoolwork to accomplish and I am in the middle of catching up on TV shows and movies I have been meaning to see or missed recently. The weather today and tomorrow are not the best for going outside a lot, so at least I do not have to feel very guilty about not leaving much. School starts again on Monday for our final two weeks!

Photos added: http://photobucket.com/kab1221

Kim i Kraków

Enjoying being back in Kraków. :) Forgot how much I really like it here. Yesterday, we had a train ride that was about 3 hours, so it went by very quickly. We checked in to our hotel (it is very close to the Wawel castle; I am sharing a pretty big room with a sitting area, TV, desk, two double beds, and balcony with view of adjacent walkway. Unfortunately I now smell a weird smell... so my only issue may be my bed. :-P There is also a very awkward "maze" to make it to the rooms and there is construction going on inside the hotel.) Yesterday, we had an Italian dinner at Da Pietro: http://www.dapietro.pl/ I had fish soup, a salad with capers, smoked salmon, hard-boiled eggs, olives, lettuce, and tomatoes, and a dessert of ice cream, strawberry sauce, fruit, and whipped cream (that I tried to skip around :-/ ).

After dinner, I walked around the rynek here (including taking photos or looking at stages, and several other displays and decorations for Constitution day on May 3 and for Pope Jan Pawel's II beatification; a lot of people and celebration here in the city for the long weekend and Pope): some streets, the Sukiennice, and area between the Old Town and the hotel. I went back to my room when the sun went down and hung around my room and other people's rooms before we went out for a bit (dancing and such). Now I am resting before going to breakfast and our first tour session of Collegium Maius (never been), back to the Sukiennice and Main Square (LOVE), and a couple of churches (also never been inside). Later on we have dinner at (I believe) a Polish restaurant named Wesele: http://www.weselerestauracja.pl/

Tomorrow is Wieliczka salt mine. I also started taking pictures yesterday and will take more today, to be added soon to probably Photobucket. :-D Weather is much cooler than what I experienced last week... but still not bad as we welcome MAY. We have a map and a guide to the city, plus free time to go with the scheduled tours. I also have some homework to do: readings for literature class, a couple of final papers to begin (since those are the two with set topics and due dates; any others I lack enough information to work on), possibly watching a movie for a class, and some Polish book and workbook exercises. I know that I have been doing at least some practice and studying of the Polish language in the last week, in preparation for the exam the final week of classes. :-P

On To The Next One

Feeling a bit of travel/train lag today. :-P I need to finishing preparing for my program's trip to Krakow tomorrow midday.

The few days I had in western Poland went by quickly: visiting "Jesus," seeing around Swiebodzin or Lagow or Sieniawa or Legnica or Wroclaw, Easter family visit/meals/gifts, music video channels, bus rides, train rides, watching movies ("Chloe" and "Limitless"), first time at Pizza Hut in Poland (it's fancy here :-P) and first gofry (with strawberry jam), shopping, listening to organ music, learning Polish, and being able to see people who had not seen in a while.

Backyard Garden in Legnica :-D

Now I am resting and preparing for a few days in the Krakow area. :-D I am also looking more at where I will be going in about a year when I finish up in Fairfield. Right now I think I might be interested in pursuing a Masters in International Management/Business. Since I am thinking Europe might be less expensive and more sensical than the US, I am researching schools mainly on this side of the Atlantic... particularly because I am in the process of earning a Polish Passport. This would mean probably going to Warsaw again or to Krakow or to Poznan [I am thinking using English and being able to continue learning more Polish while being close to friends and family again]. Some prospects include:
http://www.kozminski.edu.pl/index.php/en/graduate_ma/abe_international_master_in_mana [mostly in Warsaw, but also time in other parts of the European Union]
-maybe back to the school I am at now (SGH/Warsaw School of Economics)
-maybe the school of economics in Poznan or Wroclaw or Krakow

Pictures Added to Photobucket

I like pretty, colorful tulips.

http://s1113.photobucket.com/albums/k510/kab1221/Spring%20Break/

The Devil Is In The Details...

So the "Three Cities" - "Trójmiasto" of Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot - are beautiful. I really enjoyed this area and seeing the BALTIC SEA! :-D Sadly, did not touch it, but not sure I would like even putting a finger in (which was all that was technically allowed for my group. ;) ) I wish our stay were longer and I would love to see more or return soon (especially in summertime).The train trip went by pretty quickly and we even saw the Teutonic castle in Malbork as we passed:

Not my personal photo, of course. ;)

On Friday, we went and checked in to our hotel. It was so nice to be in a proper hotel, not a hostel or dorm. :-P I stayed in a room with two other girls and decided to take a fold-out instead of one of the two twin beds. It was a cute room. We went out to dinner at a restaurant that specializes in regional cuisine. I had a Kashubian (that part of Poland has people known as Kashubians, who are influenced by Polish and German culture) fish soup and a salad with smoked salmon, vegetables, fish eggs (thought "eggs" on the menu were from a chicken, heehee ;) ), and vinaigrette. My meal was all pretty good. Afterwards, I hung out some with the other students and we went out for a bit at night. We walked around the city some before going to bed before a day of major touring of Gdansk. We had a European continental breakfast (eggs, kielbasa, bread, rolls, dry cereals, whole fruits, drinks, tomatoes, cucumbers, crepes/nalesniki, sliced meats and cheeses, etc.) before going on a walking tour of Gdansk. We saw statues, fountains, monuments, the town hall, a special meeting hall, an older church (climbed ALL the way to the small viewing deck on top, a whopping 400+ steps - my calves still feel it a bit when I climb stairs),  a Solidarity Museum, and the famous Gdansk/Lenin Shipyards where Solidarity/Solidarność began! After that, we had some time to relax (in the middle of the tour we did have a coffee break; I had a soy latte (that I left unsweetened) and a parfait of yogurt, flakes, and fruit) and do as we please before a LONG (we happened to go to Gdansk on a weekend with deals similar to those in places that have Restaurant Weeks with special menus and prices for certain dishes, which made restaurants and cafes participating in these half-prices much busier than usual) dinner at a mixed-ethnic restaurant (Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, etc.); I had some delicious clear borscht and a fish that was cooked with shredded beets on top and salads/coleslaws/shredded vegetables/sides. It was one of the best fish meals I have ever had. I finished off with some fruit in whipped cream (sadly, each course took an hour, which caused a three-hour or so meal). On Sunday, after packing-breakfast-checkout, we took a bus to different sites around Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot: ports, piers, monuments, parks, etc. before having lunch in Sopot (I had a decent fish soup and a small salad with mixed seafood on it). I had a nice chat with other students and the amazing tour guide we had both Saturday and Sunday. The weather was great on Sunday and our trip ride back was fun; it is a great time when the entire program group can spend some time together.

Today, my Polish class was cancelled so that our abroad group could visit the Polish Parliament buildings. After that fun tour (reminded me of visiting the UN), I had a quick lunch at Green Way (cabbage and other vegetable soup; tofu and vegetables in tomato sauce on top of kasza with sides) before a shortened history class (we left early to go on another walking tour with our Jews in Poland class). The last tour I went on today included both places I had and had not seen: various monuments and markers of the former Jewish ghetto, famous Jews, or areas where many Jews had been before the Holocaust drastically cut down their population size. I visited a lot of places and learned so much these past few days. :) I especially enjoy the feeling of being and of seeing new places. Ahh, it can give quite a rush and giddiness in me. :-P

Pictures here: photobucket.com/kab1221

Under Pressure

Watched the movie "It's Kind Of A Funny Story" earlier and now "Under Pressure" is in my head. :-P I watched "Modern Family" from last night and now I am about to catch up with "United States of Tara." I packed and depart for Gdansk tomorrow morning.

A couple of the photos from Wroclaw:

Marcin and I

Pawel, me, and animal statues

I am looking forward to watching Thursday NBC shows sometime after the Gdansk trip. I also have the Spring Break and Krakow area travels that I am excited about coming very soon. :)

Neat travel blog I heard about today: http://anywherethereisanairport.com/

Wielkanoc & Wajda

Tonight, I went to a classical performance at the royal castle here (the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival: http://www.beethoven.org.pl/en/festiwalewielkanocne/xvwielkanocnyfestiwallvb/program). I sat near a group (on my right) who must be visiting from the US with a tour guide with them. On my left, there seemed to be a group from Germany or at least speaking a language that I felt sounded German. I was in the section facing the quintet (all or most from America as well... :-P The performance was under the patronage of the US Ambassador to Poland). The music was beautiful (all strings, so cello, violins, and violas; music by Mozart, Beethoven, and Bruckner) and I sat in the same section and seat number as ANDRZEJ WAJDA (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0906667/), but he was in the first row and I was in the sixth. I walked by him during intermission and when in the coat room. He looked to be grandfather-ly old man with a cane. There was a moment of silence for the anniversary of the plane crash in Smolensk where the Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, and other officials died on their way to a memorial in Russia for the Katyn massacre. On the way in and out of the castle, I saw the protesters who are angry about certain conspiracy theories surrounding the Smolensk tragedy; a lot of blame is going towards the Russians and some people feel that Lech's brother (Jaroslaw) should be president. It was crazy on my way out with shouting, fire, flags, signs, and so many people. I took some pictures (all are on http://twitpic.com/photos/kab1221) and it was an interesting political rally. I saw flags and was wondering if they were free. :-P Instead, I just headed back to the dorm.

Gdansk on Friday and then Spring Break begins a week later. :)

HollyŁódź

My day in Łódź was a lot of fun, especially when the weather would agree with me. :-P Before my trip, my program's assistant director gave me a great map to the city: http://www.use-it-lodz.pl/ [comes from this website, which has other places: http://www.use-it.be/europe/ since we also have a great Warsaw one: http://www.use-it-warsaw.pl/] that was very helpful. Łódź is a nice place for a shorter trip (or even longer if you have the time) since the train ride is a little over two hours there (so under five hours total travel since the trains tend to be late arriving when I board or disembark) and a lot of the main places for food, shopping, visiting, etc. are along one main street or not too far from it; this street is Piotrkowska [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piotrkowska_Street]. There is more than one train station in the Łódź area and the one I arrived at and departed from (Łódź Kaliska) was not bad at all (better than Torun, but not as nice as the main or central ones in Wroclaw and Warszawa, but those have more construction; it also had small kiosks, stores, vending machines: food, HOT DRINKS - I love these (for me, they're more for soup and tea) and the US needs more of them, and cold drinks). I walked along this main street and I went to a fantastic commercial spot called Manufaktura: http://www.manufaktura.com/ It was created from a former factory and became multi-purpose: a mall, bowling alley, museums - such as about the factory's history, galleries, restaurants, a movie theatre, and more. It was probably one of the nicest malls I have ever seen and it is so cool how the exterior factory-look was maintained. It was there that I had lunch at my go-to food chain (everyone else on my program tends to go to McDonalds wherever they go, but I like the Polish vegetarian food chain Green Way: greenway.pl and I just tend to select different menu items when I go - this time Krupnik soup: http://www.kwestiasmaku.com/kuchnia_wloska/krupnik/krupnik.html, a croquette filled with cabbage and covered in a mushroom sauce:http://greenway.pl/pl/katalog/dania_glowne/krokiet_z_kapusta_i_grzybami, with salads on the side: shredded carrots, shredded beets, a coleslaw-like other one); I am in a very Catholic country and it must be the leniency - authorized by the Pope - on meatless Fridays during most of Lent (mainly Good Friday as the one to be meat-free) that allows more Poles to be lenient themselves. I am one of the main people I have seen who stick to every Friday being meatless when I can, so many a Pole can be seen at KFC, kebab stands, McDonalds... Later, I walked around the mall and a few stores, such as grabbing some drinks, gum, and snacks at a real: http://www.real.de/real-startseite.html - a European supermarket and then went to a small market called Alma: http://www.almamarket.pl/ because it began to rain while I was inside the main part of the mall and I wanted to stall for time... but ended up walking in some rain anyway. The tough parts about rain are the loss of peripheral vision with a hood and the fear of being poked by umbrellas. Plus, it was very windy, so I saw some difficulty with using umbrellas when they would fold the wrong way. It was cloudy when I left Warsaw, sunny from the train window, and then cloudy, windy, and cool when I left the train until it began to rain when I was inside the mall (stopping sometime later before starting again). I walked along Piotrkowska Street (it stopped raining for a bit and began again shortly before heading to the train station as it began to darken earlier from the lack of sun and abundance of clouds) and I even stopped inside of some neat stores: a Polish folk store - full of Krakowiaka dresses and painted eggs and Polish stoneware - and this interesting market with one floor a grocery (with a candy/alcohol counter ;) ) and the upstairs a weird market considered a "Chinese Market." It simply had a weird hodgepodge of items and made me have that "where am I?" feeling. There are even some "stars" along Piotrkowska (http://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleja_Gwiazd_w_%C5%81odzi), a la Hollywood's Walk of Fame, but this one is smaller (only a few - not many - blocks on both sides of the street) and for Poles.

Not my picture ;)

I really liked this city a lot and I was glad to go, although it would have been cool to see the Corning, Inc. establishment there (since then my parents could tell their coworkers that their daughter had seen/visited an international location :-P). It would have been fun to stay longer since there were some sites left to see, but it was a pleasant trip. :) I did not see any of the museums or some places (ghetto, cemeteries, forests, some parks, some monuments, some important buildings/sites) farther from my train station, Manufaktura, or Piotrkowska Street. There also was an IKEA at a mall nearby. :-P ;) So, a longer time there could have been spent.

Pictures on Twitpic: http://twitpic.com/photos/kab1221

Since the weather is not-so-great (a bit windy, cool, cloudy, and drizzling on-and-off), I will not go out too much. I may wait and see how the weather is tomorrow before making definite plans (also because of it being the Smolensk anniversary), other than going to the classical performance at 6pm. I have been interested in seeing a movie, so there is a chance I will do that tonight or tomorrow. I also have a little homework to finish up before Monday or Tuesday. There is also an episode of "Castle" I have yet to watch and a new show called "The Borgias" that might fill the void left by "The Pillars of the Earth" (which I still might read one day).

Quote of the Day

"It is beauty that captures your attention; personality which captures your heart." 
--Anonymous

You Are A Tourist / Danzig

Today is cloudy, cool, and may rain later. I only have one class later in the afternoon. Before that, I have to pick up some items from the CIEE office. After class, it is the weekend. :) Plans include, a day-trip to Łódź tomorrow and going to see some parks (if the weather allows, of course) on Saturday and Sunday, before I go to a classical music performance on Sunday evening (which is the anniversary of the Smoleńsk plane crash, so our group was warned about demonstrations and other activity going on that day, especially near the Presidential Palace).


Yesterday, our CIEE group had a meeting about our trip next weekend to Gdańsk (also with stops in the other two of the "Three Cities": Gdynia and Sopot). We leave Friday morning (not early!) for a train ride that is about five-and-a-half hours. We are staying at a hostel (Dom Muzyka: http://www.dom-muzyka.pl/) and will go out to dinner on Friday to a place that serves local (Kashubian) cuisine (Velevetka: http://www.velevetka.pl/). On Saturday we have breakfast at the hostel (which is apparently well-reviewed by previous students) before going on a day of tours: Gdańsk's Old Town and the Museum of Solidarity. We have some of the afternoon off before dinner in the evening at Kresowa (which is more international cuisine to represent all of the different kinds of people who came to the city because of its commercial importance). On Sunday, another breakfast before touring Sopot (one main attraction for us Americans seems to be this: http://2bored4fun.blogspot.com/2009/05/crooked-house-in-sopot-poland.html) and Gdynia. We have lunch in Sopot before going on a train in the afternoon back to Warsaw.