Friday, July 10. 2015
We shared the sleeper sofa and didn’t roll over on top of
one another! Of course sunrise is still
around four a.m., so the morning comes pretty early. We both manage to get up and dressed before
the rest of the family is stirring, so we don’t inconvenience anyone with the
use of the facilities. The “flat” or
condo has a living/dining room, kitchen, toilet, shower room and two
bedrooms. The boys have bunk beds and,
of course, there’s the master bedroom.
It is a study in minimalism and yet it feels cozy and welcoming.
The weather is overcast and the cool breeze is most
welcome. I see a man crossing between
the apartment buildings wearing shorts and a jacket. What a welcome change from the heat wave
we’ve been experiencing!
We put away all the bedding and our detritus so the table is
clear for breakfast and the sofa is available for sitting. Soon Slawek (Swavek is the pronunciation) is
setting the table with purple place mats and adding sliced ham, a basket of
bread and a plate with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and cheese. Anna brings in a bowl of scrambled eggs. And there is coffee or tea or water. It is quite a feast! After a while the boys straggle in….not
morning people! We later learn that the eggs were scrambled in rape-seed
oil. Rape is grown on the family farm
and the field is a mass or brilliant yellow flowers.
Anna wants to make a special cake but it takes a little
time, so she asks if that is all right!
Of course it is! The cake has
three layers of hardened meringue and the filling between each layer is whipped
cream beaten with mascarpone and topped with sliced strawberries. Then it is
refrigerated so the flavors can meld. It is hard to wait! Anna and I have been chatting while she
works; she won’t let me help. She does say that she can find something for
me to do if that’s what I need!! Marilyn
has been busy blogging.
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The Back Stage Cafe |
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The Woman from Bamberce |
The facades of all the buildings that face the square are
not just different colors but also
decorated completely differently! They
are three stories tall but very narrow.
In the middle of the square there is an archeological dig. Poznan was the capitol of Poland at one
time; now it is Warsaw and there is a
lot of antagonism between the peoples of the two cities.
Anna and Slawek have made sure that we are back at the town
hall in time to see the two goats butting heads. “What?”
You ask! The story goes that a
young serf was tending a haunch of venison for a huge feast and got distracted,
so the venison fell in the fire and burned to cinders. He ran to the closest pasture and took two
goats to replace the meat; but the goars
ran away and up the town hall;s tower where they proceeded to butt heads. The mayor and guests were so entertained by
the goats’ display that he didn’t punish the young man. Thus began the tradition of the head-butting
goats! The mechanical goats come out
every day at noon, after the trumpeter plays, and at five in the afternoon, or
seventeen hundred.
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Bam! |
We continued to explore the square and Marilyn looked for
postcards for her granddaughters, but so far she hasn’t found anything.
We go a pipe-organ concert in a breath-taking
church, the Basilica Minor! The family holds seats for us while we go nuts taking photos of this opulent creation! The concert is lovely and peaceful, and lasts about twenty minutes or so. I find it interesting that two groups of
adults leave before the group of children who are sitting in front of us! Bartek and Mikhal are so well behaved and
attentive!
We may be running out of time on our parking ticket, so Anna
and I go to add more money while the rest continue on to St. Francis Church. When we get back I’m overwhelmed by the
beauty and grandeur. The Polish churches
are magnificent!
When we’re pictured out we discuss what to do and decide to
head home and leave the rest of downtown for another day. First, though, we stop for Marilyn to buy her "doll" for her collection, which is actually a wooden model of the two goats butting heads! And she buys souvenirs for her two granddaughters.
When we get home Anna starts dinner and we
spend just a few minutes playing on our computers before the urge to wander
into the kitchen is irresistible for me!
Marilyn is talking family with her cousin and I am in the kitchen having
a gab fest with Anna. She is so
intelligent and interesting to talk to!
Dinner is served with many mixed vegetables, rice and baked
fish which we think is flounder.
Whatever it is, it’s delicious!
The family tries to be observant and eat fish every Friday. The boys don’t like fish and just have rice
and vegetables. After dinner we have that magnificent meringue cake and boiled
coffee which tastes a lot like espresso and is supposed to be better for
you. All through the meal the
conversation is wide-ranging and the boys contribute freely! It is a delight to listen to them
volunteering information on so many different topics!
When the dishes are done we join the rest of the family in
the living room where the Poznon-Warsaw football match is playing. This is an intense rivalry and the Warsaw
fans are amazing. At one point they are
all jumping up and down in unison!
Despite their support our team scores first!! And second!! And
third!! If the game had only gone the
regulation ninety minutes it would have been three-nil. However, some of the fans had set of so many
fireworks during the game, that the play was halted until the smoke
cleared. Those extra five minutes
allowed Warsaw to score, but only once, so we were the winners!
During the game Bartek and Slawek blew up an air mattress
for Marilyn. She is thinking that it
will help her back. As soon as the game
is over we can reclaim our bedroom and by the time I get back from my shower
Marilyn is asleep. I’m glad that I had
set up my computer before I left so that I could turn out the light and let her
rest while I blog!
Tomorrow we go to the family farm! There are bulls and hens and three dogs and
seven cats! And several different crops
including potatoes, field corn and rape.
Anna and Slawek have the use of part of the land to grow their own
vegetables and Anna hopes they can harvest some beans for dinner!
I think it is much more beautiful that Krakow! The Poles are very proud of Krakow, though.
ReplyDeleteChurches are magnificent and pictures are stunning. More beautiful than I imagined. Food sounds & looks devine - especially the cake. ☺️
ReplyDeleteThat cake tho...
ReplyDeleteYea, I'm going to look at home and see if they sell the meringue sheets!
Delete