St. Stephen's Day

Happy St. Stephen’s Day! Although not much recognized in the US, St. Stephen’s is considered a “second Christmas day”. As we found out today, not much is open on St. Stephen’s Day either.

If you did not read Lisa’s blog of our Christmas Eve evening with the Draniewicz’s, please do http://anamericanhouseholdinpoland.blogspot.com/2009/12/wonderful-polish-christmas-experience.html

As she also noted, we spent Christmas afternoon on a train and spent the night in Warsaw. Our final destination is Bratislava, Slovakia, but that is a 13 hour train trip from our home in Gdansk. Our plan was to break the trip up into two days, five hours to Warsaw, and spend the night. Then today, the remaining eight hours to Slovakia (going through the Czech Republic).

We left our Warsaw hotel this morning after a great breakfast buffet . Good thing we had the buffet, as all the train station eating places were closed.

We got on our train bound for the Czech Republic at 9:45. As usual, we reserved a six person compartment, three seats facing the other three seats. Keeping the kids occupied, and me from killing at least one in that small prison cell is always a trial.

As Warsaw is right in the middle of Poland, we still had to get through the southern half of the country. That took about four hours on the train. Southern Poland is very rural and very beautiful. We enjoyed the scenery. We were riding on a Czech train (Warsaw to Prague), which is much nicer than what Poland typically offers.

We crossed over Poland’s border and into the Czech Republic at about 1 p.m. Not far from the border was the station where we had to change trains. We had about an hour layover at the station, and it was our plan to grab a bite. Although the station is medium sized, absolutely nothing was open today. Well, except for this greasy spoon restaurant (and that is giving greasy spoons a bad name).

They had a large menu of items on the wall and the kids picked out what they wanted. We began to order. The counter lady stopped us quickly and signaled (the only English words she knew were “ketchup” and “mayonnaise”)- and indicated they had nothing on the menu today: just the items we actually saw, pre-made, sitting in front of us behind the glass. It consisted of about six or seven different sandwiches, which had been there for who knows how long. Plus she had cold french fries. We basically ordered all she had left. She even had to put the french fries in the microwave to warm them up.

Problem two: they do not take credit cards and the Czech Republic has its own money/currency. As we were only spending an hour in this country, I did not plan on getting any of their money. I only had Polish Zloty’s and Euros. So I had to find a ATM and make a withdraw to get just enough Czech Koruna to cover our pitiful lunch. The bill came to 347 Czech Koruna (about $19).

After about an hour in the Czech Republic, we boarded a Slovakian train for our three hour trip to Bratislava.

The Slovakian train was even nicer. Again, amazingly few people traveling today. We took two compartments and stretched out a little. Slovakia is full of mountain ranges and is a popular place to ski in Central Europe. We traveled along side the Tatra Mountains (part of the Carpathian Mountain ranges) for several hours. Also, as we are now much further south in Europe- the sun stayed up much later. We actually traveled the full entire north/south length of the Czech Republic.

We finally arrived at our destination at 6 p.m. We have a great three bedroom apartment in Bratislava, about 1/2 mile from the historic downtown. For those not familiar with Slovakia, it is half of the former Czechoslovakia. The entire country is about the size of two New Jersey’s and has only five million people. Bratislava is the capital.

It has done quite well for itself since the fall of the Soviet Union. It has one of the better performing countries. Slovakia just adopted the Euro 11 months ago, so all prices are stated in Euros as well as Slovakian Korunas. Everything has two price tags on it, and you can pay with either currency. They will use both currencies for another month or so, then the Koruna will go away and only the Euro will be accepted.

Our first and only order of business tonight was to get something to eat. The downtown area was only a few blocks from our apartment, so we left in search of food. Again, every place was closed. We could have kept walking and maybe found something, but place after place was closed expect one: McDonalds. To my great chagrin (but my childrens’ delight), that is where we ate. Our McDonald’s bill was 832 Slovakian Korunas (or 27 Euros).

Tomorrow is a day for Castles, the Danube, and other touristy places.

Christmas in Poland- Wesołych Świąt

Wesołych Świąt,

The weather here has broken. Europe had quite cold spell from the Ukraine to France. Rail and air was grounded through much of Europe. We have a good Fulbright friend of ours (Leanne) who decided to go back to the States for the Holidays. She left Poland, and has been stuck in Paris for 3 days. Now getting “stuck” in Paris might sound nice, but I am sure when your bags are checked and you are living on airport food for days, well.... But similar things are happening all over Europe.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8425805.stm

However, today we started to warm back up and thaw. Just in time of our trip later in the week.

I taught my last class of the season yesterday. My attendance on Monday and Tuesday was about 25%. We have a much shorter break here than colleges do in the States. In the States, I would be “off” for about 5 weeks during the holidays. Here is it really just the week between Christmas and New Year (like a real job). We start classes back up in Gdansk on January 4th.

Another difference is the semester term. In the States, Christmas Vacation (over here you are allowed to call it Christmas Vacation) would signal the end of the semester. Then after the Christmas break, you would start the next semester. Here we are only 75% done with the Fall semester which does not end until the beginning of February. So I have about a month left of this semester when we return from Christmas break.

Speaking of Christmas Vacation- I treated the family to that movie last night. I love Cousin Eddie! With Chevy Chase and Randy Quaid, It’s probably one of the closer depictions of a real family gathering at the holidays. It's not the Christmas season until you watched National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.

Earlier this week we also showed the kids the classics: Rudolph, A Year Without Santa and Frosty the Snow Man. It is hard to believe all of those were made before even Lisa and I were born. They really hold up over time.

Of course Christmas in Poland is a special event. They have their own unique traditions.

First, the big event day is Christmas Eve (Wigilia)- not Christmas Day.

On Christmas Eve (Wigilia) it is traditional in Poland to:

-It is a day first of fasting, then of feasting. You fast until the first star comes out. That is normally the childrens' job is to look for the first star to appear in the sky. Now luckily as it gets dark at 3 p.m.--you are not fasting long.

-The feast begins with the appearance of the first star; there is no meat in the feast. Mostly fishes. Carp is the big item on the table (their version of a turkey). Poppy Seed cake is also important.

-In some households, bits of hay are spread beneath the tablecloth as a reminder that Christ was born in a manger.

-An even number of people must be seated around the table or, tradition states, someone may die in the coming year.

-The meal begins with the breaking of the opłatek (an unleavened bread). Everyone at the table breaks off a piece and eats it as a symbol of their unity with Christ. They then share a piece with each family member giving good wishes for the following year.

-There should be twelve dishes of food, as a symbol of the Twelve Apostles.

-Poppy seed cake, beet soup, prune dumplings, carp, herring and noodles with poppy seed are universal Polish Christmas foods. Traditionally, there is no meat eaten on Christmas Eve. Often there is compote of dry fruits.

-How you spend the Wigilia signifies how the next year will be for you and your family.

-Then presents are opened after dinner.

-Midnight Mass is very very common.

-Christmas Day and then the 26th (as second Christmas Day) is spent visiting friends (we will spend it on a train).

Some of the above we will follow this year and some we will not be able to (no Carp unfortunately, and I doubt Lisa will put together a 12 course meal. Lisa promised a 12 course meal next year when she is in her own kitchen).

So what did I ask Santa for this year?  A Gate's BBQ brisket sandwich.  I miss Midwest beef (Poland is the land of pork)!

We have been very honored to be invited to our landlord’s (The Draniewiczs') for an after dinner glass of wine and conversation. We are excited about the evening.

Then off to Slovakia and Budapest the next day.

So again, Wesołych Świąt!

Warsaw

I am in the middle of giving an examination to my undergraduates.  So while they are praying and/or cursing, I thought I could catch up on my blog.

Last week we were in Warsaw for my mid-year Fulbright meeting. Warsaw is about a five hour train ride directly south. Recall that Gdansk is in the very north of Poland, and Warsaw is basically in the middle. Five to six hours are about a much as the kids can handle on a train, we have determined. This train was quite nice and had a restaurant car.

I will not go into much family detail on our trip, as Lisa was quite good in blogging our activities each day. If you are not subscribed to her blog, I suggest you do.  You can read our many Warsaw adventures here.

http://anamericanhouseholdinpoland.blogspot.com/

The top three blog entries are on Warsaw. If you have not, please give them a look. I am trying not to repeat what Lisa has already said.

As I mentioned, it was not all fun and games- I did have a meeting to attend. Most of the Polish Fulbrighters came from their cities for a meeting with the Program Director and Executive Director. I spent 10 days with these scholars in September, and it was great to see them again. Before and after our meetings, we caught up at dinners and accompanied each other to sites. Most had not met Lisa and the kids before.

Our meeting was an informal gathering to let the scholars discuss how the program is going and obstacles people are facing. This is then used to help the next batch of Fulbrighters who come next year. The topic that dominated the meeting was the issue(s) of visas, which have been problematic for many. We also discussed other travel opportunities and some administrative items.

We meet again for our final meeting in May. At that time, we also get to take our families to the US Ambassador to Poland’s residence. I have not met the new Ambassador.  He is an Obama appointee and just arrived. I had met the former Ambassador (a Bush appointee). He stayed on until this past October.

I love Warsaw. It is huge, and struggling with its own growing pains. In many ways it does remind me of New York. It is a perpetual traffic jam. That said, in my opinion, it can be classified as one of the “Great Capitals of Europe.”

The history is phenomenal, from the Jewish and Polish struggles during WWII, to medieval Warsaw, to Post-Communist Warsaw. Lots of skyscrapers, culture and history to see and do. Like New York or Paris or Berlin, you could spend a couple of weeks in Warsaw without seeing everything.

On the culture side (not my strong suit; I am a history guy...) is Frédéric Chopin. You might recognize Chopin’s name as one of the great classical composers. He was from Warsaw and they are getting ready to celebrate his 200th birthday in 2010. The entire year will feature Chopin concerts put on by some of the best orchestras in the world who will all be traveling to Warsaw. Although he died and is buried in Paris, he asked that upon death, his heart be removed and returned to Warsaw. It is held in a parish church in downtown Warsaw today. The comment goes that no matter where he lived, his heart belonged to Warsaw.... Also, if you are a Vodka drinker- try a bottle of Chopin. It is a great Polish made Vodka. Other than the name, it has nothing to do with him, but it is good.

Our apartment was in Old Town. Although most European cities have an “Old Town,” this has an interesting history. Although centuries old, the Warsaw Old Town was completely destroyed by the Nazis in 1943-1945. General Eisenhower toured Old Town soon after the Yanks arrived and could not believe the destruction.

However, the Poles had hundreds of pictures of what Old Town looked like. It was completely rebuilt to look exactly like it was prior to 1943. In fact, if you did not know better you would think these 40 year old buildings were over 400 years old. They did a great job in historical reconstruction.

A picture of Old Town before and after.....

 

Although most European city destruction was the ravages of war, Warsaw was a planned destruction. 85% was purposely destroyed by the Nazis. A couple of Nazi quotes “ The city must completely disappear from the surface of the earth and serve only as a transport station for the Wehrmacht (German Army). No stone can remain standing. Every building must be razed to its foundation." SS chief Heinrich Himmler, October 17, SS officers' conference
 
"Warsaw has to be pacified, that is, razed to the ground."
Adolf Hitler, 1944"

Interested in some other before (in 1945) and after (today) shots of Warsaw- I found a site- http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showpost.php?s=9c24ca47388fb3c6ebbf375c18efb095&p=30310178&postcount=33

Warsaw was great. I have now been to this city a number of times. I look forward to coming back soon.