MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Mexican

Mexican food isn't quite as popular in Poland as it is in The States. 4 tortillas costs about 10 zloty and I have only been to one grocery store that sells taco seasoning. 

Needless to say Genna and I were very excited when we saw a Mexican restaurant the first time we were in Krakow. It didn't workout for us to eat there that time, but Genna and I made a pact that we would go the next time we were in Krakow. 

We went back to Krakow a few weeks later and once again it didn't work out for us to eat there. Both disappointed, we promised we would go next time we were in Krakow. Two weeks ago we took our new roommate Nicole to Krakow and yes we ate at The Mexican! 

After wanting to eat there for nearly two months Genna and I had high hopes for this place. Although it was pretty good it didn't quite meet our expectations. The first sign things weren't going to be exactly what we were hoping was when we got our chips and salsa. Notice the size of chips container. Yes, we got 7 chips. 

Keeping with Polish Tradition Genna's enchiladas were served on sauerkraut! 

I ran out of space

I used up all of my free space for pictures. I haven't decided if I should start deleting pictures from past posts, pay for more space or start a new blog. If you have any insight let me know.

Muffin Pan?

Since moving to Poland I have learned a lot of random stuff but, one of my favorites is that you don't need a muffin pan to make muffins! We bought this muffin mix with the thought that we would make it into bread, but then we looked at the directions we realized they don't use a muffin tins here!

I was skeptical when putting the batter in the first few. I thought it was going to pour out and make a mess but, it works! I do think the muffin cups here are a little stronger than the cheep ones at home. So be careful if you decide to try this one at home. 

Life Lessons

Clothespins are necessary when you dry your clothes on a balcony. Of course I learned this lesson “the hard way.” 

Luckily the gardeners were here the morning our clothes blew away and were kind enough to put a rock on top of them. Later we saw someone else’s boxers on the ground. I'm glad it was just a few t-shirts that blew away!

American Food NIght

Genna and I were finally able to get all the ingredients to make Apple Pie. It was month in the making. Finding nutmeg, vanilla and a pie pan in Poland is kind of challenging! 

Genna made her Great Grandma's Pie Crust recipe. We used my mom's pie filling recipe to make the BEST pie Poland has ever seen! We are planning on making another one for Thanksgiving to share with our friends at work. 

Before making the pie we needed to wait for the butter to soften. I had the brilliant idea to put the warm tea pot on top for a "little bit." I forgot about it and you can see what happened. Oops. 

Genna's mom had also sent us a Halloween Rice Crispy Bars kit so we went all out and made those too! 

We decided we needed to eat something "real" not just desserts so we also made a box of Mac and Cheese that Jill sent us. 

Ilona LOVED the Rice Crispy Bars and the Mac and Cheese. It was really fun to share these American foods with her! A BIG thanks to my Mom, Genna's Mom, and Jill for the packages. We have really enjoyed all the treats!  

First Snow

Two weeks ago we had our first snow storm. We woke up to snow after our day with Nicole in Krakow. It was neat to see Old Town Square with a fresh coat of snow. 

It continued to snow and snow and snow. We ended up with about 6 inches here in Bielsko. Fortunately, it quickly melted and the weather has been warmer since. 

Today it was 60 and sunny which was great because there have been a lot of gray days the last few weeks. 

Polish Independence Day

Today is Polish Independence Day. The Last few days there have been a lot of Polish Flags hung up all over Bielsko. Including several from people's balconies on our apartment building. I did a little research and below is  a nice summary of the Holiday. I am kind of bummed because it landed on a Sunday so we don't get a day off from school. 

National Independence Day is the most important Polish national holiday. On November 11, 1918, after 123 years of captivity, Poland regained its independence.

The date of 11 November was announced a national holiday in 1937. From 1939 to 1989, celebration of the holiday was forbidden. After the collapse of communist government, the holiday gained significance and it is now public holiday.

Major celebrations, attended by Polish State authorities, are held in Warsaw. At noon, a ceremonious change of guards takes place before the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.Patriotic gatherings and parades are held throughout Poland. Churches celebrate masses with the intentions of the Homeland.

Photo via: Google Images

Information via: http://en.poland.gov.pl/

Best Grilled Cheese

A few weeks ago I picked up a fresh loaf of bread on my way home from work. It wasn't sliced so we did our best to cut it with our dull knives. The pieces were nice and thick! The bread was light and airy and made the best Grilled Cheese Sandwich EVER! 

Reunion!

The last weekend in October Genna and I took the bus to Krakow. We met up with my friend Nicole. She is from Germany and came to Minnesota as an exchange student in High School. 6 years later we met up Poland. Who would have thought? It was great to see you Nicole. I hope we meet again during my time here in Europe!

So Long Prague

On Saturday morning we walked south and ventured into New Prague to climb UP to Vysehrad. 

Vysehrad is a large park surrounded by a brick wall. On the grounds is the Church of SS Peter and Paul and a large cemetery. As you walk around the grounds you are able to see the city from every angle. I was most excited to see Old Prague and all the bridges. The view wasn't exactly what I dreamed, but you can see the castle! 

Lots of people were running and walking their dogs here. It was definitely off the beaten tourist path and was kind of nice to do something without hordes of people around. 

After taking in all the views on top of Vysehrad, we went back down the hill and walked along the river back to Old Prague. Along the river there was a wonderful farmers market. Most of the shoppers were locals. They carried their fresh goods in simple, but large wicker baskets. I loved it. We stopped and bought some hot apple cider. It was warm, sweet and tasted like fall. It made our walk perfect on the chilly morning. 

There were more swans along this part of the river too. I didn't mind. Notice the ledge. They couldn't get out of the water and attack me! 

Once we made it back to Old Prague we crossed the river and set out to find John Lennon's wall. We spent a long time reading all the quotes, taking lots of pictures and just enjoying the wall. "Imagine" has been stuck in my head since. 

Right around the corner from the wall is the bridge with all the locks. People who are in love come to bridge and attach their lock and throw away the key into the river. 

 I was kind of disappointed because most of the locks were from this year. I was hoping to see some really old ones. I am not sure, but I think because so many people participate they have to cut them off from time to time. 

Our final day in Prague was my favorite. We weren't in a hurry. We saw the sun and blue skies. We warmed up by drinking hot chocolate and cider. We spent every last Czech Crown we had to buy 1 more piece of delicious cinnamon bread.  I completely enjoyed the fall day in a beautiful city with a great friend. 

Prague Day 2

Day 2 we were determined to have a more productive day of site seeing. We got up pretty early and went to Old Town Square to take some pictures during the day. 

 From there we went to the Jewish Quarter. We took a few pictures, but didn’t go on any tours.

After that, we crossed the river and started making our way up the hill to the Prague Castle. At the top of the very long staircase was an amazing view of Prague. After taking a ridiculous number of pictures we continued on into the castle grounds.

We happened to arrive right on the hour so we were able to see the changing of the guard. We knew we wanted to go on a tour of the Castel so we got in the LONG line and waited to buy our tickets. 

The Castle grounds were pretty cool. My favorite part was the cathedral. If you ever visit Prague I would recommend going to the castle, but don’t bother with the tour. You can still go into the Cathedral without a ticket and the rest of buildings weren’t too exciting.

 After seeing the crown jewels at the castle we left and took a few pictures of the Schwarzenbersky Palace. 

 By then we were starving so we stopped and had pizza at a little restaurant near the Palace and the Castle.

  

  

Then we went to the Franz Kafka Museum. He was a famous German Author who was born in Prague. His style of writing is difficult to translate into English and I hope that is why I hadn't heard of him before.  As we continued home we crossed the river and that’s when we saw all the swans.