Napoleon's Polish Campaign: 1806-7

Something that I thought was only historically preserved in art like Napoleon's portrait is actually still alive in Poland:

"The Warming of the Hand Inside the Coat."

I first noticed our Polish train conductor warming one hand this way. I thought, He must think he's Napoleon or something. But then we kept seeing more and more men with their palms on their stomachs. And then, before I knew it, Chris started doing it, too.

Very warm, yes, warmer than pockets. The one problem is with the unidirectional flap, which only allows one hand this luxury. Anyone want to invent a new coat design? The Polish coat industry is waiting.

One related fact I learned while writing this post: Napoleon is seen as a liberator in Poland (from Russia), and he himself admired the valor of the Poles. He is even mentioned in Poland's national anthem:

"Cross the Vistula and Warta
And Poles we shall be
We've been shown by Bonaparte
Ways to victory

March, march..."

Oskar Schindler

Schindler's factory in Krakow recently reopened as a museum of life in Krakow's Jewish ghetto. Since we had just stood in those streets and seen the houses and tram lines the night before, learning about the nightmarish Nazi occupation was all the more...you know. It is one of the most wonderful museums I've experienced; walking through the interactive themed rooms reminded me of the line for the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland ("what happens if I pull this?"). We also got to watch a series of interviews with people Schindler worked with and helped. Earlier this year, I read Wladyslaw Szpilman's autobiography, The Pianist. His fascinating account of the good and the bad of human nature after his experience in the Warsaw ghetto kept jumping to mind as we toured this exhibit. Our familiarity in Germany lent us new eyes with which to see photographs of "Krakow Hbf" signs in the main train station instead of the former Polish signs. Daisy napped for this whole museum, so we were able to read and think and talk.

Products of the factory

Schindler's employees

The museum's "film cafe" displayed mementos
from filming

Learning about someone who disobeys political authority based on principle is always inspiring, and it makes me really question if I have the strength the risk harm to not only myself but my family in order to maintain integrity. I hope so; I hope that by learning more and more about the eventual demise of wrong-doers and the true impact people of honor can have will only aid me in choosing the right path whenever it offers itself to me.

Krakow's Planty Garden Ring

In the early 1800's, the citizens of Krakow decided that city walls were outdated and tore them down. In the empty 52 acres, they planted a garden, which still rings the old city, making the beautiful old park accessible from everywhere. A marvelous idea for any city. Since we had a ton of time to just relax in Krakow, we played for a while in the Planty Garden and came away with some nice fall pictures.

We saw so many people holding these leaf bouquets: moms, college students... I wonder if they stick them in a vase or strew them on a windowsill or what?

"Krakow," by Daisy

This trip provided a big boost to my Conni books collection. Conni's First Flight was great reading material for the airplane, but not exactly applicable, since it was actually my 30-something-th flight. Since Conni ate spaghetti on the airplane, it was absolutely imperative that I also had spaghetti for dinner. Mama and Dada made it happen, and also sprinkled the rest of the trip with new Conni books!

We got to walk to our hotel along the river, where we visited families of ducks and swans.

On our first night, we walked at the base of Wawel Hill by this iconic "Fire Breathing Dragon." Mama freaked out because, in the pitch dark, we heard a "click click..." and saw...

...this! (It happens every ten minutes or so.) I still talk about that scary dragon.

Walking up to castles is one of the best parts of any trip. Just add an extra hour to however long you were planning on taking to get there.

Noted: Krakow also has pigeons to chase.

I found a sweet Polish friend, and we loved each other for five minutes before we had to say goodbye.

I'm not sure how to describe this, but there was a bed on my train one night. Isn't that awesome???

I brought home one souvenir from Poland: a yellow amber necklace which I love to wear. Mama also got an amber necklace, and we always wear them together.

The Church in Poland

Poland is one of the most religious countries in Europe, outranking even Italy. 95% of Poles belong to the Roman Catholic Church, and though that is a number derived from infant baptism, it's still a striking number. The majority of people are practicing Catholics, and not just on Christmas and Easter: a 2009 poll by the Church revealed that 80% of Poles go to confession at least once a year.

Side wall, Wawel Cathedral

During our first night in Krakow, a Saturday, we noticed quite a few people arriving at the church down the road from our hostel. At first, I remarked that there must be a concert. Then it dawned on me - people were going to church! It was the same situation on Sunday morning and Sunday evening. Throughout the city, the big churches were open to tourists in certain sections and at certain times, since they all held regular services. We saw friendly monks and nuns, probably pilgrims, everywhere. 

Even on a Monday afternoon, we stepped into a Franciscan church to find about a dozen people sitting in prayer, apparently stopping by after work. This spiritual use of a church building is unfortunately remarkable in Europe. In a strange way, being in Poland actually reminded us of being in the United States!

Side door out of St. Mary's Basilica

It's fitting that one of the most famous people from Poland is Karol Wojtyla, who was born in Krakow and served as Archbishop of Krakow in Wawel Cathedral before becoming Pope John Paul II. He is honored with a modest statue on Wawel Hill, which is the country's leading tourist attraction (although Warsaw is the current capital, Krakow was the first capital and remains dearer to most Poles). We were almost expecting a sort of Pope mania, with his image on little trinkets like Michelangelo's David is in Florence, but what we saw was a tame respect which steered well clear of both idolatry and ridiculousness.

Karol Wojtyla, aka John Paul II

Wawel Cathedral, practically adjacent to the fortified old palace at the top of the highest hill along the river, was the site of coronation of Polish kings and holds the tombs of Polish heroes, Westminster Abbey style. Its many side chapels and multiple revisions throughout history make it seem almost messy in design. Here's the mysterious entry gate:

From far away, the ramshackle towers seem very picturesque.

We weren't allowed to take pictures inside, but that was fine by me. If I had to describe my memories from the interior, I'd mention lots of black and white marble tombs, solitary nuns hunched over their rosaries, clear windows, Chris secretly supplying Daisy with more nuts and raisins, and the familiar smell of incense.

St. Mary's Basilica, which towers over the vast main square in the old town, is the other big church to see. Its current Gothic model dates from the 14th century.

With all the red brick and yellowing leafy parks in Krakow, sometimes I felt like I was on an American college campus. Perhaps the old European tradition is what many colleges were trying to evoke with their pedestrianized brick campuses.

Every hour, from the highest bell tower of St. Mary's, a local fireman performs a special job: trumpeting a call from all four sides. According to a famous episode in Polish history, a bugler was sounding the alarm because of an impending 13th century Mongol invasion and was silenced by an enemy's arrow. Therefore, the melody is always abruptly halted midway through to commemorate the event. Every day at noon, the call is even broadcast live on Polish Radio! We stood at the bugler's 4th and final side, where he stayed to wave at the crowd. My heart melted as I watched young Polish kids wave excitedly back up at him. It's their homegrown tradition, as dependable as fireworks on the 4th of July.

 

St. Mary's Bugler

Altar of St. Mary's Basilica

 As soon as I stepped into the church and saw the altar, I ran back outside to buy the "picture-taking permit sticker." This is one of the most breathtakingly colorful and detailed interiors we've ever seen and I wanted to play with my camera a little. Architecture is a special art because you get to actually go inside of it. If I were an artist, I would design complete rooms to go along with my works, with walls and floors and ceilings and furniture as well as traditional art for the wall. Here are a few of the details we had time to sit and enjoy during Daisy's nap:

The Polska (Poland) eagle

Veit Stoss' huge wooden Gothic altar;
intricate windows

Rear of the basilica; organ

Amazing.

P.S. I learned that St. Mary's is the basis of so-called "Polish Cathedral Style" which found its way to churches in the US.

Polish Food

Like most people who travel, I love trying new food native to the region I'm visiting. Here are a few of the eating experiences we had in Krakow.

I didn't have a guidebook for Poland, so I just researched online and borrowed a German DVD on Krakow from the library. This has been a long-time goal of mine, to see how Europeans approach tourism in Europe. As can be expected, there were not many "Wow, this building is from 1516!" exclamations in the show. One of the first things the episode did was highlight the popularity of the bagel, which is a 16th century invention of Krakow's. (Immigrant Jews later brought the bagel to the US.) The cameras took us inside a Krakowian bakery to watch the bakers at work, rolling and binding the bagels, adding cheese or sesame seeds. All this was interesting, and we were certainly intrigued by these bagels (how could we not be?). As the host proceeded to sit down and interview the bakers, though, I couldn't help laughing at the prospect of an American travel series spending this much time on Krakow's bakeries in the first 10 minutes of an episode. (Also included right off the bat were interviews with a modern theater group and a Q and A with an owner of an antique shop.) Surprisingly - then again, maybe not - the bagels were indeed a highlight of the city. They're 30-cent readily available healthy snacks, found on almost every street corner.

Thanks for inventing the bagel, Poland

In the Communist days, the government subsidized cafeteria-style restaurants called "Milk Bars" to give Poles an affordable place to eat out. In a bizarre turn of events, these (formerly unappetizing) restaurants 1) still exist and 2) are still subsidized. Aga demurred that they are not as popular in Krakow now as they are in Warsaw. When we ordered, Chris and I didn't have the language skills to ultimately discover our options; we just kind of pointed to what other people had or what was displayed in front of us. I drank plain kefir, and Chris drank a warm berry compote. It was totally fine food, and the place was buzzing with customers. Very "retro."

Milk Bar sign

Our government-subsidized meal

In the heart of the rundown Jewish ghetto of Krakow, a small pocket of restaurants, surrounded by synagogues, specializes in Jewish food. We chose to eat at a touristy one (you could buy menorahs on your way in) because I wanted to make sure that there was klezmer music playing while we were eating. It's the second best way to hear new music with a small child while traveling, after street musicians. I also saw on their menu that they served kosher wine from Golan Heights in Israel; this experience might be the closest we ever get to that part of the world.

Wine from Israel

Zwiec is the only brand of Polish beer we tried - a perfect hoppy lager. It's fantastic and joins the ranks of the other fabulous brews we had in the Czech Republic.

Sidewalk cafe advertizing Zwiec

On our last day, the rain and cold combined with the interminably long wait for our 10 PM departure of our night train to make us a little miserable. We found shelter in the Wedel chocolate cafe and stalled by eating chocolate cakes and drinking coffee, tea, and hot chocolate. Krakow was actually a part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, making it much more West-leaning than other parts of Poland, and it was influenced by the fancy Viennese cafe scene.

Daisy's yummy hot chocolate and
a Conni book

Wedel is one of the oldest brands in Poland, and they make other confections as well, including our favorite, Chalwa/Halvah. This treat is ancient (some people suppose that it originated in Turkey in 3000 BC) and it is made from crushed sesame seeds. Its consistency is similar to the melt-in-your-mouth crunchiness of a Butterfinger. I bet Abraham ate it. I'll try to make it myself someday, but maybe I'll do bagels and borsch first. Our home menu has so much more variety now that we've traveled!

First Impressions of Poland

Krakow's John Paul II International Airport lies 9 miles west of the city center, 15 minutes by train. As we stepped out of the airport to catch the train to the city center, we were surprised to walk through a small neighborhood on the way to the train station (it's just a five minute walk - at the 2nd largest airport in the country). Astonished, we witnessed some very rural scenes: a woman pulling a bucket of water up from her well, a man sitting on his front steps peeling potatoes, with a goat and goose at his feet, and a park protected by a barbed wire fence. The air was clouded by a fragrant smoke from fires on the farms, marking the end of a long harvest day.

First steps out of the airport

Camouflaged building next to the train stop and
barbed wire park; woman in hooded shawl

View from the train; hundreds of little fires

 We checked into our hostel, which was operated by a pleasant girl named Aga. She always hung out in the main living room with us and liked showing Daisy Polish (or old Czech) cartoons. It was fascinating to talk with her and the other guests about where they came from and what they thought of America.

Chris, Daisy, and Aga at "Elephant on the Moon" hostel

Although the hostel was a thirty minute walk from the city center, we would choose to stay there again, not just for the company or the free juice in the fridge for Daisy, but for the fact that the walk hugged the Vistula river. Our first night, the sky was still thick with smoke but cloudless; the moon shone brightly over the smoke-shrouded old castle and cathedral. It was magical and added to the first day's thrill of seeing something different

Although Poland shares a border with Germany, it feels far removed from us. Krakow is almost as far east as other cities we've visited (Helsinki, Tallinn, and Athens), and it feels just as exotic because of its Slavic language and different currency. We only learned how to say "hello" and "thank you." I think it scored us big points. Aga said that most Polish people don't expect visitors to learn Polish since it is just used in one country (as opposed to German, which is used in multiple countries). "Hello" in Polish is Dzien dobry, which translates as "day good." In Czech, it's reversed and said Dobry den. It was fun to see the plural ending of "y" around the city. Toilety, Banknoty, Computery, and Hot Dogi are just funny words to see.

We've heard that Prague is how Western Europe was 20 years ago, and that Krakow is like Prague 20 years ago, so we were expecting something different. I think I might know what that little saying means after visiting: We would follow public signs leading us to landmarks (on the outskirts of town, granted) and find ourselves alone on torn up sidewalks next to abandoned lots. The Jewish ghetto, made popular by Spielberg's Schindler's List, still lies in ruin (there is a tiny area with new booming restaurants). Investors will probably soon restore some old homes, repave tourist thoroughfares like the road from the airport to the city shuttle train, and create restaurants and gift shops on sleepy corners, giving the city the slickness of the tourism machine in other large European cities. Until then, though, we are happy to have witnessed Krakow in 2010: woman at her well and all.