One month to go...

We hope everyone had a great holiday weekend - and we are so grateful for our country's armed forces and those who have been lost in conflicts past and present. Our current country of residence (and the continent it sits on!) would look very differently today if it weren't for brave men and women in the U.S. and around the world who gave their lives in service. 

Today marks the first of our last 30 days in Poland, which is hard to believe. May was a whirlwind! We have been busy criss-crossing the continent, squeezing in a few more trips with some of our favorite people. Here's a quick look at where we've been:

Norway, with Em's brother (and fresh college graduate!), Jack

  
 

Edinburgh, Scotland, with Chelsea

 

Croatia (with a side trip into Bosnia!) for Memorial Day weekend

 

Stari Most in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

30 days... but we're not done yet! Tonight we head down to ye olde Krakow to meet our friends from DC - Sarah and Willi - for some hiking in the Tatras Mountains near Zakopane. And next week - we head up to Olsztyn in the north for some research (Bryan) and rays (Em, kidding). 

We will squeeze out another post or two yet! Thanks for reading and have a great week :)

Guest Post from the Maynard Koziks! (Part Two)

Back in Warszawa, visiting museums, Palaces and Cathedrals, we had the most amazing, knowledgeable, and patient tour guide in Bryan. Constantly astounded by his command of the Polish language in the short time he’s been there, the amount of historical information stored in his brain, and his ability to make it all so interesting, we heard more Polish history (and especially how it related to Dantiscus) than we can ever possibly remember. Dziękuję Bryan!! It was on this day that the “international incident” almost occurred. At our request, Bryan took us to an authentic Milk Bar restaurant for some home-cooked Polish delicacies. When Pat asked for sour cream on her meat pierogi (which evidently is never done) Bryan had to use all the Polish he knew, along with hand gestures and apologies for his mother, to calm down the babci in the kitchen!

Next up, the truly fun and tasty Vodka Tour! Walking around the city to different restaurants with a personable and very knowledgeable guide, we ate and drank shots as we learned which bottles to smuggle home in our suitcases…hahaha! Did anyone say Apple Pie?? It needs to be said at this point that even Pam did shots!! Na zdrowie!!

On Friday, headaches and all, we headed to Gdansk on the train for the day. We had a great seafood lunch looking out over the Wisła, and had so much fun on our search for amber. Then we were on a mission!! Thanks to the timely calculations of our hosts, we took a train to the resort area and put our feet in the Baltic Sea!!!

Friday night found us back in Warszawa, eating another wonderful Polish meal at Folk Gospoda. Dave finally got to eat his Golonka (pig knuckle) and we had many shots and cocktails to dull the pain of thinking about leaving the next day.

As we were leaving, Bryan and Emily asked us our favorite parts of the trip and what we were surprised about. Although impossible to narrow down what we liked best to one or two or even three things, we can say we came away from this once-in-a-lifetime experience with a great appreciation of the Polish people and their pride in their history, culture, and strength. We were thrilled to interact with different nationalities, and felt woefully inadequate in only being able to speak English, as everywhere we went people were welcoming and helpful.

These are a few of our favorite things….

Seeing Bryan and Emily. Watching with amazement how, in such a short time, they have navigated the language and culture. Meeting the wonderful friends they have made since living in Polska. Feeling pride at the smart, talented, and wonderful couple they are and watching their beautiful relationship full of love and faith.

Dziekuje! Dziekuje! Dziekuje to our remarkable hosts, Bryan and Emily, for all you did to make our trip to Poland so perfect! From finding us lovely and perfectly located Airbnb accommodations, making reservations, purchasing train tickets, getting us Złoty, choosing fabulous restaurants, and organizing a schedule that included every wonderful Polish experience they could possibly fit in! We feel blessed to have shared this amazing trip you! You gave us one-of-a-kind insight into this special place you have called home since September 2015. Our trip that began with pride ended exponentially with more. You are superb ambassadors! Well done Bryan and Emily!!

Guest Post from the Maynard Koziks! (Part One)

As fun as it has been sharing out adventures with you all, we're sure you are interested in what other visitors' impressions of Poland have been. So here is a guest post from the Maynard Koziks - Pat and Dave - about their recent trip with Pam to visit us in Warsaw:

Our Polska adventure officially began as Bryan was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship, prompting us to get our first passports! Time passed, tickets were purchased, and our trip became a reality. Bryan and Emily demonstrated immeasurable patience with all of our questions and concerns, and began sending us daily emails with a “Polish word of the day” and a Polish history lesson. We began to practice our “jen-KOO-ye” and “jeen-DOH-brih” and especially our “g-JAY yest TOH-uh-let”!  Many jokes were made about us forgetting something, getting lost, being “too friendly” on the tram, or causing an “international incident.” Truth be told, that assessment was pretty accurate!  Dave left his jacket at home, Pam and/or Pat set off an alarm at the airport, and Dave chatted with a nice gent from Glasgow who seemed to follow us around the airport with a glass of wine. And that was before we left Boston!

Following our schedule (Emily color-coded it by city, put unalterable events in bold type, gave us our addresses, put links to special events on it, and emphasized the flexibility built into the week! WOW! I really think she could make a career out of this!!) we proceeded to fly to Munich and missed our connecting flight (NOT OUR FAULT!). Knowing that Bry and Em would be waiting for us at the airport in Warszawa (probably saying “we told you so”), Pat attempted to navigate a computer in German to send an email. During our wait at the airport we met a lovely family name Kozic, and shared our knowledge of Polish by singing “ah ah ah kotki dwa” with their children. Who told us not to talk to strangers??

What a joyous feeling to see Bryan and Emily waiting for us at Chopin Airport!!! Although they are so wonderful about skyping with us every week, to get real hugs and kisses and see how great they are was very emotional for me!  They took us to our beautiful Airbnb where they had stocked our kitchen and had flowers, vodka, and wine awaiting us. We spent the rest of the day exploring Old Town, shopping, and eating great Polish food at Kameralna. The special welcome they planned for us that night included hundreds of in-line skaters in a parade, the Changing of the Guard walking with us to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and a fireworks display over the city. Quite an introduction to Poland!

On Sunday we went to Mass at their church, St. Paul’s. Obviously they are well known in their Parish, where we met their very nice Pastor and they were asked to assist in the service. We followed church with being treated to a wonderful meal prepared by Emily (fabulous soup and cake) and Bryan (homemade gołąbki) at their apartment. Then it was off to the ballet!! The Tempest, a new modern ballet performed at the Opera House, was one of the highlights of my trip. The vision of dancers undulating onto the stage symbolizing waves still brings me joy! (Pat) 

The week that followed is almost a blur. Looking back, we can’t believe we packed in so many fun activities. The Adventure Warsaw Tour, with the most adorable and enthusiastic guide, gave us a complete overview of Warszawa along with interesting tidbits of history and culture. The train ride to Krakow allowed us to enjoy the beautiful countryside before we checked-in to our 6 bedroom (no kidding….full kitchen, fireplace, 3 bathrooms!) apartment on the Old Town square. Horse-drawn carriages, cathedrals, castles, hourly trumpet players, Salt Mines, flowers, cafes, delicious food, and all the beauty and culture of Krakow unfolded over 2 memorable days.

One very special memory I will always treasure. There was no one happier than I, walking, arms around each other in the pouring rain sharing one umbrella, with my daughter-in-law. Seeking out the special shops Emily had researched for our day shopping together, she used her wonderful Polish language skills to get us around Krakow. I loved our conversations, learned even more why Bryan loves her so much, and can honestly say, one of my best days ever! Certainly, best daughter-in-law ever!! (Pat)

Pierwszy Weekend Latem (The First Weekend of Summer)

After some beautiful but chilly weather during the Koziks' trip to Poland, the weather took an even better turn this past weekend, when it hovered in the mid-70s and was sunny most of the way through. It really started to feel like we had left winter behind, and so we decided to explore our city in its new light.

Starting in May, on Friday and Saturday nights Warsaw puts on a light and music show at Multimedia Fountain Park. The show this year is called Syreny Warszawskie (The Mermaids of Warsaw). We showed up at 9:20pm on Friday and there were already a couple thousand people sitting on the hillside below New Town waiting for the show. We found a clear place to stand and enjoyed the 30-minute display projected on the beautiful fountain. The show depicted three mermaids helping out people around Warsaw, set to an original score and broken up by elaborate combinations of colored streams of water.

 

On Saturday we met a bunch of the Fulbright students at Bar Studio at the Palace of Culture and Science for some afternoon revelry, enjoying the weather and the music from the unexpected breakdance competition that was taking place in the Palace parking lot.

After church on Sunday, we took the trams across the river to Praga where we attended the Gaude Mater Sacred Music Festival concert at St. Florian's Cathedral. Bryan's Fulbright colleague Julia was singing with the Cathedral Choir, and they were even performing one of her original pieces (she's a composer). The concert was great and it was fun to explore another part of the city. Then we had a terrific Lebanese lunch at Le Cedre, one of the best Middle Eastern restaurants in Poland.

After lunch we decided to visit the Warsaw Zoo, located in a large park in Praga, right across the street from St. Florian's Cathedral. It wasn't our original plan for the day, but we fell victim to the Zoo's ingenious marketing strategy - the brown bear exhibit located right along the main road! The Zoo was excellent and was a perfect way to spend the afternoon. We only hope that Warsaw continues to give us more new surprises and activities as the summer approaches. We have to fit them in now because after all, we only have seven weeks left in Poland!!!