Going to work fast this morning before our departure for Auschwitz Birkenau Concentration camp. We’ve certainly been on the move, again seeing & learning. I’ll tell you about some of my experiences through pictures.
Anna & Robert taught us the Polish National Dance during a rest stop on our way to Wroclaw.Monument to Pope John Paul in Poznan. Pope John Paul highly revered in Poland as he was of Polish descent, & worked diligently for Polish independence.Basilica of St Peter & Paul in Pozan. One of many churches we have visited in the last two days.Iconic Poznan Town Hall. We, of course, arrived just before noon, so we could see two goats appear above the clock & nod to one another as a trumpeter played on the top balcony. The plaza below was jammed with school children & other tourists.Poznan in the medieval city center square.Anna pouring grass vodka with an apple juice accompaniment . Traveling this pm for two hours by bus, so treats aplenty.Pork Schnitzel & potato salad with an original Czech Budweiser beer. Portions large at every meal. Many times a lot left on the plate. A taste of everything does suffice. The Polish love to eat. Probably because of the lines to get food, & then the lack of it during Communist times.Wroclaw is known as the gnome city. So Anna suggested a game. The person who could photograph the most gnomes would win the prize. So we set out after dinner to venture to the city center to hunt for the gnomes. This one was my favorite. Not sure who won the prize yet, but Melinda photographed over 30 different ones.Square in Wroclaw Thursday night after dinner. Hunting gnomes.Visit to the Boleslawiec pottery factory where we learned how the signature blue & white stoneware, using a cobalt oxide glaze, is made. This woman is cleaning the bowl after the clay was spun. You can see cups she has on her shelf of the traditional blue pottery. After firing, the artisan paints the design. Delicate, but I would think, rather monotonous work.The painted design is then dipped in a wash. The design appears to disappear, but not really. Finished product after the cobalt oxide glaze is applied. Another gift from Anna after this visit, a key chain.Church of Peace in Jawor. Famous altar.Another Church of Peace & another UNESCO World Heritage Sire this one in the village of Swidnica. Very ornate altar decorated in bible scenes.Dinner here tonight before heading back to Wroclaw: Meatball soup, pate & duck with traditional apple cake for dessert. Most always have wine provided with dinner. We enjoy eating with other travelers from our group as the conversations are always interesting. Tonight it was Mirsa & Orlando from Puerto Rico.
We call that ABC another beautiful church. You might need more vodka and apple juice after tour of concentration camp. You are really seeing the country so much history. Love the night photo. Enjoy your remaining time and safe travels home.
Traveling with Judy 
Leave a comment