Trójmiasto

After a 10 week stint in work without a break ( :-( ) Easter finally arrived a brought a 6 day respite along with it. I spent a few days visiting Poland's Trójmiasto, otherwise Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot.  The three cities could easily be one huge place; they are quite distinct from each other and all have some different to offer but they are so close and well connected by a rail network that constantly runs from place to place, you can see all three in a day no problem.

Gdańsk is the obvious 'jewel in the crown.'  The centre is really beautiful and big and buzzing, but full of tourists and therefore very expensive.  I nearly fell off my seat when a few beers, two ice creams and a soup came to 77zl, this place is not Polish wage friendly.

Gdańsk was also the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, when an electrician made a speech at a shipyard that led to the eventual overthrowing of communism and the Soviets, he was Lech Walesa.  One stop from Gdańsk central on the train you can see the exact place that that happened.

I spent a day in Gdańsk a few years ago and my first impression was that it was some kind of Eastern Disneyland, it could be one of Poland's most beautiful cities.  It was destroyed and reconstructed after the war but for me it hasn't lost any of it's charm.

Gdynia in comparison is perhaps one of the least touristy cities in Poland.  It's a nice place, home to the Polish navy and seemingly a good place to live, but it's difficult to find anything to say about it beyond that.  We took a walk down the marina and had a look at the huge ships, some still used and some old relics, and had a gofry z bitą smietaną - mniam mniam!  We didn't stay long in Gdynia, Sopot is only ten minutes away by train and much more attractive on a sunny day.

Sopot is one of the most popular seaside and spa resorts in Poland.  It's easy to see why; beautiful beach, huge pier (the longest in Europe by the way), clear sea and a lovely town centre.  Unfortunately the lovely town centre is currently undergoing a huge reconstruction, but it's going to be great when it's finished.  Being so popular it's another place that's a bit out of budget for the average Polish wage but it's a great place full of cafes, restaurants and bars and really made for a perfect break.

The sea around Sopot is sheltered by the Hel peninsula only about 30km away by sea so the water in Sopot is warmer than most other places along the Baltic coast.  Not only that but the sea in between the two is only about 150 cm deep so it's popular for watersports and could become a tourist walk in the near future.  Hel is a huge tourist attraction, although how much of that is based on the name I've no idea.  I didn't make it to Hel and back this time but it's an excellent excuse to visit the area another time and see a bit more of what it's got to offer.  With pleasure.

Wielkanoc w Polsce

Wesołych Świąt!  Happy Holidays.  Easter in Poland is a very big deal; both religiously and traditionally it's on the same scale as Christmas.  It's easy to confuse the two in some ways, I've always translated Wesołych Świąt to mean Merry Christmas, but it's a little broader and Świąt refers to holy times rather than just Christmas.  I was on the train on Sunday and somebody asked me why I hadn't gone home for Christmas..  The supermarkets are as much a buzz too as they were around Christmas time, full of chocolate!  And of course eggs, painted eggs are a must.

Every Saturday before Easter families prepare a special basket full of the traditional Easter Sunday breakfast food of white sausage, eggs, chocolate, bread, salt and so on.  The basket is taken to church on Easter Sunday to be blessed by the priest and this marks the official end of lent.  The meal is a huge feast.

I was awoken on Sunday morning by a number of loud canon blasts at around 6am, at first I thought it was thunder.  I walked into town and there was literally not another person around, I've never seen Torun so quiet.  Of course everybody was in church, by midday there were people strolling around town in their absolute Sunday best, and everything was closed (except McDonalds).

Easter Monday is a bit of a strange one though, it's called Dyngus Day or Wet Monday and is a huge excuse for a water fight.  The boys walk around town with buckets of water and soak the girls, the idea is that the girls who are soaked will marry within a year.  Your guess is as good as mine...!

Golub-Dobrzyn

After a very disappointing start to spring (I was still wearing gloves until a few days ago) we've finally had a lovely sunny weekend here in Torun.  Today I went to Golub-Dobrzyn; a small town only an hour away by bus, to visit the 14th century castle and enjoy a walk round in the sunshine.

The castle's quite small, but we had a good wander round and there's a really nice but a bit too expensive restaurant inside.  From the castle there's an excellent view of the town, or towns if you like.  Golub-Dobrzyn used to be two towns divided by the Drweca river.  Golub was owned by the German's until 1920 and Dobrzyn was Russian until 1918, they became one town in 1951 but the divide is still pretty apparent from the top of the hill.  The Golub side looks much prettier and well looked after whereas Dobrzyn was kind of a mess in comparison.  The square was a very normal, pretty Polish town square, and there were lots of people out enjoying the sun.

It's nice to get out of Torun and see somewhere new, and me and Sarah have been well entertained by Damian's jokes today.  After a good walk round it's back home for some kotlet schabowy, another traditional dish I can add to the growing list of things I can cook.  Smacznego!

Zupa piątek

Mushroom soup in a bread bowl + tylko one lesson + vodka = Friday: my favourite day :-)

A Quiet Life

I guess I haven't been up to much lately.  At least I've done nothing I've felt was exciting enough to post about, but I've found a new contentment in my quiet, day to day living.  Spring is well and truly here, the days are getting warmer and longer and I feel like Poland has never been so beautiful.  I've stopped hurrying here and there and developed a stroll.  I guess I've stopped trying, stopped searching, and Polish life has found me instead.

I'm still aware and becoming ever aware of the differences between life here and at home, but the lightening bolts of information that I had when I first arrived have become dawning realisations.  I feel much healthier than I used to and I hope when I get back to England I keep the mentality I seem to have adopted unknowingly here.  I walk every day; if there is anywhere to go it's generally my feet that take me there, and while I still snack often and pig out occasionally, food isn't the same issue here that it is in England.  I've lost 9lbs without trying.  I also drink more, much more! Which of course isn't so healthy but it certainly is Polish; piwo z sokiems and 4 o clock finishes are becoming habitual.

The differences are very subtle.  I don't feel like I'm in a strange place or able to make any strong cultural comparisons, but things seem to go at slightly a slower pace here which is nice.  Shopping on the market, buying fruit and veg from locals who grow their own food on their allotments, teenagers roller-blading along and 80 year olds on bicycles are normal, everyday occurrences.  I hope I'll always see and still appreciate these kinds of things when I come back to Poland in the future, because even though it isn't so different, I can't stop noticing these tiny little day to day things, and they really brighten up my quiet life.

The Leaning Tower of Torun

Try standing with your feet
against the wall...

Tonight I went for a meal in Torun's  Krzywa Wieża, aka, the leaning tower.  It was built towards the beginning of the 14th century making up part of Torun's defensive castle wall, but it started to lean soon after it was built because of the lack of stability in the ground.  But it's a great feature and it's now home to a really nice restaurant; thankfully tonight it seemed stable enough. 

Inside the restaurant

It's strange being inside as the floor is straight but the walls around them are all slanted and walking around felt almost like everything was moving, or maybe that was the wine?  Tonight I had a very traditional 'Torun goulash in gingerbread sauce', it was sweet and therefore strange but really tasty.  Would recommend. 

How old?

I recently learnt that when you ask a Polish person how old they are they will tell you the age that they will turn this year, rather than their age based on their birthday.  For me that's pretty strange, as it means every Pole gets a year older on the 1st of Jan every year and the day and month they were born doesn't factor.

I'm still clinging on to the fact that I am 25 for a few more months, but every Pole with my birthday is already 26.  We translate the Polish 'ile masz lat?' to 'how old are you?', but I guess the literal 'how many years do you have?' is actually more appropriate.  Weird how we do such things differently!

Spring has sprung

The last few days have been absolutely beautiful.  The sun is shining, the grass is slowly returning to a nice green colour and I have officially retired my winter coat - it was 15 degrees yesterday, the old town was really busy and so it seemed were the ice cream parlours.  I really enjoyed winter but I'm also very excited to see that spring is in the air.  I'm looking forward to the nights getting longer so I can enjoy a bit more of Torun after working hours.

Ive heard that you know it's spring in Poland when you keep stepping in dog poo; people don't pick it up and as the snow melts it gets all over the pavements.  Hopefully because we had the long thaw in January and very little snow since it won't be too bad this year, I don't want to make a mess of my new boots!  It's also known for being particularly beautiful and rapid, it isn't a gradual transition from winter to spring, the flowers and trees literally burst with colour overnight.  Spring is literally a breath of fresh air, I love it.

Sępólno Krajeńskie

I've spent the weekend visiting a friend in Sępólno Krajeńskie, a tiny little town with only 9000 people a few hours away from Torun.  A lot of Poles live in little villages like this one, although I was told it isn't a village, it's a small town - it's so small that it only takes 20 minutes to walk around the whole place.  Outside of the big cities Poland is really quite sparse, full of forests and fields with sporadic collections of colourful houses along the roadside.

In Sępólno I was surprised to see that the lake was still frozen solid in mid-March; the residents took advantage by fishing, dog walking and even cycling on it.  I've heard of a man walking on water before but cycling?

Dominika's family were lovely and they made me feel very welcome in their home.  Polish hospitality is truly second to none.  It was great for me to see a Polish family at home and enjoy some home cooked food, which was all fantastic; we had a full continental spread for both breakfast and supper as well as cooked food and cakes too.  I get the impression that family meal times are very important and I think Polish women in general are excellent cooks; it seems to be something they do often and take pride in.  I don't know if Polish men cook at all, it definitely seems to be the woman's job but a wise choice going by the food.  A big thanks to Dominika and her parents for letting me stay, I hope to see you again soon.

Ladies Day :)

Happy Ladies Day to all the ladies of Poland!  Today us girls had a lovely surprise at work.  We were called in for a very suspicious meeting in the office and left wondering what we had done wrong until Romek, our boss, and all the men at work presented us with a huge cake and a round of applause.  It was really unexpected and a lovely gesture, great for staff morale.  The cake was a very rich chocolate and cherry cake, of course I felt sick after a slice but still managed to sneak a bit more a few hours later.

I nipped into the Old Town before classes and saw so many people with flowers and gifts, the Poles really go all out for their ladies!  It's nice to be appreciated.

There are so many holidays in Poland it's difficult to keep up with them all, but I did remember that today was Shrove Tuesday, and therefore pancake day in England.  Unfortunately my pancakes were a disaster, I'll have to stick to Polish cuisine in future.

Tłusty czwartek

An excellent day here in Poland, on 'greasy Thursday' the Poles eat doughnuts from breakfast until supper. Tłusty czwartek marks the end of the carnival period in Poland. Next Thursday will fall into Lent, which is traditionally a far more solemn and sombre time in which Poles remember (as do many people all over the world) Jesus' suffering for 40 days and 40 nights.

I only ate 2 doughnuts today, a pitiful show. One of the lads in my class had already had 10+ by 5pm and he didn't intend to stop there. I think I prefer the English tradition of pancake Tuesday before Lent begins, but I guess everyday is pancake day in Poland.

Masterchef.pl

Under Sarah's guidance I am rapidly excelling at my goal of becoming a world class chef while in Poland.  I hardly cooked at home, but now I am away it's become one of my favourite things to do.  Having a tiny freezer and an oven that chooses its own temperature helps as I really can't just throw in some frozen fish fingers or something, so instead I cook.  I'm now happy enough with my soups and the various other things I make on a regular basis, but I'd stayed well away from tackling traditional Polish dishes... until now!

Last week me and Sarah decided we would have a go at making golabki, meat and rice wrapped in cabbage leaves.  It sounds simple enough, and I guess it was, you first need to boil the cabbage and strip away the leaves one by one.  Then mix raw meat with cooked rice and add some grated dried mushrooms and wrap it all up in the leaves, making little parcels.  It was quite time consuming but it was fun and we made loads, kept 3 of us eating for days after.  100% success rate thus far; 1 out of 1!

We knew attempting pierogi would be a greater challenge but we thought we'd give it a try.  It was a bit fussy, very time consuming but it was really good fun and turned out to be very yummy.  Now I consider myself to be quite the expert, here's how it's done.... :-)

First you make the dough...

...roll it out (very thinly)...

...cut out the dough and add filling :)...

...seal them (well)....

...until you have like so.

We were already very proud of ourselves at this point, they look like real pierogi!  To be honest we may have been slightly over excited.  But anyway!...

They need boiling for 10-12 minutes

until hurray!

Unfortunately, if you don't seal them properly, this happens....

that hurts :-(

On our first attempt we only managed to save 9 out of 16 pierogi, but second time round they all survived!  And I may be biased but I have to say they were some of the best pierogi I've had, go team!

So, what to cook next?

One about me

My blog is generally about Poland and my opinions, reflections and experiences while I'm here, but this blog will be just about me.  Ok, I've been tagged (whatever that is) by Amy the Wicked.  And this is how it goes...

It all started with Scottish Mum’s post:

“I have seen lots of posts about what we struggle with, or things that we like to do, and I’d like to find out a bit more information about all of you. This is my way of doing it. I am looking forward to visiting some of you on the blog hop.”

What you cannot choose. The Rules are Simple
“We all know that blogging/facebook/twitter is in our arena of what we like to do, so I am going to rule them out as one of the 5 that you can post about. They really are not very girly. Likewise, phones, computers, ipads are all out of the running. I am challenging myself to this, as I am really not a girly girly type of person, and I want to find that within myself. It’s not all about power suits, filofaxes, ipads and designer phones.

If you want to pass this along, pick bloggers that you want to find out more about, and challenge them to write up their 5 secret passions that make them feel good. The idea is to lift our spirits this week. The fact that there is a linky added, just makes it all the more worthwhile in doing.”

So, here are my five.

1.  Walking.  It sounds very simple but I love feeling the fresh air on my face and feeling like I'm heading somewhere.  I never walk without purpose, even if I just fancy a walk there must always be a destination, and I walk fast to get there; I like overtaking people.  This kind of walking can only really be done on your own, or at least in your own world.

2.  Books - fiction novels to be more precise.  This is the best kind of escapism; if I read that's all I do, it's hard to function normally outside of a novel.  I feel like I am among the characters, they become as real to me as anyone I know and I become engrossed in their stories and their lives.  This is probably why I cry so easily when I read a book, I get very emotional.  If I can't feel like this about a book, I don't read it.

3.  Hats.  I don't know why but I really like hats, I feel like they suit me and consider myself 'a hat person'.  I've never been into shoes or handbags and rarely wear jewellery, so hats it is.  I have so many, my drawer is bursting with hats and scarves (which I also like), but I love buying them, wearing them and collecting them.  My last hat was stolen which I still haven't got over, hopefully I'll be able to find the same hat on the market after payday.  

4.  Polish.  When I was at high school my favourite subjects were languages.  I wrote in my 'personal statement' that I wanted to work with languages and be something like a translator or interpreter, but I fell out with languages at college because I didn't enjoy German and I got involved in other things.  In 2007 when I came to Poland for the first time I started to pick up bits of the language and I completely rediscovered this passion.  I love learning the rules and finding out new expressions, I enjoy speaking but I find listening/understanding difficult and this really hinders conversation!  I'm aware that I have such a long way to go before I'll be able to say that I can 'speak Polish' but hopefully one day I'll become what I always wanted to be.

5.  Lying in.  Thinking of the 5th thing was really difficult, but I'm certain this is the right thing.  I don't like going to bed, I like to refuse that the day is over and just keep going, it's already 1.12am now and I'm working early tomorrow, but I have no intention of surrendering to the night any time soon.  And not only that, but when I do go to bed I often struggle to drop off; my brain is active and my body isn't tired, I'm not getting nearly enough physical exercise and I've always had a restless mind.  But similarly as I don't like getting in my bed, I absolutely hate getting out of it.  When I've slept well and I'm warm and cosy in my bed I never want it to end, I often choose to have that extra half hour, then have it again and again.  I wonder if I didn't have a job just how long I could stay in bed for.

Ok, so there you go.  Anyone else?

Health and safety, really?

Hard hat anyone?

Today I experienced (i.e. was subjected to) a health and safety talk at work.  I've found health and safety in Poland something quite different to that in England, and happily so.  Poland and England are polar opposites; we take things far too far, political correctness, the adopted American culture of litigation and generally complaining about and needing advice on everything.  The Poles, on the other hand, don't take anything anywhere at all; health and safety barely exists.

That seems all to change; under the influence of the EU the whole of Europe is gradually being standardised, and I realise I'm always banging on about it but I can see the west influencing Poland more and more on a daily basis.  Well today was one of those days.  However, if Poland wants to follow in the footsteps of it's Western neighbours when it comes to health and safety, there really is a long way to go.  Today's presentation was irrelevant and impractical, even comedic; it was nothing more than a selection of youtube videos supported by no introduction or explanation and we given absolutely zero advice on how to deal with any of the issues that were raised in the clips.  Some of the videos were so ridiculous that I've really got no idea how the woman presenting them managed to keep a straight face and I can't believe she got paid for it.

Unfortunately though, having to endure this attempt at a health and safety presentation shows the direction Poland's going in and although I still have no idea where the first aid box is kept at work, I fear I may soon find myself in another country where I have to worry about being sued if I do the wrong thing.  Oh, just another minor thing we were missing today, does anybody have any idea what the emergency number is in this country?

Enough said

Today I came across this selection of chicken feet at the meat counter of a supermarket in Toruń, Sarah summed it up nicely;

"French people are disgusting, but I've never seen a bowl of chicken feet."  Sarah, France.

Lublin

I would say to anyone considering visiting Lublin; don't bother.  After a couple of hours walking round I'm ready to get the train back to Torun.  It's not a bad place, but there is really nothing to do here, and very little of interest to see.  It looks like an okay place to live or be for a specific purpose, but not really great for tourism.

Ah well, home again home again.

Львів

I'll have a...erm...

I realise that Lviv isn't in Poland, but it used to be!  And being just a bus or train ride away from many Polish cities I think I can happily find a place for it on my Poland blog.  It's very easy to see the Polish influence; a huge Ratusza in the middle of Rynok Square lined with colourful buildings, it could easily be any square in any major city in Poland.  But there's so much more to this place than Polish, it's a real mesh of influences, not to mention the Cyrillic alphabet.  I looked at a few menus when I arrived yesterday and felt sure that I'd starve here until I found a place where I could point at food.  Interestingly enough, food is weighed before it's served, you literally get what you pay for, or pay for what you get.  Only a day later and I'm already deciphering a few street names and the most common words, it's fun figuring it out.

Lviv is a great city packed full of monuments, churches and museums, I think it would be impossible to get bored here.  I visited Lychakiv Cemetery, which is one of the main attractions, it's absolutely huge!  There's a lot to see in there; statues, memorials etc, unfortunately it was rather unkempt, some of the graves were impossible to see, but it made for quite an interesting walk round.  

Svobody street, one of the main streets, is built on what used to be nothing more than a bog and the Opera House which stands at the end was the first building in the whole of Europe built on a concrete foundation; the river here still flows beneath the stage inside.  For the equivalent of 3 Great British Pounds I was lucky enough to see a ballet there.  Inside the Opera House it's lavish, golden and intricately decorated, and the ballet was excellent.

Slava Ukraini.

Crossing the border

Today I crossed the border from Poland into the Ukraine...  I spent the night in Przemysl and took a taxi to the border, walked across and took a bus to Lviv.  The taxi cost 54PLN, I think he saw me coming, I'll take a bus next time no doubt for a fraction of the price.

Medyka, the border town, consists of nothing but crowds of people walking around with cigarettes and alcohol, it's cheaper in the Ukraine than in Poland, and you don't even have to cross the border to take advantage. I walked down a long path between tall metal fences, seeing the signs for the Ukraine and Poland/EU on the road.  Leaving Poland was simple enough, just through a couple of barriers and a disinterested border guard.  Entering the Ukraine was a little more difficult, the people ahead of me went through within seconds but I took a bit longer.  The officer thoroughly inspected my passport; my picture, every stamp and every blank page.  She asked me about what I was doing in the Ukraine, where to, how long, what for.. the queue behind me started to build up, I thought they were going to search me.  Eventually, they let me in :-)

My suitcase gave me away as a tourist and I was hounded non-stop for the duration of my 100 metre walk to the buses by taxi drivers, no I did not want a taxi; they were persistent, but so was I.  A man without about 4 teeth accompanied me and got rid of a couple of  the drivers, I asked if he was going to Lviv, but he was just there for the cigarettes.

The bus was to Lviv cost 18hrvnia, about 1.50GBP.  Outside Lviv the Ukraine seemed to be very rural, countless fields, trees and bushes, and little else.  The road wasn't much more than a dirt track with a white line, which I presume was there for show - the driver drove wherever he could to avoid the huge potholes.  It was a bumpy ride!  But here I am, so far finding the Cyrillic alphabet and cobbles quite difficult.  Anyway, there's a new country out there and I'm off to see it.

Titbits

Here are a few things I've found a little strange since coming here:

• Poles don't cross their fingers, they hold their thumbs.
• Polish dogs don't say 'woof woof', they say 'how how'.
• Polish men have three goals in life; plant a tree, build a house and make a boy.
• Polish karaoke is taken very seriously.
• Poles eat pasta with strawberries and cream but many think carrot cake is weird.
• Plug sockets aren't very firmly attached to walls and often spark when you plug something in - scary!

Anyone care to add?  Or anything you find strange about us English folk?  I've heard that us taking 2 painkillers at once is found strange, the Poles take one at a time.

Inowrocław

I go to Inowrocław every Monday and Wednesday with school.  Everybody hates going to 'Ino' because it adds 2 hours onto any working day with the journey there and back and personally I'm always complaining about only getting to eat so late in the evening; 11pm sometimes.  But I far from hate going, I have 3 great classes there which I really enjoy teaching, things always seem to go very smoothly.

Yesterday I went to Ino of my own accord (unheard of) to visit my friend Lucyna.  Till then I'd never made it past the IH School and the nearest żabka so I was looking forward to seeing a bit more of what the place had to offer.  The centre of Ino looks okay, I'm sure it's not a bad place to live but there doesn't seem to be much going on and it looks a little run down on the way in.


Today I got to see past all that and took a walk to the huge Teznie park, we walked down a long village lane to get there with every dog barking at us on the way.  The Teznie is the same stuff as what they have in Ciechocinek, but it's a lot newer and therefore much more beneficial to your health.  Unfortunately it's all turned off in the Winter. 


The area is surrounded by forest and parks, with a few health spas, a concert stage and a nice fountain made with moving lights rather than water, unfortunately that was turned off too with it being day time.

After a long walk we went for some nice healthy food; a bardzo smaczny gulash prepared by Lucyna and a strawberry smoothie excellently prepared by me :-) I have to say it was 'quite civilized' indeed!