I bring the bike to a full stop on the way into work today allowing a mama and two baby skunks to cross the road in front of me. There's no reason for anyone in this scenario to get dangerously excited. A bit further up the road a car approaches from my right and I break cadence keeping a good eye in this person, making sure he sees me. He does and I pass in front of him (or her) safely. As I'm getting ready to ascend the Alp de Overpass an entire cavalcade of cars come down the hill causing me to once again break cadence and come to a complete stop and wait for them to pass on by.
It's 5:18am in the morning. What's up with all this activity? What are skunks doing in the suburbs?
I had a pretty good ride in yesterday (avg cadence of 81, avg HR of 129) but not so much today (avg cadence 72, avg HR of 110). Yes, it's tough to get my cadence on. I idly wonder while atoning on the StairMaster if the entire day is going to go that way.
"Get your cadence on!" Is a technical bike phrase that I just made up. Think of it as some geek expression I'd utter when I'm desperately trying to sound cool and failing miserably. You'd probably hear Dick Vitale spew it if he was commenting on The Tour de France ::Bill solemnly bows head and prays to the Lord on high that such a horror never comes to pass::, "There goes Armstrong! He's really got his cadence on today! He's a PTPer (Primo Thigh Pumper) baby! I think Armstrong could win this thing if he'd only replace Bruyneel with Krzyzewski, gosh I sure love Duke..."
Anyway I'm hoping for some rhythm today, may you find yours too.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Silent Commute
He saunters towards the gym unaware of the silent death that approaches. He slings his gym bag over his right shoulder and reaching down for his badge catches something out of the corner of his eye.
But he's too late.
Too, too late.
@#&^%@!!! He jumps back, startled, from the front wheel of my bike that's nearly touching him. I'm grinning while IronMan clutches his heart and mutters, "Jeesh Bill, you really startled me!" I can't seem to stop grinning, it's been awhile since I've seen IronMan, due to my indolence and his being on vacation. and I'm just plain glad to see him.
We yak for a bit, he seems to have had a great time on his vacation. goodMood is doing his PX90 thing and I'm doing crunches when I hear Bubbles (who's birthday was yesterday) yakking with awesomeGirl. It was good to see her again, she's cut her hair and looks happy.
I'm stumbling around the gym doing various lifts and crunches, trying to wrap my head around it. Mainly I'm beginning to lose faith in myself on the discipline front. I need to make adjustments on how I look at the problem, approach it sideways like a crab.
The Tour is starting soon... maybe that will inspire me.
But he's too late.
Too, too late.
@#&^%@!!! He jumps back, startled, from the front wheel of my bike that's nearly touching him. I'm grinning while IronMan clutches his heart and mutters, "Jeesh Bill, you really startled me!" I can't seem to stop grinning, it's been awhile since I've seen IronMan, due to my indolence and his being on vacation. and I'm just plain glad to see him.
We yak for a bit, he seems to have had a great time on his vacation. goodMood is doing his PX90 thing and I'm doing crunches when I hear Bubbles (who's birthday was yesterday) yakking with awesomeGirl. It was good to see her again, she's cut her hair and looks happy.
I'm stumbling around the gym doing various lifts and crunches, trying to wrap my head around it. Mainly I'm beginning to lose faith in myself on the discipline front. I need to make adjustments on how I look at the problem, approach it sideways like a crab.
The Tour is starting soon... maybe that will inspire me.
Ready for the commute to work
Monday, June 28, 2010
GIrly Girls
I confess that girly girls fascinate me; so you can imagine my reaction to this wonder when I was parking my commuter bike at work.
This is as near a total girls bike as you can get, only missing some large wicker basket in the front and a chain guard. The lack of a chain guard surprised me but the other details are nice touches, like the matching handlebar purse (to hold one's bike gloves, mace and a pistol). I absolutely dig the compass on the bike bell along with the serious headlight and those panniers are true girly wonders!
I'm certain the thing weighs more than my car.
Me? I'm easing my way back into the gym, I think. I did 21 miles on the bike on Sunday and feeling my thighs press into my gut as I 'hammered' the pedals was not a pleasant experience. As of this morning I clocked in at 218 and I'm staring at a week long vaca in NC coming all too soon with its barbecue and lazing about. Whatev. I'll keep trying to bring my stupid sweet tooth into balance with my nature but I don't have high hopes. I think endlessly whining, er blogging about my ordeal helps.
I got to 67% through Atlas Shrugged on the Kindle before someone at work decided to 'evaluate' it themselves. SHEESH I'll never finish that book. That coworking Kindle evaluating pal of mine has definitely made the list of people I'm annoyed with.
Finally, as this video clearly illustrates being a girly girl only works for girls.
This is as near a total girls bike as you can get, only missing some large wicker basket in the front and a chain guard. The lack of a chain guard surprised me but the other details are nice touches, like the matching handlebar purse (to hold one's bike gloves, mace and a pistol). I absolutely dig the compass on the bike bell along with the serious headlight and those panniers are true girly wonders!
I'm certain the thing weighs more than my car.
Me? I'm easing my way back into the gym, I think. I did 21 miles on the bike on Sunday and feeling my thighs press into my gut as I 'hammered' the pedals was not a pleasant experience. As of this morning I clocked in at 218 and I'm staring at a week long vaca in NC coming all too soon with its barbecue and lazing about. Whatev. I'll keep trying to bring my stupid sweet tooth into balance with my nature but I don't have high hopes. I think endlessly whining, er blogging about my ordeal helps.
I got to 67% through Atlas Shrugged on the Kindle before someone at work decided to 'evaluate' it themselves. SHEESH I'll never finish that book. That coworking Kindle evaluating pal of mine has definitely made the list of people I'm annoyed with.
Finally, as this video clearly illustrates being a girly girl only works for girls.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Poland 2010 - Właśnie (Part 1)
Note to self - Dear Bill, don't attempt any more mega blog entries, ever again. To the anonymous person who posted asking about the Poland trip, I apologize. This is as far as I got. I may post 'Part 2' at some point in the future but don't hold your breath. I'm completely stalled on this at the moment and so here's as far as I got. Poland and in particular the people mentioned in this entry who I love deeply deserve better but at this moment in time I need to cut my losses. My more whimsical blogging will resume shortly and we'll see where we go with it.
I don't get to Poland often but I'm grateful that my wife and kids do a bit more than I. Some of it's cost or work or whatever. The last time I was there was for my brother in law's wedding, August 1999. At the reception I was drunk under the table by this evil guy named Marek (who I actually like). I was stupid and deserved what I got. One doesn't challenge a Pole in trading shots particularly if it's vodka on his home turf. I haven't had vodka since.
So we pack and begin the flight over. We have something like a five hour layover in Dulles which is far larger than you might think it is and has this weird Orwellian feel to it. We popped out of our plane and this muddled voice was blaring... something that sounded concentration campish. Dulles is about the size of Rhode Island. Around noon we get off at concourse 'A' and immediately dissolve into factions over food. The kids want Wendy's and I want Five Guys (hamburger but not Wendy's) and my wife is indifferent. The thing is, Wendy's is in concourse 'C' which didn't seem like a big deal at the time...
It became a death march.
We had to cross several runways or areas planes had to get under and the family would take the escalator but I was hell bent on walking and taking the stairs. After the second one they began to look a tad daunting.
By the time we get to Wendy's I'm grumpy and utterly illogically determined to eat at Five Guys which turns out to be near our departure gate. I sullenly munch there alone while the family goes about looking at stuff. I then go over to the gate and plop down next to, judging by his accent, some good looking foreign, playboy dude. He gets some girl to watch his stuff and goes about doing whatever these guys do, probably working on his next sordid letter to Penthouse. I sit next to the girl and read Atlas Shrugged. I'm determined to get through the book on this trip since I keep losing the book and I figure I'll have time to read.
He comes back after awhile and the girl gets up to go. As she's leaving he asks for her email address. She smiles and says, "I'll look you up on facebook." Mmhmm maybe, maybe not dude. A bit later some other blond with her girlfriend walks by, waves at him and giggles. He must have her email.
Next stop is Copenhagen. It was a long flight but they had movies and stuff which helped. We tried to sleep. On arrival at Copenhagen we discovered that our flight was canceled. Super! It turns out the flight crew decided not to show up and frankly if they're that unmotivated then I really don't want to be on a plane with them at the helm.
We ended up in Oslo, Norway which still had snow on the ground. Naturally I left my copy of Atlas Shrugged on the plane. The blond Norwegian dude would not let me back on the plane to get it (this was after we ate this bizarre Pizza Hut pizza in the terminal, so some time had gone by) telling me I'd have to go to SAS lost and found to retrieve it, if it was there.
I didn't have time. So I turned my attention to this leather notebook I was lugging around and began pouring notes into it about the trip. It became known as The Manifesto.
After 24hrs of traveling we finally made Gdansk. Both Oslo & Gdansk's airports reminded me of 1960's airports, in the sense that you don't have some big gangway come out and join the plane, nope you go down the steps and walk into the terminal. We grab our bags and walk out into the parking lot which surprised me. No passport checking etc.
Tom is waiting right by the door and we load up the car (Bo's since it's larger) and go to his place. We're driving on an interstate which impresses me, Tom says it's been there for awhile but when I had to be driven up from Warsaw the roads were three lane with the middle lane shared by the traffic going either way. It became a game of 'chicken' at times and was nerve wracking.
Tom and his family have graciously given us the entire upstairs of their nice home (Tom calls it a flat). I'm touched by this generosity because we're trying not to be intrusive/disruptive and I hope we're not being too bad. I was advocating for a hotel but my wife's folk consider that an insult.
The kids were in an adjacent area with their own beds. It was REALLY nice! I finally get to meet Wiktor, Tom and Monika's son. He's a joy. After we rest and shower we head over to my wife's parents place after Tom tries to take me to a book store in my quest for Atlas Shrugged. He had to turn around because of a rush hour traffic jam.
A rush hour? In Gdansk? This made me feel a surge of hope. Keep in mind my perspective, other than a drunken four day haze (Wedding in 1999) the last time I was there was 1991 (my wedding). There were not a lot of cars and if there were they were of the 'baby' Fiat variety generally, a car slightly larger than a "smart" car.
I'm noting all sorts of differences from previous trips as Tom drives us over. The huge flats Joanna's folks live in have been painted and even though they're subdued paints they're better than the gray they once were. Poles seem to drive aggressively. It might be a 'city thing.' I'm nervous about seeing Bo but when I do he looks 'concerned' more than anything - introspective, a little fatigued but as we sit down and talk the more outgoing Bo I know peeps out from time to time. After the visit we go back to Tom's and I crash, well sort of, I had to get up 2,000 times to pee because of all the caffeine.
That morning Tom drives us to Sopot a tourist area. On the way there I spot this car with an 'L' on it. Tom informs me that it's the designation of the student driver and all cars of this type must be a particular brand of Fiat and have the 'L' on them.
I'm pondering that from an American perspective and liking the idea from a stress reduction point of view when we arrive at Sopot.
I spot a bookstore and beeline for it in search of Atlas Shrugged. I get kinda teased...
We eat at a place called One Green, some vegetarian joint right next to this really interesting looking restaurant. The girl taking our order giggles when I say, "Okie Dokie." You can get by with English in the tourist areas of Poland.
Sopot is on the Baltic. We head out the pier and see some sights.
On the train ride back to Bo's I'm noting the graffiti more and more, it's jarring in its amount from when I was last there. I can't read it so I'm constantly wondering, what's it mean?!
I also note that the little train station where Bo lives seems to have a lot more businesses in it.
I can't let go of the graffiti. It's out of control compared to when I was last here. Ela thinks it's the foreigners. They don't need a visa if they're a member of the EU (Poland is sort of a member) so folks can travel about from country to country more easily, so bored college kids...
Bo relates a story about back when he was in charge of the commuter trains and they caught one of the graffiti guys who was painting the train cars. Bo wanted to prosecute him but the judge and prosecutor said, "No. It's art." Bo wrote back, "If it's your car is it then still art?" The judge said to go ahead and prosecute.
We went to a nice restaurant for the 4pm meal. Poles have breakfast, a light lunch, a big 4pm meal and then a 7-8pm light dinner if I recall correctly. I have to go to the bathroom and being a rube I'm presented with this:
I don't want to guess wrong and spend the night in jail, so I take a picture making me the conversation of every other diner in the joint and head back to Bo for consultation. I learn that 'BIURO' means office and that the triangle/circle is the sign for universal bathroom.
Bo tries to make me feel better about my bathroom confusion and tells a story about how he was at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (the one the US boycotted) and how all the doors were cut off at the top to the bathrooms. While he was doing his business in one of them some woman stuck her hand in the cut out area and spritzed him with perfume. "What did you do that for?!" he asked her. She replied, "They told me to during the Olympics." Apparently this was to show visitors that Moscow potties were always fresh smelling.
Most of the conversations whirl around me in a blur of vowels and consonants ("aprichectukatanadiwadimalva") and then someone will say, "właśnie". Usually I'd key off of 'Bill (Beel)' or 'Billa' which was an early warning indicator that I was about to come online.
Właśnie is a critical word to know if you're ever in Poland or speaking Polish with a Pole. It will get you by almost any conversational gamut. Phonetically właśnie is pronounced, vu-wash-nyea and whenever anyone says anything to you at all simply reply in a grave and somber tone, "Właśnie, właśnie" while nodding your head in the affirmative. It means 'of course' and works like this:
Someone may ask, "Bill, are you an idiot?"
Nodding my head I reply, "Of course, of course."
See! Honestly, it's that easy and everyone things you're fluent in Polish!
Właśnie became the word of choice for me and my kids during our visit.
While being ferried about town I keep noticing these huge pipes running all over the place, so I ask about them. They're filled with hot water and used to heat the city.
Wednesday, we head for Westerplatte, where World War Two started. It's a quiet place, the Poles never stood a chance but held out for seven days against incredible odds. It reminded me of the Alamo for some reason. But I also learned about the defense of the Polish Post Office in Gdansk where the Polish militia held out for fifteen hours, all but four of the survivors were subsequently executed.
Poles are crazy brave about their country.
We wandered around the Polish barracks, marveling at the fact we could enter the building at all. This would be forbidden in the US for fear of injury.
There is this monument there too. It was a bit too modern for my tastes but what do I know?
Off to it's left across a small field is a sign...
While sitting in some traffic jam on the way to Bo and Ela's from Westerplatte I'm pondering Gdansk/Poland. It seems like it can't make up it's mind, is it going to go the way of graffiti or is it going to grow out of it. Tom was recently laid off but has two job offers within a short period of time. A coworker of mine in England is telling me a lot of Poles are moving back there because that's where the work is. It sounds very promising. Poland appears to be hiring!
We stop at a grocery store. One of the juices there is called Banana Nectar. YUM! ::rolls eyes::
I'm impressed with the number of bike commuters. The bikes are primarily mountain bikes/hybrids. I'd guess about 20% bother with helmets, most aren't carrying much either - some backpacks. I'd put their life expectancy at twelve minutes given the aggressive nature of the Polish driver, but I have yet to witness an accident.
Thursday we headed into the 'Old Town' of Gdansk, we were going to meet Emilia and Szymon while hanging out for a bit with Tom's wife Monika before she went off to work. The first thing that was way new to my eyes was the mall.
It was packed with stores and activity. I found a bookstore and once again was defeated by this Polish language thing they had going on in Gdansk. I was further saddened that it was too early for 'lody' (Polish for ice cream).
Now I had seen Emilia back in 2005 but I tend to hold the following mental images of these 'kids.'
The punk standing in both pictures at one and a half years is my son. When we exited the store we saw Szymon and Emilia approaching in the bright daylight.
My entire focus seems to be on Poland's graffiti problem, I don't know why I can't let it go but I figure it's best query the natives on this. Emilia thinks the graffiti is due to westernization and is illegal everywhere. There use to be 'allowed' areas but no more.
Emilia and to a slightly lessor extent Szymon exude the youthful confidence of those who's time has come. Emilia is studying Western Culture and Psychology. Szymon's degree will be in Tourism.
I love the Old Town of Gdansk. They've done a lot of painting and sprucing the place up since I last strolled around there.
As we're walking around we pass these statues that are so incongruous that I figure they must be modern additions. I check the placard and nope they're medieval, maybe medieval modern art? I don't get modern art at all. I call out to Emilia and my son, "What do they mean? What do they meeaaannnn??!!"
We head over to the amber museum even though Emilia and Szymon are having difficulty navigating in daylight being used to their more nocturnal nightclub wanderings. I'm pretty jazzed about seeing some hapless lizard that managed to get trapped in amber and looking forward to all the cool things they do with amber. I'm mildly disappointed that the lizard is currently on loan to Oslo but they have a picture of the poor thing.
We wander throughout the museum going ever upward. I still posit the museum was in one of the gates, my wife begs to differ. The higher we climb the warmer it gets and we're stripping off jackets. This place would never pass the Americans with Disabilities Act.
I don't get to Poland often but I'm grateful that my wife and kids do a bit more than I. Some of it's cost or work or whatever. The last time I was there was for my brother in law's wedding, August 1999. At the reception I was drunk under the table by this evil guy named Marek (who I actually like). I was stupid and deserved what I got. One doesn't challenge a Pole in trading shots particularly if it's vodka on his home turf. I haven't had vodka since.
So we pack and begin the flight over. We have something like a five hour layover in Dulles which is far larger than you might think it is and has this weird Orwellian feel to it. We popped out of our plane and this muddled voice was blaring... something that sounded concentration campish. Dulles is about the size of Rhode Island. Around noon we get off at concourse 'A' and immediately dissolve into factions over food. The kids want Wendy's and I want Five Guys (hamburger but not Wendy's) and my wife is indifferent. The thing is, Wendy's is in concourse 'C' which didn't seem like a big deal at the time...
It became a death march.
We had to cross several runways or areas planes had to get under and the family would take the escalator but I was hell bent on walking and taking the stairs. After the second one they began to look a tad daunting.
Climbing a Stairway to Wendy's
By the time we get to Wendy's I'm grumpy and utterly illogically determined to eat at Five Guys which turns out to be near our departure gate. I sullenly munch there alone while the family goes about looking at stuff. I then go over to the gate and plop down next to, judging by his accent, some good looking foreign, playboy dude. He gets some girl to watch his stuff and goes about doing whatever these guys do, probably working on his next sordid letter to Penthouse. I sit next to the girl and read Atlas Shrugged. I'm determined to get through the book on this trip since I keep losing the book and I figure I'll have time to read.
He comes back after awhile and the girl gets up to go. As she's leaving he asks for her email address. She smiles and says, "I'll look you up on facebook." Mmhmm maybe, maybe not dude. A bit later some other blond with her girlfriend walks by, waves at him and giggles. He must have her email.
Next stop is Copenhagen. It was a long flight but they had movies and stuff which helped. We tried to sleep. On arrival at Copenhagen we discovered that our flight was canceled. Super! It turns out the flight crew decided not to show up and frankly if they're that unmotivated then I really don't want to be on a plane with them at the helm.
We ended up in Oslo, Norway which still had snow on the ground. Naturally I left my copy of Atlas Shrugged on the plane. The blond Norwegian dude would not let me back on the plane to get it (this was after we ate this bizarre Pizza Hut pizza in the terminal, so some time had gone by) telling me I'd have to go to SAS lost and found to retrieve it, if it was there.
I didn't have time. So I turned my attention to this leather notebook I was lugging around and began pouring notes into it about the trip. It became known as The Manifesto.
After 24hrs of traveling we finally made Gdansk. Both Oslo & Gdansk's airports reminded me of 1960's airports, in the sense that you don't have some big gangway come out and join the plane, nope you go down the steps and walk into the terminal. We grab our bags and walk out into the parking lot which surprised me. No passport checking etc.
Tom is waiting right by the door and we load up the car (Bo's since it's larger) and go to his place. We're driving on an interstate which impresses me, Tom says it's been there for awhile but when I had to be driven up from Warsaw the roads were three lane with the middle lane shared by the traffic going either way. It became a game of 'chicken' at times and was nerve wracking.
Tom and his family have graciously given us the entire upstairs of their nice home (Tom calls it a flat). I'm touched by this generosity because we're trying not to be intrusive/disruptive and I hope we're not being too bad. I was advocating for a hotel but my wife's folk consider that an insult.
Our Room
Wictor
The kids were in an adjacent area with their own beds. It was REALLY nice! I finally get to meet Wiktor, Tom and Monika's son. He's a joy. After we rest and shower we head over to my wife's parents place after Tom tries to take me to a book store in my quest for Atlas Shrugged. He had to turn around because of a rush hour traffic jam.
A rush hour? In Gdansk? This made me feel a surge of hope. Keep in mind my perspective, other than a drunken four day haze (Wedding in 1999) the last time I was there was 1991 (my wedding). There were not a lot of cars and if there were they were of the 'baby' Fiat variety generally, a car slightly larger than a "smart" car.
A 'Baby' Fiat
I'm noting all sorts of differences from previous trips as Tom drives us over. The huge flats Joanna's folks live in have been painted and even though they're subdued paints they're better than the gray they once were. Poles seem to drive aggressively. It might be a 'city thing.' I'm nervous about seeing Bo but when I do he looks 'concerned' more than anything - introspective, a little fatigued but as we sit down and talk the more outgoing Bo I know peeps out from time to time. After the visit we go back to Tom's and I crash, well sort of, I had to get up 2,000 times to pee because of all the caffeine.
That morning Tom drives us to Sopot a tourist area. On the way there I spot this car with an 'L' on it. Tom informs me that it's the designation of the student driver and all cars of this type must be a particular brand of Fiat and have the 'L' on them.
Student Driver
I'm pondering that from an American perspective and liking the idea from a stress reduction point of view when we arrive at Sopot.
I spot a bookstore and beeline for it in search of Atlas Shrugged. I get kinda teased...
Atlas Shrugged, alas in Polish
We eat at a place called One Green, some vegetarian joint right next to this really interesting looking restaurant. The girl taking our order giggles when I say, "Okie Dokie." You can get by with English in the tourist areas of Poland.
A fancy Polish breakfast. That glass of 'milk' is actually my latte. I'm still of the mindset that Poles don't quite get coffee yet, being a tea people.
A restaurant right out of Dr. Seuss - I love the guy on the accordion trying to make a buck
Sopot is on the Baltic. We head out the pier and see some sights.
Sopot Pier
Musicians singing Help!
Sopot
On the train ride back to Bo's I'm noting the graffiti more and more, it's jarring in its amount from when I was last there. I can't read it so I'm constantly wondering, what's it mean?!
Graffiti Abounds
I also note that the little train station where Bo lives seems to have a lot more businesses in it.
This is Bo & Ela's suburb - 'zaba' means frog. So maybe this is the suburb of the frogs? I don't know.
I can't let go of the graffiti. It's out of control compared to when I was last here. Ela thinks it's the foreigners. They don't need a visa if they're a member of the EU (Poland is sort of a member) so folks can travel about from country to country more easily, so bored college kids...
Bo relates a story about back when he was in charge of the commuter trains and they caught one of the graffiti guys who was painting the train cars. Bo wanted to prosecute him but the judge and prosecutor said, "No. It's art." Bo wrote back, "If it's your car is it then still art?" The judge said to go ahead and prosecute.
We went to a nice restaurant for the 4pm meal. Poles have breakfast, a light lunch, a big 4pm meal and then a 7-8pm light dinner if I recall correctly. I have to go to the bathroom and being a rube I'm presented with this:
Which is boys? Which is girls? YOU make the call!
I don't want to guess wrong and spend the night in jail, so I take a picture making me the conversation of every other diner in the joint and head back to Bo for consultation. I learn that 'BIURO' means office and that the triangle/circle is the sign for universal bathroom.
Bo tries to make me feel better about my bathroom confusion and tells a story about how he was at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow (the one the US boycotted) and how all the doors were cut off at the top to the bathrooms. While he was doing his business in one of them some woman stuck her hand in the cut out area and spritzed him with perfume. "What did you do that for?!" he asked her. She replied, "They told me to during the Olympics." Apparently this was to show visitors that Moscow potties were always fresh smelling.
Most of the conversations whirl around me in a blur of vowels and consonants ("aprichectukatanadiwadimalva") and then someone will say, "właśnie". Usually I'd key off of 'Bill (Beel)' or 'Billa' which was an early warning indicator that I was about to come online.
Właśnie is a critical word to know if you're ever in Poland or speaking Polish with a Pole. It will get you by almost any conversational gamut. Phonetically właśnie is pronounced, vu-wash-nyea and whenever anyone says anything to you at all simply reply in a grave and somber tone, "Właśnie, właśnie" while nodding your head in the affirmative. It means 'of course' and works like this:
Someone may ask, "Bill, are you an idiot?"
Nodding my head I reply, "Of course, of course."
See! Honestly, it's that easy and everyone things you're fluent in Polish!
Właśnie became the word of choice for me and my kids during our visit.
While being ferried about town I keep noticing these huge pipes running all over the place, so I ask about them. They're filled with hot water and used to heat the city.
Heating Pipes
Wednesday, we head for Westerplatte, where World War Two started. It's a quiet place, the Poles never stood a chance but held out for seven days against incredible odds. It reminded me of the Alamo for some reason. But I also learned about the defense of the Polish Post Office in Gdansk where the Polish militia held out for fifteen hours, all but four of the survivors were subsequently executed.
Poles are crazy brave about their country.
We wandered around the Polish barracks, marveling at the fact we could enter the building at all. This would be forbidden in the US for fear of injury.
Bombed out Polish barracks
There is this monument there too. It was a bit too modern for my tastes but what do I know?
Monument at Westerplatte
Off to it's left across a small field is a sign...
"Never Again War"
The view from the monument
While sitting in some traffic jam on the way to Bo and Ela's from Westerplatte I'm pondering Gdansk/Poland. It seems like it can't make up it's mind, is it going to go the way of graffiti or is it going to grow out of it. Tom was recently laid off but has two job offers within a short period of time. A coworker of mine in England is telling me a lot of Poles are moving back there because that's where the work is. It sounds very promising. Poland appears to be hiring!
We stop at a grocery store. One of the juices there is called Banana Nectar. YUM! ::rolls eyes::
I'm impressed with the number of bike commuters. The bikes are primarily mountain bikes/hybrids. I'd guess about 20% bother with helmets, most aren't carrying much either - some backpacks. I'd put their life expectancy at twelve minutes given the aggressive nature of the Polish driver, but I have yet to witness an accident.
Thursday we headed into the 'Old Town' of Gdansk, we were going to meet Emilia and Szymon while hanging out for a bit with Tom's wife Monika before she went off to work. The first thing that was way new to my eyes was the mall.
The Mall
It was packed with stores and activity. I found a bookstore and once again was defeated by this Polish language thing they had going on in Gdansk. I was further saddened that it was too early for 'lody' (Polish for ice cream).
Lody anyone?
Now I had seen Emilia back in 2005 but I tend to hold the following mental images of these 'kids.'
Emilia 1996
(left to right) Kuba and Szymon 1996
The punk standing in both pictures at one and a half years is my son. When we exited the store we saw Szymon and Emilia approaching in the bright daylight.
Szymon and Emilia forced to stand next to Crazy Bill
My entire focus seems to be on Poland's graffiti problem, I don't know why I can't let it go but I figure it's best query the natives on this. Emilia thinks the graffiti is due to westernization and is illegal everywhere. There use to be 'allowed' areas but no more.
Emilia and to a slightly lessor extent Szymon exude the youthful confidence of those who's time has come. Emilia is studying Western Culture and Psychology. Szymon's degree will be in Tourism.
I love the Old Town of Gdansk. They've done a lot of painting and sprucing the place up since I last strolled around there.
Old Town
Medieval Graffiti
Bill and Neptune
As we're walking around we pass these statues that are so incongruous that I figure they must be modern additions. I check the placard and nope they're medieval, maybe medieval modern art? I don't get modern art at all. I call out to Emilia and my son, "What do they mean? What do they meeaaannnn??!!"
We head over to the amber museum even though Emilia and Szymon are having difficulty navigating in daylight being used to their more nocturnal nightclub wanderings. I'm pretty jazzed about seeing some hapless lizard that managed to get trapped in amber and looking forward to all the cool things they do with amber. I'm mildly disappointed that the lizard is currently on loan to Oslo but they have a picture of the poor thing.
Hapless Lizard
We wander throughout the museum going ever upward. I still posit the museum was in one of the gates, my wife begs to differ. The higher we climb the warmer it gets and we're stripping off jackets. This place would never pass the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Amber Ships
View from the Museum
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)