We arrived in Wroclaw
fairly late, and it must be said that it was certainly the "dodgiest" of
all the train stations we visited. We were met at the station by Rick's
uncle Zbyszek ("Zbishek") and cousin Grzesiek ("G'jeshek" or Greg). Pictured
here are Grzesiek, Rick, Rick's aunt Danusia ("Danusha"), Zbyszek and Bingo.
I guess I should add that Rick is not really named Rick but Wojciech ("Voycheh")
and was called Wojtek ("Voytek") by most of the relatives. Too much Polish
for you? Imagine being me! Entering Poland was like being plunged into
instant ignorance...the following week would be filled with hours of excited
conversation of which I understood only a fraction of a fraction. Despite
the language barrier, I must say that the warmth and friendliness of Rick's
family was apparent. Every one of them welcomed me with open arms and all
expressed regret that they could not understand me. I became a very quiet
person that week, saying only "Please," "Thank You," "Goodnight," "Hello,"
and other polite-isms. I did pick up a few Polish words that stuck, mind
you. The most notable Polish word (which I still use) is plecak
("pletsack" = backpack). You will come across it again later in these pages.
We stayed with Rick's
grandmother most of the week. Babcia ("Bobcha") was the person I understood
most of all. It seems that Grandmas are understandable regardless of language
barriers. She and I could communicate remarkably well, and only once in
a while would we fall into smiling silences when understanding was lost.
Babcia was a fabulous hostess (as any grandmother would be) and we were
fed better in Poland than anywhere else on the trip. It took me a while
to adjust to eating in Poland. Sniadanie ("shniadania") is breakfast served
early in the morning, obiad (just like it looks) is supper served between
2 and 5 PM and then kolacja ("kolatsia") is a late meal served right before
bed. Eating before bed was strange for me - I would be dead tired then
suddenly bread, meat, tomatoes and soup would appear before my eyes. By
the end of the week I was used to the system, though, and after leaving
Poland would get hungry late at night! 
Babcia
not only cooked our meals and gave us beds - she also did our laundry!
Unfortunately, the weather was bad while we were there, and she couldn't
hang our clothes outside. Instead, she had our things hanging in her bathroom
and in the attic of her apartment building. The clothes took the better
part of two days to dry, during which Rick and I each had very little to
wear. Babcia came to the rescue, though, and lent us pajamas. As you can
see, Rick is dressed in the latest pajama fashion for men...and I appear
below in the latest women's fashions. Notice the matching slippers! The
laundry fiasco didn't stop there - I only had shorts clean for wearing
during the day, and everyone was just horrified that I would go outside
dressed that way. The weather was cool and wet but not cold - still, I
think there was a fear that I would catch my death! Despite everyone's
worries, I ventured out into the world wearing shorts, and Rick uncle Zbyszek
showed us all around Wroclaw. The town square was beautiful, newly renovated
since it's the city's 1000th birthday. There are beautiful Japanese gardens
in Wroclaw as well, right next to a huge sports complex that was built
earlier this century and used as a centre for propaganda speeches by Hitler.
We also went to the zoo in search of the "Polish animal." For those of
you who have not heard the story of the Polish animal, I guess I should
explain. Rick told me a while ago that he had once seen a picture of his
dad at the zoo in Wroclaw with an animal he could not identify. Not only
this, but Rick and his sister had never seen another animal like this one!
Naturally, I was excited at the prospect of seeing this mysterious "Polish
animal" on my trip to the zoo. Unfortunately, there was no Polish animal
to be found. I refuse to believe Rick unless he can produce the picture
of his dad with this creature. If we do find the picture, I will get Rick
to scan it and add a link for all of you. Right Rick?
Oh - wow! Rick and Jadzia (his sister) have finally found the picture of the Polish Animal! I think you'll agree that it's quite amazing. I don't know what it is, but if anyone knows what kind of animal this is (and it's english name) please let me know.
Here is a picture
of the other side of Rick's family. From the left, Rick's cousin Edyta
("Idita"), myself, Rick, Dziadek ("Jadek" = Grandpa) and Jadzia ("Yaja")
who is a longtime friend of Rick's mom. Rick's reunion with his grandfather
was by far the most emotional - Dziadek was so overcome he could hardly
express how he felt. We went with Rick's grandpa to visit his wife's grave
at the cemetery. This may sound a bit gruesome, but it was actually really
interesting. Everyone in Poland goes to the cemetery - every
single stone was surrounded by numerous vases of fresh flowers. This made
me curious, and Rick and I later found out that the cemetery was one of
the only places where people could go freely during communism. The fact
that so many people still go today simply shows that old habits die hard!
Another interesting story is that Jadzia (far right) made a fortune after
starting a business selling flowers outside the cemetery. She is filthy
rich compared to the average person in Poland, meaning that she has a house
and a new car instead of a small apartment and a jalopy. 
After nearly a week
of meeting Rick's family and exploring Wroclaw, we set off to see more
of Poland. First Jadzia and her family took Rick and I to Czestochowa,
which is a pilgrimage site for Catholics from all over the world. There
is a painting of Mary and Jesus there that has seen many miracles over
the years. Later that day Jadzia and family went back to Wroclaw while
Rick and I took a train to Krakow ("Crack-oof") which is Poland's pride
and joy. We were lucky to find a nice woman at the train station named
Elzbieta (Elizabeth) who offered us a bed-and-breakfast type accommodation
at her apartment which was right between the train station and the city
centre. She was a fabulous hostess, and fed us almost as well as Rick's
grandma had. Her dog Bari (pictured above with she and I) was really cute
and had orange eyebrows. We did a whirlwind tour of Krakow, visiting a
stunning salt mine that had underground chapels bigger than some churches
I've been in. Everything in the chapels was carved from the salt - altars,
chandeliers, statues - you name it! The zamek (castle) in Krakow was also
amazing, with an incredible armory display - you should have seen some
of the axes! I wish we could have stayed a week in Krakow, but the impending
arrival of Irene in Paris finally drew us away...