recent activities
The rain has finally abated, for how long I don't know, but because there was so much of it, the work site was too muddy to be at. Tomorrow, we start. So we had a free day today and visited the Wieliczka salt mines, about 15-20 minutes outside of Krakow. What an amazing place! I took a lot of photos and if I can ever figure out how to download them, I'll post some. The tour, given by a Polish woman who spoke very good english, was sprinkled with clever jokes about salt. It lasted about 1/5 hours, and we only saw 1% of the mine. People get married there (sounds like an odd way to start a life together) and there are 3-4 large reception halls. Pope JP2 visited twice and there is a lifesize carving of him, in salt of course. The only thing I could find to buy was a cute little Holstein sitting on a block of salt.
Yesterday, Sunday, we went (for the 2nd time) to a fabulous chleb (bread) festival, where many samples were being given. What could be better?! I mention that it was the 2nd time. On Saturday we had stumbled upon it, just in time for the ribbon cutting. A POlish man with a funny long black and white wig and beard was shilling for, of all places, the salt mines. Turns out he is a well known actor from Krakow, and was the voice of the donkey in the Polish version of Shrek! We had a photo taken with him. How cool is that?!
There is a local, smoked sheep's cheese that was being sold at the festival for 1zloty a piece, equalling about 33 cents. The cheese is pressed with decorative patterns. It would be great bar food, because it's so salty, but my Polish friends tell me it's only sold on the street.
Sunday after the bread fest we visited a place called the Tempel Synagogue. I've got pix and will post them. As temples and/or synagogues go, it was quite decorative, with beautiful stained glass windows. It wasn't destroyed during the war, so dates back a few hundred years at least. Sunday evening we went to a concert given of Yiddish folk music and I understood about three words, kinder (for children), a goot a vach (who knows how it's spelled, but I remember my Aunt Lil calling and greeting us this was every Shabbos) and a few other words. It was a nice show, but by the end of it, I was starting to nod off and was happy that it was relatively brief. Previous to the concert, our tour guide, Sylvia, took us to a wonderful Japenese art museum just across the Wisla river from the Wawel castle, which I'll talk more about next weekend when we go there.
The day before, Saturday, as I said, we went to the bread festival and to the Old Synagogue, which is a fabulous museum in the Jewish area, Kazimierz. I'll definitely go back there; there was too much to look at and to read for one visit. On one wall, the paint and a few layers of plastered had been removed to reveal some way old frescos.
Sat evening was the longest walk I've taken so far here in Poland. Our tour guides were two college age boys who are volunteering with our project. We met them in the amazing town square (the Rynek Glowny) and proceeded to this place called the Koscusko (spelling is way off) Mount. It was a serious walk to get there and then a good walk to the pinnacle. Of course, my camera batteries died when we got to the top, but it was very overcast so I don't think I would have gotten many interesting pix. Had dinner with the guys about 10:30pm at a Chinese restaurant, Polish style.
6 Comments:
Hi Laurie, Salt in Polish weddings is VERY symbolic. When my sister-in-law was married, her Polish in-laws provided the salt that was necessary to the wedding ceremony/vows. This could be why the mines are "the place" to get married. I wish I knew the symbolism, would need to do some research.
Regina
Hi,How are you. Hope all is well. E-mail me back.
Leslie
Hi Laurie- Oh this sounds all so interesting and sounds like you are having fun- if not tired.
I will be sure and try to check in often and read everything.
Take care-
Chris & Rick
Glad the rain stopped - wish it would rain here. Your house is still standing and the explosions, I think are completed.
From what I was able to find out about salt:
In customs that can be documented back to the sixteenth century, the young couple was most often greeted at the entrance of the house with bread and salt.
Salt had equal footing with bread in all family customs from birth to death. It was believed that salt had the power to heal and cleanse, uncover thieves, protect houses against fire, dispel storms and hail, and drive away evil spirits.
Keep up the good work Laurie!
Thanks for all the salt info. The only thing I know about salt and good fortune is the scene in It's a Wonderful Life when Donna Reed greets the new homeowners with salt and bread.
The Chinese are indeed in all corners of the globe with their restaurants and they seem to always know how to "localize" their dishes, too, don't they? I remember finding, easily everywhere, some familiar weeds and wild plants on this side of the globe--those that we would use, on the other side of the globe, either for delicious dishes or remedies for small ailments. Then, cooking without a wok worked just fine.
Enjoy, Laurie! cc
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