The end of the year

The end of the year.

Well, here it is the end of the year.  It is hard to believe I have lived here or a year now.

Photography

Photography.

Recently, I think because of our travels, I have had occasion to think a bit about photography.  Specifically, my photography.  I’ve come to the conclusion that I suck at it.

Crete part 2

Our week in Crete, part 2.

As I said previously, we booked the trip through a company called Itaka.  They are a pretty large company and do many tours from Poland to various places.

A sunrise photo from our hotel.

Our week in Crete - part 1

A week in Crete

We booked a vacation.  In July, we booked a week on the island of Crete, one of the Greek Islands.  We booked it for Sunday, August 30 through Monday, September 7.

St. Dominic's Fair

On Sunday, August 2, we went to Gdansk to the St. Dominic’s Fair in Old Town.  There were many people and it was crowded.

The big visit part 4

Weekend in Prague, Czech Republic.

Before Shannon came here to visit, she told me she would really like to visit Prague, Czech Republic.  So, I got on the internet and booked us a flight from Warsaw to Prague on Friday, July 3.  Alicja booked us train tickets from Malbork to Warsaw.
On Thursday, the 2nd, we took a taxi to the train station here and boarded the Pendolino - the new high-speed train.  I have talked about the Pendolino before.  It is a very comfortable and relaxing way to travel here in Poland.  And, of course, it is economical.  Unfortunately, this time it was not so high speed.  They had some kind of computer malfunction that caused us to sit in one place for about half an hour.  But, other than that, it went smoothly.

Day trip to Gdańsk

On Wednesday, we took a day trip to Gdańsk.

The big visit, part 2

Tuesday, June 30.

This day we had set aside to visit the Malbork Castle.  Alicja opted not to go because she has been so many times over the years with so many friends, family and visitors.  Alicja drove us to the castle and dropped us off.

The big visit - part 1

On Sunday, June 28, my older daughter, Shannon, arrived for a one-week visit.  That afternoon, Alicja and I drove to the airport in Gdánsk to pick her up.

Day trip to Sopot

On Sunday, May 31st, we decided to take a day trip to Sopot.

Sopot is a resort town on the Baltic Sea between Gdansk and Gdynia.  It is part of what is called the tri-city area for that reason.

A weekend in Warsaw

On Friday, May 22, we went to Warsaw for the weekend.  Alicja had enrolled in a pharmaceutical seminar on Saturday to help fulfill her continuing education requirement.

Holiday

A Holiday

Today is Thursday, June 4, 2015.  It is a holiday in Poland.  A religious holiday.  In Polish, it is Boze Cialo.  In English, we would say Corpus Christi.

My encounter with the police

No probable cause.

I am official

Today, I took a train trip.  I went to Gdansk by train - all by myself.  Yesterday, we went to the station and bought my ticket so Alicja could tell the ticket clerk what we needed since they do not speak English.  So, the hard part was done.  But, I did travel alone while Alicja was at work.  Going on a trip like that alone is an experience since I don't speak Polish.

Easter

Easter is a big holiday in Poland.  A BIG holiday.  It is, by law, a two-day holiday.  Sunday and Monday.  On Sunday, virtually everything is closed. Businesses, government offices, stores, etc.  The trains and city busses still run, but pretty much everything else shuts down.  I am told that in the larger cities some stores and restaurants are open.  But, here in Malbork, just about everything was closed.

Cars and driving

A bit more about cars and driving.

So, we bought a car................

So, we bought a car..................

I was interrogated....twice, and we went to a ball.

Update

It has been a while since I posted.  And, there have been some new events here in Poland.

Three Kings Day

Today is January 6.  It is Three Kings Day in Poland.  In some countries, it is called Epiphany. Regardless, it is a national holiday.  Banks, government offices and virtually all businesses and stores are closed - by law.  In 2011, Parliament decreed that this day would be a national holiday of no work.  This made it an official holiday.  The communist government had outlawed it as a holiday some 50 years earlier.  It had been celebrated unofficially since the collapse of the communist regime.  But, in 2011, it became official.  It is important here because Poland is predominantly catholic and this holiday is an important part of their religion.  As a heretic, I don't have an opinion one way or the other.