Wigilia

I'm spending Christmas in Krakow this year with my parents who arrived last Thursday (after 24 hours of travel, and one missed flight). In preparation for my first Yuletide outside of Canada, I've been quizzing my colleagues about their traditions for the last few months, and am hoping to experience as many of the Polish Christmas events as possible.

Today, December 24th, is the day that Poles celebrate Wigilia, the traditional Christmas Eve supper. Wigilia is a meatless meal (yippee, although it does include fish, which I don't eat), and typically includes twelve dishes. Since I can barely cook one Polish dish, I decided that it would be best if my parents and I went out for dinner. So tonight we are off to a hotel that promises to serve a traditional Polish Wigilia meal.

According to tradition, we should be starting to eat when we see the first star in the sky, which would be about 4:30 pm here. Apparently that's when all my colleagues will be eating, but I didn't know this until after I made reservations for 7:30 pm.

After dinner we plan to visit several of the churches (there are literally dozens within walking distance of my apartment) to see the nativity scenes, including one with live donkeys and sheep.

Then, if the oldsters can stay awake, we plan to attend midnight mass. Since we aren't Catholic, and my parents don't understand any Polish, I've opted for mass at the Dominican church, as several sources have stated that " the Dominicans put on a good service."

I'll fill you in on the details sometime in the next few days.

Wishing you all a very peaceful and happy Christmas wherever in the world you may be today.

Nutcrackers

Nutcrackers were everywhere in the Dusseldorf Christmas markets. For unknown reasons I am not a huge fan of the traditional soldier nutcracker, but I couldn't resist purchasing a small Bishop nutcracker.

In flight

I've taken close to 40 flights this year, most of them around Europe. There was a time not so long ago when I didn't like flying on smallish planes, but these days that's my usual mode of travel. Note the propeller in the picture below. I've been on more than a few prop planes this year.



On my trip to London a few weeks ago I was rerouted through Vienna, which turned out to be a good thing. I was glued to the window throughout the whole 50 minute flight, entranced by the beauty below. This was taken somewhere between Krakow and Vienna, most likely over Slovakia.

Christmas market mania

Dusseldorf is definitely a town that gets into the Christmas spirit. The city is sprinkled with 6 Christmas markets, each with its own theme. My friend Y and I hit them all last Saturday, as well as many, many stores - Dusseldorf is also the fashion capital of Germany.

If you love Christmas, you'll love Dusseldorf. Although if you love architecture, old or new, art, or shopping, you'll also be enchanted by Dusseldorf. Like Ljubljana and Bratislava, Dusseldorf makes it onto my little known but highly recommended cities to visit list.

Home for a rest

In the last 10 days I've been in London for 48 hours, back in Krakow for 5 days and a 60 hour work week and then in Dusseldorf Germany for another weekend trip.

The trips were action-packed, full of sightseeing, art gallery going, shopping, eating and lots of lovely time spent catching up with friends.

But I am ready to hibernate for a while or at least until next weekend when my parents arrive for Christmas.

Delayed again

I'm off to London this weekend for a quick 48 hour trip. That 48 hours in London is gradually shrinking - my first flight to Warsaw was cancelled and now I am being rerouted through Vienna, which means an extra 2 hours in the tiny Krakow airport.

Regardless, I am very excited about this trip. London is one of my all time favourite cities and I haven't been in years. I think the last time must have been in the early 90s. Plus I am visiting friends from Krakow who live in London and they've been busy planning my schedule. It's nice to go to a place where you know someone who can steer you to all their favourite places.

I'll also have a chance to meet up with a fellow expat - a friend of a friend who visited me in Krakow in the summer and is currently living and working in London.

I just hope I get there soon!

Cherub

Another painting from the Karlskirche dome:

A good week

It's Sunday night and I'm lying on the couch with Flannery and Small listening to Leonard Cohen, feeling quite content, and reflecting on the week that was.

Work was tough this week, as it is often is, and I worked long hours most days, but overall it was a satisfying work week.

Several other events helped make this week a good one. On Tuesday night I attended the first meeting of a book club sponsored by the international women's group I belong to. I've missed my Canadian book club and attempted to put one together a few times last year, but never got it off the ground. Tuesday's gathering was small (only 3 of us showed up), but I enjoyed it nevertheless. Now I've got to figure out a book to pick for the next one. Any suggestions you have are welcome, as I am not quite sure what book will appeal to the group. Plus we also have the additional obstacle of a limited choice of English books.

Friday night I organized a Girl's Night Out event for the same organization. I made it easy on myself by reserving a table at the jazz bar across the street from me, and the night turned out to be a hit. I think everyone enjoyed the live jazz music by a local group, and the evening didn't end until after 1 am, which is later than I've been out in quite a while.

Saturday morning I woke up to the first snowfall of the season and spent much of the day running around the old town doing errands and Christmas shopping. Everywhere I went people were out enjoying the snow. I witnessed several British stag parties scooping up snow and engaging in impromptu snowball fights.

After spending a good 15 minutes cleaning off my car (I love the snow but miss my garage), I drove over to some friends house for Saturday evening.

Today I met another friend at the art gallery this morning and ended that visit with some tea and cake. I love the Polish tradition of eating cake before lunch . . .

I spent the rest of the afternoon doing yet more Christmas shopping and watching more people enjoy the snow (which is still falling), then curled up at home with a good book.

To end the week off right, I booked myself a quick trip to London next weekend.

Yep, it was a good week. I'm hoping the week to come goes just as well.

Streetscape

Ground floor apartments in Krakow tend to have windows that open directly onto the street at waist level or just slightly above. I've noticed that this makes these windows the perfect height for chatting with passersby.

More than once I've been slightly surprised by a friendly "dzien dobry" from my neighbour as I walk past his window towards our building entrance.

Many of my neighbours, usually elderly men, spend their time sitting at the windows, watching the action on the street, waiting for people to stop by for a visit. Sometimes I even see people on the street knock on the window instead of using the door.

Laundry

I remember when I used to have to drag my wash out to a laundromat and would spend hours sitting in some dingy place feeding quarters into the washer and dryer. I was so excited when I moved into an apartment with laundry facilities in the building. But the thrill quickly died as I realized there weren't enough machines in the building for the number of people, and everyone was jockeying for position. More sitting and waiting in the laundry room.

I finally achieved laundry nirvana when I purchased my own home, complete with a washer and a dryer. I could wash my clothes whenever I liked and didn't have to compete with anyone. Sure the laundry sometimes still piled up, but I could even do laundry while I slept if I wanted.

Here in Krakow I do have a washer and dryer in my own apartment and I can still do laundry whenever I like, but the washer and the dryer are combined, which means you can only wash a load, or dry a load, not do both simultaneously. Washing a load takes 90 minutes, and drying takes multiple hours. The entire system seems to work differently than in Canada. Somehow the water is suctioned out of wet clothes (don't ask me how - it is just different) and clothes never get fully dry in the dryer.

Luckily my bathroom, where I hang my clothes to dry, is really warm, thanks to the heated floors and the heated towel rack. I've always hung most of my clothes to dry, but here I end up drying my sheets and towels for close to two hours in the dryer, and then hanging them in the bathroom (I've discovered the shower is the perfect height to dry sheets) to get the dampness out.

I do miss my high powered North American washer and dryer. The wash cycle took 20 minutes and sheets and towels fully dried in less than an hour. What did I do with all that extra time?

Karlskirche

Author's note: I'm just back from my long weekend in Budapest, but I never got a chance to blog about my weekend in Vienna in October with my old friend MJ, so the next few posts may jump around a bit.

In the past 18 months, I have visited more churches then I can count. Although I'm closer to agnostic than believing in any particular faith, and I rarely enter a church for a religious service, I can never pass a church or synagogue without wondering what it looks like inside. I'm fascinated by the effort and devotion that the building of these churches must have required and by the beliefs that sustain them.

While wandering around Vienna with MJ a few weeks ago, we stumbled across the Karlskirche. Although it's monumental and one of the top landmarks of Vienna, it hadn't really been on our radar (Vienna is all about the art of Gustav Klimt for me), and it was a surprise to see it looming over the landscape.



Naturally, I had to go in. Normally, I am not crazy about the monumental, grandiose churches, instead preferring the smaller and more intimate buildings, but everything about the interior of Karlskirche won me over. Somehow the architect was able inject enough natural light into the building to create a warm glow in the space. The rosy pink and gold interior is welcoming and although the the church is huge, the decor is light enough to make it feel airy instead of cavernous.

Karlskirche is still undergoing restoration of its beautiful ceiling, which allowed us to take an elevator up to the dome.



The elevator let us out onto a temporary scaffolding structure at the widest part of the dome. Just being at that level was enough to make me gasp with pleasure at the close up views of the paintings meant to be seen from the floor of the cathedral several stories below.



The visit got even better when I realized I could climb another temporary staircase to the top of the dome. I had butterflies in my stomach as I started the ascent, when every step brought me closer and closer to the ceiling and the paintings.



I was still giddy with the proximity of the art as I descended the stairs, and going down my senses were working on overdrive as I felt like I was walking straight into the air - not an experience for those afraid of heights!

Budapest Redux

I'm currently in Budapest for a long weekend with some fellow expats from Krakow.

Budapest is just as lovely in the fall as it was this summer, although blissfully much cooler. Since this time I am staying on the Pest side directly across from the castle, I decided to splurge on my room (worldwide economic crisis be damned!) and upgraded it for one with a Danube view. I think it was well worth the extra bucks to gaze out onto the Chain Bridge and castle hill,which are both wonderfully lit at night. It's one of the lovieliest city views I've ever seen.

We spent most of today on the castle hill. The castle, which is so breathtaking from the outside, was renovated by the communists in their preferred social realist style, which means the interior doesn't live up to the beautiful exterior. Luckily, the castle contains the national art gallery, so at least its plain walls are covered with art.

It's raining right now, and my companions are settling in for the night, but I needed to walk off my dinner, so I just snuck over to the Four Seasons hotel for a quick peak. The hotel was built as a corporate and retail building in the first decade of the 20th century and is an Art Deco (or is it Art Noveau? I always confuse the two) masterpiece. I'm definitely planning to go back for a meal, or at least a drink, and while I was admiring the architecture I also picked up a brochure about their spa . . .

Tomorrow I hope to get inside the parliament buildings, which were closed the last time I was here, then wander around the Pest side of the city and maybe take in a concert at the State Opera house, or see some Tango at the National Dance Theatre.

Monday, we hope to visit one of Bupapest's famous baths (last time I stayed at one of the most famous in Budapest, the Gellert,) and maybe, just maybe, do a little shopping.

Along came a spider

Hydrangeas have long been one of my favourite flowers. My grandparents had huge bushes in their front yard that bloomed unbelievably every year for over 50 years

I don't know whether it's the pinky, blue, purpley colour, or the memory of my grandparents that attracts me to the flowers, but I can't pass by them without stopping for a second look.

I had to get out my camera for these hydrangeas near my brother's home in Vancouver. I was so entranced by the colour of these that I didn't even notice the spider hiding out in the flowers until I saw the web.



The spider is barely visible, but if you look carefully you can just see the legs.

Leaves

When I was in Vancouver at the end of September the leaves were just beginning to turn. I couldn't resist photographing these.




I think my mom asked me last year if Poland has all of the same fall colours as we do in Canada, and yes it does. The Planty is beautiful this time of year, and I was out in the country this weekend and saw fantastic red and orange foliage. Maybe I can convince some visitors to come next fall.

Yum!

The pumpkin pie is done and after eating a small piece I can declare that it is pretty tasty. So tasty that I had to have another small piece.

Maybe I won't take it to the office tomorrow after all.

It's in the oven

I had a bit of trouble with the crust, but after I added more oil and water it seemed to hold together. So far so good.

Another 30 minutes or so in the oven and I should be able to give it a taste test, before I decide whether or not I can inflict it on my team at work tomorrow.

Pumpkin Pie

To celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving I decided to give in to my craving for pumpkin pie and attempt to make one. I'm not much of a pie maker - I can't remember the last time I actually made one and I'm not sure I've ever made a crust from scratch, although I do own a rolling pin in Canada and recall using it, so maybe I have.

I had the same idea sometime last September and ended up ordering canned pumpkin from a Canadian food company. But, since it didn't arrive in Poland until January, there was no pumpkin pie last year.

In preparation I emailed my mom asking for her recipe, and my dad scanned a page of instructions on how to make pie crust from Mom's ancient cookbook. I can't cheat and purchase a frozen pie crust as the Poles don't eat pie.

Mom reminded me that I'd need a rolling pin and that made me realize I didn't bring a pie plate with me either. So, I headed out to the mall late this afternoon to see what I could purchase.

I found a rolling pin at my first stop, but nothing that resembled a pie plate. Cheesecake pans, flan pans, pans of assorted shapes and sizes, but nothing that seemed just right for a pie.

Two stops later found me in the grocery store looking for condensed milk (check), and then searching the kitchen aisle for a pan. I finally decided on a medium-sized pan for tarts and flans. Not quite the right depth or shape of a traditional pie pan, but I am sure it will do.

I'll find out tomorrow when I attempt to make the pie. If it's anything like my other baking adventures in Poland, the pie will be slightly unusual by Canadian standards.

I'll keep you posted. In the meantime enjoy your own pumpkin pies and all the rest of the Thanksgiving edibles.

Tongue biter, teeth grinder

While I was in Toronto last week, I saw my Canadian dentist. Since the face swelling, lockjaw incident in June my teeth have felt out of place, which if you've never experienced it, is really, really irritating.

My dentist did a complete exam, during which he said things like, "evidence of tongue biting" and "cheek chewed on right side."

He showed me said evidence. I thought my tongue was just naturally grooved like that on the sides.

Apparently teeth grinding, which is related to tongue biting and cheek grinding, is very common in women between 30 and 50. The diagnosis is that I do all three when I am sleeping and that I somehow I strained my jaw muscle which caused my face to swell.

He's making me a mouth guard to wear at night on my next trip home.

Toronto

Five days in Toronto is definitely not long enough.

However, it was long enough for me to vote (my timing was perfect for the advance polls), see my doctor, dentist, and hair stylist, buy 3 pairs of shoes, spend a fabulously girlie day with S and D at the spa, drinking tea, eating, shopping, drinking wine, and eating some more, celebrate not one, but two 40th birthdays, attend Nuit Blanche, and even work.

Oh Toronto, I forgot how much you have to offer me. I should have stayed longer.

The beach

I spent three lovely sun-filled hours at Vanier Beach in Vancouver today with my sis-in-law, two nieces and the family dog.

Ella built sand castles for hours, while Loki repeatedly retrieved balls from the Pacific ocean. I divided my time between throwing the ball, filling buckets with water (to create mud), and holding Mia, who slept the whole time.

I always forget how beautiful Vancouver is. I took several photos, which I'll post some day soon.

On my way

It's 7:51 am and I am sitting in the business class lounge at the Krakow airport sipping orange juice and wondering if I really want to eat paprika potato chips this early in the morning.

I'm off to Munich, then Frankfurt, and then finally Vancouver. With any luck I'll be meeting my new niece in 16 or 17 hours.

Spinsterhood

At dinner tonight, one of my friends told me that the Poles consider a single woman over 28 pretty much a spinster. I wasn't particularly surprised as one of my employees mentioned a few months ago that her mother was concerned that she would never get married.

She's 24.

I will add these tidbits to my list of things I should have learned about Poland before moving here.

Geek fit

Although I've never been a big gamer, I've been coveting the Wii since I first played with it last Christmas. And my desire for it grew even stronger when I heard about Wii Fit.

My friend S raved about Wii Fit so much when she visited me in June that we went looking for the Wii when she was here. We didn't find it that day, and I sort of forgot about it until my brother and his family showed up in August. My mother had just bought it for the girls and they told me all about it.

We just happened upon it one day while we were all out shopping, and after that I couldn't get it out of my head. I ended up buying the Wii the next day, and my brother bought me the Wii Fit as an early Christmas present.

It just might be the 2nd best Christmas present I've ever received (I don't think anything will ever top the great guinea pig event of Christmas 1980). I've used Wii Fit everyday since I got it. 19 days - I know exactly how many because it tells me when I first turn it on, along with other facts I am not so keen to know, like my weight, my BMI, my Wii Fit age, and my center of gravity.

But once I get past those not so happy thoughts, I am all over the exercises. Who knew virtual hula hooping was actually a workout? And who would have thought it was fun? Today I hit 405 spins (right direction) in 90 seconds. Top that!

Somehow, getting scored on push ups and other strength and yoga exercises makes me want to do them more. And having my total workout time shown to me after each exercise makes me think, "just two more minutes". Which often ends up turning into another 30.

I'm addicted. And if I keep it up, I just might meet my ideal weight goal, which Wii Fit set for me. It tells me I've got 74 more days to make it.

Rain, rain, go away

Not only has it turned cold, but it's been raining non-stop since Monday. It's chilly, grey, wet, and generally miserable.

Plus I can't remember how to turn the heat on, or figure out how to fix my skylight that's stuck slightly ajar, 12 feet up.

To top it all off, I had looked at the weekend forecast earlier today and it said sunny and 16 on Saturday (hurray!) and slightly cooler but still sunny on Sunday. Now it's forecasting rain both days.

It's making notoriously rainy Vancouver look good.

3 weekends

without guests or a trip is apparently my limit. Last week (after only one free weekend), I got it in my head that I needed to go to Canada. So after a short discussion with my boss today, I booked a plane ticket for the end of September.

It will be a whirlwind trip with stops in Vancouver and Toronto (with even shorter stops, I hope, in the Munich and Frankfurt airports), but I am sure 10 days will be enough to get my much needed Canada fix.

Fall

It's 10 am in Krakow and 8 degrees. The forecast high for the day is 13. Plus it's grey and cloudy.

Last weekend it was 30 degrees on Saturday and 29 on Sunday. Last night it was so cold I had to get my winter duvet out.

I am not ready for summer to be over yet. I'm hoping this is just a blip . . .

The Wild West?

A few weeks ago a note went around my office inviting everyone to a company picnic. The theme for this year's party was the Old West, complete with native dancers, cowboy-themed games and country and western dancing.

My first reaction was laughter. After all, I grew up in Alberta, and my hometown hosts an annual rodeo, which is part of the qualifying circuit for the Stampede. Poland doesn't even have beef cattle!

But then I became intrigued. How would the Poles interpret the old west?

Today I found out. The dancers (all Poles) wore native costumes with varying degree of authenticity. Some looked similar to what I remember seeing in Alberta and in museums there, while others looked like they might have actually come from India.

Although the dancing was enthusiastic and participatory - audience members were dragged in - one of my Polish colleagues remarked that some of it looked remarkably similar to a Polish waltz.

However, the country music later in the evening and the accompanying dancing was a bit closer to the mark. I was never part of the country scene growing up, and can't two-step to save my life, but hearing several old country songs while sitting in a Polish hall, watching several of my co-workers attempt to line dance made me yearn for the real west.

Dancing queens

During my holiday with my brother and his family, I often threatened my nieces by promising to write about their (mis)adventures on this blog.

Although they pretended to be mortified by such exposure, I know they are secretly craving the fame that comes with a mention here. So my little bratanicas (Polish for nieces), your 5 minutes has come.

From now on, I'll always think of Budapest when I hear certain ABBA songs, particularly Mamma Mia and Super Trooper. The bratanicas saw the movie Mamma Mia (twice) just before they came to Poland, and their father thoughtfully loaded their iPods with the soundtrack.

We spent many, many hours on trains to and from Budapest, and ABBA was in high rotation. H particularly likes to sing along with her iPod, which isn't always the best idea when you are sitting in a train compartment full of your family members. Being resourceful, and tired of the relentless teasing, she found an empty cabin where she could sing aloud to her heart's content, much to the amusement of the conductor who came to check her ticket.

A similar train compartment was the site of my favourite moment of that trip. After 10 or so hours of boat and then train travel, we were all tired and a bit giddy. H was still singing aloud to her iPod, when I realized I had ABBA on mine. I suggested that we try to synch up and listen to the same song.

So with one earphone in my ear and one in M's, and H sharing hers with her mother, we starting listening to the same tunes. And as everyone knows, you can't just listen to an ABBA song, you have to sing along. So slightly out of synch, and terribly out of tune, two generations of Hex women sang loudly and enthusiastically to all the hits. We gestured, we giggled, and we made up the words.

I loved every minute of it.

The kitchen is closed

After 5 months of hosting many of my family and friends, my last house guests have gone home.

And I'm sad about it.

But not sad enough to invite anyone else to stay just yet :)

I think I spent more time with the important people in my life in Krakow this past spring and summer then I did when I was living in Canada. And without fail, after each visit I wished that the family member or friend lived here so that I could see them more often.

I'm not ready to leave Krakow yet, but I do wish you all lived here too.

Back from Budapest

I've been on hiatus for a while due to a quick business trip to Germany and then a longer action-packed trip to Bratislava and Budapest with my older brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces (ages 12 and 13).

The two Bs, Bratislava and Budapest, were lovely cities, full of castles, great architecture (both old and communist era), good food, and tourists.

Budapest was scorching. I don't know what the daytime temperatures were, but it was over 30 degrees when we went out for dinner each night around 8 pm. Luckily we were staying at the Gellert Hotel,an institution in Budapest, and made good use of the baths there. I particularly enjoyed swimming in the "effervescent pool" which was surrounded by Greek columns.

Somehow my nieces (and the lure of those columns) got me up earlier each day on my vacation to swim laps then I do to go to work. However, the novelty has worn off for them; it is now nearly 10 am and they are both still asleep. So much for H's resolution to get up early every day.

We're back in Krakow now - I'm tanned, tired, and happy.

More on our exploits later.

Peanut butter cups

Are my new addiction.

At some point in the last year my American colleagues shared their stash of peanut butter cups with me. I've always been a peanut butter (and chocolate) fan, but hadn't missed it until they mentioned them.

But once I had that first peanut butter cup in Krakow, I was hooked.

Since then, I've had a few people bring me over peanut butter cups, which I try to ration to a cup a day or less. Sadly rationing has gone out the window this week as my last visitors brought me a bulk box of king size cups, which come in packs of two.

I didn't know king sized peanut butter cups even existed.

I prefer not not to think about how many calories are in each one and just savour the peanut butter chocolatey goodness while the box lasts. Which likely won't be long . . .

And her name is Mia

I finally got in touch with my little brother tonight, and found out more about my new niece (I did find out her name, via email, a few days after she was born).

Some days living on a different continent from the rest of my family seems like a crazy thing to be doing.

Hooray!

I have a new niece! She was born in Vancouver on Sunday morning at approximately 7:30 am and weighs close to 7 pounds 4 ounces.

That's all I know. She's still waiting for her name to reveal itself.

It seems amazing, yet completely right, that you can love someone you've never met, heard, or even seen a picture of.

Welcome little girl, I can't wait to meet you one day soon.

Canada needs more dragons

I never realized how dragon deprived I was growing up until I moved to Krakow, a city full of castles and dragons, including one that breathes fire.

This is the only dragon I consorted with as a child in Alberta:

It's a bird, it's a plane

Sometime in May or June, I don't remember exactly when, only that it was a rare Saturday without a guest, I checked out the annual dragon parade in Krakow. This year's version was led by this giant flying beast



The beast swooped and soared, and much to the delight of the gathered crowd, came perilously close to landing on the masses. Instead of fear, the beast inspired joy in the hearts of all (including me) who were lucky enough to touch his giant head as he sailed down upon us.



And if he were to turn nasty, we were lucky enough to have these knights to protect us. I am particularly fond of the knight wielding the cooler lid as a shield.

Cat, cat, cat

Like all my houseguests, Sofie was fascinated by Flannery and Small. Most guests, however, do not run after the cats, yelling "cat, cat, cat" at the top of their lungs.

It took Sofie only a few tries to be able to pronounce Flannery correctly, but throughout the week she insisted on calling Small Tiny.

L told me yesterday that Sofie now refers to all cats as Flannery. And kisses the cat page in her animal book. Apparently Sofie's strongest memory of her trip to Poland (her father's birthplace), is of my cats.

Flannery and Small miss their petite admirer. It's not often their every move is greeted with such enthusiasm: "cat going Mama", "Mama, cat", "see cat" and my personal fav, "Who dat?" whenever a cat walked by.

And Tiny never even bit her.

And . . .

I just planned two more trips for later this fall. So much for boycotting air travel.

Jet setting

One of the perks of living in Europe is the proximity to, well, the rest of Europe. Since I moved here 14 months ago I've tried to visit as many places as possible, usually just for a few days or weekend.

However, the downside of all this jet setting around is air travel itself. The flight schedules are always seductive: Look, I can be in X, Y, or Z in just 2,3,or 4 hours.

But that's the best case scenario. Yes, I can be in Paris in 3 hours if everything is on time, which, anyone who has flown in the post-911 era knows, occurs very rarely.

And it seems more and more lately, that even if the plane is on time, the luggage isn't, as I discovered on flights in both January and February. It's not much fun skiing when you are at the hill and your skis aren't.

So you won't be surprised when I tell you that my short weekend trip to Nuremberg to visit Y this weekend ended belatedly just a few hours ago.

It all started well on Friday, with both me and my luggage arriving on time in Nuremberg. The weekend, which involved a new haircut and colour (yes I've succumbed to the bob again), lots and lots of shopping and purchasing, and participation in a city-wide inline skating event, promised to end well when I arrived on time for my flight at the Nuremberg airport Sunday evening.

Until the woman at the desk told me the flight to Munich was canceled. The next woman I talked to at the ticket desk seemed to believe that I could make my flight in Munich, which is two hours away by car, by taking a taxi, even though my flight was scheduled to leave for Krakow in exactly two hours. So, although skeptical, taxi chit in hand, I hopped in a cab with a German businessman. Everyone involved seemed to think I would make my flight, except Y, so off we went.

The taxi driver made a valiant attempt, sometimes driving up to 190 km an hour, but couldn't do anything about the traffic we encountered 30 km from the airport. By the time I arrived at the airport it looked like I had missed my plane.

I briefly regained hope that I might make my flight when the woman at the check-in said they would hold the plane for me, which was already delayed, until she saw my luggage, which was too big to carry on. Damn those rollerblades.

I ended up staying in Munich overnight, along with many other displaced passengers of various flights (apparently the Munich airport had suffered severe weather late Sunday afternoon, playing havoc with the schedule), and was back at the airport around 9:45 am ready for my flight.

I shouldn't have been surprised when I made it to the gate and saw that the flight was delayed.

I'm home now and maybe I'll stay here for a while. At least until I am seduced by the idea of being in another European capital in a few hours.

Shake!

The jazz restaurant and bar across the street serves real, honest-to-goodness milkshakes. That is, a milkshake made with ice cream and milk, and whatever else you care to put in it. It's the first ice cream milkshake I've found in Poland (other than at McDonald's which I try to avoid), and it was excellent!

Technically, I shouldn't be drinking milk or eating ice cream (lactose issues), but sometimes, a girl's just gotta have a milkshake.

So the next time you are craving live jazz with your milkshake, I know just the place. And it's right next door . . .

Waiting for Sofie

Tomorrow afternoon, Sofie, star of Letters to Sofie, arrives in Krakow, with her parents in tow.

Sofie, at the ripe old age of 20 months, has the distinguished honour of being my youngest overnight guest to date. As a result, special preparations are in order.

I've borrowed a pack and play (a portable playpen for those of you not in the know), a car seat, and a giant cardboard box (more on this later) just for Sofie.

I also made a special trip to the grocery store to stock the fridge for her dietary needs. Apparently Sofie, unlike almost every other toddler I know, does not eat yogurt, bread (!), or cheese. But she does like fruit, crackers and cookies. And she likes her milk as high in fat as possible (I was only able to find 3.2 percent, which seems luxurious compared to my skim milk).

I also purchased some apple juice, because every other kid I know drinks it. I'll keep you posted on whether that's on her yes list.

Back to that cardboard box. I may not have explained that my apartment (oddly enough, just like my home in Toronto, where Sofie lived for several months last year), is a death trap for small children. Although beautiful to behold, the open wood and glass staircase doesn't meet any safety code I know of, particularly not one to protect toddlers.

So my friends lent me a large cardboard box that I plan to use (in it's flattened state) to block the upstairs entrance to the stairs. The box is so big that a friend and I spent a good ten minutes getting it into my car. I spent even longer trying to get it out by myself this morning.

I haven't quite figured out the logistics of keeping Sofie safe, while allowing Flannery and Small free run of both floors. I forsee there may be a few long nights of meowing ahead.

But Sofie (and her parents) are more than worth it.

Check back in a few days here or at Sofie's own site for an update on what Sofie thinks of Krakow.

Zalipie

While on my short roadtrip in May with EO, we visited the village (perhaps more aptly described as a hamlet, as the village didn't even contain a main street) of Zalipie. Zalipie is famous for folk art, particularly painted houses.

We spent a few happy hours driving around the area, stopping almost every time we saw anything painted.



The detail on this house is quite typical of the Zalipie style:




For more pictures of painted dog houses, doll houses, barns (including cows), and houses, see here.

Summer nights

Several months ago a new restaurant and jazz bar opened up in the building directly across the street from me. I've been meaning to try it for weeks, but it wasn't until S visited that I finally checked it out in person.

The food and decor were fine, but my favourite part of the experience was listening to the live music.

However, sitting here at my desk writing this, listening to the sax accompanied by the noises of the street on a summer night, is even better.

Kazimierz Dolny

When S and I finally embarked on our abbreviated tour of Poland a few weeks ago, we headed to Kazimierz Dolny.

I'd heard a lot about Kaz D over the past few months. It is only a few hours southeast of Warsaw (to which I still haven't been), and has been an artists' haven for the last two hundred years. Plus it has fantastic architecture and is set in a lush forest on the banks of the Wisla river.



S and I spent a few days wandering happily around town, checking out the artists' workshops and buying several of their wares. We also managed to visit a few castles, climb a few hills, see a Red Army Cemetery, and get lost in a farmer's field.



All in all, I'd highly recommend it next time you are in Poland.

See more of Kazimierz Dolny and the surrounding area here.

Dzien Kanada

At some point in the last few months, I had big plans for Canada Day. One of the writers on my team is also Canadian and we had discussed multiple ways how we could possibly celebrate the event. But as I wrote in my last post, as the day got closer, I seemed to run out of ideas.

Somehow July 1st snuck up on us both, and we arrived at the office today without any plans.

So, last minute, I decided to invite my team for ice cream to celebrate all things Canadian after work. No matter what your nationality, ice cream is always a crowd pleaser.

It was all very nice, but I'm missing Canada right now. Funny how I miss home more on the national holidays then I do on the regular everyday days.

Canada Day in Poland, Take 2

On Tuesday I'll be celebrating my second Canada Day in Poland. I'm trying to think of a way to celebrate it with my team, but am stuck on what to do. When I asked my American colleagues if they were going to celebrate the 4th of July here, they answered that you need a picnic with hot dog, hamburgers and fireworks to really celebrate it.

And I guess that's what a lot of you will be doing in Canada on Tuesday.

Any suggestions as to what I can do here? I am thinking of kidnapping my team for the afternoon and taking them on a picnic, albeit without hotdogs, hamburgers, or fireworks.

Obviously I need some inspiration. Help!

De Do Do Do

The Police were probably the first band I fell in love with in the early 80s, but I never got to see them in person, as I was too young to attend concerts when they last played live.

So you can imagine my envy last summer when I heard the Police were touring again, playing concerts in both Edmonton and Toronto. You can also imagine my delight in March when I drove past a huge billboard advertising the Police in Poland.

Thursday night found me and two friends, one German, one Polish, in an old football stadium in Chorzow waiting for the Police to play. As the concert began, I realized that most of the 50 000 plus fans would have never seen the Police before, as western bands couldn't get into eastern Europe in the 70s and 80s.

The size of the audience seemed even more incredible when I found out that fans wouldn't have been able to purchase any of the band's albums in Poland when they were first released.

But the crowd, largely made up of people in their 40s and 50s, obviously knew and loved the Police, cheering wildly with each song, and dancing enthusiastically in their seats and on the field.

At the end of the night when all 50 000 of us were standing and singing along with Sting, it struck me that most of the audience didn't speak English, yet knew every word of every song.

Fantastic concert. Even better memories.

I should have bought the t-shirt.

Solo

For the first time in a month I am without guests.

It feels odd, and just a bit lonely to be alone in my flat with just Flannery and Small to keep me company.

Not sure what I'll miss more - my friends' sparkling conversation or all of the lovely home-cooked meals they have made me.

Only 3 more weeks until the next set of visitors arrive.

Queuing

Over the past year I'd heard horror stories of having to wait in lines at various Polish offices, however until this past week I'd never experienced it first hand.

Last Thursday I met my agent at one of the government offices to pick up my residency card. She told me that she'd already been in line for 90 minutes and that the line had barely moved, quickly pointing out various people who were in line in front of us. The structure of the line wasn't obvious, as some people were sitting in a row of chairs, while others were standing in spots around the hallway.

As a foreigner, I would never have figured out this system alone. The office was behind a door, and it seemed logical to my Canadian mind that I would go in that door first, instead of waiting outside in the hallway. Which is exactly what some other foreigner did, only to be told by someone waiting in line that they had to go to the back of the line.

I got to test the system out myself yesterday when I went to visit a dental specialist for my aforementioned jaw issues. Since I didn't have a specific appointment, only a referral form from the emergency department I visited on Friday, my first stop was reception to find out where I should go. The English-speaking receptionist took pity on me and escorted me up to the 2nd floor, telling me to sit in the chairs in the hallway while she went in to talk to the dentists.

When she reappeared, she told me that they would see me, but I would have to wait, maybe for an hour or more. So I did, sitting patiently in my chair until everyone else around me had gone in. 90 minutes later I saw a dentist briefly only to be sent off to for x-rays in the basement.

Navigating the x-ray cue was a little trickier. First, I wasn't sure what x-ray was in Polish (rentgen for those of you who are interested), and wandered around the basement floor looking for it. Next, I wasn't really sure what to do about the line. Did I sit in the chairs in the hallway and wait, or did I take my chit into the x-ray technicians and wait to be called the way I would in Canada? Still unsure of protocol, I went with what I knew and went through the door.

I was quickly told by someone waiting in line that I had made the wrong choice and that I had to wait in line too. So out I went and sat in the last vacant chair. A few minutes later an older Polish man motioned me into the chair in front of me. I am not sure if he was just being polite, or if I had actually arrived before he had. For the next 30 minutes, every time someone went into the office, everyone in line stood up, moved over one chair and sat back down again.

When it was my turn, I went in, gave my chit, explained I didn't have Polish insurance, then was sent upstairs to pay before I could have my x-ray. When I came back down, I didn't know which line to stand or sit in. I chose to just stand in front of the door, and sure enough when it opened again, I showed my receipt and was motioned in to finally get my x-rays.

Finally I was sent back upstairs to see the dentist again, where I had to figure out what to do all over again.


Jaw update
My face was back to normal size by the time I went to see the specialist, but I still have some pain. No one could give me an answer on why it happened, but they all agreed it wasn't dislocated, which didn't really satisfy me. I have to go back again in 6 weeks to see someone who is going to make me some kind of mouth guard, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that my face doesn't balloon up again before then. Today most of the pain is gone, but I am still eating soft foods and am taking my painkillers with me on my abbreviated vacation this week.

Oops

Poland's next game is actually Monday night, not tonight, as S and I found out when we wandered by the big outside screen tonight and wondered why the crowd was small and not very boisterous. Turns out Turkey was playing the Czech Republic.

I expect tomorrow night to be much louder.

Euro 2008!

Many of you will know that the Euro 2008 cup is on right now (although I wager just as many of you have no idea what it even is).

Euro 2008 is a huge deal in Poland, as it is the first time that the Polish team has made it to the final tournament. Red and white flags are everywhere and the bars and squares are full on game nights.

A huge TV screen has been set up, complete with bleachers and beer tents, in plac Szczepanski which is just minutes from my house. S and I wandered over to see the action (if not the game) Sunday evening when Poland was playing their first match against Germany. The stands were full and the crowds were chanting "Polska, Polska" and everywhere everyone was having a great time.

The party atmosphere dissolved when Germany won 2 nil, but we were fortunate enough to be in the same area Thursday night just as Poland scored their first (and only goal thus far) in the tournament against Austria. The cheers were enormous and people were jumping up and down and hoisting others in the air.

Next game: Sunday night vs Croatia. I expect you all to be cheering for Poland!

Friday night in Nowa Huta

My original plan for today was to be on the road somewhere with my good friend S, who is visiting me for two weeks from Toronto.

The revised plan is now to lounge around my apartment taking painkillers and muscle relaxants.

A few weeks ago, I started to have some discomfort in my jaw, and after my experiences in March assumed that I was going to have to spend some more time in the dentist's chair. However, it was only minor discomfort, and I was traveling, so figured I could wait until an appointment I had scheduled for later in June.

Then last week while in Berlin my jaw just near my ear was quite tender to touch. I resolved to go to the dentist this week and booked an appointment for Friday, which turned out to be a little too late. By Thursday night I was in agony and couldn't chew anything as my bottom and upper teeth no longer touched.

I managed to fall asleep only to be awoken by a nightmare that my head was breaking apart. Not much sleep for the rest of the night, as I had pain in my head whenever I lay down.

Friday morning wasn't much better. I was slightly freaked out by my appearance: right side of the face swollen and teeth still not able to meet. So off I went to the dentist, who thought that they might be able to manipulate my jaw back into the correct position when it was frozen. After a few painful attempts and a consultation with the dental surgeon, they decided I needed to see a specialist.

Being late Friday afternoon, the only option was to go to the emergency wing of a maxio facial department in a hospital. The dentist recommended one in Nowa Huta, which is the large communist planned suburb outside of Krakow.

So address in hand, S and I set off Friday evening by cab to the hospital. Turns out it was the same hospital that I visited last year for my one and only previous medical appointment in Krakow.

The other patients in the waiting room seemed to have experienced face traumas (ie lots of blood). One young boy had obviously had a bad fall off his bike and was scraped and bleeding from numerous appendages, as well as his chin. Another man, who lucked like he was down on his luck, seemed to be feeling no pain although his face was mangled and bloody.

When it was my turn, the doctors poked and prodded me, making me open and close my mouth repeatedly, which sounds benign, but actually was so painful that I teared up. After much discussion in Polish, they decided that my jaw was not dislocated, but that the swelling was causing me not to be able to close my mouth, and that I have to see a specialist Monday morning to put the jaw back in place and determine the cause of the swelling.

To get me through the weekend they prescribed the aformentioned cocktail of pain killers and muscle relaxants, which enabled me to sleep through the night and feel human again.

This morning, optimistically, I told S that I thought the swelling had gone down, and that my colour had improved. However, she just looked at me and shook her head.
She did admit just now that yesterday I looked yellow and now I just look pale. Regardless, I feel better. And hopefully, on Monday I'll be able to chew.

So my vacation is postponed, at least until Tuesday, and S has a few more days to explore Krakow (albeit by foot as I am not allowed to drive while taking these drugs). With any luck we will be able to head out to location in Poland on Tuesday.

Tired, again

I'm in a hotel just outside Berlin on course this week. It's a lovely, if remote location - the hotel is in the forest on the shores of Lake Muggelsee.

Somehow last week, I missed the end of spring and beginning of summer (perhaps because I was in the office working during the days). But here in Berlin summer has definitely started. The days are long and hot.

The one downside to summer both in Berlin and in Krakow is that the sun comes up before 4 am. At home in Krakow I don't have any window coverings for my skylights, which means that when the sun gets up, so do I. And regardless of how I arrange the curtains in this hotel room, the sun still manages to find its way in to wake me up.

Off to Berlin

My house guest leaves Krakow on a 6 am flight tomorrow morning and I leave shortly after (at 8:30 am) for Berlin. I'm off for a week of training and will be back Friday night, just in time for my next guest who arrives on Sunday.

Between working and entertaining, I don't have much time to blog these days. Maybe in July . . .

Polish roadtrip

My old friend EO is visiting me from the US this week and we are in the midst of a short roadtrip. We arrived in Sandomierz yesterday afternoon and spent the remainder of the day wandering around the pleasant little hill town overlooking the Wisla river.

This morning we visited a fabulous castle ruin in Ujazd. The castle, which was built by a rich eccentric Pole in the early 1600s, contains 52 rooms (one for each week of the year), as well as 365 windows, and a special 366th window that was only unveiled on leap years. The guidebooks described Ujazd as deserted and off the beaten track, stating that you might be lucky enough to be the only visitor.

Not so for us. Somehow we managed to visit Ujazd on the one weekend of the year that the castles hosts a medieval fair, complete with reenactments of battles and medieval life. Although I am not much for reenactments, I was impressed by the mounted soldiers dressed as Hussars, completed with feathered wings. I'll post pics when I'm home.

Tomorrow we'll make our way back to Krakow, via the painted village of Zalipie. Apparently the women of the village repaint everything the weekend after Corpus Christi, which was last Thursdaz, so everything should be freshly painted by the time we get there.

More details when I get home.

My heart will go on

Apparently Celine Dion is coming to Krakow. According to one of my writers there are billboards all over the city and he was shocked that I didn't know about a Canadian superstar coming to town.

So he sent me this link.

I'm not a fan, but the idea of 60 000 people in the Blonia (a big open park in Krakow - 2 million of the faithful gathered there to mourn the Pope's death), intrigues me. I guess Celine really is a world wide superstar.

Several readers who accompanied me to Pelee Island many years ago may recall that Celine Dion's My heart will go on was in constant rotation at the restaurant in the hotel we stayed at. In fact, we believe it was the only CD they had. Who knew there were so many versions (all sung by Celine) of the same song?

Heavy

I thought hauling suitcases and groceries up the 62 steps to my apartment was a pain, until I saw 4 men carrying a piano up to the top floor yesterday.

Sadness

Although I've had company for the last week and have enjoyed it immensely, my thoughts have been with old friends who have recently lost people very dear to them.

One of the hard things about living in Poland means I can't be there in person for the people who matter to me. My parents will be my proxies at a funeral I would very much like to be at this week, but somehow it doesn't seem quite enough.

No matter how great technology gets, it will never replace a good old fashioned hug.

Marathon

I started running again a week or so ago. I figured it would be easier to go running in the mornings before work (ha!) then get to the gym in the evenings when all my spring and summer company is here.

So far so good. I was particularly pleased with myself yesterday when I went running in the morning, despite the rain. It wasn't until I was a few minutes into my run that I realized the Krakow marathon was on. Part of my regular running route had been blocked off for the marathon. I just slipped under the tape and ran it anyway, enjoying the admiring looks of some of the passers by. Of course the real marathon runners were long gone.

I saw many of them finishing the race a few hours later, after I had gone home, showered, eaten lunch and done various other things.

In love with Ljubljana

Ljubljana entranced me when I visited in mid-April. A small city of less than 300 000, it is entirely walkable and utterly charming.



See more of Ljubljana here.

Wroclaw

I've taken advantage of a long weekend in Krakow to catch up on posting some of my photos from recent trips. I was in Wroclaw with my parents in mid April and thoroughly enjoyed it. See here for more photos.

Sigh

As I was walking through the Rynek today (the main square in Krakow), I noticed that the Hard Rock Cafe has opened in a prominent location.

I suspect this means that other American chains like Starbucks and the Gap can't be far behind.

One year in Krakow

Exactly one year ago today I landed in Krakow to begin my life in Poland.

I just got home from celebrating this anniversary with my team, who are the entire reason for me being here. When I moved to Krakow last year there were 4 of them and today there are 12. Three of the original four have moved to new positions, so I've hired 11 new writers over the past year.

I can't say enough good things about my team. They help me navigate daily Polish life, and brighten my days with their youthful enthusiasm (more than half the team is under the age of 26), and are always game for whatever I throw at them, including pumpkin carving, easter egg hunts and playing ultimate.

And although they sometimes can't contain their laughter at my Polish pronunciation, they constantly try to help me in my attempts to learn the Polish language.

Tonight one asked me what was the hardest thing I've encountered in my year here, and I couldn't really think of anything to say. When another asked me if I had any regrets about moving, I answered honestly, "No".

They'll probably never read this, but I want to thank them anyway for making my first year in Krakow fantastic. Thanks team, I couldn't have done it without you!

Consolation

It's a beautiful weekend here in Krakow. The temperature has hovered near 20 degrees Celsius both days and the light has that special soft quality particular to spring.

I've taken full advantage of the weather this weekend: going for a long walk yesterday, stopping to sit in the grass by the riverbanks and blow bubbles with my friend and her 20 month old son; running in the Planty this morning, and then rollerblading around the Blonia this afternoon.

But my mind has been firmly in Toronto much of the weekend. In between outdoor activities, I've been immersed in Michael Redhill's excellent novel Consolation. The novel traces events in Toronto in 1997 and 1856. It deals with issues of loss, both personal and municipal (Torontonians have long been scolded for their inability to preserve the city's heritage), grief and loneliness.

The 1856 plot line involves a young Englishman struggling to make a life for himself in a new land in which he doesn't know anyone (sound familiar?), but what's even more compelling for me are the descriptions of the Toronto of 160 and 10 years ago. It's like reading a guidebook for the city I know so well. I've been transported to many places I haven't thought about in a long while.

I'm wishing I could visit right now.

If you don't see enough of your friends

and family, move to Europe. They'll all come to visit you.

Since I moved to Poland, exactly one year ago next Wednesday, I've only had two months when I didn't either host visitors here or meet them elsewhere in Europe.

Tourist season is just starting to heat up for 2008. My parents were the first spring guests in April. My aunt and uncle arrive for a week in early May, followed by an old friend at the end of the month. Then another good friend arrives in June.

Today I found out that yet another friend will arrive in late July at the exact moment another friend was instant messaging about meeting me in France in early July.

Then to round out the summer, my big brother and his family arrive in mid August for 3 weeks in Eastern Europe.

I am now accepting bookings for September and October.

Passports

Oddly, I know less about what goes on around me in Europe now that I live here, then I did when I was residing in Canada. And what I do know of current events in my neck of the woods often comes to me from overseas visitors.

For example, I found out from an American visitor (and confirmed with my parents) that when you travel within the European Union you no longer need to clear customs. Which is good news for non-EU holding passport travelers like me, as the lines were always longer.

However, I'll miss adding stamps to my passport. The pages of my passport, particularly those dedicated to Germany and Poland, have gotten pretty crowded over the past year. I was half hoping to fill it up entirely in the next year or so.

This past week I traveled to Slovenia via Austria, and only had to show my passport when checking in at either end. Quicker maybe, but now I'll never get to see what the stamp for Slovenia looks like.

Ljubljana

I am embarrassed to admit that I didn't know where Slovenia was when I applied for the conference here, and I am not sure that I had ever heard of Ljubljana.

I suspect many of you may also need to look it up, which is a shame, since Ljubljana is one of the prettiest (and friendliest) cities I've been to in Europe. But instead of writing more about it now, I am going to get dressed and go see more of it.

I'll post some pictures of it (and of Wroclaw, where I was last weekend, and also highly recommend) when I get home.

It's a small world . . .

I'm in Ljubljana today and have been since Wednesday. I presented at my first European conference here on Thursday, which was a bit of a thrill, but not really much different than presenting at a conference in North America.

I did love the international aspect of it all - although there were less than 50 people attending the conference, the attendees were from multiple countries: Slovenia, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and of course, Poland.

And it really is a small world. The key note speaker for the conference was a Canadian, (currently working in Sydney Australia), who went to the University of Waterloo at the same time I did, in the same program, and who worked with a friend of mine in Waterloo.

Really, I'm an adult . . .

But you wouldn't know it when my parents come to town.

I love it when my parents visit me, just as I love going home to visit them.

Last night I got home from work sometime after 7 and dinner was ready! Then after dinner my mom cleaned up, while I lay on the couch and chatted with my dad. At one point I asked her what she was doing (knowing full well that she was cleaning up), and felt guilty about it, but not guilty enough to actually get up off the couch and help.

I am a lazy, terrible person, but sometimes it's really nice to have your dinner waiting for you when you get home from work. Lately I've been so tired after work that I can barely make instant oatmeal for myself.

She's already planned tonight's menu.

Thanks Mom!

My Easter Basket

As you can probably tell by all of the Easter-themed posts the past few weeks, I very much enjoyed the Easter celebrations in Krakow. I suspect this will be my last Easter post until next year, but I couldn't let go of Easter until I had shown off my Easter basket.

On the Saturday before Easter Sunday, most Poles fill a basket with eggs, bread, sweets, meat (I considered substituting tofu, but didn't have time to buy some), and salt. They then take the basket to church where the priests bless it. On Easter morning, the Poles eat these blessed foods.

My friends told me what to put in the basket, and even suggested plants to make it look more attractive. So after my final dental appointment on Good Friday, I ran around Krakow gathering things to put in my basket.


Saturday morning I met friends for breakfast in a restaurant near the Rynek. Since we were meeting more friends later to go to church and have our baskets blessed, I took my basket with me. I wasn't alone. Everywhere we looked people were carrying baskets.

I noticed mine didn't look exactly like everyone else's. First, I am sure I was the only one with a green basket. Also, I seemed to be one of the few who had an entire loaf of bread in their basket, and I was probably the only one with pansies.

I know I was the only one with Cadbury mini eggs.


At the church, priests bless baskets every 15 minutes. We arrived just as a blessing was beginning, and I had to scramble up to the front to place my basket in the blessing area. Unfortunately I forgot to remove the cloth napkin that was covering the food, so technically the holy water didn't actually touch most of the stuff in the basket.

No matter, carrying my basket around the streets of Krakow for five hours made me feel like a true Krakovian.

And as my British friend suggested to me, mini eggs are even better when they've been blessed. Same goes for the egg salad sandwiches I made out of the eggs.

Dishpan hands

Sometime in the midst of my uber-busy work week, my dishwasher stopped working. No warning, no noise, no nothing. Just no water. Which translates to no clean dishes.

Luckily, I ate very few meals here last week, so was able to hide the dirty dishes in the non-functioning dishwasher. Sadly that tactic couldn't last forever . . .

Today I started to wash all the dishes the old-fashioned way. It's been years since I've lived in a place without a dishwasher. I realized quickly I have a very small sink and a very large dishwasher.

Fortunately the washing machine is working, as it's been going full-throttle all weekend, chugging it's way through the mound of laundry I have neglected in favour of working the last few weeks. The parents come to Krakow tomorrow, and if my luck holds, they will have clean sheets to sleep in, and fluffy towels to dry off with.

April Fool

I'm here, but haven't had a moment in the last week to catch my breath, let alone blog. Once again I am in a crazy work cycle that I hope will slow down later this week.

Last night at 8 pm (while we were both still at the office), my manager told me that not one, but two executives are showing up at the office today. Planning for just one visit has taken all of my time, and now we have a second one on the same day!

I suggested to him later that someone was playing an April Fool's joke on us.

No such luck. So it's off to work for me.

Talk to you all later this week, after a long nap.

Eggs

As you may have realized from the number of posts lately on Easter related themes, Easter is a big deal in Poland. Over the past week Krakow has celebrated the Holy Week with several processions, festivals, and markets. I've been fortunate enough to participate in many of the events.

I bought into Easter in a big way this year, and when I say bought, I mean it literally. Beautiful Easter-themed decorations, predominantly eggs, were available for sale all over the city. On Palm Sunday alone I purchased three different varieties of Easter eggs to decorate my flat.

We saw someone painting these beautiful pisanki and I had to have the purple one (and the brown one and a white one).


And I couldn't resist this twig egg.

Of course every Polish residence needs some typical painted wooden eggs. These were all over the Easter market in the Rynek.

Finally, no Easter anywhere would be complete without chocolate Easter eggs. I purchased hundreds of eggs last week and then with the help of a few co-conspirators hid them around my office Friday morning. Most of the Poles had never participated in an Easter Egg hunt before, and I got a thrill out of watching them search the office for eggs. Some of the guys grabbed their caps, filling them with eggs, while others picked up their waste-paper baskets and headed off in pursuit.

A rooster, a few pigs, and a lot of sheep

Animals of all shapes and forms seem to feature prominently in the Easter festivities here in Krakow.

It's traditional to place a sugared lamb in the center of the table on Easter Sunday. I haven't heard anything about the role pigs play but wish I had bought one of these fellas to put in my Easter basket.

Nor have I heard anything about roosters, but I thought these two were cool.

Finally

After 9 days, much pain, and 6 dentist visits, the ordeal is over.

Yesterday I had part two of the root canal and today I had a fibreglass pin inserted into my tooth to reconstruct it. No more dentists visits in the forseeable future.

Finally, I feel normal again.

More palms

Some pictures of the Easter festivities in Krakow on Palm Sunday:

The upside

of a root canal, and 4 trips to the dentist in five days, is weight loss.

Today, when I had to see the dentist about getting antibiotics, she told me I looked skinny. I guess that's what happens when you exist on yogurt for a few days.

Sadly, I regained my appetite around lunchtime today.

Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday kicks off Holy Week in Krakow. All over the city you can see the Polish version of palms.



The palms are blessed at Palm Sunday services and also figure prominently in parades and processions.

It's not over yet

Turns out I was optimistic in my hope to feel normal again by Saturday. I went to bed early Friday night, exhausted by all the pain of the past few days, only to be woken up by more pain around midnight. I dosed myself with some Advil and slept for a few more hours, only to be woken up with worse pain around 4 am or so.

I canceled the trip I was supposed to make the mountains yesterday morning around 6 am and then took the painkiller the dentist had given me Thursday night. That gave me a few more hours of sleep, but by 10 am, the pain was excruciating. I phoned the dentist office and was back in the chair a few hours later having a root canal.

The double dose of freezing wore off about 5 hours later and then the pain started again, (fortunately for me, less than it had been) and I developed a fever.

Luckily I had one painkiller left from the dentist, which let me sleep most of last night, and I felt well enough today to participate in Palm Sunday and Easter festivities today. However, I haven't had any painkillers for about 7 hours now (yes, I am counting the hours), and my tooth, jaw, and ear are still bothering me. I hope a few trusty regular strength Advils will let me make it through the night.

I suspect I'll be in contact with the dentist again tomorrow morning.

With any luck I'll be able to blog about something other than my teeth in a few days.

Whew

By the time I got to the dentist's office today at 4 pm, I was willing to undergo any kind of torture to make the pain stop. I even fantasized about having my tooth pulled.

Luckily it didn't come to that. Once the dentist started drilling into the old filling, it almost fell out of my tooth, and she told me that all of my pain had been caused by a loose filling. Apparently the shape of this particular tooth makes it difficult to fill, and at some point the filling had slipped and leaked into my tooth, causing the pain.

Apparently this meant that I didn't have to have a root canal - yippee! Instead the dentist just removed the old filling and then replaced it. Twice actually, as she encountered the same problems with the shape of the tooth as the Canadian dentist, and had to remove the new filling and redo it.

90 minutes in the chair with your mouth screwed open is a long time. And it seems even longer when the freezing wears off before the filling (the second time round) is completed. After that experience and the excruciating pain of the last few days, I'm exhausted.

But I'm looking forward to feeling normal again tomorrow.

Tooth ache

The last few days I've been suffering from a tooth ache. The pain seems to be moving around the left side of my jaw, both upper and lower and is now moving into my ear. I was hoping it would just go away, because the last thing I wanted to do was brave a Polish dentist. I find visiting the Canadian ones bad enough.

However, the pain has had me wishing for some extra strength Advil (no Advil in Krakow), and popping the last of my regular strength supply. Plus the last time I ignored tooth pain, I ended up having a root canal a year later.

So after gathering dental recommendations, I was sent off to get x-rays at one location and then went to the dentist's office at 8:30 pm tonight. Apparently dentists work late in Poland. The attractive, modern office (filled with roses!) was bustling with activity when I arrived, and was still going strong when I left at 9:30.

After much poking and prodding (they had to tap and test every tooth since the location of pain was hard to pinpoint), the senior dentist (I saw two) decided that an old, very deep filling I have is probably the culprit, and that there might be infection under it.

So tomorrow afternoon I am going back. They plan to remove the filling and see what's going on underneath it.

Even with the roses, I'm not looking forward to it. Wish me luck.

Krakow

I've been spending more time this winter seeing the local sites and visiting museums and galleries I haven't been to yet. Yesterday I went on a tour of Wawel castle and the Christian areas of Kazimierz.



Yesterday was grey and chilly (but nothing compared to Canada these days), but spring is definitely on its way. Crocuses are up in the Planty and on Wawel hill and although these branches are still bare, some bushes and trees are starting to bud.

And one more post about Anne

Yesterday one of my writers left a newspaper on my desk, circling the article on the 100th anniversary celebrations of Anne of Green Gables in Krakow this June.

Apparently the festivities include a carrot juice festival, which makes me question the writer's translation, and attempts to get into the Guiness book of world records for some of the Anne-related activities.

Who knew?