When Joe and I started this “Olmsted Scholar adventure” we set a few goals for ourselves. One of those goals was to visit each of the NINE countries that share a border with Germany! Poland was the last country we needed to visit to reach that goal, and we were able to do it because of our wonderful families! As our Christmas gift last year, we asked them to send us to Paris. We had such a good time and loved involving our favorite people in our travels that we decided to do it again. This year, they sent us to Poland!

Here is a huge “dziękuję” to our families. Thank you for a wonderful trip, helping us reach our goals, and most importantly, for the love and support you continually bless us with.

Thank you to MIL & FIL Stickford and GM & GP Wall for the plane tickets to and from Poland!

When we fly somewhere, Liv is unforuntately left behind. She has a 2nd home in the Black Forest, which she (hopefully) enjoys! It takes forever to pick her up after a trip because these two love to recount all the crazy things our canine child did while we were away. Thanks to GM & GP Yañez, their great grand-dog was safe and sound during our journey.

Joe and I have utilized every possible type of transportaion during this Olmsted journey, except for long distance buses….until our trip to Poland! We spent ten hours on two bus trips between Gdansk and Krakow, which were actually really very comfortable and convenient. Thank you Laurie & Jim, for taking the stress out of traversing the entire country of Poland!

We kicked off our visit in Warsaw with a communist themed walking tour, thanks also to Laurie & Jim.

Warsaw’s Castle Square

We visited more museums in Poland than during any of our other trips. They were all really top-notch! Thank you Daryl & Denise and Mom for our morning at the Warsaw Uprising Museum.

No trip to Poland is complete without some pierogies! We thought about you, Tana & Chip, whilst enjoying a myriad of pierogies in Warsaw. Thank you!

In Warsaw, there is a Fotoplastikon, which allowed visitors to view changing 3-D images of life during the 19th century. This Fotoplastikon is the only one in Poland, and one of only a few in the world. Thank you Mom and Daryl & Denise for this unique experience!

We finished up our Warsaw adventure with a meal at Czerwony Wieprz, which was voted one of the 25 most interesting restaurants in the world. This restaurant, translated to “Inn Under The Red Hog”, was named so because it used to be a meeting spot for “red” communist leaders such as Lenin, Fidel Castro, and Mao Tse Tung. Thanks Jernigan Family, for the tasty and educational dinner!

After arriving in Krakow, we oriented ourselves with a walking tour of the Old Town. Krakow experienced minimal destruction during WWII and communism, so the Old Town was really interesting to experience and learn about. Thank you Laurie & Jim, for another great walking tour!

The Cloth Hall in Krakow’s Old Town

The Rynek Underground Museum is located beneath the main square in Krakow and allows visitors to stroll through what used to be the original streets and cellars of buildings that used to make up the main square hundreds of years ago. Thank you to Mom and Daryl & Denise for the really interesting view into Krakow’s history.

Thanks to Daryl & Denise and Lacey & Nolan, we enjoyed a visit to Wawel Hill, Krakow’s crown jewel of architectural treasures. Wawel Hill has everything a visitor could want: ancient history, political history, religious significance, documentation of current events, and even a great view of the city!!

The Cathedral on Wawel Hill

Another great museum is housed in the factory that used to be owned by Oskar Schindler. Thanks to Daryl & Denise, we were able to learn more about Schindler, as well as the impact of Nazi Germany’s occupation of Krakow and Poland in general.

My favorite part of the museum was a circular room covered in newspaper-like print. Filling the walls were statements about Oskar Schindler, in many different languages, from the Jews who were saved in his factory.

He employed me at his factory, even though he knew I was useless to him.

The Galicia Museum is located in the historical Jewish district of Kazimierz in Krakow, and focuses on how Jewish life in Poland was, how it has changed, and what it is currently. What makes this museum really interesting is that it shares the development of Jewish life in Poland through only contemporary photographs. The intention is to teach history with photographs of the present. I really enjoyed this museum and thought the approach was remarkable. Thank you to Daryl & Denise and Laurie & Jim for this experience.

We rang in 2014 in Krakow, complete with champagne and amateur fireworks! Thank you Laurie & Jim for the midnight treats!

Joe selecting our midnight libations.

We did a lot of eating in Krakow, to include lots of traditional polish dishes. However, about a year ago, Joe and I released ourselves of the pressure to eat local food for Every. Single. Meal. It was an amazing decision, because we have enjoyed many traditional spins on our favorite foods. The same Mexican restaurant was recommended by several of our friends, so of course we stopped in! It was soooo good. Thank you Daryl & Denise for the best Mexican we have had in Europe to date!

I even had a cosmo for you, Daryl. It has been more than a decade since that ill-fated day with you, me, and the cosmos, but this one was well worth the wait! 🙂

We also did some vodka tasting…also thanks to Daryl & Denise! Pretty good stuff!

This is what happens after an entire bottle of wine…and numerous rounds of vodka samples as dessert. Whoops!

We enjoyed a self-indulgent spa trip during our last stop in Poland, thanks to Tyler and Regina. I am still finding shea butter in mysterious places!

Although not exactly part of our plans, the trip to the top of Kasprowy Wierch Mountain was beautiful! Thank you Daryl & Denise for the funicular tickets and lunch at the top of the mountain. Maybe all four of us can go snowmobiling someday together, since it didn’t work out this time around.

Finally, thanks to Mom, we were able to take home fun mementos from each of our stops! Someday our Christmas tree is going to be as packed-full as yours, Mom!

In the Cloth Hall of Krakow.

Thank you, everyone, for all of the experiences and memories from Poland! It was another fantastic Christmas gift, with your collaborative efforts!  Dziękuję!