Yes it’s true – the ports and shipyards of Gdansk and Gdynia are the leaders. They have been making ships for decades, repairing ships, operate ferry and commercial shipping terminals as well as the tourism associated with these famous shipyards.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/07/24/which-region-in-the-eu-is-the-biggest-exporter-of-yachts

When I visited these communities I went to the shipyards, the areas around the shipyards and saw things like this in Gdynia in particular.

I had meant to post last week but things got busy. A happy Bastille Day to my french friends. Your parade in Paris is the envy of a certain weeettle poopookins. 😉

Westerplatte is a peninsula in Gdansk. It is where WW2 started when Germany stormed this resort area on September 1, 1939. One of the times I visited Gdansk I went to Westerplatte which is now a memorial park. It still has some of the bombed out buildings as well as a markers showing before and after photos, providing a history of what happened during those early days of WW2.

One of the most amazing things in this area is the monument. It is an imposing presence (in a good way), a marvel of construction and design.

For many years there has been a medieval fair (St. John’s I believe) in Krakow at the foot of Wawel Castle with a variety of booths, recreations and the modern tourist stuff. Usually it’s REALLY hot and one has to feel for the recreators in full regalia let alone the horses that do active demonstrations. It was not unusual when I was not taking pictures that I had an umbrella – it was that hot.

This is a bit early since this day is never the same day every year.

Corpus Christi (Boze Cialo) is a Catholic feast celebrated as a public holiday in Poland. It is the day when the Catholic Church commemorates the practice of Holy Eucharist, or Communion. Corpus Christi is a festival that the Catholic Church has celebrated to honor the Eucharist since 1246. The name “Corpus Christi” is a Latin phrase that refers to the body of Christ. It is a moveable feast that is celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday in Poland, a country where most of the population belongs to the Catholic Church.

Large groups of people take part in outdoor processions in many villages, towns and cities in Poland. The processions include children dressed in white who scatter flower petals on the streets. Some of the procession’s participants stop to pray at temporary shrines. Many homes are decorated with religious icons during Corpus Christi.

Living in a city I did not see many processions except on Easter, but in honor of this upcoming holiday I want to show you some photos of the most amazing church I have ever seen. It almost makes me want to convert. It’s the Mariacki Church in the main square in Krakow. In English, it’s St. Mary’s Church. It’s a local landmark, big tourist attraction and has the tradition of every hour a buglier plays on the hour and stops mid way through the call. He stops because that is when an arrow went through the throat of a buglier centuries ago.

Every time I visit Krakow I go to the church for a visit. They just do not make them like this in the U.S.

Not a real adventure in photos this week but something more important. Having spent many years in this wonderful country through three local and national elections, it has been very interesting seeing the disconnects between the media/news and reality. This is happening in almost country – Poland is no exception. So it was nice to see this piece. Enjoy.

https://www.euronews.com/2019/05/16/polish-support-for-eu-booming-despite-clashes-with-brussels

During my first spring in Krakow there were floods. Poland has seen many floods being on the Wisła/Vistula River. This river winds through the country generally cutting it in half and also runs through many major cities. I am reminded of this flood since the spring where I am has also been very wet, and very cool, but nothing like the flooding Krakow saw. Businesses had to close, some of the satellite campuses of UJ had to close since people were not allowed to cross the bridges (car, tram, buses). It was quite an experience. To this day if you go to this area you can see some water marks on buildings and walls from this flood.

I am a tiny bit late but this past week was important for my adopted country because it was not only Worker’s Day but Constitution Day. Worker’s Day is not is celebrated in the U.S. – of course. Since Worker’s Day is May 1 and Constitution Day is May 3, it is usual to have May 2nd off too. It makes for a nice spring break, unless the weather is sort of dreary. How I miss these eastern European traditions – Worker’s Day, Women’s Day…… 😉

Euronews recently had a very good story on the Mayor of Gdansk who was killed this part January. Over 20 years as mayor Piotr Adamowicz not only expanded the city’s economy but was also building a community of tolerance for the LBGT community and immigrants. With May Day (worker’s day) on Wednesday I thought it would be only appropriate to show pictures of the Solidarity Museum in Gdansk. When I first went to Gdansk almost 10 years ago the museum was in a bunker near the shipyard and guarded by an abandoned tank. The link below is for the new museum.

I have too many photos (old and new) to post here but needless to say, if you ever have a chance to visit Gdansk, the museum and center are a must see. Happy Workers Day!

http://www.ecs.gda.pl/title,Jezyk,pid,2,lang,2.html

Happy Easter to my friends, and hopefully tomorrow will be a dry day for all.

Lany poniedziałek (Wet Monday), is a Polish Easter Monday tradition which, in short, involves people throwing copious amounts of water at each other. The reason I was told is that this is a way for boys to show girls they like them and in some cases, the boy that soaks the girl ends up winning her and possibly getting married. Now it can be a full blown water fight but more with spray bottles, water balloons…. not necessarily buckets of water. Fortunately I never saw this but heard about it. I also remember seeing college kids doing it but with glass of water or water pistols. I think because I was a foreigner I was spared. Oh traditions. 😉

One of the many things I miss about living in Krakow and traveling around Europe, are the markets. In particular the markets around the holidays. The Easter Market in Krakow is very popular and has all kinds of colorful displays and booths to visit. They also sell palms for Palm Sunday. The painted eggs and gingerbread are also very popular. Happy Palm Sunday.