Days 3 and 4 - Jagellonian University and Kazimierz

A stone dedicated to the first Jewish cemetery in Kazimierz. Unfortunately, none of the Jewish graves have any kind of markers, so it is impossible to tell where they are located.
The pasta that I ate at Nova. Yum!
Me standing at the remaining ghetto wall in Kazimierz. According to Professor Gawron, the wall was aesthetically intended to resemble a tombstone. So when the Jews were corralled into the ghetto, they already had the impression of death.
Oskar Schindler's factory (with some renovation of course)
The BEAUTIFUL synagogue in Kazimierz. The lady on the left side is Professor Edita Gawron.
The clock at the old section of Jagellonian University
The entryway to the synagogue in Kazimierz

The synagogue in Kazimierz
The old section of Jagellonian University
The seminar room at the Center for European Studies at Jagellonian University established in the 1970s.
The lecture room we were in with Professor Gawron

Hey all!

Slowly but surely I am getting all these posts up for you guys to keep up with what's going on. It is currently 1:12 in the afternoon here and we've just returned from the salt mines (which I am saving for the next post).

The intent for this blog is to give you guys an overview of what happened at Jagellonian University on Thursday and Friday as well as our visit to the Jewish quarter in Kazimierz. Jagellonian University, at least from what I think I remember, is the oldest university in Poland. Interestingly, Nicholas Copernicus was a former student at this location. We got to see the remnants of the old university established several centuries ago. Unfortunately, parts of it were undergoing renovations so we were unable to see the courtyard in its entirety. There is a fountain (which was under construction) located within the courtyard that students go to before exams. It is said that if a person touches the water and puts some on his or her forehead, it will make that person more clever. One of the most interesting pieces of the old building is the clock located near the roof. I believe every two hours from 9 in the morning to 3 in the afternoon, the clock goes off on the hour and a parade of famous Polish figures encircles the clock.

The next day, we had a chance to listen to Professor Edita Gawron discuss the history of Jews in Poland at Jagellonian's Center for European Studies. The presentation was fascinating and we learned quite a bit about some Jewish culture. I finally figured out what Yiddish actually is. Yiddish is a term applied to the Hebrew language mixed with Central European languages. So, it isn't the pure Hebrew language used in things like the Torah or other religious ceremonies, but is more casual and is used in secular life. We also learned about the difference between Jewish belief systems. You have the Orthodox Jews who follow by the old law whereas progressive Jews (including those like the Hasidic Jews) made modifications over time to fit more into modern lifestyles. I could go on and on but I'm sure no one is interested in the specifics of what I learned!

Following the lecture, Professor Gawron showed us several places in the Jewish quarter of Kazimierz. One of the biggest misconceptions is that this area has purely Jewish history...however this isn't the case. Kazimierz was initially inhabited by a majority of Christians and Jews later came. We visited a beautiful synagogue (the men had to wear the yamaka!) and I also got to see the remnants of the ghetto wall and Schindler's factory (Oskar Schindler was a Nazi who employed a number of Jews to work and saved many people's lives by keeping them under his employment. He later made arrangements with another Nazi to allow the Jews in his factory to remain there when all the Jews were supposed to be corralled into the ghetto so they could avoid death). Jewish history is SO fascinating! I can't wait to see Auschwitz-Birkenau (though I'm sure that it will be emotionally tiring). We also got to see the town square in Kazimierz including the first cemetery for the Jews in this section of the city. Though there were initially multiple synagogues located here, many have been turned into restaurants and other public buildings. Furthermore, the number of people who profess to practice Judaism (despite Jewish background) has seen a great decline over the years...really depressing!

We ended up eating at a restaurant called Nova following the tour. Nothing really tasted that different from what we have at home. I think the place was more modern so I didn't have a chance to really try anything new. I'm really enjoying this country! I think the lifestyle is so well-paced and it's a lot of fun to be here!

Days 2 and 3 - The Wawel Palace

Me touching the bell in the Wawel

CK Browar sign at the entrance

The excellent Italian restaurant!

The Planty

The Wawel Palace courtyard

The Wawel Palace

Hello all!

I'm still in the process of trying to catch up on my posts...but, as of right now I'm just going to give you some detail about the Wawel Palace that I visited a couple days ago.

The Wawel is a beautiful castle on one of the hills in Krakow nearby the Planty (a very pleasant garden to walk through). In order to get to the Wawel, you have to go up a hill that provides a relatively decent view of the city. There are cobblestones and other old bricks along the walk up the hill. The combination of brick, metal doors, gold domes (yes, actual gold!), and the enormous size of the Wawel itself is absolutely magnificent. I've never seen anything like it in my entire life! While there, I had the opportunity to see a couple caskets (one of the former president, Kaczynski, who just died last month) and several beautiful ones belonging to old Polish kings and queens. Unfortunately, I was not able to take pictures inside the Wawel itself...so you're stuck with the outside pics and basically my own descriptions! The inside had a silver casket, tiled floors (which I think had marble), and several royal coronation materials and other possessions. Truly, the place is absolutely indescribable. It's so European!!!

We also had the chance to climb up an extremely high tower (with the narrowest stairs and entryways that I've encountered in my entire life) in order to see one of the bells. It wasn't anything particularly special, but I did manage to get a great view of the city!

One of the things that you'll witness nearby the Wawel and in the tourist shops in Krakow is the dragon. Typically you find it as a stuffed animal or a keychain. According to tradition, there was a dragon where the Wawel is located that ate young women if it did not have animals to eat (naturally, we women are always the victims!). A clever craftsman created a sheep filled with sulfur that caused the dragon to continously drink water since its stomach caught on fire. The dragon drank so much that he exploded. I haven't actually bought anything with the dragon on it...but if you ever have the chance to see the city in person, you'll notice that you can find him everywhere!

After going to the Wawel on Day 2 we went to an Italian restaurant in the downtown area that had excellent pizza! I don't think we could get anything quite as good as that in the United States. However, I don't think anyone at home would appreciate the ridiculously small portions for drinks (and refills on Coke products are never free). On Day 3 we went to a bar-type restaurant called CK Browar (the Royal and Imperial Brewery). The food was pretty good...but the smoking tended to get a bit overwhelming. Not to mention that I'm not really the bar type of person, but I did survive!

All I can say about the trip so far is that I have been on my feet A LOT! It's no wonder that Europeans manage to stay quite thin. We've walked everywhere and the concept of the vehicle has almost completely slipped my mind. I don't even have the impulse to step into a car anymore...I just walk, walk, walk! I anticipate on losing some weight during this trip! Hopefully all this walking won't go to waste.

The new hotel (Atrium Hotel) is an upgrade from the Kosmopolita, but it is definitely not a Mariott! In Europe (or Poland at least) you're only getting EXACTLY what you need: a bed, a bathroom, and a desk. But, it isn't so bad. I can't complain about having a place to stay with no cost to me!

Day 1

Well, ended up getting to Flint Bishop Airport around 12:30 p.m. after Chase dropped me off. Once I got there, found out that our flight to Atlanta was cancelled due to bad weather in North Carolina. As a result, me, Michelle Karayanis, Desiree Sharland, Krystal DeSpain, and Angela Passarelli took a shuttle to Detroit Metro Airport where we got a flight to Amsterdam. The trip took us about 7 ½ hours and I thought I was going to lose my stomach a couple times, but we eventually ended up landing and all was well.

Once we got into Amsterdam, we were transferred to Czech Airlines for our flight to Prague (or Praha as they spell it). The early group (9:30 AM) was me, Teddy, Desiree, Jordan Tiffany, and Desmond. I was so exhausted by the time we got on that plane that I nodded off and basically slept through the entire trip. It wasn’t until we reached Prague that I woke up. Luckily, I was feeling better when the plane landed.

The stay in Prague was relatively short. We arrived around 11 AM and had to board by 11:45. During the wait I ended up chatting with Chase for a little bit. Checked the grades for this semester as well and…ALL A’s!!! Excitement.

Frankly, I was a little nervous about getting onto the plane to Krakow…it looked a bit old and crappy. It was a red and white plane with old-fashioned propellers. However, it ended up getting us there safely, so I’m completely fine.

Currently, I am sitting here in my hotel room with Desiree in the Kosmopolita hotel. It’s interesting to say the least. We have two beds, one wardrobe closet, two side tables with reading lamps, a pathetically small television, a desk and a coat hanger. The bathroom is by far the most interesting. The toilet is ridiculously close to the sink (I don’t know how people use that thing without running into the sink!) and the sink faucet is opposite…hot on the right and cold on the left. Despite how drastically different it is from an American hotel (including the lights that tend to randomly go off at will as well as the small elevator that has a -1 floor compared to a basement level), I’m glad to have the experience. Everything is so different!

The city is also quite exciting. I saw a lot of old architecture. The major downfall, however, is that it is visibly dirtier compared to the United States (at least in the suburbs). The roads are under construction so there is a lot of dirt and broken concrete. It’s also common on occasion to smell something similar to feces, though not entirely prevalent. I can’t help but observe the people to see what kind of fashion sense they have. It’s really quite similar to what one would see in a European film. Very simple and women are not wearing heavy makeup compared to American women…which is a bit relieving to see natural faces.

The dinner we had at U Babci Maliny was also very good. I had beetroot soup (which was really refreshing…a red soup with a sweet, vinegar taste to it…quite similar to a wine-smoothness), actual pierogies (which do beat the cheap frozen American brand any day of the week), mushrooms (delicious!), and broccoli. The cheesecake was quite different. Unlike the frozen block of fat we tend to eat at home…the stuff was temperature hot and really very light. After eating dinner I didn’t feel the same bloated fullness that I experience after going out to eat in America.

The people walking around at night certainly beat the deadness we have in Flint! However, I do miss home already.