Click on the pictures for a larger view.
Got up early to pack up and have breakfast. Karel and KK were all ready to take their luggage down to the VW. After settling up with the desk clerk and some scrambling in the parking garage, we were on the road.
Nowa Huta
We wanted to see Nowa Huta, a town built in the Socialist Realist style to bring more working class people to Krakow to help drown out the over abundance of intellectuals living there and driving the communists crazy. After some false turns, and directions from other drivers, we arrived in the main square, where KK was able to get out and have a good run......
Karel and I did a bit of exploring while Adriana played with Krystof.
Then I looked after KK for a minute while his parents used the public facilities.
I took him to a small park where, of course, there were a flock of pidgeons that he immediately started chasing. Almost too late I realised the whole place was full of unpicked-up doggy doo-doo. I grabbed him and got him back to the square before the inevitable happened. Interestingly, there was a women raking up the area with an old-fashioned wooden rake.
It looks like money is being spent to fix up the area, as most of the buildings have new windows, and a lot of the exterior plaster is being repaired. The town was built to house workers for a new steel mill that, in the end, seriously polluted Krakow, and was never really viable.
There are actually tours available to show people the way it was during the Comminist era:
http://www.crazyguides.com/krakow_tours.html
It was time to leave, and we headed back to the highway, hoping to get to the Czech border without too much traffic. The drive was great, as Adriana took an alternate route that took us through the highlands. This area was supposed to have the best air quality in the country. Passing through the border without stopping still seemed odd, as the facility was totally abondoned, now that Czech and Poland were members of the EU. We continued on, stopping for a break at a roadside park in a small village. KK was already to get and run as he'd been sitting in the car seat for a long time.
After Kai had strectched his legs, Karel told me that we were going to make a stop in Zamberk to see Jarda's family. I had stayed overnight in their house the first time I'd gone to the Czech Republic for Karel's school reunion.
Kraliky
As it was getting past lunch, Adriana suggested a restaurant across from a monastery that she remembered. Her ex-husband's grandfather used to maintain the organ in this beautiful church, which is outside the village of Kraliky. Unfortunately, when we got there, the restaurant was booked for a private function. Still, it gave us a chance to walk around and through the monastery.
Poutni Dum:
The Monastery:
We decided to take a walk through the village, which has been really well maintained, to see if we could grab a quick drink. In the square, KK got to practice his off-road skills.
We settled on a small pub that had some playground equipment. Unfortunately the swing was a little dodgy, and Krystof had a near death experience, as he almost flew out of the swing, at the apex of it's trajectory when the safety bar opened up. Thanks to Adriana's quick reflexes a tragedy was avoided, but it seriously rattled her, (it was a good catch though!). After finishing the beer, we continued on to Zamberk.
Zamberk
We arrived at Jana's, and were ushered right into the house where food, dessert, and drinks were waiting for us. It was weird to see how much the kids had grown in the six years since I'd been there. It's wonderful house, and I had a nice time exploring the backyard with KK.
The train station:
Jana's house:
Left to right:
Karel, Jana, Lucie, Adriana, KK, Michal:
After a great visit, it was time to say good-bye. We got back on the road, and headed for Podebrady, where Adriana's mom Liba, and Vasek, were waiting for us. Apparently they were putting on a barbeque in our honour...
Podebrady
Liba and Vasek's house:
We got to the house between 6 and 7PM and everybody was waiting to greet us. KK was excited to see his granparents again. His godmother, Jana, and her mother Irena, (another dentist with a great sense of humour and nice teeth), were there for the get-together also. Vasek was busy barbequeing in the back yard, and we were ushered onto the back deck to get ready for dinner. Karel and I took a couple of jugs to the local pub to fill with beer...when we got back it was time to eat. The dinner and conversation were great. They really put up a delicious feast for us, and of course the plum brandy (Slivovice) was flowing. It was a chore to drink all the draft we'd brought, but Jana's mother was a great help in that respect. During dinner one of Adriana's patients, who also happened to be KK's babysitter, Jarka, came over for an emergency visit. She'd had a wisdom tooth extracted which had become infected. Both Adriana and Jana's mom gave her a thorough examination when she arrived. What a country! All too soon the evening was coming to a close. Liba had put Krystof to sleep in his old room upstairs, so it was agreed that he should stay there for the night to give Adriana a break. We headed over to her condo after saying our good-byes, (so FULL I could hardly move)....
This was the first time I'd seen the inside of their condo in person, and what an amazing job they've done on the interior. The kitchen is very sleek and modern. Ditto for the bathroom, which has gorgeous tiles. Taking Honza's advice, Adriana had a huge closet built in KK's bedroom which provides more than adequate storage for the 3 of them. There is a good size balcony with a beautiful patio set that was a gift from Liba and Vasek. Krystof''s room is large and bright. This place is truly a minimalist's paradise.
After the condo tour Karel made up the sofa bed for me and we called it a night. Very comfortable....
Nowa Huta
We wanted to see Nowa Huta, a town built in the Socialist Realist style to bring more working class people to Krakow to help drown out the over abundance of intellectuals living there and driving the communists crazy. After some false turns, and directions from other drivers, we arrived in the main square, where KK was able to get out and have a good run......
Karel and I did a bit of exploring while Adriana played with Krystof.
Then I looked after KK for a minute while his parents used the public facilities.
I took him to a small park where, of course, there were a flock of pidgeons that he immediately started chasing. Almost too late I realised the whole place was full of unpicked-up doggy doo-doo. I grabbed him and got him back to the square before the inevitable happened. Interestingly, there was a women raking up the area with an old-fashioned wooden rake.
It looks like money is being spent to fix up the area, as most of the buildings have new windows, and a lot of the exterior plaster is being repaired. The town was built to house workers for a new steel mill that, in the end, seriously polluted Krakow, and was never really viable.
There are actually tours available to show people the way it was during the Comminist era:
http://www.crazyguides.com/krakow_tours.html
It was time to leave, and we headed back to the highway, hoping to get to the Czech border without too much traffic. The drive was great, as Adriana took an alternate route that took us through the highlands. This area was supposed to have the best air quality in the country. Passing through the border without stopping still seemed odd, as the facility was totally abondoned, now that Czech and Poland were members of the EU. We continued on, stopping for a break at a roadside park in a small village. KK was already to get and run as he'd been sitting in the car seat for a long time.
After Kai had strectched his legs, Karel told me that we were going to make a stop in Zamberk to see Jarda's family. I had stayed overnight in their house the first time I'd gone to the Czech Republic for Karel's school reunion.
Kraliky
As it was getting past lunch, Adriana suggested a restaurant across from a monastery that she remembered. Her ex-husband's grandfather used to maintain the organ in this beautiful church, which is outside the village of Kraliky. Unfortunately, when we got there, the restaurant was booked for a private function. Still, it gave us a chance to walk around and through the monastery.
Poutni Dum:
The Monastery:
We decided to take a walk through the village, which has been really well maintained, to see if we could grab a quick drink. In the square, KK got to practice his off-road skills.We settled on a small pub that had some playground equipment. Unfortunately the swing was a little dodgy, and Krystof had a near death experience, as he almost flew out of the swing, at the apex of it's trajectory when the safety bar opened up. Thanks to Adriana's quick reflexes a tragedy was avoided, but it seriously rattled her, (it was a good catch though!). After finishing the beer, we continued on to Zamberk.
Zamberk
We arrived at Jana's, and were ushered right into the house where food, dessert, and drinks were waiting for us. It was weird to see how much the kids had grown in the six years since I'd been there. It's wonderful house, and I had a nice time exploring the backyard with KK.
The train station:
Jana's house:
Left to right:
Karel, Jana, Lucie, Adriana, KK, Michal:
After a great visit, it was time to say good-bye. We got back on the road, and headed for Podebrady, where Adriana's mom Liba, and Vasek, were waiting for us. Apparently they were putting on a barbeque in our honour...
Podebrady
Liba and Vasek's house:We got to the house between 6 and 7PM and everybody was waiting to greet us. KK was excited to see his granparents again. His godmother, Jana, and her mother Irena, (another dentist with a great sense of humour and nice teeth), were there for the get-together also. Vasek was busy barbequeing in the back yard, and we were ushered onto the back deck to get ready for dinner. Karel and I took a couple of jugs to the local pub to fill with beer...when we got back it was time to eat. The dinner and conversation were great. They really put up a delicious feast for us, and of course the plum brandy (Slivovice) was flowing. It was a chore to drink all the draft we'd brought, but Jana's mother was a great help in that respect. During dinner one of Adriana's patients, who also happened to be KK's babysitter, Jarka, came over for an emergency visit. She'd had a wisdom tooth extracted which had become infected. Both Adriana and Jana's mom gave her a thorough examination when she arrived. What a country! All too soon the evening was coming to a close. Liba had put Krystof to sleep in his old room upstairs, so it was agreed that he should stay there for the night to give Adriana a break. We headed over to her condo after saying our good-byes, (so FULL I could hardly move)....
This was the first time I'd seen the inside of their condo in person, and what an amazing job they've done on the interior. The kitchen is very sleek and modern. Ditto for the bathroom, which has gorgeous tiles. Taking Honza's advice, Adriana had a huge closet built in KK's bedroom which provides more than adequate storage for the 3 of them. There is a good size balcony with a beautiful patio set that was a gift from Liba and Vasek. Krystof''s room is large and bright. This place is truly a minimalist's paradise.
After the condo tour Karel made up the sofa bed for me and we called it a night. Very comfortable....
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