A Polish Easter

I just got back from Poland yesterday; to be more specific Krakow. Why Krakow, well according to Trip Advisor it ranks alongside Prague for affordability and a great experience.

I am happy to say that the experience was Divine. Although our stay was short, 2 and a half days was all we needed as we managed to get and experience all we needed to.

We were off to a slightly bad start when my boot broke as we disembarked the train and crossed the square to find our hotel. Did I pack in another pair of shoes;...Of course not

My heel separated from the upper so when I walked it made a flip flap noise. So on arrival at our hotel; I asked for some tape. And the picture above was the result... very fashionable.

The problem was that it was Easter and so no stores were open and they probably weren't going to be on Easter Monday either so I had to make a plan. I am proud to say, my make shift tape and two sided tape I lodged between the heel and the upper stuck through my whole trip, and that was a lot of walking and some odd stares.

Shoe fixed, now it was time to explore, our hotel was so central that it was a mere skip and hop to the main square; Rynek Glowny. In many European cities you will find a main square where merchants trade and it really is the hub of the city. We grabbed a golf cart tour and set off on the cobble stoned paths to witness some of the most beautiful and intricate architecture I have ever seen.

We loved the fact that it was Easter weekend, there was a real holiday vibe in the streets. We had our first taste of traditional Polish cuisine at the market square.

We tried:

• Pierogi: dumplings; sweet and savoury. We had the minced meat and spinach ones as well as the cheese and potatoe kind; delish!
• Zeberka wedzone: ribs
• Kielbasa; traditional Polish sausage
• Wodka; rasberry
• Honey beer
• Ocyspek: hard salty goats cheese served with cranberry sauce...my favourite
• Czosnianka; onion soup
• Sauerkraut
• Gherkins

Hot chocolate for my sins

Honey beer for my soul

Not my beer but I claimed it for awhile

too easy to find delicious bread

My favourite spot; a small coffee shop enrobed with floral painted flowers and a delectable spread of all this tempting to the tongue; Ul lala restaurant I love you!

I loved all the cuisine we had, ice cream was also tried and tested and did not fail our expectations.

We went to two top restaurants for dinner advised by Trip advisor, portions of food were huge and very affordable considering we were eating at very good restaurants.

In terms of sights... there was an abundance of delight for the eye's and the great thing was that it was all in walking distance. Although it snowed Sunday; it set a very romantic and picturesque setting and Monday was sunny so we had the best of both worlds.

One of my must see's was this statue of a dismantled head, no eyes and bandaged bust... I was so excited when I spotted it in the square. There doesn't seem to be much of a story behind it but the artist has done four sculptures of which this is his first to be placed outside. The square is it's temporary home until it is moved, the artist is happy with where it is and feels it deserves to be in the square.

EROS BENDATO by Igor Mitoraj

(couldn't resist being a real tourist and hopping in, I am peeking out the eye)

Church door

Beautiful old door in the Jewish quarter

Love Locked; Father Bernards footbridge.

Seen all over Europe, these bridges are love locked with locks placed by people proclaiming love for another, by securing the lock and throwing the key into the river signifies everlasting Love....sigh.

I really couldn't have wished for a better time, we took in the sites, the sounds, breathed the city air, ate polish cuisine and smiled a lot.

Our time was not yet complete; part of our trip was to spent doing a tour of Auschwitz and the concentration camps, I was so eager and hungry to learn more about the war and how it affected so many Jews. We were fortunate enough to experience this and I will be doing a separate post and sharing images taken. A warning in advance, images truly show the terror people went through and so I purposefully decided to a do separate post as the second part of out trip was deserving of this.

The grass is Greener on Neither/ Either side?

I couldn't sleep last night, I felt out of my skin, agitated...I had so many thoughts and words erupting from my mind and nowhere to put them...

They say you go through phases when you move to a different country:

Phase One:

There is the excitement and intrigue; you want to take it all in, you are going to heighten your cultural side, visit museums, eat Danish pastries, learn the language and so much more,  but soon you start realise you are going to live here so there is no rush of fitting it all into one weekend and then after that thought ...you say it again to yourself; im going to be here for awhile and the excitement disintegrates a tad

Phase Two

You have probably been here for one to two months, the cracks in the masterpiece you painted are beginning to show, why do they do that? why dont they sell this? why do they sound that way?....and it goes on. The shiny wrapping that was once around this new destination has been ripped off and a duller side is exposed.

Phase Three

Lets be realistic and positive, I'm going to be here for awhile so I might as well make the most of it. You begin to negotiate with yourself. For me, I have come in Winter( thats two Winters in a row!, enough to make a snowman pull the carrot out his face and drill it through his iceman heart)

I am also unemployed during a European crisis in a country that is proudly Danish. So let me add that load to my baggage at arrivals. And I will add another suitcase to the belt; I don't speak Danish either, not a word of it.

After having the "reality bites" converstation with yourself you start Crossing Over.

Crossing Over is what I like to call the comparing game... e.g Its Winter here :(  but its Summer in Sunny South Africa :(  :(   and so you start depressing yourself a little further by comparig your current situations negatives with the shiny positives of home.

Phase Four

In some circumstances it could get worse before it gets better, e.g the country you are in could decide to throw you a horriffic Winter; like nothing you have ever quite experienced.

Or you could skip Phase Four (the lucky one's)

Phase Five:

Things start getting better, going through all the phases has made you grow tougher and you can really see what is going on in your life, you are transitioning. You just need to stick it through...

GRATITUDE

Welcome to the Golden phase; some people just get to phase five and never quite transcend into what I call the Golden Phase. This is the phase whereby you are in a euphoric state, life isnt perfect but its pretty good and you appreciate it for what it is. You have work, sun beams filtered through the window this morning, you are beginning to understand and appreciate the ways of the foreign place you are in, better yet; you are embracing foreign customs whole heartedly. You miss home but you are happy you took the leap and went to a different pasture to graze.

Is life greener on the other side?.....

            Life is what you make of it and only you can decide that for yourself; its gonna take some guts, a strong backbone, in my case; really warm gloves, a few falls, some bitching and moaning, a bit of hurt and home sickness and a lot of frustration.

But we all have the ability to Graduate fellow expats

LONDON CALLS FROM A RED PHONE BOOTH

LONDON called ten days ago and said i should really pop on over for a cuppa and a scone sooner rather than later... so off i went for afternoon tea.

This is my second time here and I fall more in love with London each time I visit, the architecture, parks, greenery, little cafe's, smell of coffee and so much more; allure one to stay.

although the weather is warmer this side than Copenhagen, the greenery and quaintess can compare. the nights are long and days way too short. I must say the trip this side was a breath of fresh air and a good little getaway from Copenhagen.

Big Ben, Buckingham, H&M, Oxford street and A Winter wonderland dazzled my eyes. London is beautiful this time of year and if its a christmas tingle in your body that you want, this is the place to be.

No trip is complete with a few bends and turns, some excitement and fun, fatigue and hunger, coldness and aching feet... so stay tuned for some short stories on London...should be amusing

• A TEACUP SERENADE AND NAUSEATING SPINNING
• A STROLLER, INFANT, TODDLER AND POINTY BOOTS WITH MILES TO WALK IN LONDON, AND DID I MENTION QUITE A FEW SHOPPING BAGS
• I LOVE LONDON AND I'LL TELL YOU WHY

The waiting Game

We have just received the news that our visas are on their way and within the next two weeks I will be freezing my ass off in Copenhagen.

The process has been a frustrating one and unless your visa has been delayed, you have sold your lifes belongings and anything you do own is in a cargo container waiting across the oceans, you have two suitcases to your name and the days seem slower than usual...if you know of these things, well then you know how I feel.

My friends look at me with puppy dog eyes every time I complain that my visa hasnt come, they dont quite understand that I am not on holiday. No car, bad weather, no work and no real purpose here... the extra 5 weeks I have been waiting have slowly shaved my ambition of moving to Copenhagen in the first place. No - I dont want to go to a place with a 12 degree climate when its still meant to be Summer over there but YES- i want to start my life and get on with it.

No One quite understands the predicament of waiting for a visa: because that is what it is -  - --waiting

* you cant go shopping because you cant buy anything because as it is; you bags can barely close and if your zip breaks, well then the only thing I will be shopping for and bringing home is a new travel bag

*summer is ripening in south africa and all i want is the sun on body and the latest fahion on my limbs, but i have been warned that if i bring one more item of summer clothing home theres gonna be trouble(p.s and dont tell; the great thing about sumer clothing is that you can scrunch it up real small an pop it in the corner of your suitcase)

* By this stage you have watched everything the cinema has to offer, even the painful stuff. and everytime you pay premium price at the movie counter you think to yourself that you might as well pay the extra cash and become a movie club member because that how long you have been here.

*your suitcase is never neat and you just dont care

*you have mixed and matched all items of clothing to form new looks, alas people are starting to wonder if you just have a favourite outfit or do you just not own any other cothes

*at this stage people are no longer suprised when they bump into you, and I get the feeling some are starting to think I am lying about moving out the country in the first place

So I will say this: I will be leaving and through it all, my extra time with family and friends has been priceless but when that visa comes, im gnna have a big smile on my face. Im gonna feel anxious and nervous but excited and Im going to feel that finally I have turned the page and get to see what the new chapter holds