"IFMA" is the INTERNATIONAL FARM MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION.

http://www.ifma19.org/pre-post-tours/

The Pre-congress tour will guide participants through the beautiful places in the Northern Poland, and the post-congress will let you explore Southern Poland. Congress tours are organized by Mazurkas Travel Bureau.

 

 PRE & POST CONGRESS IFMA19 TOURS PRICES*:

• TOUR PRICE INCLUDES: ACCOMMODATION, MEALS, ENTRY TICKETS, GUIDES 
• DURING EACH TOUR IT IS PLANNED ONE FREE EVENING, WHEN PARTICIPANT SHOULD GO FOR THE DINNER ON THEIR OWN

PRE CONGRESS TOUR NORTHERN  POLAND	ACCOMMODATION IN DOUBLE ROOM	3000 PLN/ PERSON
	ACCOMMODATION IN SINGLE ROOM	3630 PLN/ PERSON

 *first night accommodation in Warsaw before departure for the Pre-congress Tour, and the last night after return from the Post-Congress Tour included in the price

 

 

DATE: 13th 20th July 2013

 

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Tour Day 0 (My Vacation Day 7) -Arrive Warsaw Friday July 12

 

Accommodation in Pulwska Residence before departure for the Pre-congress Tour

PUŁAWSKA RESIDENCE HOTEL   http://www.pulawskaresidence.com.pl/en/gallery

ul. Puławska 361  02-801 Warsaw  tel.: 22 241 75 00  Fax: 241 75 01

Hotel Puławska Residence stands near Frederik Chopin International Airport. The Hotel is situated at the crossroads of Puławska street and W. Pileckiego street.

 

Newly built, a three star Puławska Residence Hotel is closely located to the International Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport and just 8 km from the City Center. Offering the ideal location for business, the hotel lies within a business district of the South Warsaw.  The hotel offers 197 modern guest rooms and suites including 2 rooms for disables. All rooms and suites feature comfortable furniture and modern amenities providing a comfortable and relaxing stay.  Rooms comprise:125 Standard rooms,  37 Business Class rooms,  35 Suites  Standard rooms are equipped with:  - free Internet access, - equipped kitchenettes, - TV LCD with satellite channels, - direct dial phone with a voice mail, - work desk and chair, - hairdryer, Business Class and Suites are additionally equipped with:  - individual climate control, - free high-speed wireless Internet access, - coffee and tea facilities, - early check-in, late check-out upon availability

 

Damona and toured Czestochowa this morning and saw the "Black Madonna". Then we drove to Warsaw.  We dropped off the rental car at the airport and took a taxi to the hotel.

We arrived at dinner time.  Many people were already in the bar ordering drinks and food. The staff was not ready for the large group, so service was slow, but that gave everyone time to get (re)aquainted. Several of these folks had been on previous IFMA tours and they already knew each other.

I met Liz. She added "as in Queen (Elizabeth)" to her introduction and she ordered a gin and tonic. Yup, we were going to get along just fine.

Then I met Pam. She and her husband Jay were in Lithuania (helping farmers). I got to tell her my story of the man who gave me a tour of the KGB prison in Vilnius. He was a prisoner in that same prison, and he survived because he was an opera singer.

All that socializing was nice, but I was sure hungry. 9 pm and Our soup finally arrived around 9 PM. It was roasted red pepper soup, and it was delicious - like a rich thick tomato soup, with crackers. Yum.

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Tour Day 1 (May Day 8) Saturday July 13

Saturday morning - the start of the official pre-congress tour. 

6 am Wake up

6:30 Breakfast

7:30 on the bus -What a nice group of people on this tour

Margaret (our guide) told us very interesting stories about her experiences

To get an apartment her parents had to pay in advance money for her apartment

She married. Then they had to wait for an apartment.

Finally, after they had 2 kids in 1978 she got an apartment, but it was delayed because of building material and people with money get priority.

Hitler destroy 85% of Warsaw.

1944 uprising.

WWII start in Poland Gdansk with Hitler attack 9/1/1939. Then Russia attack 17 days later.

To get their agreed portion of Poland.  Polish army can't defend both borders so they evacuated to organize in Switzerland. 

Formed the "Home Army"  in forests organized here.

Jews 10% in Poland, 30% in Warsaw.

pix old town of Warsaw. Warsaw was russian

There a citadel fortress that Russians built

There were 3.5 million Jews killed and 3 million Polish people were killed.

The German ruined 85% of warsaw, then Russians crossed the river to "liberate" the Poles from the germans. Poles were brainwashed to love the Russians.

Margaret was young so she did.

Her mom, however did NOt like the Russians. He mom broke rules and taught her daughter (our guide) English.

10:30 am we arrive at

 

Museum of Agriculture in Ciechanowiec  

This Museum is located in a palace and park complex.
It is one of the two museums in Poland dedicated to agriculture. It presents a unique collection related to agriculture and folklore. There are 27,000 exhibits which includes:

The Classical Palace - where "The Count" lived
The Easter Egg Museum (Muzeum Pisanki) in the historic manor, exhibiting a unique collection of eggs from around the world;
The Bread Museum (Muzeum Chleba) in the water mill
The Veterinary Museum (Muzeum Weterynarii) in one of the old stables
Skansen: displaying 43 objects of rural wooden architecture. The interior decoration changes according to the stature of the family.
The Garden of Plants fit for medical use and history of herbal traditions and medicine.

 

Sat 10:30 1st tour

Muzeum Rolnictwa

The palace building now has the offices.  We will see the stables and coach house, watchman house.

about 1940 building

Private farms - but they are still required to produce a quota. If not meet it, no medical or other advantages.

 

 

This is the coach house

 

 

And these are the coaches!   The fancy coaches were used to show the family was not necessarily peasants.

 

 

 

 

Black Sonet tractor.  Constructed in Russia - "so it is a miracle that it runs." Ciagnik WTZ Uniwersagz  ? Red wheels with studs so you can't drive on pavement - but it is very good on wet fields.	Blue Ciagnik LANZ and this Red FERGUSON
Thrashing machine

We saw the "estate stores".  This is the place where everyone would gather .  In front of the store were some very ornately carved statues.  1792 building

Next we walked to the Old village church. Built 1860's. This building was brought to museum last year.  It is shown here as it was in 1970's- 80's

The distance to move the was not a problem, the people were the problem. They did not want to move it.  It took 3 years to move the church building.

Walk into this simple wooden structure and voila! A beautiful interior!

The words above the front altar are "KOMU GRZECHY ODPUSCICIE BEDA IM ODPUSZCZONE"

translate to "Whoever is in the hall, your sins are forgiven."

 

 

This part of the museum they have a village - each house is representative of a different lifestyle and social stature in society.

All houses were built or moved here. There is a peasant house built 1851.

Some of the men on our tour are not interested the houses:

There was a fence around a barn and the men lined up along the fence.

They leaned on the fence to see if they can figure out who/what is in the barn. 

I hear horse noises, but I don't see horses.  Oh - it's  Jay making those noises?!? 

Liz's comment:  "Give farmers a fence to lean on"

This is nicer home.  "small nobleman's manor"   5 rooms.	home of a poor family 2

 

Uwaga Niski Strop

They had a bunch of peacocks! Beautiful.

 

Back in the bus for our ride to lunch. 

The bus is going down this dirt road for 5? km. to the herb garden restaurant.

On the menu was Nettle Soup, pork loin, salad (lettuce), apple pie - there is a polish word for that dessert.

 

Ecologic Agritourism Farm Ziołowy Zakątek "Herbal Corner" in Koryciny 

Herbal Corner delights everyone with a wonderful scent of herbs of Podlasie. This is an ideal place for those who look for a contact with the untainted nature or for active relax, as well as for herbalism enthusiasts: here you can use professional advice and  rich library, or feel like a taster and create your own herbal mixture, not only for drinking. 

http://ziolowyzakatek.pl/galeria/  and on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ziolowyzakatekkoryciny

  

In the photo below Liz and Giles are being served their soup. Also Jay, Claudia and John

Cherry drink - with fruit on the bottom. And the nettle soup:

Szarlotka - apple dessert:

 

 

After lunch the next thing on the schedule was a tour of the herb garden. Here's a map:

The entire garden is in the sun, and she said the tour would take about an hour.

It is definitely an awesome beautiful day - no rain. almost 80 degrees F. 

I started the tour, listening to our very nice, very good and interesting guide provide lots of information. 

But it was hot. I opened my umbrella for some shade. Still very hot.

Most everyone else seemed to be doing OK in the hot sun. They are definitely more hearty souls than me.

They paused at each sign, and at each group of beautiful colors to listen to the guide.

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The group walked to the back of the garden, then walked down the road.  It was shady so I followed.

Then I smelled something quite stinky and I saw the pigs. 

Someone said the pig sty probably violated every environmental law in the EU.  The excrement was flowing in the river....

 

The rest of the group continued the tour through the garden. I did not continue the (hot, but very interesting) tour (in the sun).

As Martha learned in Scotland, I do not do gardens.  I think she and her pop must have visited 50 gardens in Scotland - for most of them I sat in the gift shop and wrote and drank coffee.

So after the stinky pigs, I walked back to the entrance and found a nice swing in the shade where I could sit down.

There were roosters all over the place. They were loud and crowing, and chasing each other. It was a nice show to watch while I was swinging. 

It was nice to just sit an relax. I could have read my book on my Nook (electronic reader), but the roosters were to fun to watch.

 I can't believe all these people that just flew in Warsaw yesterday, with jet lag, standing in the sun for so long.

3:45 and it looks like the tour is over. Everyone is walking back to the entrance. They convinced the guide to reopen the herbal shop.

She said in the  herbal shop it is all organic, there is  "no bad stuff" in here.  It smelled very nice in that shop.

Like that Ayurveda place in Sri Lanka.

Everybody got back in the bus for our ride to the Ossolinskich Palace. Built in 17th Century. Their emblem/coat of arms: a shield with a moon and stars (East and West), 7 peacock feathers coming out of the top.  They gave us a button with their palace name and "Mazurkas Congress 13-14.07.2013" printed on the button.

Dinner was in the main Palace building . It was a buffet with great food.  Alcohol was extra, except that nobody had to pay.  A secret person on the tour paid the entire alcohol bill. What an incredible trip this is going to be!  Thank you!

 

The rich people are "magnets". They own lots of land and they owned live slaves.  But the slavery ended in the 19th (? that is what I wrote!) century.  The owner started paying the peasants.

In 1944 Russian soldier occupied this palace. After that the Germans occupied it. 

After the war there was a school in the palace. In 1950, the KGB closed the school. Then it was a medical building.

The aristocrat owner was never allowed to come back. The State let the palace deteriorate.

After 1989 there was a private owner and that owner restored the Palace per conservators.

 

Some Polish History

960 Formation of a Christian Polish state

1410 Battle of Grunwald Poland/Lithuania defeat Tutonic Knights - who lost almost all territory to Poland

1772-1795 Partitioned between Russia, Prussia, and Austria

1915 Russian troops leave Warsaw
1918 WWI uprising against Germans. Warsaw is liberated from German occupation
1924 Zloty (PLN) replaces the German mark.
1929 Start of Great depression
1939 WWII starts. German troops enter Poland, followed by Soviet forces. Polish army is defeated and the country is occupied.
1942 The "Home Army" is formed
1943 Ghetto Uprising, Warsaw

1970s - Poland's government raised food prices while wages stagnated.

1976 June - economic stresses lead to protests and subsequent government crackdown on dissent. Labor unions formed.


1979 First visit of John Paul II, the "Polish Pope" to his homeland. Both a religious and a political event, it rekindles Polish hopes of regaining freedom.

1980 August 31 - Agreements signed in Gdansk on 31 August end the strikes and allow the formation of the first Independent Autonomous Trades unions (formed at the Gdańsk Shipyard) . Lech Walesa is their leader. It was the first noncommunist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country.

1980 September  - over 20 Inter-factory Founding Committees of free trade unions merged at the congress into one national organization NSZZ Solidarity.  

Solidarity's first national congress elected Lech Wałęsa as a president and adopted a republican program, the "Self-governing Republic". 

Lech Wałęsa and others formed a broad anti-Soviet social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church to members of the anti-Soviet Left. Solidarity advocated non-violence in its members' activities.

Thru out 80s Solidarity was a broad anti-bureaucratic social movement, using the methods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers' rights and social change.

Early 1980s - Government attempted to destroy the union during the period of martial law with several years of political repression, but in the end it was forced to negotiate with the union

Solidarity reached up to 10 million members, or 1/3 of the total working age population of Poland.

In its clandestine years, the United States provided significant financial support for Solidarity, estimated to be as much as 50 million US dollars.

1981 - Under the leadership of General Jaruzelski, the Communist authorities introduce Martial Law. Solidarity goes underground.

1981 - The government attempted to destroy the union with the martial law of 1981 and several years of repression, but in the end the government was forced to negotiate with the union.

1984 - Assassination of Father Jerzy Popieluszko, Solidarity's pastor
1989 - Round-table talks and the opposition negotiates about legalizing Solidarity and calling an election - the "civil society" wins by a landslide.
1989 - "Semi-free" elections and a Solidarity-led government lead by President Wałęsa

1990 - Lech Walesa elected president of Poland.

1999 - Poland joins NATO
2004 - Poland joins EU, does not adopted the Euro.
2005 - Death of John Paul, the "Polish Pope"
2010 - A tragic air crash kills 96 people including President Lech Kaczynski and his wife.

Currently, as a political party Solidarity has little influence on modern Polish politics.

From Wiki

Solidarity full name: "Independent Self-governing Trade Union "

Some Polish history from Margaret:

In 1952 the Polish constitution was under the communist system. Stalin approved constitutional system - and AFTER he added some amendment, he approved of the constitution.

The children were all put in collective schools. They were getting indoctrinated in these schools.

The Catholic priests discouraged families from putting the children in these schools. They told the family to "keep kids close". The priests got into trouble for that.

There was always long lines for food. You had to stand in a queue to buy bread and butter. However, alcohol was always available. Her theory: Because it is "easier to rule over a slightly intoxicated people."

The state took care of everything: medical, education, and retirement. Everybody worked - you were under suspect if you did not work.

1980 August there were strikes in Gdansk.  Solidarity started.

Lech Walesa got fired. He convinced the workers to stay inside the factory and strike. Do not go out on the streets.

Lech convinced the striking workers NOT to drink. IT is better to stay sober with a clear mind.
More workers went on strike. The miners striked, more strikes.
Workers finally won!! with independent trade unions.
Lech was voted president of solidarity. There were no riots and quiet movements.
people got intoxicated with Freedom and democracy.

1981 December 13 Margaret said that "things got very difficult".  December 13 is a day that everyone in Poland remembers - exactly where they were and what they were doing that day.

That morning of Dec 13, Margaret went to church.
She came home and their family got in the car and started to drive out to country. She had made arrangements to buy some food for their holiday meal.
On the car radio, the Prime Minister was making a speech. He declared Martial Law.
At first, Margaret admitted that she had a naive reaction.

Thousands of people participating in solidarity were arrested.
The university was closed. The students, everyone must stay home.

Then there were tanks and cannons on the street.
when the miners went on strike and they were shot! It was very different this time.
They had 18 months of Martial Law.
Lech was put under house arrest and guarded.
The shops were empty again.

The solidarity movement went underground and it came alive again.

Everything was rationed. You must get in line at 5 am to wait for the store to open at 11.

After the store opens, you can be warmer inside where you wait more hours  for the food to be delivered.

Finally you give your ration card and you receive a wrapped package.  Bring it home and realize that it is very bad quality meat.  

In 1989 June election.  All of the candidates show pictures with Lech.

Now political parties: Civic Platform, Communist, and Nationalists

 

From Wiki

Solidarity

full name: "Independent Self-governing Trade Union "

1970s - Poland's government raised food prices while wages stagnated. This (and other stresses) led to the June 1976 protests and subsequent government crackdown on dissent. Labor unions formed.

1980 August 31 - the  Polish trade union federation that emerged at the Gdańsk Shipyard under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa.
It was the first noncommunist party-controlled trade union in a Warsaw Pact country.

1980 September  - over 20 Inter-factory Founding Committees of free trade unions merged at the congress into one national organization NSZZ Solidarity.  

Solidarity's first national congress elected Lech Wałęsa as a president and adopted a republican program, the "Self-governing Republic". 

Lech Wałęsa and others formed a broad anti-Soviet social movement ranging from people associated with the Catholic Church to members of the anti-Soviet Left. Solidarity advocated non-violence in its members' activities.

Thru out 80s Solidarity was a broad anti-bureaucratic social movement, using the methods of civil resistance to advance the causes of workers' rights and social change.

Early 1980s - Government attempted to destroy the union during the period of martial law with several years of political repression, but in the end

Solidarity reached up to 10 million members, or 1/3 of the total working age population of Poland.

In its clandestine years, the United States provided significant financial support for Solidarity, estimated to be as much as 50 million US dollars.

1981 - The government attempted to destroy the union with the martial law of 1981 and several years of repression, but in the end the government was forced to negotiate with the union.

1989 - "Semi-free" elections and a Solidarity-led government lead by President Wałęsa

Currently, as a political party Solidarity has little influence on modern Polish politics.

What an amazing place (PALACE) to stay the night at Ossolinski Palace:

 

There were no rooms in the main building.   Our room was in the building to the right of the main building.

This building also had a SPA - very modern massage tables, sauna, steam rooms.

Every room was different, so everybody was walking around looking in each room. 

We had a very large room with lots of space for our luggage:

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Tour Day 2 (My Day 10 )Sunday July 14

 

 

10 am - We  dairy factory.

 PIĄTNICA DAIRY COOPERATIVE    www.pietnica.com.pl

 From the web site

From the beginning till nowdays  Piatnica pay attention to the quality which is the fundamental stone of the Piatnica Brand. Piatnica Dairy has started new trends in the dairy sector, which is still copied by the other dairy producers, includes: 

- the new cup for cottage cheese and sour cream, the shape and weight is 200g, are now massively used by other manufacturers

- Piatnica was the first Dairy in Poland who in 1998 introduced the low fat cottage cheese

- In 2003 Piatnica launched a color-coding of the different types of cream, adding additional descriptions and their culinary use (for soup, whipping, desserts, salads, etc.)

- Piatnica is the first Polish producer of mascarpone based on the traditional technology. This product is very popular in the Southern Europe and is used not only for desserts, but  also as a base of many sauces as an addition to pasta, meat dishes and pizza

At the end of March 2011, the District Dairy Cooperative in Piątnica merged with the neighboring Dairy Cooperative Ostrołęka. After some investments in the Department in Ostroleka  the merger introduced new products such as fresh milk, sliced curd cheese with mascarpone under the brand name Milandia Garden Tastes

From our information booklet

1947 (2 years after the war) the state started dairy/egg plant making 180 tons butter & 30 tons of cheese per year. Employed 9 people. In 1952 - 74 people.
1957 the plant was changed to a Regional Dairy Cooperative.
1959 purchase land in Piatnica, 1961 constructed plant that opened in 1965. 2586 co-op members, processing 14 million liters of milk per year, employ 94 people.
1992 - history was made when cottage cheese was produced.
2011 - launched it's own power plant, then 2012 a wastewater treatment plant to meet the needs of the plant.
2012 - total sales ~ 800 million PLN and employs 685 people, processes ~300 million liters of milk per year from ~2,600 suppliers. Most important product is cottage cheese. 

They welcomed our group with food - cottage cheese, yogurt, water, coffee. 

Yummy cottage cheese.  There are "individual, definitive" lumps in the cottage cheese.

We are lead into a conference room where we can sit and enjoy our treats and ask questions.

There are 2 plants.

Piatinca was the first diary to produce cottage cheese in Poland.

They also make dry whey (protein) - it is a white product of cottage cheese. It is easier to transport.

They also do "ESL"  pasteurization - for extended/extension life milk

The biggest milk supplier to the dairy has 3 farms and about 80? (it must be more) cows and supply 7 million liters

There have 2 to 3 "volume" suppliers  that supply about 1 million liters

They have about 100 suppliers that supply about 100,000 liters each.

The average farm size is about 30 cows.

This dairy started in 1965

In the 1990's they had a strict controlled growth.

With the free market in the 90's ,the company could develop from a small co-op to a big company.

They had capital to develop from small co-op to a big company.

The capital came from owners / farmers develop a little at a time.

10% of investment are retained fro capital.

When a farmer retires, they get their investment back.

They use as much EU grants as possible.

The adhere to EU quality control requirements.

they pay? farmers for a higher class of milk.

4 to 13 vats of cottage cheese in 10 years.  

New products are tested 1 year.

cottage cheese is "Sered wiejski"

yogurt is "kefir deserowy"

apple is "jablkien", cherry is "wisnia", strawberry is "fruskuika?", pineapple is "ananasem"

200 gram cups of yogurt

180 million zloty is the value of ???? (people are talking, so I can't hear). Maybe that was the cost of one share in the co-op?

There no farmers that milk by hand - The last one was 2 years ago.

Over 20 years ago when company started, there were problems with milk quality.

"VOCA"  is a U.S. organization that helps them to improve milk quality. It was great help for them for the US people to live with farmers and help.

Dairy Co-ops used VOCA Volunteers Overseas Operation Cooperative Association.

2015 when the EU production quotas are lifted, there is going to be a free market.

The farmers like the quota, but Piatnica wants to produce more.

Piatnica tries to help farmers reduce cost of production, and increase profitability, and they offer the farmers the highest/best price for their milk

Britain quotas 14 million liters 

At dairies there are tie stalls, free stalls, or pastured cows.

These questions are really getting detailed and technical. I didn't understand the question, Margaret didn't really know how to translate it, and I didn't understand the answer.

Other companies that are not a co-op pay farmers a "Market price"

At one time, the price difference (between the co-op price and the market price) was 50%!!!  There are monetary advantages for co-op farmers.

19 % of profit is tax rate for the co-op - so that is incentive NOT to make big profit so same income is distributed back to farmers. nice.

The farmers do not pay any tax on income.

Salary at dairy plant is 4500 PLN a month

Average salary in Poland 400 USD.  or 1600 PLN a month.

There are 840 employees total

The plant runs 24/7

They spend nothing on advertising.

They have their own power plant.

They have a total of 4 products, yogurt, cream cheese, and ?

1.  cream   10 % fat, also 12%, 18% and up to 36% fat products.

2.  cottage cheese

3.  farmer cheese

4.  spread cheese

5.  Italian mascarpone cheese

 

 

Margaret, our fabulous tour guide (on the left), Damona and Suzanna all suited up and ready to tour!  Willy, Michiko in the background.

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They don't have a visitor entrance built yet, so we enter the plant in the bay where this "Mleko" Milk truck is being filled.

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Packaging yogurt

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Looks like ice cream, I mean "Lody"

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If you're an Economist, like me, here is More interesting information about the dairy

After touring that plant, we are off to see

Family Farm - Dairy farm in Srebrowo 

12:30 - We arrive at the family dairy farm. 

2000 

Founded by Wojciech Kowalewski.  He learned the business working for his parents on a much smaller farm.

40 milking cows, ~ 40 ha,  old machines, milk yield ~8,000 liters per cow

New cowshed 1600 square meters. Bank loan 500,000 PLN

Purchase of heifers, increase of milking cows from 40 to 70 heads. Purchase of new tractor John Deer 80 horsepowers.

2003

Increase farm area to 70 ha.  Further development of milk production. Heifers from own breeding only.

New tractor John Deer 110 horsepowers

2006

Increase of farm area to 100 ha. Number of milking cows 150 heads. Average milk field (I think that was a typo, should say "yield") ~9,500 liters

New tractor again, John Deer 110 horsepowers

2009

Next tractor John Deer 150 horsepower.

Increase farm area 110 ha.

Sowing area - only maize.

New cowshed added: 1300 square meters. Equipped with Lely milking robots.

Value of investment: 3 mln (million?) PLN.

Number of cows ~200 heads. Average milk field ("yield") 9800 liters.

2012

Milk production 1.7 mln kg.

Number of milking cows 220 head. Average yield milking cows 9843 kg/head/year.

Milk yield of best cows: ~14,000 kg.

Breed of cows: Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle.

Rate or cow replacement ~28%

Purchaser - milk cooperative Piatnica

Average milk price in 2012 r. ~1.5 PLN

Main product is milk. They also have a breeding and insemination station.
Cows with very good genetic parameters are selected for "bull mothers".
Male offspring bulls are purchased by the Breeding Station.

There are 2 full time employed family members + 2 addition persons in the high season
Crop production is devoted to fodder.
Maize is the only crop cultivated on 50 ha. of arable land. Yield is ~60 t/ha. of maize (for silage)
Life capacity of a cow is > 100,000 kg milk

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Everyone has to "suit up" again. This photo shows the father who runs the farm and his daughter.

Margaret is translating and speaking to the group with a microphone.  Jay is really interested in the answer.

This is Wojciech Kowalewski and his daughter.

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We're going to walk through here

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2:35 was lunch time.  Yummy chicken

Lunch, dinner and accommodation in the hotel complex "Bartlowizna"  http://www.biebrza.com.pl/en/conference-center

3:45 and we are on the bus to Biebrea Park

The Biebrza National Park

 

- Located in Northeast Poland

- The northeastern boundary of the park is near the Belarus border. The Narew River and its confluence with the Biebrza River form the southern boundary.

- Established in 1993, 

- Total area of 59,233 hectares (146,000 acres) , it is the largest of the Polish national parks.

- Includes 15,547 hectares (38,400 acres) of forests, 18,182 ha  (45,000 ac) of agricultural land, and 25,494 ha  (63,000 ac)of wetlands (the most valuable habitats of the park - the famous Biebrza marshes) and 3,936 ha is under strict protection

- Unique in Europe for its marshes and peatlands, as well as its highly diversified fauna, especially birds

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Beautiful!

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and beautiful scenery too

 

Back on the bus to go to the next location in the park.  There are cows in the road!

In the picture below, note the sign at the side of the road - it says to expect cows for the next 1.1 km.

The bus driver is patiently negotiating the road, and Sylvia is fretting about the slow cows putting behind schedule. 

Sylvia just got her degree in management. She is now leaning how to manage things that are out of your own control.

 

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There are red polish cows mixed in with the other cows.

Margaret: "each morning and each evening they swim and that is why we have happy cows."

Another theory by a member of our group "They are coming in to be milked, so they are happy."

Funny by Gerald about this photo: The cow out in the water "utterly stuck" 

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About storks: There is "white stock" and a "black stork"

The white stork is white and black

The black stork is black and white

They build their nests on top of poles and the stork nest can weigh up to 100 Kilo (200 pounds)!

Lunch, dinner and accommodation in the hotel complex "Bartlowizna"  http://www.biebrza.com.pl/en/conference-center

Here we are checking in

Dinner was a delcious buffet.  Karen, Linda, Malcolm, Kristiane, Tony at the table

We were in a beautiful building. There were mounted animals all over - hanging above us and in the rafters. And check out this light fixture:

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Tour Day 3 (My Day 10) Monday July 15

 

8:40 AM the bus leaves the hotel. We have 70 km. to go - about 40 minute bus ride.

The name or our guide today is "Cezanne". He is a Beibrza Park botanist.

 

The bus pulled into a gas station, but we were not there to buy gas/petrol. 

People had requested a stop to buy water.  I got a big bottle so I could refill my little bottles.

Damona had been drinking the water in the hotels - with no problems.

 

Pam was buying a SIM card for a cell phone.  What a great idea! That was another first for me.

In the Atlanta airport, I paid $37 USD  for an "International" SIM card and IT DID NOT WORK in Poland. 

There are no guarantees when it comes to phones. I had emailed pop that I didn't have a phone. 

At the gas station I paid 18 PLN ($6 USD) for a SIM card.  It was from "Heyhah"  heyah.com 

 

That night I put it in my unlocked cell phone, and it worked! No problem. That was so easy.  I think I got about 20 minutes.

The same phone with that SIM card even worked in Atlanta. The battery on my regular phone was totally dead,

so I had to use the cell phone with the Poland SIM card when my car wouldn't start when I got home from this trip.

The phone connected to the T-Mobile network.  Anyway. More on that awful ordeal later.

 

The Biebrza National Park - educational trial in Grzedy

 

  Driving to the park, we were told that there were 30,000 Russian soldiers here at one time.

Germans and Austria / Hungary (Prussia?)  all occupied parts of Poland

 

10 am - The  bus is on a dirt road, I mean a "path" in the forest. 

I have done alot of traveling in my lifetime, but I can honestly say that this is a first experience for me in a bus to forge through on dirt forest access roads.

The bus is too tall, so we are hitting branches everywhere.

At 10:20 we arrive at a closed gate.  Sylvia had to make phone calls so they would open the gate.

We're in the Biebrzanski Park Narodowy

The bus finally moves forward.

We have to drive 10 km on this dirt path - the bus doing some 4-wheelin' (as we call it in the South),

then we will get out and walk.

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The hike was going to be 2-3 hours, then she said 2 hours, then we were told 1.5-2 hours,  and now she is saying a 1 hour hike.

The Polish Home Army lived here in this forest for 5 years.

Some of the trees here 300-400 years old. Oak, Birch and aspen trees.

There are wolves here, linx here. Also elk. 

15-18 C

At 10:40 we start the hike, I mean walk.

 

Glacier deposits 13,000 year s ago of sandy dunes.

There is up to 10 meters of peat deposit in this marsh.

The peat here is only about 2 meters.

It is forbidden to dig peat in the park. Outside park, people dig up peat for heating.

5-600 mm per year rainfall.

70 cm of snow here in winter

-30 C low temp Jan Feb  maybe for 2 weeks long

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There are 290 species of birds in the Park

The park can support 1,500 elks and we have about 600 now.

They need the elk to stop the secondary succession of growth of bushes.

There are badgers, sand lizard, fox.

This is a picture at the Dunes Wydmy

 

Zagroda Kuwasy - lunch

http://www.zagrodakuwasy.pl/?langswitch_lang=en

 

We had meat-stuffed dumplings with sauerkraut, green jello.

2 pm and we are leaving lunch. 

There is sign on this street of a Bicycle, Tractor, and horse-drawn carriage - I guess all of these forms of transport are OK (or expected?) on this road.

 

Jay told his favorite joke over the bus microphone, I'm not going to repeat it, but those who heard it will remember it with these words:  Milkweed, honey suckle, pussy willow.

There were other times one the trip people shared information or stores on the bus.  Damona gave a great summary of her year in Poland. She ended with a very appropriate old Polish saying. Maybe she can email that to me so I put it in this trip log. Claudia also told us about her experience trying to introduce co-ops to the Polish farmers in 1992. Very interesting!

 

3:45 Arrive at  Popie Lnie

 

 

Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Popielno

From the web site: Suzanna note: I love their sentence construction in this description. I think it adds character and value to know it was written by an ESL speaker (not written by an English speaker)

Research Station of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Popielno leads efforts to enrich and protect natural resources. Is implemented here include free horse breeding program of Polish, a unique culture and breeding of farmed game beavers conservative Polish Red cattle. Exhibits showing the 50-year-old heritage station has been stored in the museum, located in the historic eighteenth granary. Can be found here, the only of its kind in Poland, collection of antlers release. At the station operates Environmental Education Center.

 

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4 pm - Arrive at the research station

Pozdrowienia z Popielna

There are special gates on the grounds in the reserve so the horses can't exit. 

We drove over those gates when the bus entered the reserve.

First we had a tour of the museum.

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A very good display of the forest animals - labeled and numbered

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They have a special kind of horse here.

The have 800 females in the reserve and 200 males. But a stable population would be 1000 females.

They only want "mouse gray" horses - the desired color.

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There is a beaver farm here.

 

The European beaver was endangered. It has good meat and fur.

 

There are now 40,000 beavers in Poland now.

 

Beavers:  20-30 kilos. Pressure of teeth bite is 1,500 kilos

Birth 1-5 babies -  one time a year.

This is our guide showing off a baby beaver ---->

 

 

 

They let us "pet" the beaver.  Malcolm, Ryan, Erika, ground-keeper, Phil watch as Peter attempts to feel the beaver hide.

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And now, cows. They have the dairy for the income to keep the horses.

Red Polish on the left, Holstein on the right

 

Hello there!

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Next we go to see Brutus, the Bull.

He is about 1000 kg. Kilo.  (a ton!)

He is 14 years old

50% American bison  /  25% European bison  /  25 % Polish red cattle.

This a new animal for farmers for good quality meat

This type of bull is very aggressive in groups. It is tamer if it alone.

MOVIE:  Click here to see this bull in motion 

 

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6000 USD for 1 kilo (kg)  Rhino horn

There is a dear farm also.

 

6:15 leaving reserve.

 

Dinner and accommodation in Mazurski

http://www.mazurskidworek.pl/index.php?lang=en

 

We got a very nice, big room on the first floor (right behind the front desk) in the hotel. Lots of space for our suitcases. And close to the restaurant. 

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Dinner was in the restaurant in the hotel. 6-8-10 people per table. Appetizer of herring in cream (uh, no thank you), mushroom soup . Yum. Can't remember what else.

 

Back to top

Tour Day 4 (My Day 11) Tuesday July 16

Wolf's Lair - ruins of Adolf Hitler's war headquarters

 

8:05, we were counted on the bus and now we are leaving hotel.

We are going to Wolf's Liar this morning.

Oops we are missing one person. Where is Robyn?

We need to go back to the hotel.

The road was so narrow, there was no place to turn around so we had to back all the way to the hotel.

Robyn was understandably very upset.  Oops.

Somebody (who is just learning how to be a tour guide, who has never done this before) learned that she needs to learn how to count better.

The last thing you want to do as a guide, is to piss off someone who will be (or may not be) tipping you.

 

There are conversations going on all around me on the bus about cow herds, barn swallows, September corn. 

To some people on the bus, this field was more interesting than the tourist-type sightseeing.  Too funny.

 

Very interesting Margaret

Poland was pagan. So German Christians were helping us "become Christian with the sword.  And that was very painful"

 

In 1795  Poland disappeared from the maps. It became part of Prussia.

"Polishness" was erased.

"Germanization and Russification" took over.

At least in Southern Poland was ruled by Austria. They were still allowed to speak Polish.

Lenin demeaned the area by saying that he walked over "the corpse of Poland". 

He went through Warsaw raping and pillaging on his way to Berlin, Germany.

WWII ended in 1989 in Poland when Communism was replaced.

9:10 We are driving through the forest to get to Wolf's Liar.

 

 

From the Tour books

 

1889 - Hitler born in Austria.

1919 - After WWI Germany was demilitarized per Versailles Treaty.

1933 - Hitler came to power. His policy was to conquer Europe and the world.  He secretly introduced obligatory military service.

1935 - He rejected the provisions of the Versailles Treaty.

1938 - He incorporated Austria, Czech and Morovia to the Reich.

1939, Sept 1 - He invaded Poland, then Scandinavian countries, France and European countries.

1940 Summer - Start building of his general headquarters at Wolf's Liar (the party code name) in the Gierloz forest in Eastern Prussia. 

Construction was continuous until the end of 1944. The labor force of several thousand German workers on site, and other nationalities of workers built the access structures.

In 8 square km (3 square miles), over 80 buildings were constructed.  Total area was 18 hectare (44 acres)

7 heavy bunkers - the walls were 8 meters thick, the roof was 10 meters thick.

Many medium size bunkers with 3 meter thick roofs.  All buildings were well camouflaged - tarps, and vegetation grown on top.

Nets were changed 4 times a year and 'suited to the environment" so no there was no difference between the buildings and the area

All paths, roads, and passages among the bunkers were covered with camouflage netting.  They were hung on wires leading from trees to bunkers. Bunkers were covered with natural camouflage - grass, wood chips, rough surface dyed green.

Transport here by train (preferred by Hitler) and airfield (5 km from headquarters)

Electricity with back up diesel power generating unit.

Central heating and a sewage trench.

Direct telephone and radio connection with Berlin and other Prussian and Europe headquarters.

Cost of construction about 36 million German marks.

Area was surrounded by wire net fence and mine fields (anti-tank, anti-personnel, glass, jumping mines). Observation towers, gun posts.

About 2,000 people worked here were transported by special buses.

1941 - Hitler arrive at Wolf Liar. He had 12 headquarters in Germany, Poland , Austria.

Hitler resided here about 900 days from June 24, 1941 to November, 1944

Eastern front situation got worse and the Russians approached, so evacuate Wolf Liar. 

1944, July 20 - failed assasination attempt

1944, November - Hilter left.  Documents taken away. Area prepared for abandonment.  

1945 January 24 -  8-10 tons of trotyl used to blow up each bunker. 

Just for Hitler bunker #13, it took 10 tons of explosives

January 27, 1945 The Red Army (Russia) arrived

It took 10 years to clear 54,000 mines and 200,000 rounds of ammunition.

1959 it was open to the public.

 

On the sign: www.Sztabowoz.pl  - site was in Polish

 

Our guide was the man that wrote the tour books that I bought

One book was 20 PLN pamphlet (blue) autographed, and the other 11 PLN red book

 - he was not a good guide (in my opinion).

 

At 9:40 the tour started. 

At 9:50 and he was still giving us a history of Poland. 

 

He is trying to show us maps of Europe, but only the 5 people up front can see the small maps.  The other 35 people have no idea what he is talking about.

 

We have very limited time to see this place.  For the first 15 minutes we were standing in one place and he has told us NOTHING about Wolf's Liar.

Then he gave us the story of Hitler - year by year.  Still NOTHING about Wolf's Liar.  We can go to the Internet to learn everything he has told us about history and Hitler.

 

I would like to see the bunkers not stand here and listen to a history lesson.

He did say:

This place controlled all concentration camps.

This area was selected because Russia is only 80 km away.

Good camo - notice the hooks and wires in the trees and buildings where the nets were hung

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Why is he talking about the desert in Libia?

I wandered away from the history lesson.

I used the tour books to see the significance of each building.

 

 

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This is building #2: Hilter's personal security building. 456 square meters. 

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Roger is posing as our personal security representative:

 

 

The assassination Attempt to kill Hitler by Klause vas Stoufenbourg

 

Memory board.  On it is written - verbatim from the tour book "attempted to ass assign ate Hitler"

At this place was the barrack where on 20 July 1944
Claus Schenk Earl von Stauffenberg
attempted to ass assign ate Hitler.
He and many others,
who fought against Hitler's dictatorship
gave their lives for the attempt. 

 

From the tour book "a great many Germans were against Hitler's regime. A total of 40 assassination plots against Hitler have been revealed.  All failed because of security, implementation technicalities, etc.

There was one successful suicide attempt to kill Hitler on July 20, 1944 by Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg.  Chief of the Staff Reserve Army. He was 37 years old.

He was initally impressed by Hilter's successes. But he became critical of Hitler's military decisions and horrified by the reign of terror in occupied territories.

 

Information from the sign and tour book

 

1944 July 20

8:00 Stauffenberg and his colleague Haeften flew from Berlin to Wolfshcaze. He had to report for Hitler to use Reserve Army in the East Front.
10:15 The airplane landed and Stauffenberg brought the bomb with chemical fuse in his briefcase to Hilter's headquarters.
11:30 The meeting moved from Hitler's heavy bunker to Conference barrack #3.
12:20 Stauffenberg armed the bomb. He sat close to Hitler. During the meeting, an officer pushed the briefcase (with the bomb) further under the oak table to get it out of the way. It was 2-3 meters from Hitler.
12:35 Stauffenberg was intentionally called out to the phone. He left and got into the waiting car.

12:42 The bomb exploded, one person was killed, three others died in hospital. Hitler was "just a little bit hurt, but alive."
12:45  Stauffenberg, got to the Guardhouse South, then the airport, and arrived back in Berlin where he said that Hitler had been killed, and to begin the operations beginning the of the coup.

3:00 pm - Hilter met with Italian dictator Mossolini.

Midnight in Berlin - Stauffenberg and 3 officers were arrested and shot dead.

 

The meeting was moved from bunker to elsewhere.   If the bomb would have gone off in Hitler's bunker, everyone would have been killed. 

But since the meeting was moved to light bunker, and the bomb was pushed under heavy table, it was not as effective.  And Hitler was only wounded. He not hurt very bad because later that day, Hitler met with Mossolini.

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Hitler's radio address to the German nation:

"I want you to hear my voice and to know I am safe and I did not suffer any injuries. .... I want you to inquire about this crime. The bomb exploded 2 metres from me. My colleagues suffered serious injuries, and one of them died. I am totally well and just have minor cuts and burns on my skin.  I think it is a visible sign of the acceptance of my mission by the Providence, which wants me to follow my way to achieve my goal, just as I have been doing so far.  .... I can see Providence in it"

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Hitler had over 7000 people arrested, and 5000 people killed (including 150 high officers) because of this attempt.

The court was a parody of law and order the only sentence was capital punishment.

Some of the most privileged were given permission to commit suicide, other were hanged.

Each execution was filmed and Hilter showed the films to guests and officers.

The last sentence was carried out April, 1945 when Hitler committed suicide.

This was how the last attempt at Hitler's life finished.

 

This is "the monument of sappers"  In honor of the memory of Polish sappers who died or were injured during the clearing of the area of mines. Over 54,000 mines were found.

 

Hitlers's bunker #13. 2160 square meters. Hitler lived here Jan to November 1944

We also saw food storage bunker. The photo below is the Guest bunker #6. Wire ladder up the side of the building. Bombs tore it wide open. Now it sits and rots away.

Ewa Braun, born 1912 was Hitler's closest companion and Lady of his house since 1936. She never visited Wolf's Liar.

Hitler and Ewa Braun got married April 29, 1945, then committed suicide by poisoning themselves in Berlin in April 30, 1945.

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9:40 am our tour started and it was suddenly over at 11:15.  He did not escort us to over half of the buildings.

and we had to take a short-cut to get back to the bus as quickly as possible.

Many folks ended up buying the tour books when they realized how little they learned from the tour.

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OK, so I feel a little guilty for being critical of our guide. I'm sure Czestaw Pucianto was excellent at one time, but not now. 

I recommend to buy the book, or get the audio tour.

11:20 leaving Wolfs Liar.

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Święta Lipka - Jesuit Monastery complex

The Jesuit monastery complex called "Święta Lipka"  The first chapel was built here about 1320. 1619 this chapel was consecrated.

According to legend, around 1500, Holy Mary appeared to man the night before his execution and said "Do not be afreaid of anything".  She gave him a piece of wood and he chiseled an astonishing figure of Holy Mary. So beautiful, he was deemed not guilty.  The faith came to see the Blessed Mother and Infant Jesus appeared on a linden-tree growing at the spot.

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This is my picture inside the Church Swita Lipta.  The service started when we were there. There was a group young people in a band - drum, guitar.  In the pix below, notice the electronic screen with the words of the song.

Paintings when you look UP

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1982 - Iowa State University college friends in our 20's, and over 30 years later in 2013: travel buddies!

This photo was taken in front of the gate of Święta Lipka.

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12:45 and we are on our way to the poultry farm.

 

AGRONEX - JULIANOWO - Poultry Farm

 From their marketing:

 AGRONEX is a family farm-business established in 1996 roku. Agronex is the largest and the most modern  producer of eggs in the North-Eastern Poland. Four henhouses for 70 000-80 000 laying hens each are equipped with batteries from FACCO and ZUCAMI. For sorting eggs DIAMOND equipment is installed. A new henhouse is under construction.

 

We arrived and walked through the front office building to a big room in the back. It wsa the "social area" for their employees.

They had one very long table to seat 20 people on each side of the table.

This is our now famous "egg lunch": Deviled eggs, scrambled eggs, seasoned eggs, more eggs. That was different.  We finally realized that was the main course and that is all we were getting.  Which was fine. We have been eating huge 3-course meals every day so far. x

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After we finished eating in that nice quiet, big room, we got up to start the tour.

2:50 start poultry tour in the East station building where they sort, pack, and store eggs.

All 40 of us enter the building where he had started the machinery so we could see how the eggs were packed.

The machines were VERY loud. Our group was too big. Margaret had to translate the questions and only the people standing right beside her could hear the answers.

That was a mistake to leave the lunch room - we should have asked the questions in that room

So 268? or was that 268,000? eggs in one hour.  Or maybe 216,000 or 260,000 ?

I can't hear anything.

Margaret is translating but she only faced half of the group so the other can't hear.

10% is exported.

2000 hectares (5000 acres) of land

They use manure on the land.

White mushroom producers buy the manure. The manure is not liquid but it is a standard consistency.

The EU rules are strict.

Maximum nitro rules apply. 90 pounds per ton?

Must be 400 meters from road

20 (or was that 100?) employees

The United States likes white eggs, Europeans like brown eggs

People are talking, I can't hear.  If I can't hear I can't write.

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Here is one of packing stations.

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We leave the packing building and walk to the hen houses.

They have 5 buildings. Each building is 400 feet (125 meters) long  x 85 feet (26 meters) wide x 20 feet (6.4 m) tall. This picture shows four of the buildings. There are 120,000 chickens per building so there are about 600,000 chickens now. They have plans to add 3 more buildings and expand to a million chickens. The vents on side of the building automatically open and close. He said that 1.5 million cubic meters of air is replaced every hour in this big hen house.  The picture also shows the egg conveyors over head. The egg conveyors run once per day. The eggs go up to the transporter to the packing house. It takes about 10 minutes for the warm eggs to get from the hen house to the processing house so they don't freeze on the way in the winter.

This picture shows the feed cylos between the buildings The use 150 tons? of feed per day. About 115-120 grams of feed per chicken Corn, wheat, maize feed processed here. 10% is purchased. The food for the birds is conveyed every few minutes They put some bits of supplements in the feed to make the yolk yellower. x

 

We walked to last building and went inside

We have to step in a solution before entering the building. 

Oops I got squired all the way up the back side of my pants with the solution. 

These are the same pants that I was wearing in Zakopane where a girl dropped her waffle dessert and my entire back side was covered with white powdered sugar. It happens.

So we walk into this HUGE , tall , long, building with rows and rows and rows of cages. tall columns of birds.

It is very calm and serene. That is the word I would use.  Definition of Serene:

clear and free of storms or unpleasant change
marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude

At least it was serene until everybody started taking photos with a flash camera. That ruffled some feathers!

The flash scared them and they stared clucking a little louder.

The light was dim, low light. They use special colors of light (orange, red) and time them for maximum laying.

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The smell in the building was not offensive at all. Just a little musty.

He said that 1.5 million cubic meters of air is replaced every hour in this big hen house.

The temperature in building was very comfortable - not hot at all.  They maintain optimum temps for laying.

They "apply a cage system."

But EU changed the requirements for cage size so that he had to enlarge the area.

The EU requirements are 750 cm 2

German requirement is 800 cm 2.

The use the larger German standard. 

This photo shows the birds and the feed and the eggs conveyor.

 

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Other fun facts that I wrote down:

It takes about 16 weeks before an hen starts producing.

Hens lay for about a year.

300 ? eggs per bird per year

After a year, the hens are replaced.

A retired bird goes to the processing plant.

Death rate is about 5%.

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They are always fighting salmonella here.

The birds are vaccinated for the other diseases.

They are injected in the neck or leg depending on the company.

They vaccinate every month

It takes a month to vaccinate one building.

 

About their customers - 80 % are small.

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He started working in this business at 19 years old with 20,000 chickens.

The units that he bought in 1976 increased to 300,000 birds

Capital investment for million birds: Need about 25 million PLN/zloties. Only for the building and processing.

70% of sales are contract price, the rest are market price. 

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Loman (?) grade

Three conveyors:

The food for the birds is conveyed every few minutes

Egg conveyors run once per day

The manure belt moves 2-3 times a day to the end of the house and out.

 Dinner and accommodation

   Dinner and accommodation in Castle Karnity   http://www.karnity.pl/en/

 

Mistral Karnity Sp.  14-140 Miłomłyn, Karnity 10, tel. 89 647 34 65

The hotel is located in a 17-hectare (42 acres) park and is one of the most beautiful historic buildings in the Warmia and Mazury region. Set over one of the cleanest Polish Lakes "Kocioł" is an oasis of peace and quiet. Stay at Karnity Castle is an experience to be savoured

We place at your disposal:

- 87 single, double, triple and quadruple rooms and suites. They are all en-suite and come complete with a TV set.

- a guarded parking lot

- 19 summer cabins located in an old park 

For a long time, Karnity served as a grange in big landed estates. The place was first mentioned in written documents in 1349 as part of Bożęcin village. Initially, a monastic grange was located here, which after the Thirteen Years War was bestowed to Hanson von Schonaich, commander-in-chief of mercenary armies, for his service in the Teutonic army.

For around 300 years the Schonaich family from Silesia had big estates under its rule. They had their house in Boreczno. After 1815, the grange in Karnity was sold to a representative of a family from Riga baron von Albedyhll. The family was wealthy, since at the beginning of the 20th century it owned five landed estates of 2 300 hectares (5600 acres). Some of the estates were rented. The von Albedyhlls remained owners of the estates until the 1920's , when it was given as dowry to the von Gunther family.

We know that the former manor house in Karnity and the house in Boreczno were burnt down during Polish - Swedish wars around 1635. The present Neogothic palace in Karnity was erected in 1865. The palace and its park are one of the most enchanting examples of Romantic architecture.

The palace is set over Karnickie Lake. It is picturesquely varied with its one, two and three-storey structure, corner tower which is octagonal when seen from the driveway side and quadrilateral from the lake side. Characteristic Gothic cross-shaped vault with spyglass is crowned with the arcade of the main entrance. Terrace balustrades were made of artificial stone with a Neogothic four-leaf and fish bladder ornament. Original carpentry, fireplaces in the rooms and beam ceilings are preserved. The whole castle has a clinker-brick lining.

Farms, servants' houses, stables, buildings housing carts and carriages, and most of all, a big and impressive riding stable, which is now adapted for a hotel, were located North of the Palace. An open suspended wooden and beautifully chiseled roof truss is preserved in the riding stable. Retrenchments and bastions blended into the palace wide landscape park were additional "fortified" features of the palace.

After World War II, the castle served as a holiday centre. In the former orchards, in the Southern part of the park, summer cabins were built. Since 1995 the palace complex and the park have been owned by a private company which turned it into a year-round hotel.

 

Great dinner: Vegetable soup or Polish sour soup, Pork chop with mushroom sauce or duck with cranberry sauce, Pancakes with fruit

Here is the Kastle where we stayed:

 

Back to top

Tour Day 5 (My Day 12) Wednesday July 17

Wed morning bus leave 8:05.

 

 

On the way here we passed carrots, sugar beets, elephant grass paddocks

Lots of wheat laying down - too much fertilizer, or weather (hail, winds)

Passed a Ford dealership.  Cost is 52,900 Ford Focus ($16,700 USD).   62,900 zt for Toyota Corolla ($20,000 USD)

We arrive that the castle - in the middle of the map below

 

 

 

First, a bit of history so you can appreciate the pictures .

The Malbork Castle Museum   http://www.zamek.malbork.pl/

The Marienburg Castle (meaning "Mary's Castle") in Malbork is one of the largest castle in the world by surface area, and the largest brick building in Europe. It is about 21 hectares (52 acres) - 4 times the acreage of the enclosed space of Windsor Castle. And 7 times bigger then Wawel.  Many, many more bricks.
It is the largest brick structure built by human hands - total volume is over 250,000 cubic meters.

 

"The Castle of the Teutonic Order in Malbork" and its Museum was designated by UNESCO as the World Heritage Site.

1221 pagan Prussians invade Poland. Poland was South of here.

it took 170 years to build the whole castle.

From 1280 it served as the seat of the commander of the Order of Teutonic Knights 

1309 it was capital of an independent state established by the Knights of the Teutonic Order.
1410 - Teutonic knights were defeated in the Battle of Grunwald
1454 - Peasants rebellion
1457 - Castle was taken by Poland. 3 centuries it was residence of Polish rulers, military base, seat of administrative, police and judicial authority.
1945 - Castle destroyed in WWII
19 century restored and again after WWII.

3 parts - there are walls around each part:

High Castle / Upper Castle - 1270-1280 Commander castle in Teutonic Prussia.  You must go thru 6 gates to get here.
Middle Castle built after 1310. Palace of the Grand Master built 1382
Lower Castle - the vast economic base of farm buildings, workers and servants homes, chapels.
 

The castle once housed approximately 3,000 "brothers in arms".

It had a moat with water.

Its position on the river Nogat allowed easy access by barges and trading ships arriving from the Vistula and the Baltic Sea.
During their governance, the Teutonic Knights collected river tolls from passing ships, as did other castles along the rivers. They controlled a monopoly on the trade of amber.
 

9:50 we are given our Malbork ticket 31.50 PLN ($10.00 USD)

We'll be here about 1.5 hour here with one guide.

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About Teutonic Knights

"The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem

A German medieval military order, and became in modern times a purely religious Catholic order.
It was formed to aid Christians on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land and to establish hospitals.
Its members have commonly been known as the Teutonic Knights, since they also served as a crusading military order in the Middle Ages.

The military membership was always small, with volunteers and mercenaries augmenting the force as needed. After the Reformation, the Order became Protestant; this branch still consists of knights, but the modern Roman Catholic order consists of Roman Catholic priests, nuns, and associates.

Formed at the end of the 12th century
After Christian forces were defeated in the Middle East, the Order moved to Transylvania in 1211 to help defend the Kingdom of Hungary against the Kipchaks.

The Knights were expelled by force from Hungary in 1225, after allegedly attempting to place themselves under Papal instead of the original Hungarian sovereignty.

In 1230,the Grand Master
 launched the Prussian Crusade, a joint invasion of Prussia intended to Christianize the Baltic Old Prussians.

The Knights had quickly taken steps against their Polish hosts and created the independent Monastic State of the Teutonic Knights adding continuously the conquered Prussian's territory.

The Kings of Poland accused the Order of holding lands rightfully theirs,

The Order lost its main purpose in Europe with the Christianization of Lithuania.

The Order initiated numerous campaigns against its Christian neighbors, Poland and Lithuania

The Teutonic Knights had a strong economic base, hired mercenaries from throughout Europe to augment their feudal levies, and became a naval power in the Baltic Sea.

In 1410, a Polish-Lithuanian army decisively defeated the Order and broke its military power at the Battle of Grunwald (Tannenberg).

In 1515, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I made a marriage alliance with Sigismund I of Poland-Lithuania. Thereafter the Empire did not support the Order against Poland.

In 1525, Grand Master Albert of Brandenburg resigned and converted to Lutheranism, becoming Duke of Prussia as a vassal of Poland. Soon after, the Order lost Livonia and its holdings in the Protestant areas of Germany.[4]

The Order kept its considerable holdings in Catholic areas of Germany until 1809, when Napoleon Bonaparte ordered its dissolution and the Order lost its last secular holdings.
The Order continued to exist as a charitable and ceremonial body. It was outlawed by Adolf Hitler in 1938 but re-established in 1945. Today it operates primarily with charitable aims in Central Europe.

The Knights wore white surcoats with a black cross. A cross pattée was sometimes used as their coat of arms; this image was later used for military decoration and insignia by the Kingdom of Prussia and Germany as the Iron Cross and Pour le Mérite. The motto of the Order was: "Helfen, Wehren, Heilen" ("Help, Defend, Heal").

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 1945

This picture is the castle destroyed by Russia soldiers.

70% of the high castle was reconstructed.   You can see the difference in the old bricks (some are 700 years old) and new bricks.

2013

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Our view walking up to the Middle Castle

 

We started our tour  at the main gate Virgin Mary. Notice the trap doors that can come smashing down.

Robert found another door.

       

Then you enter this courtyard of the middle castle. 

There was an army of soldier statues.  It reminded of the Terra Cotta soldiers guarding the tombs in Xian China.  But these statues had very detailed boy parts... 

Web site for more info is www.zbignief.3d.pl

 

 

 

Up to 400 guests could stay at the castle "hotel".  And then they need a place to dine.

This is the sink where they washed their hand before entering the dining hall

The inscription of the bible passage is in the Greek language - Jesus gives water to woman "With the water that I give you, you will never thirst again."

 

 

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The dining hall The room is 450 meters square   Built before WWII by the Germans.       This photo shows the heating vents - 35 of them. Hot stones below the floor made the heat 3 pillars hold the roof up!   These squares on the floor are the heating vents --->

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Exit the Dining Hall, up some stairs, enter the living area. This sculpture was located in what was the living room Jerzy Fober 1959 "Whoever has Eyes, Let Them Hear, 2009."

 

 

Next is a waiting room area

This is water basin - there is a place for washing hands and a place for washing your feet in the basin on the floor

 

We saw

The Great Refectory
Built 1340
30 m long, 15 m wide, 9 m high
The room is supported on 3 pillars

Then we saw the Summer Refectory

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Summer Refectory Double rows of windows and Gothic palm vaulting supported on a granite central column. When this room was full of important people, the enemies shot a cannon ball to try to knock down the single column to collapse the room and kill everyone. They missed the column and hit the wall. The pink arrow shows where the cannon ball hit the wall. To the left of the fireplace is a servants service pass-trough food when dining in here.

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Room with green paint - In 1976 it was rebuilt as it was before WWII.  This is the sign in the room:

The Koenigsberg Hall

The current layout of the former Grand master's council chamber, consisting of two earlier room made into one, is a result of the renovation works undertaken during the years 1823-1824 as part of what is known as the romantic restoration of the castle. Since funds for the reconstruction were given by the authorities of the town of Koenigsberg (Konigsberg), the hall was named the Koenigsberg Hall.

On the shield walls, one can see murals in the form of plant stems, developed by that Gdansk painter, Michael Carl Gregorovius. The hall is furnished with neo-Gothic pieces dating from 183.

The interior has been decorated with portraits of people related to the process of reconstructing the castle, which tool place in the first half of the 19th century: the Prussian king, Frederick William III; president of the Prussian province and originator of the castle restoration, Theodor von Schon; royal architect and designer of the interior and decor for the Grand Masters Castle, Carl Friedrich Schinkel; and construction engineer and manager of the restoration works, Augus Gersdorff.

Back outside

Now we are going to the high castle.

No women could enter here

 

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This is the Here's atrium in the high castle.  Big well in the middle

People in the high castle could survive for 2 years because they had enough food and water to survive that long.

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In 1945, 70% of the high castle was demolished and destroyed by Russia soldiers.

It was reconstructed and You can see old bricks (some are 700 years old) and new bricks

 

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All around the castle and artist had put up balancing sculptures.  Human forms teetering on a wire (in photo above and below).

 
Jerzy Kedziora 1947
With the Sword Lowered, 2000
epoxy resins, original technique
property of the Artist

The castle kitchen.

There is a dumb waiter with ropes to get food to the second floor.

It was a bakery AND a  brewery. 

 

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Next we toured the castle rooms. This the exact wording from the sign:

TRESLER'S ROOMS

Tresler, in other words Treasurer, administered monastic treasure and safe of great master as well as well (sic) as kept most important document and the great seal of the order in vault.
1. Hall
2. Habitable room
3. Vault (so-called Silver Chamber)
4. Room of Treasurer

ROOMS OF HOUSE COMMANDER
House commander the superior of Malbork convent, which resided on the High Castle. he also held supervision over
1. Rooms of house commander
2. Hall beyond sightseeing
3. Bedroom of house commander

ROOMS OF CHEF and CELLARMAN
Chef and cellarman official positions on which knights were chosen
1. Room of cellarman
2. Room of chef beyond sightseeing

 

The Vault

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Bedroom of the House Commander

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Next we visited the latrines.  There were 6 toilets built above the moat.  For 60 men.

The grand master had his own private toilet.

They used a cabbage leaf for toilet paper!

Jay's private moment interrupted: 

 

We walked through the Cloistered Courtyard (a "porch") and arrive at this "Golden Gate"

 

Built late 13 century

Keystone is carved with the figure of Christ.

..

 

Walk through the Golden Gate into THE CATHEDRAL:

This is definitely different from any Cathedral that I have ever seen.  

 

The Cathedral was bombed in WWII and it still being reconstructed.

Damona made a very astute remark - that maybe they should leave it like this and NOT rebuild.

Our tour was already getting immune to the majestic, ornate cathedral churches and altars. "ABC" meaning "Another bloody church" was heard several time.

Then it bacame "Another bloody cow" and "Another bloody crop"..

Well, this is NOT another bloody church.  I have never seen a church like this before.

They should leave it like this. It definitely left an indelible impression on me.

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11:40 the tour ended.  We took a short cut through restaurant to exit the castle.

 

It's Tom's birthday today!  This is Tom with Margaret:

The group sang to him at breakfast this morning.

And on the drive to Gdansk, Robin distributed biscuits (we call them "cookies")

on the bus for Tom's birthday today.

 

Road sign Gdansk is 113 (km)

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We got to Gdansk and stopped at the hotel to unload our luggage.

We were late for our lunch appointment so we had to move quickly.

We put all our luggage in one room in the hotel, then we had a quick walk into town.

About a 15 minute walk to the restaurant

Cross the River Motlawa and through the beautiful Green Gate and then corralled into the restaurant.

We have a guided tour after lunch so no time to stop for photos now.

The restaurant was right inside the gate.

In 16^th century Gdansk controlled 60% of the polish trade.

 March 1945 the soviets ruined Gdansk because it was German town.

The town was rebuilt do now it looks like it was in the 16^th century.

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Tour and walking till 8:30?!?

Dinner on our own.

Breakfast tomorrow at 8 am

 

 

Gdansk - sightseeing with a tour guide

 from Wikipedia about Gdansk

On the Baltic Sea
Poland's principal seaport and the center of the country's fourth-largest metropolitan area.
population of 455,830 (June 2010),
Part of the "Tricity" in a conurbation with the city of Gdynia and spa town of Sopot. Tricity population near 740,000.

Connected via Motława River and a waterway system that supplies 60% of the area of Poland, including the capital Warsaw

It is the center of Poland's sea trade, an important industrial centre, seaport and shipbuilding/repair centre

The city was the birthplace of the Solidarity movement which under the leadership of Lech Wałęsa, played a major role in bringing an end to Communist rule across Central Europe.

It has a complex political history with periods of Polish rule, periods of German rule, and extensive self-rule, with two spells as a free city. It has been part of modern Poland since 1945.

 

The first written proof of Gdansk was in the year 997. It is more than 1000 years old.

997 Kingdom of Poland
1308 Teutonic Order
1454–1569 13-Year War, Kingdom of Poland
1569–1793 Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth
1793 Prussia
1871 German Empire
1920 Free City of Danzig
1939–1945 Nazi Germany. September 1, 1939 - WWI arrived in Gdansk. The city was totally obliterated.
1945–present Republic of Poland

Our tour guide said "Gdansk changed the history of the world three times."

In school, the children choose to learn English (most important), German, or French.  No more Russian is taught.

 

 

To get to the Green gate we have to cross the River Motlawa. The building hanging out over the river in the photo below is the famous Gdansk Crane (Zuraw).  A medieval building almost unique in Europe. Built in 13th Century, renovated in 1442. The crane is a wooden structure set between 2 circular brick towers. It can lift weights up to 2 tons up to 90 feet (27 m).  Operated by men on treadmills. Used to load/unload ships, and fit masts to ships. The photo on the right shows the Crane destroyed by fire in 1945 - there is an empty hole between the bombed brick towers.  After WWII it was repaired and reconstructed.

 

In WWII, Gdansk was totally obliterated.  Then it was rebuilt.  

Here are some more "before" and "after" pictures. These were displayed in a in the jewelry store.

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3

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There are 8 preserved medieval gates in the city.

This is the Green Gate -  Pinnacle roof and elaborate decorative stone work. Built in 1564-8

This building was the official residence of royalty and Polish kings when they came to Gdansk.

 

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Damona went on early morning walks almost every day.  She took this photo of an orchestra walking through the Green Gate one morning:

 

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After you walk through the gate, you are on Dlugi Targ street.  This is the other side of the Green Gate.  

The door where Lech Wałęsa enters to go to work is right under the naked lady sign.

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What a beautiful street. A "pedestrianized"  street.  

Lined with old town houses that were once the residences of the city's wealthiest citizens.

Known as "the Royal Way" because of processions of royal visits, and it was site public execution of prisoners.

Dlugi Targ has many places to stop and look and admire.  Lody (ice cream) and Maraska (sweets) for sale.

 

Golden house - white with 4 statues.  It was one COMPLETELY covered in intricate guilt stone carvings.

 Architect Abraham van den Blocke.  Built in 1609-18.  It did NOT burn in 1945.

 

 

On the opposite side of road is this house with 6 portraits:

Dante Allghieri

Jan Hochanowski

Wszekspur   (Shakespeare)

Bramante

Raphael Santi

Donatello

 

 

 

This is Artus Court or "Dwor Artuse". 14th century building with 4 statues.

A meeting place for the wealthy "burghers" of Gdansk.

Built 14th century, destroyed by fire 1477. Reopened in 1481.  Destroyed in the war, then reconstructed.

 

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On the right side of doorway, there is ugly face on the side of the door frame - to keep evil out of the place.

At the end of the chain is the tooth of the devil.

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The Fountain of Neptune in Dlugi Targ. Installed outside Artus Court in 1633.

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More beautiful houses

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Golden gate 

Built 1612-14 in the style of a Roman triumphal arch.

4 statues carved originally carved in 1648 and reconstructed after original were damaged in the war.

Statues on the outer side of the gate facing away form the city depict peace, freedom, prosperity, and glory.

Statues on this inner side facing the city, represent prudence, piety, justice, and harmony.

Our guide said about the statue on the right - she is holding a broken arrow: If you do things on your own, it gets broken. Together it is stronger.

This is other side of the Golden Gate. 

Statues on this outer side of the gate facing away form the city depict peace, freedom, prosperity, and glory.

The red brick building is St George's Court.  The fraternity is an association of archers.

They originally met in Artus Court, but they got their own place to meet here in 1494.

The first floor had an archery range. It now houses the Gdansk branch of the Association of Polish Architects.

After the Golden Gate, is The prison tower. It now houses the Amber museum.

After the prison tower, is the Highland Gate (shorter gray building).   Built 1574.

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Touring more of the city.  This is The Arsenal. 

Metal gargyles

 

 

 

Church of St. Mary

The largest medieval brick-built church in Europe - 25,000 can worship here.

Building began in 1343 and took 150 years to complete.
Final stage was 100 m (325 feet) long nave.
From 1529 to 1945 it was Protestant. but Catholic and others also used it.  It is Catholic now.
1945 it was destroyed, then rebuilt after WWII.

 

Built on a marsh so there are wood pillars 3 meters down

Organ pipes date from 1972 ?

33 meter high scaffolding to do stars on the ceiling.

The echo in here adds new value to music

 

The roof is 10,000 meters square or 1 hectare

 

Gerald and Giles check out (feel up) the Braille model of St. Mary (the church) 

 

 

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St. Mary front altar.    The scull under the cross is the "scull of Adam" symbolize life. On the left if the Gothic Sacrarium - in the shape of an open-work tower decorated with pinnacles - it is over 26 feet (8 m) high.	Tablet of the Ten Commandments - 1480-90
St. Mary Astonomical Clock  Made by Hans Durunger in 1464-1470. 80% original Shows the hour and also the days, dates of moveable feasts and phases of the moon. At noon a procession of figures representing Adam and Eve, the Appostles, the Three Kings and Death appears. Oldest sundial   x	Tablet of Charity - ornate panel made in 1607 to encourage churchgoers to be generous.

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As you walk in the church, to the right is this window.

 

This is where you can pay for all your indulgences, and you are forgiven.

 

It does not look open at the moment.

After the tour of St. Mary, we walked down a couple more streets,

then our guided tour was over and we had some free time. 

We came back here to St. Mary to climb the 409 steps up to the top of the bell tower.

.  Here is Peter, climbing:

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Imagine this: You are in this bell tower and the BELL STARTS RINGING!

My whole body absorbed the sound, right into my heart. The sounds waves were everywhere, as if I was breathing the sound into my lungs. 

What a great motivation to MOVE YOUR BUTT and get outta there!

 

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Spectacular views at the top

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Town hall bell tower is in front of the sky scraper below.

Peter and Greg

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The guided tour continued down Ulica Piwna. Translated in English is "Beer Street".

Gerald said "this could be crowd loser".

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Turn the corner, then go to another very famous street

This is Damona's photo of Ulica Mariacka - Gdansk's finest street.  With traditional Gdansk architecture. Quote by Shopenhower:  "Architecture is music turned into stones"  

Town houses were once owned by wealthy merchants and goldsmiths.  They have tall, richly ornamented facades and external raised terraces (we call them "a front porch" in the South).

A sign in front of museum on this street said:   "Time Machine  - Discover Nicholas Cupernicus Secret"

 

The tour ended at the river.  Now we had free time to walk around and get dinner.

We went back to St. Mary's and climbed the tower to the top (see pix above)

Then we went back to Beer Street and found a great restaurant.

Ryan, Gerald and Ashley also ate here:.

 

 

 

Hotel in Dom Muzyka [Musicians' Home] hotel     http://www.dommuzyka.pl/en/

Łąkowa 1/280-743 Gdansk  58 326 06 00dommuzyka.pl

 

A place with a unique air

 

Dom Muzyka [Musicians' Home] represents more than a charming place in the centre of Gdańsk. It is an uncommon and calming refuge arranged in a listed 19th century building of the Musical Academy.  A stone throw away from Dom Muzyka stretches the Old Town of Gdańsk offering a wealth of attractions.  The nearby public transport node links our facility to the entire Tri-City.  Even very demanding Clients will certainly find a night at Dom Muzyka their cup of tea.

 

Advantageous location:

  7 minutes on foot from the life-ringing Old Town

  on the E7 road from Warsaw, at the entry to Gdańsk

  3 minutes from a bus stop and tram stop

We offer you a comfortable night in cosy and lovingly tended rooms, each of them different.  High ceilings and tall arched windows add to the specific air few other hotels in Gdańsk can share.  Dom Muzyka is renowned for its chic interiors, atmosphere unmet elsewhere, and kind and professional staff.  Those who love music could hardly find better accommodation in Gdańsk

 

The hotel was in great location. It was just a short walk into town.

 

Back to top

Tour Day 6 (My Day13) Thursday July 18

 

 

Thursday morning Damona gets up early for a walk.  She walked to the Solidarity church for mass. 

After mass, she took some photos of the church and she found that the door that she used to enter the building was locked!

Another door was locked. Oh no, how to get out? 

She was almost locked inside the church!  Finally an unlocked door to exit.

She took some great photos...

 

 

The Church of St. Bridget

 

Known as The solidarity church - where members of Solidarity sought sanctuary and worship in the 1980's.

The statue to the right is Father Henryk Jankowski (18 December 1936, – 12 July 2010, Gdańsk)
He was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and member of Solidarity movement.
One of the leading priests supporting that movement in opposition to the communist government in the 1980s
A long serving provost of St. Bridget's church in Gdańsk (until 2004).
In the late 1990s he became known for his critique of the European Union and for anti-Semitic remarks, and was suspended from preaching for a year.

He was murdered in 1984 by Polish security service officials.

 

This is high altar and monument to Father Henryk Jankowski in the church.

The figure in the statue on the ground has their hands tied behind the back.  The inscription reads

W HOLDZIE SOLIDARNOSC GDANSK 1985

 

Inside The Church of St. Bridget

 

Breakfast was at 8 am.

Thanks to Ester, we had porridge for breakfast! Yum

Here is Erica and Helen enjoying the breakfast bar.

Pancakes with jam
Nalesniki z dzemem
Pfannkuchen mit marmalade


Owsianka
Porridge
Brei

The "Porridge" at the bottom of the photo was really like

 sweet, thin, tapioca pudding.  But it was good!

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On the bus, we are counted and then the bus is starts to exit the parking lot.

Ester is in the parking lot walking towards the bus!  People start yelling to stop the bus.

We are shouting to the driver to stop!  Stop! We totally left Robin at the other hotel, and now we are leaving Ester. 

So my question is "Why bother counting if we are going to leave no matter what the count?"

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Gabriella is the name of our local guide.

our schedule today Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot - sightseeing with a tourist guide

Bus tour Gdasnk shipyard

10 organ concert, 20 minutes long

Drive to Gdynya

Go to Sopot - some free time

 

 

Gdansk-Gdynia-Sopot - sightseeing with a tourist guide

Gdańsk together with Gdynia and  Sopot comprise the Tri-city.

Gdańsk - used to be one of the most important trading centers of Europe. This was the first Polish piece of land to be attacked violently during the first days of the Second World War.

Sopot - one of the most popular and fancy sea resorts in Poland. The longest bench in Europe runs along its more than one-and-a-half-kilometer pier.

Gdynia - young city with big port which today is a centre of shipbuilding and maritime industries.

 

We went to the Gdansk shipyard. It is 76 hectares (187 acres).

It gained international fame when Solidarity (Solidarność) was founded there in September 1980.
For 40 years vessels were produced here. They don't manufacture any more, the just repair ships here.

It is a Private business that is doing very well.

 

from Wiki

1945 - Founded as a state-owned company, mainly for production and repairs of trains, trams and small floating units.  It had a workforce of 694,including 8 engineers and 28 technicians.

1948 - 53 rescue boats, fishing lugo-trawlers were built.

1951 - stopped work on trains, specializing on production of small cargo ships, fishing vessels and scientific ships.

After 1955, the shipyard built vessels for the navies of Poland, USSR, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and East Germany – mainly for troop landing craft, hydrographic, rescue, training and torpedo boats.

 

1970, December - workers went on strike.

44+38 = 70 workers were shot and killed, and 500 were wounded. Lech Walesa involved.

1980 - Gdańsk events marked the beginning of organized resistance to Communist dictatorship in eastern Europe. he yard gained international fame when Solidarity (Solidarność) was founded there in September 1980.

A strike by 17,000 ship builders saw Solidarity, led by shipyard electrician Lech Wałęsa, recognised as the first non-communist trade union in the then Soviet Bloc.
The move was one of the first successful steps in a campaign of civil resistance that contributed to the eventual collapse of communism across eastern Europe.

1980s- Northern Shipyard continued to produce super-trawlers, super-seiners, hydrographic units and troop landing craft for the Soviet Union – the last four were delivered in 1991.

Early 1990's - Contracts signed with the Communist-era Polish Navy were delivered. Difficulties on the world market forced radical changes and the yard began to specialize in cargo containers, mainly for Germany and Nigeria.

In 1990, the state-owned Stocznia Gdańska became a joint stock company: 61% in National Treasury, shares , 31% owned by employees. In 1993 it became a corporation, under the name Northern Shipyard S.A.

Late 1990s - produced ferries, fishing vessels, tugboats and ships for the offshore industry.

Since June 2003, it has been a repair shipyard. They also produce specialist ships, including LNG/LPG transport ships, passenger-car ferries, container vessels, offshore boats, hydrographic and scientific ships. These vessels sail under the flags of: Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, UK, USA and Poland.

 

Monument to the Shipyard Workers

Built a few months after the strike

A monument to the Heros the shipyard workers who were killed during the strike and demonstrations of December 1970.
100 feet (30 m) tall.   Built on the spot where the first 3 victims fell. 3 stainless steel crosses 130 feet (42 m) high.

 

 

 

The modern day cranes to load/unload the ships.

 

Damona said when she was here, buildings like this would have been all cement gray - drab with no color.

Sign on the side of the building:    I tak wygramy ~ "We will win anyway".     Wyramy is "we win"

10 mill out of 12 million working people join solidarity

 

 

 

 

We drove past many pipes that carried the coal for heating the building in the city.

Going to Novi Port

In May 2011, a football stadium was built for International competition.

They are now building a tunnel under the viswas river

A1 motorway across the Baltic.

 

In the 70's Solidarity movement again communist underground movement.

1980 Strike concessions were won! They got:  Saturday no work, more money

 

November, 1980 info from Communist committee

polish writer/poet got nobel prize  poem on the monument "you who crippled a broken man...

Do not be safe

Lech Walesa now living in Gdansk. He works for his private organization. He give lectures

Last year he said "I want to be the last revolutionary . We should change things without war."

He will be 70 years old in September this year.

 

In 1939 the Germans controlled Latvia, Estonia

In August, 1939 a German battleship with 700 soldier arrived at this port.

The plan was to attack on August 26. But on August 25, Poland and Great Britian signed an agreement. German mariners were shot at and attacked.

But the next day, German planes came and attacked.

 

In 7 days - 5000 Germans attacked on 200 polish soldiers.

Finally surrendered (I think)

Her (very interesting) story took a long time to tell.

 

The monument at the port

"sable" handle of the sword in the ground. 

"never take it out, and never use it again"  Plaque on the monument.

Prince Charles came here to recognize the event.

 

26 million tons of good per year transported from G . port

200 rivers flow in the Baltic sea.

454 km 2  size of Baltic sea

About the same size and the state of Texas.

18,000 containers  the largest ship and they can handle it here in Gdansk.  The ship is coming from China.

Tom and Claudia listen to our interesting tour guide:

 

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Text on the sign in the port

As ships grew in size and draught, new problems appeared. The most problematic was the unpredictability of the queen of Polish rivers - the Vistula. In 1550 the depth of the port amounted to 3.4 m, and hte depth of the Vistula's bed to 5.3 m. Since 1554 the mouth of the river silted up faster than before as the citizen of Elblag temporarily discharged most water to the river Nogat via a canal by Matowy Point. The situation was finally regulated in 1612-1625, but the losses were irrevocable. In 1581 the depth of the fairway in Wisloujscie dropped to 2.9 m, and the 1594 it ranged from 1.4 to 2.6 m. Since then the fairway was regularly sounded and the measurements were shown on maps, which were drawn up almost on an annual basis - an most of them have survived until our times. Very few ports of the world can boast a similar set of materials!

The Gdansk port sustained huge losses. 88% of its warehouses, 40% of its mechanical cargo handling devices, 18% of its breakwaters, and 15% of its wharfs were destroyed in their entirety. Those which survived were desperately in need of repair. Almost all office buildings ceased to exist. The total loss was estimated at more then 21 million dollars, i.e. 50% of the entire value of the infrastructure.

Now we are headed to Gdynia

 

 

Someone bought a bottle of what she thought was tonic and it turned out to be ("preloaded" ) vodka

We are at Olifili Quay

 

The ferry to Finland is 14 hours.

There is shrub/bush/tree with red berries here. It is called "Mountain Ash". It is under special protection.

We passed a park named after Ronald Reagan.

We passed 1 km long building.  5500 people live in the building.

 

A 60 meter 2 flat cost is 400,000 PLN/zl. Or 100,000 EU.

Saw bill board 5750 PLN/zl for 1 meter 2  cost of a new apartment . expensive.

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A liquor store is "Alcohole" . And "Winoteka" is a winery

Passed a huge shopping center

 

Sports arena:

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McDonalds

University of Gdanski

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This is the University library -  a futuristic building, the capsules on the side of the building are offices.

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Passing a mosque.  There is every religion here.

It is 24-year old mosque.

There are two other Mosques in Poland

 

We drove by the house of Lech Walesa.

The house has a green roof

I did not get a good pix

Houses in the neighborhood cost about 2 million PLN Zloty.

Organ concert in the famous Oliwa Cathedral .

Were in Oliva area of Gdansk by the Olava river

10:25 we arrive at Olivia Park.

We have a short walk to cathedral for an 11 am organ recital.

This is a 12 hectare (30 acres) park. There was a monastery here. Now there is a Seminary here.

We walked to 350 year old tree. She stood under the tree and read us "Nothing Twice" poem

After the reading, Helen was presented with the poem 

I'm not sure this is the same poem.  Maybe Helen or Greg will email me and verify.

 

Nothing Twice - by Wislawa Szymborska



Nothing can ever happen twice.
In consequence, the sorry fact is
that we arrive here improvised
and leave without the chance to practice.

Even if there is no one dumber,
if you're the planet's biggest dunce,
you can't repeat the class in summer:
this course is only offered once.

No day copies yesterday,
no two nights will teach what bliss is
in precisely the same way,
with precisely the same kisses.

One day, perhaps some idle tongue
mentions your name by accident:
I feel as if a rose were flung
into the room, all hue and scent.

The next day, though you're here with me,
I can't help looking at the clock:
A rose? A rose? What could that be?
Is it a flower or a rock?

Why do we treat the fleeting day
with so much needless fear and sorrow?
It's in its nature not to stay:
Today is always gone tomorrow.

With smiles and kisses, we prefer
to seek accord beneath our star,
although we're different (we concur)
just as two drops of water are.


----Wislawa Szymborska
Translated by Clare Cavanagh and Stanislaw Baranczak

We are walking fast to do our tour of the trees in this park before the organ recital.

Helen, who is  88 years old fell! But she was OK!!!! 

She was face down on the pavement and bleeding where her glasses bumped around her right eye. 

An ambulance was called.  They (tour operator/medical staff) were trying to convince her to go to the hospital. 

She was fine, she did not want to go to the hospital. Other people on our tour agreed with her, that she did not need to go to the hospital. 

We had band aids and applied them. 

I heard the story that the medical staff was not happy about that decision. 

They reviewed her passport and made her sign a release paper admitting that she was refusing to follow their advise and go to the hospital. 

As they were walking away, Helen called out to them "Excuse me! Can I please have my passport back?"

Yes, she had all her wits about her. Very impressive woman.

Here is the church where the organ concert:

 

 

 

 

There was scaffolding at the front of the church.

 

The organ was in the rear of the church (as it is no most churches) so you have to look back behind you to see it.

The concert was beautiful. They played Ava Maria?

When the organ played, there was a song where it sounded like Birds singing

Another song was like booming thunder, and another like violins playing.  It virtually an entire orchestra sound.

Sun and stars revolve by air on the organ. And the Jesus also moves.

Light jovial tune.

There are some antlers (with a cross) mounted on the wall to my right.

Alleuya song  - I goose bumps on my arm!

 

In 1763 - 1788 - Took 25 years to build the organ

Upgraded now to 7876 pipes.    The smallest pipe is 6 mm

There are 110 registers.  

It is electric now. In the old days, 7 men pumped air into the bellows and pipes. It was very hard work.

 

The high altar has books and beehive. You must be educated to spread here and the words go to your heart like honey (?!?). I think that is what she said.

 

Population of Gdynia is 250,000.

 

On our drive I saw this bill board several times in Poland.  The same exhibit is in Atlanta. I wonder how many bodies there are all over the world?

 

In Gdansk and also in Atlanta at the same time - Human body exhibition  www.human-body.pl   Bodies from China.  The Exhibit not allowed in France

 

12:30 driving out on the pier. I think this is Gdynia.

This is the monument at the end of the pier

 

3 most Brigade.

We saw the tallest building in Poland. It was built 5 years ago.  Living apartments.

We crossed George Washington street.

 

To Sopot. The restaurant where we ate lunch was called "The White House". 

The restaurant was very near the pier and we could smell the ocean, I mean sea.

Here is Ester and Iulian sitting on the bench in front of the restaurant

We had a great lunch Tomato soup Bow pasta with salmon sauce   Very yummy dessert was cake with red fruit (cherry? raspberry?) sauce.   Six empty plates after desserts were devoured --->

 

After we finished lunch, we walked inland. About a 10 minute walk, about 3 PM we arrive here:

Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Acedemy of Sciences (www.iopan.gda.pl)

Polska Akademia Nauk
Instytut Oceanologii   http://www.iopan.gda.pl/MarPoLab
Centre of Excellence for Shelf Seas Science
Unia Europejska z Europejskiego Fundusszu Rozwoju Regionalnego

 

This institute was founded 1983 from other the original marine institute founded in 1953.

We are going to have "A presentation for people who are not marine scientists."

Phd and Dr. Habibilitation and G. Kowelewsha (2 presentations!)

Here she is with the PowerPoint to explain

Eutrofizacia or "Eutrophication" Monitoring system at the Sopot pier

 

At the Sopot pier there a devices that constantly collect and record the air and water temperature - the info is on their web site  www.iopan.gda.pl

The Baltic does not have tide. The tide is 1 cm. so no wave energy research.

Oops, I'm starting to nod off. I hear snoring. Now I regret sitting on the first row.

.5 km long pier  longest in Europe . I think?

 

This PowerPoint needs page X of X so I can tell how more pages I have to endure.

She discussed "Dissemination activities" - like what our Ag extension does

She said "Beaurocrats are killing everything."  She is searching for funding to continue this research.

When communism ended, the factories closed, and they saw a decrease in pollution, but now the pollution is staring to increase again.

Baltic sea average depth is 56 meters deep

The deepest is 400 meters

Gdansk 110 meters.

It is 4:05.  We have sat through 2 lectures with PowerPoints, still more questions.

I really want to go outside and see the beach and the pier.

Salinity is 15 ppm in Baltic, arctic water is 54 ppm

4:15 and we finally get to leave this conference room.

Phil said a very nice thank you.

After the presentation, freedom!  We were ONE BLOCK from the water.

Everyone made a bee-line to walk to this beautiful beach: 

 

 

 

 

The ladies lined up for a photo op. From left to right:  Claudia, Suzanna, Sue, Damona, Henny, Karen, Alison, Kristiane, Michiko

 

 

We walked all the way on the beach up to the pier.  The "Pirate Ship" is approaching the pier:

 

The marketing brochure:

The first pier in Sopot was built by Dr. George Hafner in 1829. It was 41 meters long. By the end of the 19th century Molo was extended to 150 meters and in 1910 to 315 meters. In the beginning the place was only a local harbour, but soon became - as part of the health resort - a recreational facility. Later - wit the fountain and band shell - it turned into an entertainment venue.

The pier received its present shape in 1927 on the occasion of the 25th City Charter anniversary. Since then the pier and its land part have remained almost intact, even despite sever major repairs.

The last significant works took place 1989-91 (when a concrete head was added to protect the main deck) and then in 1999-2000 and 2002-03. By the end of 2005, the wooden platform over the beach (called "Patelnia" - "the Frying Pan") was completely reconstructed. in 2011 a brand new harbour for yachts was opened - its concrete breakwaters to become yet another protection for the wooden pier.


Molo is one of the most popular recreational and entertainment facilities in Poland, a genuine highlight of the health resort. It consists of two part: the wooden pier and the land square.
The wooden part (the pier) consists of the main deck (511.5 metres, going 458 metres into the Gulf of Gdansk), the lower decks and the side deck, which all allow passenger ships and yachts to be moored. There is a restaurant and marina for 100 yachts at the head of the pier, where the concentration of iodine is twice as high as on the land.

The land part (Spa Square) is an area of 20 thousand square metres with a beautiful antique fountain, a lighthouse with a splendid viewpoint, a concert shell, numerous snack bars and lots of greenery. this is the best place in Sopot for cultural, sporting and advertising events (with up to 6 thousand spectators). An ice rink operates here in winter.


More information (prices of tickets, working hours, events) at www.molo.sopot.pl/m/info_en.html

Contact
PTH Kapielisko Morskie
Sopot Sp. z o.o. 81-723 Sopot, ul. Chopina 10 Poland     tel. +48 58 551 00 02   www.molo.sopot.pl

This is a scanned postcard photo by Kamel
Sopot - 1900 www.gedanum.pl

Hop on - hop off bus tours
info@ecolinetours.pl www.ecolinetours.pl    +48 534 906 316
$2 USD up to 3 stops

www.molo.sopot.pl/m/links_en.html

A bunch of folks in our group walked to the end of the pier.  Lots to see.

Just Married!

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Group photo:

In Back: Alison, Tony, Patricia, Dwight, Karen, Phil, Michiko, John, Tom or Gerald O?(hat), George, Kristiane, Willy, Sue, Roger (hat), Malcolm

In front: Suzanna, Henny

 

 

Phil and Michiko. They were at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa  at the same time the Damona and I were there!

Sue and Roger. 

Roger went swimming in the sea. 

His clothes were already dry after this walk on the pier!

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Tonight we had dinner at our hotel  Dom Muzyka [Musicians' Home] hotel.

It was pierogis - but they deep fried them.  That did not seem authentic.

 

Helen is fine tonight. Karen is an RN. Karen was encouraged to convince Helen to go to the hospital. Karen would not do that. Helen was fine!

 

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Tour Day 7 (My Day 14) Friday July 19

Friday 8:10 leaving the hotel.

 

Torin

Birthplace of Copernicus. Astronomer, military commander, poet, doctor.

Everyone thought the sun moved around the earth, but he discovered that the earth moved around the sun. 

So they say "he stopped the sun and moved the earth".

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Torin is the home of gingerbread.

 

There was not much damage in Torin in WWII.

Margaret warned us about the gypsy's from Romania that we will encounter in Warsaw - be aware of your pockets. If you want the gypsy's to have something, put it in your pockets and they will get it.

 

The book: "The Tin Drum" is about Gdansk before the war.

Yesterday we save a combine and a grain truck working in the field. And we saw a HUGE field of carrots. Very dark, rich, green fields.

There is 15% unemployment.

There are new issues in the political life now: the gay and lesbians are wanting rights.

Women must work to age 60, men to age 65, but a new law to change both to 67.

The health program here is "a disaster"

It takes a long time to get a specialist doctor. 

Then Margaret says "Enough about bad things, there some Positive things: good roads, more tourists are visiting."

Fri am D walked to the 3 crosses and took pix

Pix Vistula river

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Nowe Jankowice Stud Farm

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Nowe Jankowice, the company administered by the Agricultural Property Agency, started its activity in 1952.  The stud is specialized in breeding of cold-blooded horses.  Both mares as well as stallions provide a priceless genetic basis used by all domestic breeders as it is the only pedigree stud farm raising cold-blooded horses in Poland. The company runs agricultural activity on the area of about 2500 ha. The main crops are winter rape and cereals, mainly bread wheat and of course fodder for about 250 horses and about 1200 heads of cattle, including milking cows with the milk yield reaching 12000 litres of milk per cow on average.

Picturesque and diverse postglacial landscape, numerous lakes and the richness of nature certainly encourage to visit the part of Poland where the stud is located. An additional attraction of Nowe Jankowice Stud Farm are three palaces, all dating back to the end of 19th century. 

10:15 arrive stud farm

10:30 presentation with coffee.

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He was an very interesting speaker (with Margaret translating)

Conference room was in the palace of the owner

ABOUT THE COMPANY.

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48 companies belong to group.  Not privately owned.

Owns 2600 hectares (6424 acres)

6 farms, 6 palace buildings

They grow: 600 h (1480 a) wheat, 700 h (1730 a) maize, 600 h (1480 a) rape, 260 h (642 a) lucerne (alphalpha)

They have 80 mares and 80 stallions.

They have 350 bulls (NOT castrated)

The stud fee is about 3000 z (or EU I couldn't hear)

He has 1200 cows to make money to keep the horses.

They have another location near Wolfs Liar - at that location is a 200 meter long stable built by the Germans during war.

They have 114 employees.

They pay dividends back to the state.

They don't own the land, they pay rent.

Use about ? or the gains for investment.

Their business is based on Euros and zloties/PLN and various currencies.

Land rent is paid in the rye, wheat, equivalent to about 70 Euro per hectare.

The get a 320 per hectare subsidy (about 500 USD) from Euro from EU

But not from Polish government - actually from Polish government there is a little help with fuel cost - about 20 euro from Poland.

They are state owned company but the dairy is a private owned company

100 kilo = 1 quinto

We'll see a cold-blooded horse. Purchased for 6000 EU

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We asked questions until 11:30, then we had a tour of entire place.

Part of the tour was walking around, part of it was on the bus.

We saw some horses, cows, crops, stallions (warm/hot-blooded horses) and cold-blooded horses, more cows (ABC), the "maternity ward", and cute calf village.

"ABC" used to mean "Another Bloody Church", then it became "Another Bloody Cow", and now it is "Another Bloody Crop"

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Driving to another location on the farm, we passed a pasture of mares and foals.

Noon - drive to see their crops. I got a photo of harvesting rape seed in the fields

In the fields, some wheat was laying down from heavy rain last week and high winds.

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I included the information that he gave us about the HORSES and COWS with the photos below.

 

COWS

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He has 1200 cows to make money to keep the horses.

I missed a bunch of very interesting information that I did not write down, because I got involved with the sweets and coffee distribution around the table.

About 20,000 liters of milk daily produced here. More milk will be produced when the quotas are lifted.

And they expect to sell milk to Russia and China

He expects the price of milk to drop 20% and he expects that small producers will go out of business.

 

They have construction now - they are anticipating increased milk production here, and he predicts a decreased production cost.

Their goal is to maximize the milk production per cow, not necessarily profit.

 

Drive to livery station.  We saw a shed for 300 cows.

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Smile for the camera!

 

Thanks to Erika for pulling me back in the stinky building to see this....

Don't you hate it when shit gets dumped?

This is what it's like for me at work sometimes. It gets piled higher and deeper (aka "Phd").

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We saw their milking setup. They milk 20 cows at a time.

Someone in the group said that this is standard milking type operation like in the United States.

It is a Herringbone setup.

 

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Then we saw the Maternity ward.  These girls are ready to deliver!

 

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"Calf village" was very cute. And clean. And warm.

They have heat pumps now, but they plan to install solar energy panels soon.

Phil and Jos

Ester

 

MOVIE:  Click here to see a very cute days old calf 

 

The baby is put in an individual stall until they are 1 month old. Then 10 calves are put together.

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After about a 20 minute drive, at 12:20 we arrive at the site where they board stallions  (hot-blooded / warm-blooded, and cold- blooded horses)

We drove by a pasture with bulls in the field. They have 350 bulls

 

HORSES

This the only company with this (special) type of horse.

They have 80 mares and 80 stallions.

The stallions are leased to individual farmers.

Horses are not needed for farms these days, because everything is all mechanical, so horses are bred for individuals.

The horses are bred to sell to individual farmers, then the farmers eventually resell them to slaughter.

Some horses are exported.

There is a new breed of  "family horses" for pulling carts

Warm-blooded/hot-blooded horse - Pure Arabic - 400 kilo. 

Warm-blooded horses are racing horses, thoroughbred horses, for racing and jumping, stallions

Cold blooded horses are mixtures with Belgium, pony, draft horses. A mare may be up to 850 kilo.

Horsemeat for human consumption not generally accepted here.

There are 4 places in Poland that process horsemeat. They export to France etc for horses for consumption.

70 horses sold per year.

Average price about 120,000 PLN/zl

 

Notice the date on this building says "1893"

 

Tony made a friend

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They seem to breed white footed animals.

These two are "warm-blooded" horses.

This one looks like the horse from the movie War Horse.

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These two are "cold-blooded" horses.  These work horses weigh twice as much as the warm-blooded race horses.

Purchased one horse for 6000 EU!

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MOVIE:  Click here to the picture below in motion 

 

This stallion reared up as he was being led back to his stall.  Gerald recorded all the commotion.

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MOVIE Click here to see a one minute movie of these beautiful horses

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Tom checks out the machinery.

This was a common occurrence at all the farms we visited - The men would admire and critique the farm machinery.

 

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1:45 back on the bus

Got to lunch at Mysliwska Restaurant

Linda, Norbert talking to Jay

 

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3 pm finish lunch

Billboard  www.torun.pl  1473-2012  Torun Porusza

Pix apartment buildings as we enter Torun.  There is huge MAP of the complex painted on the side building!

Saw Nestle plant as we were arriving into town.

 

Torun - sightseeing with a tourist guide

Toruń is famous for two reasons - the birthplace of Nicolas Copernicus and delicious gingerbread.

It is said to be the most "medieval" city in Poland, which is partly why it was registered on the UNESCO List in 1997.

200,000 population of Torun

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We entered at Convenant gate

"Klasztorna Gate" on tourist map.

Convent Gate aka Monastery Gate aka Gate of the Holy Spirit
The name is from the nearby Benedictine convent that was demolished in 17 century.

Built in the early 14th century as part of the defense system
It has a massive gateway, an alcove with a grate that could be raised and lowered
An opening to hurl stones and pour boiling water or hot porridge. ( Suzanna note: the sign really said "hot porridge"!  I thought they poured boiling oil, not porridge?!?)
It was made higher in the 15 16 centuries.
In 19th century the gate was converted into habitable cells.

Defensive wall with 4 gates

It is 140 km to the Baltic sea on the Wista (Vista) river.

 

The Leaning Tower is to the left of the gate:

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The leaning tower was a test - a good husband could stand against the wall. Ryan, Roger try it -  Greg falling!

 I could NOT even do it myself!

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Diana is impressed William passes the test!

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Next we walk to Copericus house.  In the two red brick buildings below, the smaller one on the right is where he was born and where the family lived.

The family lived on the 1^st floor, on the roof is the granary, stocks where they kept goods.  He lived here 18 years in Torun

The neighbor's house to the left is now connected.  Together the buildings form the Muzeum Mikolaja Kopernika

The buildings were narrow because taxes were based on the length of the street front.

From wikipedia: 

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473 – 1543) (aged 70)

A Renaissance mathematician and astronomer who formulated a heliocentric model of the universe which placed the Sun, rather than the Earth, at the center.

The publication of Copernicus' book, De revolutionibus orbium coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres), just before his death in 1543, is considered a major event in the history of science. It began the Copernican Revolution and contributed importantly to the scientific revolution.

Copernicus was born and died in Royal Prussia, a region of the Kingdom of Poland since 1466.
Copernicus had a doctorate in canon law and, though without degrees, was a physician, polyglot, classics scholar, translator, governor, diplomat, and economist who in 1517 set down a quantity theory of money, a principal concept in economics to the present day, and formulated a version of Gresham's law in the year 1519, before Gresham.

Copernicus spoke Latin, German, and Polish with equal fluency. He also spoke Greek and Italian.
The majority of his works are in Latin, which in his lifetime was the language of academia in Europe.
Latin was also the official language of the Roman Catholic Church and of Poland's royal court, and thus all of Copernicus’ correspondence with the Church and with Polish leaders was in Latin.

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Next we saw St. John's Cathedral

Scaffolding, and bright gold (cleaned and restored) altars in the church

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The photo below is a statue Copernicus in front of the Old Town hall. About Town Hall:

Constructed 1391-1399 Four wings, single story
1602-1605 made higher in the Dutch Renaissance style.
1703 burnt down during Swedish siege.
Housed the cloth hall, bread stalls, the town council chambers, the law court, scales, and the formal Burghers' and Royal Chamber.
Venue for meeting of the Polish Sejm (1520, 1576, 1626) and Colloquium Charitativum (1645).

King Jan Olbracht died here in 1501.

Our guide said they have the  "biggest collection of gothic art is here"

This golden building is The Star House. built 1697.

A richly ornamented facade with stuccowork moteifs of fruit and flowers;

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The square is a still vibrant market space.

The Town Hall is in the center, with fine buildings on all four sides all around.

In the square there was also a tan-beige Church of the Holy Spirit.

And a college with 14,000 (or was that 40,000?) students.

There is a very loud band playing in the square. 

Our tour guide is trying to keep our attention - standing by a fountain -

There is a boy playing violin in the centre of fountain a frogs around the fountain.

Our guide said he played the violin and chased the frogs away and got to marry the daughter. 

My guide book says he is raftsman who rid the citizens or Torun of a plague of frogs by playing the fiddle.

I love how guide's stories to try to keep us tourists interested and attentive.

She said you are supposed to touch all the frogs around the fountain statue for happiness and good luck.

We stopped at Artus Court on the square.  This is where gingerbread was made!  The base ingredient of gingerbread is honey.

I guess we weren't being attentive and interested enough, so the tour ended here at 6:15 pm.

She said we had 30 minutes to walk around, then meet back here to walk to dinner.

I went to the Church of the Virgin Mary

It is a very dark brick gothic building, tightly stuck in the corner of the square. It has a "richly ornamented east gable"

Church of the Assumption of Our Lady
Gothic building built 1270-1300 by the Franciscan monks
Lutherans took it over in 16th century.
A Protestant grammar school was founded in the monastery in 1568.
Early 18th century the church and monastery were returned to the Catholics
Inside - rare Tothis wall painting from 1380, late Gothic oak stalls from early 15th century
Baroque mausoleum of princess Anna Wazowna from 1636,
A Rocco main altar from early 18th century
Numerous epitaphs and gravestones. 

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Inside the Church Virgin Mary 

 

 

Jesus off the cross - put on the stone to prepare his body.

There was a Planetarium right next to the church

 

 

Damona did a little shopping - admiring the traditional Polish pottery.

"Hmm, I wonder it this will fit in my suitcase so I can take it home?"

 

 

A money exchange sign:  

 

 

I found a real estate office with posting of places for sale.

In the U.S. you  usually see "3/2" meaning "2 bedrooms, 2 bath".  That number does not include the living room and kitchen.

But in Poland, you advertise the floor level, and the number of rooms, where one of the "rooms" is the living room/kitchen.

Translation:

Pietro - floor (I thought is was bedrooms)

Pokoi - room (I thought it was bath)

Budynek - building

 

House 100m2 = 1076 ft2, 4 rooms, 270,000 PLN ($83,115 USD)        68m2 = 732 ft2, 3rd floor, 3 rooms, 272,000 PLN ($83,700 USD)

63m2 = 678 ft2, 1st floor, 3 rooms, 309,000 PLN  ($95,120 USD)            44m2 = 473 ft2, 2 rooms, 229,000 PLN $(70,500)

 

So was back at the designated meeting place before the designated time (I thought). Nobody was there!  Oh no! Now what? 

I had no idea what restaurant, or where it was located for the group dinner.

I realized that I would have to take a taxi to the hotel. Maybe I could get some dinner at the hotel. 

So I started walking back to the gate where we entered the town.

Thank goodness I saw Linda's pink shirt.   I ran to catch up and saw some more people in the group. 

Whew, that was close.  I would have missed a great dinner.

It was in an old granary near the Bridge gate, on Mastowa Street.

Here we are entering the restaurant.

 

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After dinner, bus to the hotel

Hotel Mercure Torun Centrum (previously Mercure Torun Helios)  http://www.mercure.com/gb/hotel-3421-hotel-mercure-torun-centrum-previously-mercure-torun-helios/index.shtml

Ul Kraszewskiego 1/3   87-100 - TORUN   POLAND

Tel : (+48)56/6196550   Fax : (+48)56/6196254  

The Hotel Mercure Torun Centrum is situated in the city center, close to the old town and the birthplace of Nicolaus Copernicus. The hotel has 5 apartments and 105 comfortable rooms for one or two people. The rooms have a fast internet connection, telephone, radio, minibar and satellite TV (charges apply). The hotel also has 5 fully-equipped modern conference rooms and the Solaris restaurant which serves Polish and European dishes.

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Tour Day 8 (My Day 15) Saturday July 20 - back to Warsaw

Family Farm business - dairy farm in REMPIN

The REMPIN farm has been established on the land purchased from the former state farm. The main product is milk produced from 410 cows (total number of cattle is about 750), yielding on average 9700 litres of milk per year/cow. Main crops grown on medium quality soils are maize, corn, canola and cereals. There are 25 employees on the farm.

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A tractor ...	did all this. Hey (hay)! That is quite a pile!
Cows ....	did all this.  That is quite a poo pile!

 

MOVIE:  Click here to see Moo cows! 

 

 

Our bus dares to go, where only tractors have gone before....

 

Apartments where the workers lived. Damona said they would have been all gray, no color back in Communist time.

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Who is that in corn field?  What is Jay doing?  Getting an afternoon snack

Money from the EU:

Very impressive rotary milker.

 

One person in the middle makes sure everything runs smoothly

Here is the milker full of (happy) cows getting milked

MOVIE:  Click here to see this rotary milker in motion 

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Our group: 

Standing: Farmer Son, Margaret, William, Suzanna, Norbert, Kristiane, Tony, George, Ryan, Robert, Dwight, Peter, Karen, Iulian, Esther, Damona, Pam, Ashley, Gerald?, Jay, Erika, Claudia, Phil Michicko, Gerald, Tom Gary, John, Roger

Sitting: Farmer, Famer Son's wife, John, Linda, Alison, ? Liz, Robyn, Sue , Patricia

Ground:  Malcolm, Kid 1, Twin1, Twin2, Sylvia, Phil Jos, Giles

Not shown? Willy, Diana, Helen.  

Please email me if got any of these name incorrect.

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Ciechan Brewery

The Ciechan Brewery is a small, local firm established in 1864 although the traditions of the brewery go back many centuries, with first references dating from the 14th century. The vision of Ciechan is to produce the best beer in Poland. Yearly production amounts about 20.000 hl  of high quality, traditional non pasteurized beer in six varieties and one non alcoholic malt drink.  Visiting Ciechan you will be invited to tour the Brewery and to taste the beer in the bar located in the ancient storage cellar of the brewery.

 

Giles is very happy to tour the brewery!    

 

Hopping up the beer 

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Another cold, dark place where the beer was aged.  We visited 3 buildings like this.  When do we get to the tasting room?

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Finally we get to sample the ale.

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Mazurkas Travels to Beer Factory!

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Now this is impressive - Damona is giving a Thank you speech IN POLISH to the driver. 

She was up after midnight last night researching how to translate and pronounce words in her speech.

The driver appears to understand, but Tom can't understand (after all that beer tasting).

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John, Gerald, Beer tour guide listen.  Margaret truly appreciates Damona's efforts to speak Polish and thank her for a wonderful tour.

 

Back to Warsaw

 

After the beer tour, back in the bus and drive back to Warsaw (pronounced "Varsav" in Polish).

We had to drop people off at their hotels.  Everyone is staying another week to attend the IFMA Congress.

The first stop is back at the same hotel where we started:  PUŁAWSKA RESIDENCE HOTEL   http://www.pulawskaresidence.com.pl/en/gallery

Some people, including Sylvia get off the bus and get (what they hope is their own) luggage.   Then we drive across town to drop off the next person. 

I'm so tired. I really just want to get our hotel, eat, and crash before I have to go to the airport.  Then we are driving forever.  What the ?!?!.

We are back at the PUŁAWSKA RESIDENCE hotel.  Sylvia is by the side of the road with a suitcase.  She accidently took someone else's case from the bus so we had to return to correct the problem.  I think that added 40 minutes of driving before we got to our hotel.

Finally check into Damona's hotel room. She we so gracious to share her room that night.

Damona and I got some dinner at the hotel restaurant.  I tried to check into my flights, but I couldn't. I called my sis and she helped me find additional flight numbers (THANK YOU T!). Damona copied her pictures to my flash drive. And we were in bed after midnight. 

I laid down with my clothes on. I got up at 2 am, gathered my stuff and we said our good byes.

What an absolutely awesome trip!  Thank you Damona for the invitation and the great times and memories.

The front desk called a taxi and I'm off to the airport.

I took a wonderful nap on a bench in the airport terminal. Check into my flight. And I'm on my way home :( 

 

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Day 16 Sunday July 21

Suzanna flies home.  Damona gets to stay in Poland longer for the IFMA Congress.

Suzanna Flights

Sun, Jul 21, 2013  Depart: 06:50am  Warsaw, Poland (WAW) Arrive: 08:40am Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)

1 Stop - change planes in Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) Connection Time: 3 hrs 

Depart: 11:40am  Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) Arrive: 03:45pm  Atlanta, GA (ATL)

Total Travel Time: 14 hrs 55 mins

 

My POLISH adventure continues in Atlanta:

I arrive into the International Terminal at the Atlanta airport. Get luggage, then I have to take the shuttle to the Domestic terminal so I can take the shuttle to my car in the Park 'N Go lot.  I am so hot and tired.  I get in my car, start the engine, turn on the air conditioning and just sit there.  Then I try to put the car into drive.  THUNK.  yup, you read correct.  "THUNK".  Put my foot on the gas, the car didn't move.  Try reverse gear. That worked fine.  Try forward gear again.  If you put the "pedal to the metal" (push the gas pedal all the way to the floorboard) the engine revvs and you maybe go a max speed of 10 MPH.  Crap.  I'm stuck.  This is the fourth time this has happened with this car. I have to include the rest of the story.  I bought the car brand new in 2007, the first year the that Ford offered the "Edge".  Loved it. Around 28,000 they had to replace the sprockets that the timing belt went around.  I drove it another 60 miles.  Exit GA 400 highway onto Haines Bridge and the engine disintegrated in the intersection.  I made it over to the right side of the road to pull over.  It was around 4:30 pm. I called my service guy, Rick,  at the Ford dealership.  He knew me well because I had been taking my (grampa's inherited) '97 Grand Marquis there for service for 10 years. I sure wish I still had that Grand Marquis. I  traded it in and I've seen it around town. Anyway, within 30 minutes, Rick had a rental car and tow truck to pick me up and transport me to dealership.  So after 5 days of driving the rental, I get a whole NEW ENGINE in my 2007 Ford Edge.  It was about $8000 service cost, but it cost me $100 (my deductible amount).  I have told Rick about the (at least four other bad) experiences with my transmission.  I put it in Drive, press the gas and it doesn't go.  I have to kill the engine, restart, then it is OK.  I had my car towed to the dealer one time and they said everything checked out and it was fine. That was maybe last year.  So now, I'm sitting in this airport lot. The trick to kill the engine and restart doesn't work. Every time I heard the loud THUNK. My cell phone is dead.  Walk to the office, call AAA towing.  Arrive at my house around 9 pm and it cost me $95 for the tow.  I sleep about 5 hours, call the tow truck again to tow it to the dealership 5 miles away.  Rick has a rental car waiting for me.  After 5 days of driving the rental, my car has all new computers (he called it "PCM" or "ECM"  Power-train Control Module/ Engine Control Module. You cannot repair it, you have to replace it. It was about $2000 service cost, but it cost me $100 (my deductible amount).   My car is at 68,000 miles now and my warranty runs out November 2014 (next year) or 100,000.   Repairs are really going to cost me after that.  Another Toyota would be nice....

Damona Flights

Saturday 27 July 2013  Depart:  Warsaw Okecie Airport  12:10 PM  Arrive: Chicago, IL 3:20 PM   Aircraft:  Boeing 767-300/300ER

 Depart: Chicago O'Hare Int'l  5:05 PM  Arrive:  Oklahoma City, OK 7:09 PM

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What a great trip!   Thanks Damona!

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During the IFMA Congress tours

This is the schedule for an accompanying person on this International Farm Congress Association (IFMA) meetings.

ACCOMPANYING PERSONS PROGRAM

IFMA XIX CONGRESS 21st - 26th July 2013

Sunday 21st July 2013
10:00 - 17:30 Registration (Crystal Hall, building 9)
10:00 - 13:00 Guided sightseeing of Warsaw (MORNING GROUP, Crystal Hall, building 9)
14:00 - 17:00 Guided sightseeing of Warsaw (AFTERNOON GROUP, Crystal Hall, building 9)
14:30 - 17:30 IFMA Council Meeting (room 101, building 7)
18:30 - 22:30 BARBECUE, SGGW Campus (Rector's Palace, building 12)
 
 
Monday 22nd July 2013
9:00 Start, (Crystal Hall, building 9, WULS Campus)
9:30 Wilanow Royal Palace - baroque summer residence of Polish king - John III Sobieski
12:00 Historical Synagogue/Museum of Polish Jews
13:00 LUNCH at DELICJA POLSKA
14:30 Palace on the Water (Lazienki Park) - classical summer residence of Polish king - Stanislaus August Poniatowski
16:00 Warsaw Uprising Museum
18:00 Palace of Culture and Science - viewing terrace
19:00 DINNER (Water Center, building 49, WULS Campus)
 
 
Tuesday 23rd July 2013
8:00 -
FIELD TRIPS (starting point Crystal Hall, building 9)
 
1. 3 FACTORIES  
2. VEGETABLE CHAIN  
3. CROP SCIENCE  
4. DAIRY  
5. FOOD PROCCESING  
6. DIVERSITY OF FARM BUSSINES
 
 
Wednesday 24th July 2013
9:00 Start, (Crystal Hall, building 9, WULS Campus)
10:30 Zelazowa Wola noble mansion - Fryderyk Chopin's birthplace
12:00 LUNCH at POLKA
13:30 Radziwill family Palace in Nieborow
14:30 Romantic park "Arkadia"
17:00 Back to Warsaw
20:00 OFFICIAL CONGRESS DINNER (Radisson Blu Sobieski
 
 
Thursday 25th July 2013
8:00 - FIELD TRIPS (starting point Crystal Hall, building no 9)
 
7. 3 FACTORIES  
8. VEGETABLE CHAIN  
9. CROP SCIENCE  
10. DAIRY
 11. FOOD PROCCESING  
12. HORSES  
13. DIVERSITY OF FARM BUSSINES
 
 

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DRAFT POST-CONGRESS TOUR of  SOUTHERN POLAND

After the Congress is over, there is ANOTHER tour.  This tour goes to Southern Poland

 

DATE: 27th - 3rd August 2013

 JMP FLOWERS 

 The greenhouse flowers have been cultivated by the Ptaszek family for four generations. Thanks to many years of experience and continuous perfection of cultivation techniques, the JMP Flowers is the European leader in the quality flowers; rose, anthurium (over 40 species) and orchid greenhouses (in total more than 11 ha) are ranked among the most modern ones all over the world. Thanks to state-of-the-art production technologies JMP flowers are characterised by exceptional durability and beauty. The majority of the varieties of the roses remain fresh (if kept in a vase) for about 2 weeks, in case of anthurium even 3 to 5 weeks. To preserve the highest quality of our flowers during the production and packing process the most up to date technological solutions are used. All the Anthurium plants originate from the biggest grower of new species, the Dutch company- Anthura. Thanks to the most modern greenhouse built, the JMP Flowers has been ranked first in Poland, second in Europe and third worldwide among the producers of anthurium cut flowers.

NITROGEN FERTILIZERS PLANT  PULAWY SA

 "PULAWY" has been the leader of the Polish fertilizers sector for over forty years. The location of the company has facilitated success of the company both in the demanding market of the European Union and the dynamically developing eastern markets. According to recent ratings the company is one of the Polish twenty biggest exporters, almost half of its production is exported. Initially "PULAWY" concentrated on the production of nitrogen fertilizers for agricultural needs, but with the development of the company it systematically increased the production of chemicals. The sale of chemicals currently covers 40% of the overall production and grows successively. One of the priority directions of development was the successive production of melamine. At present Zaklady Azotowe Pulawy is the only company in Poland and the third worldwide with the production capacity of 92 thousand tones a year. The company supplies 10% of the world demand and 20% of the European demand for the product. Moreover, the company is the Polish leading producer of caprolactam and nitrogen fertilizers, among others ammonium nitrate and urea. In the American market the best known fertilizer from "PULAWY" is Urea Ammonium Nitrate Solution. The company was awarded "Responsible Care" certificate and the title of "Patron of Polish Ecology". Numerous certificates and awards prove the highest quality of products and at the same time they create an image of the company which harmoniously coexists with the environment. 

Arable Family Farm

The 360 hectares (890 acres) farm belongs to Wieslaw Gryn family.  The farm is located on rich soils, however hilly terrain, threat of erosion and periodic shortages of water create the challenges. Mr Gryn due to many innovations deals with the challenges successfully.  In addition to his farming activities he is the president of the Zamosc Agricultural Society.  

Zamość

Patterned after the Italian concept of the "ideal city", the beautiful city of Zamosc has retained much of its inimitable atmosphere. It was founded by a powerful nobleman, Jan Zamoyski, and constructed according to a plan by the architect Bernardo Morando, a Paduan native who had moved to Poland in search of work. Morando succeeded in creating an impressive work, a model example of a late 16th-century Renaissance town.

ZAGRODA GUCIOW

Zagroda Guciow (Guciow farmyard) is a unique place, where the nature blends together with the traditions of farming as well as the history of Poland and the Zamosc region.  You will see well preserved 200 years old farm buildings and equipment. 

Skamieniale Miasto [The Stone Town] in Ciezkowice. This is a picturesque nature reservation on the area of 15 hectares. You will stop there for a short walk between stones of different, original shapes reminding ..

The beekeeping farm "Sadecki Bartnik", which supports the nationwide campaign promoting honey and bee products "Zycie miodem słodzone" (Life sweetened with honey).

FAKRO  

FAKRO is a private company established in Poland in 1991. The company is the most dynamic and fastest growing roof window manufacturer in the world.  The company located is Nowy Sacz has grown up in 20 years from a small family business to the international corporation, number 2 in the world. Nowadays FAKRO is one of the world's leading producers with an estimated 15% global share of the roof window market and is the unquestioned leader of trade in Poland.  FAKRO Group is made up of 12 manufacturing companies all over the world and 15 foreign subsidiaries. It currently employs more than 3300 people. The company offers a very extensive selection of roof windows together with a wide range of accessories and loft ladders. FAKRO products are sold in numerous countries in the world - in fact in every country where roof windows can be used.

Kamianna - "the Honey Capital of Poland"

Kamianna is the apiary located in the mountainous surrounding. The attraction for tourist is the Museum of  Apiculture and the history of this place and apiculture in Poland told by the guide. 

Roman Kluska Sheep Farm and processing 

 Dunajec Rafting

The Dunajec flows through the Pieniny Mountains through a winding, picturesque canyon. Tourist may travel the stretch of the river between Sromowce Niżne and Szczawnica abroad rafts. The river Dunajec is very clean and clear because the river does not run through any industrial areas. The river offers to tourists a wonderful experience and breathtaking scenery.

Niedzica Castle

Niedzica castle - the former Hungarian bordering fortress set beautifully over the dam on the Dunajec river.

KrakÃw

The second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. KrakÃw was the capital of Poland from 1038 to 1569.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

"The historic Salt Mine in Wieliczka is the only mining site in the world functioning continuously since the Middle Ages. Its original excavations (longitudinals, traverses, chambers, lakes, as well as minor and major shafts) are located on nine levels and extend for the total of about 300 kilometres: reaching the depth of 327 metres they illustrate all the stages of mining technology development over time."

Auschwitz Nazi Camp

The Auschwitz concentration camp complex was the largest of its kind established by the Nazi regime. Some four million people perished there.

Michalow Stud   http://www.michalow.arabians.pl/en/  

The state farm that has been breeding purebred Arabian horses for over fifty years. With over 100 broodmares and 400 Arabians at the stud, Michalow is the largest Arabian facility in Poland, and is considered one of the largest and most prestigious farms in Europe, not to mention the entire globe. At present Michalow still operates as a subsidiary of the Agriculture Property Agency of the State Treasury in Warsaw. 

As a result of its unique valley location, Michalow enjoys a very specific microclimate, with low annual rainfall, shallow topsoil, high soil calcium levels and dry, arid conditions perfect for the maturation of hay and pasture - in other words, as near as authentic desert conditions as is possible in Europe for raising Arabian horses. Michalow also breeds rare Appaloosa (leopard)-patterned Malopolska sporthorses, as well as a small group of Shetland ponies.

ROJA FARM  

The family large scale farm-business with 2 units specialized in beef cattle and apples production. 

 Warsaw University of Life Sciences  Sponsor and host of IFMA19

Faculty of Economic Sciences  Warsaw University of Life Sciences

The European Fund for the Development of Polish