Saint Patty's Day Field Trip!!!

Back when I was still recovering from being sick- aka St. Patty's Day- there was an offer of a free ride on a bus to see Ksiaz Castle, which was about 2 hours from Wroclaw. I accepted of course, even though I still had a cough. It was so cool. Perched on a rock ledge, in a valley, at the bottom of a windy wooded road, painted bright colors, all that happy Disney stuff. But in real life!

It was commandeered by Nazis for strategic purposes (it was Germany at the time anyway) and stipped of most of it's value, then by the Soviets, then by local Poles. Saddess. Since the Nazis documented what they took, they're slowly putting the place back together. Good thing they kept a record of their plundering. Lol. But on the tour, my memory cards filled up and by the time we got to the rooms that had been remodeled to become Hilter's apartment (no joke), I had to delete pics to take them. Thus, we need to return in the summer.

On the way back, we stopped in Swidnica (another city) to look at one of only 2 remaining 'peace churches' left in Poland. Basically, these were Protestant churches that were allowed to be built- Poland has been and is still a very Catholic country- so that Protestants could have their own churches too. There were 3, but since one of the conditions of the building of the peace churches was that they only be made out of wood, straw, and other non-stone materials (read: flammable and flimsy), the other burned down. They weren't meant to last. They've been around since the 1600s.

We went out for dinner at Rodeo Drive ('American' grill), which is the only place in Wroclaw with BBQ sauce- a VERY important thing to know. We went to a pub and hung out. I had an ice cream sundae. That was my St. Patty's Day indulgence... hehehehe... :)

And I started to feel better!

Sick... :'(

Yeah that 'sore throat/cough' was definately a sinus infection. Yeah... well.

Thankfully, a Polish-speaking friend helped me get some medicine yesterday afternoon, and after a miserable day of still making myself go to classes today, I think I might be recovering. At least, I hope I am recovering...

I am not hacking up lungs anymore. I do have a fever, I believe, with no thermometer it's hard to be sure... but I do have earaches in both ears. I also have a runny nose, which is not fun in a country that does not appear to sell things like "Puffs Plus" lotion-y tissues. My poor throat is clearing up, which means that I am now able to feel how raw it's gotten over the past few days. And since all medicines- even aspirin and cough drops- are literally over the counter, and the people who work in these pseudo-pharmacies usually don't speak English, I might need to ask for help to buy a couple of packs of cough drops.

***Moral of story- Cherish WalMart.
And CVS. And Rite Aid. And Eckerd. And Walgreens.***

But good news. My last class of the week isn't until 5pm tomorrow, so I can sleep in (as always)!!!! :)

Then it's the weekend.

They played 'Big Machine' in Czeski Film tonight!!!

Earlier today, I managed to spot a Darren walking to town while I was on a bus headed the same direction. I texted him, hopped off the bus at the next stop (which happened to be at the park where the Carnival is, and of course I was wary of gypsies), and caught up with him just as he realized I'd sent him an 'SMS,' as text messages are referred to here. It was a beautiful day, it was in the 60s, and of course I had my camera out. We got lunch and such, then wandered slowly back to Albert (across from Olowek). I got the water I'd been nearly out of, and ice cream (for my sore throat... really... hehe). Just as we left the store, he reminds me I had Polish language class in 40minutes.


Good to know someone else knows my class schedule, cuz apparently I do not.


This presented a problem because it's usually a 45 minute walk-for me at least. I like to take my sweet time. I booked it back, having just missed the bus and walked/speed walked to the University, and WASN'T late for class. All hot and gross, but not late. I even had time to try and cool down/do the homework that had been assigned that I hadn't done yet. o:)


Afterwards, we got dinner at a pizza place that had an Australian/Aboriginal theme to it (places here tend to have really unique atmospheres, which in this case, was cool), and I 'forced' us to go get dessert. I used my record-setting 25 minute super-walk to class as an excuse to get ice cream, which would, of course, happen to make my sore throat feel better. :)


We went to Czeski Film, a popular (among students, at least) pub, with a supposedly Czech-like theme. I couldn't tell ya what was Czech-like or not... I like the place, it's neato, with UNIQUE (Google the name of the place if you're curious) decorations of 3-D paintings on the walls and such, but I like the music best. It never fails- I have yet to be in there when they didn't play part of the 'City of Angels' soundtrack. Which is great, because we were in a different place getting dinner once and heard a cover of 'Iris' that made us cringe. Simply sickening... Anyways. We were in Czeski Film tonight, and they played 'BIG MACHINE'!!!! I was sooooooo happy the guys must have thought I was nuts. I mean, this place once played 'Long Way Down,' which I'd never heard played outside of it's 20 second appearance in the movie 'Twister' and my own computer.


Goo Goo Dolls- friendly establishments that have really good, semi-cheap desserts are definitley hard to find... in Poland, of all places.

I have a favorite pub now. Yeah, ME, happy to be in a pub. Go figure :) :) :)


Anyways, not too important, but it made me happy so I felt the need to share this with anyone who reads this.

Gnomes and Buses and Gypsies, OH MY!!!

I'm still alive.

I just kept forgetting to do this, cuz it seems everytime I manage to remind myself to write here again, I tell myself I will once I am ready for bed. The Internet in Olowek somehow knows this and decides to stop working. Twice, so far, I've gotten out of the shower to find myself without an Internet connection. SkyNet taking over? Perhaps large buildings named after pencils are the first to fall...

I admit that I am completely addicted to the Internet and it's so disorienting when it's gone. I haven't the foggiest what the temperature is outside even, and if I were manage to ask someone- and I actually understand the answer- it would be in Celsius, and anyone who knows me knows that Cabryn cannot do math. It's an ugly, ugly thing to witness. Lol.

Anyways, it's working now, so we're good. :)

So what's new with me? Not too much, I have a sore throat/cough. Not good, but it doesn't seem to be getting worse. So that's alright at least. I think I only have one blister right now, and I still walk to or from Rynek (the City Center, near the University) at least once a day, unless it's rainy then I might take the bus. In my trusty L.L.Bean comfort clogs- which are most certainly NOT compatible with rough cobbled streets- I walk a couple of miles a day. Weird, cuz I have definitley DRIVEN to the Heff from Feeney to put money on my laundry card- in the summer. Suddenly living without couches, I have apparently ceased to be a couch potato. Haha.

For those who truly know me, do not be alarmed- I am still 'graceful as always' -and trip daily, but have thus far managed to avoid falling down. Give it time... it WILL happen... and probably over one of the new gnomes they're installing around the city. You think you know a street, since you walk it every day to get to and from the bus stop. And with all of Wroclaw appearing to be under some sort of restoration project, you don't think too much of the construction workers on the sidewalk. Then BAM! the very next day, you nearly stumble over a 12 inch tall metal gnome. Or two. They are now just around this corner and that corner, hidden by a Transformer garbage can here or a flower box over there. Cute. But oh man, I can easliy see myself attempting to recover from a gnome-induced injury.

The buses are quite an adventure, let me tell you. They've decided to start changing the traffic patterns here again, as construction continues. Just the other day, we saw a sign on the usual bus stop across from Olowek (in from of Albert). No idea what the heck it said. The next day, the buses didn't stop there. So we walked a ways down the street to catch one at the next stop. Another day goes by, and someone looks out the window and sees that a new bus stop has been added on the other side of the building, near McDonald's. Ah ha, so THAT'S what the sign had said... The old bus stop sign has been taken away. To conceal such information in plain sight... hahaha. On top of such confusions, streets that were one-way three days ago are now two-way, or one-way in the opposite direction, or totally closed, or traffic is now running through what will be tram lanes but was basically a sidewalk for people last night. Dangerous when you have no idea where you can walk after you get off the bus, or which way to look before you cross the street. It's hectic, but maybe it will be over soon. I can't wait to no longer be awoken at 6am to the sound of a dump-truck load of cobble stones being emptied onto the street near McDonald's. That's a symptom that you will indeed have a case of the Mondays by the time the day is out.

We ventured to IKEA yesterday, which takes 2 buses to reach. It was cool, IKEA is like a Bed, Bath and Beyond/Home Depot/furniture store. I got a rug and a pillow. Nothing like WalMart though. Oh, WalMart, how I miss you. *tear* But yikes! The ride back was a nightmare and a half. It took almost a half an hour for the bus to get out of the shopping center/mall complex. The bus was packed, and the driver was reckless (par for the course) and let's just say that it was an experience. But we survived.

The weirdest thing that happened was on the Sunday before this past one. We were walking into Rynek from the bus stop when this old woman walks up to me and grabs my arm, then starts mumbling something about 'herbata' (which is tea in Polish). She had a deck of cards in her hand. GYPSY!!!! Luckily I had a friend there to grab my other arm and drag me away from the gypsy. I should have realized that, with the Carnival in town, unscrupulous characters might also be about. And for those of you- like my brother- who are thinking it, NO she did not say 'Thinner.' Lol. But I'm alright. If I felt that a curse had been placed upon me, I'd've been in the nearest church immediately.

Ok, so as I sit here hacking up a lung, I'll wrap it up for now.

Above you will see a picture of one such dastardly gnome, around a corner, with a gnome house. Hiding, I tell you, trying to trip people... or maybe just the tourists... shame on them...