Moment of Peace

"Tuscan" dinners in the Presidential Palace Gardens. Molto Bene. Velmi dobre. Very good.

Priorities

The food that I experienced in Krakow gets its own blog entry :) I know. I have a problem. I'm not working to change that, so you'll just have to support me.


These are chocolate concoctions that I saw in a pastry shop. Who wouldn't want to eat a hedgehog made out of sugar? I appreciate the craftsmanship and creativity. It kind of reminds me of the show "Ace of Cakes". The weird thing is being able to see my reflection in the picture.

A delicious apple pie that I had in the Jewish Quarter. The presentation was interesting because it looked like more of a streudel. The whipped cream was definitely house-made as well, complimenting the pie with an almost bitter taste. The powdered sugar/cinnamon sprinkling was also a bonus. Of course, it's nothing like Grammy's pie made from the apples in the front yard, but they get points for interpreting an American classic.
The next 2 FANTASTIC dishes came out of a place that Najda and I randomly found in the basement of a building while we were strolling through the centre. I think it was called Pod Kominkiem, but I'm not sure. The restaurant was an experience in itself. First we had to find it. Then, we wondered if we were even in the right place. It was a mix between dive bar/family style restaurant with minimal decorations and long picnic tables with dim lighting. I had faith though.

After sitting down and ordering a round of beers, we start to look at the menu. After a couple of minutes, a guy comes around the corner to ask us about our drink order. Once we had confirmed our selections, he proceeded to tell us that if we wanted anything from the kitchen, the wait would be about an hour because he was backed up. Apparently the guy was pulling double duty as bartender-chef. From experience I know this is NEVER a good idea, but the service industry here is nothing like the US, so they're decision making skills are excusable. I was impressed however, that he actually told us about the back up, and was extremely apologetic about the whole thing. We didn't feel the need to go anywhere else because the food looked incredible and was decently priced, so we told him we could wait as long as the beers flowed at a good pace. We told him to take his time.
I think he really appreciated our gesture of patience, because he came back a couple of minutes later to take our orders. A portion of our group of 9 had gone to go get kebabs, so there were 5 of us left who were in for some serious eating. I ordered the dish above, which was dubbed "The Highlander". The dish below was a part of Dom's meal, and it was sweet pirohies with sugar and cream. Nadja and Vaida had pirohies filled with jam, and I couldn't get a picture because they were so tasty, they ate them before I could get my camera out!

The best part? The food only took about 30 minutes to get out! It definitely pays to be courteous to the restaurant staff. When he came back to check on us, we could barely contain ourselves on how good the food was. Very traditional, obviously made with care, and incredibly satisfying. Worth the wait, no matter what. Definitely good prices as well. I think my whole meal cost under $20 including drinks.

In retrospect I wish I would have written more things down so that I could remember the names of places and whatnot. If I go to Krakow again, I'll certainly remember WHERE they were...

We also had INDIAN FOOD on the first night at a place called Indus Tandoor, which totally made my entire life that much more bearable. I had been lacking serious ethnic food experiences. It was AMAZING...at least I thought so after my deprivation. I had a vegetable tandoori with naan. It came out almost fajita style. DELISH. Just the right amount of heat, and a great combination of flavors. I also tried Sherisse's Chicken Tikka. The sauce was so creamy, it was all I could do not to steal her pot. I also got to drink some traditional Chai. It's much less sweet than the Chai that you get in coffee houses in the US, but you can really taste the ginger.

Ze enemy iz heaw, heaw & heaw

I feel inspired.

So, to get to Krakow, we rented a car, thinking that it would be much easier, faster, and more convenient in terms of travel.  We were kind of right.  The problem with trying to read directions to go through 3 different countries is that they are in 3 different languages.  The map may say to turn right, but the name of the street that they are telling you to turn on doesn't necessarily match the sign that is on the building.  QUICK!  WHAT DO WE DO?  I'll tell you.  We make u-turns until we find it.  Illegal, yet effective.
Dom, don't you think it would be a good idea to keep a hand on the wheel and a hand on the shifter?  Although, the music was certainly catchy.  

We stuffed 3 girls in the back seat of a Mitsubishi Colt.  Comfy :).  I am used to this sort of arrangement due to the size of my family.  I even offered to ride "bitch" for the majority of the ride.  For those of you who are unfamiliar with that term, it means that I chose to ride in the middle of the backseat.  While this does mean that I did not have a headrest or a car door to lie back on, it did mean that I got to witness all the action going on in front.  I've never felt so alive. (insert maniacal laughter here for emphasis)

Since we had 9 people total, we were able to take over a whole room in the hostel.  It was called Dizzy Daisy, and they have branches is many popular tourist destinations.  There were 10 beds in our room, and the extra was already occupied by a guy from England.  It was cool hearing the story of how many places he had been to.  Apparently he spends his summers on Long Island teaching swim lessons, and then for the rest of the year he travels!  Crazy.  Tiring, but certainly exciting.

The sad part of our trip?  It was raining almost the entire time.  Made for cute pictures though.  


This is the dragon that is a part of the myth of Krakow.  Every 5 minutes, he breathes fire!  Or, if you want him to do it earlier, you can send an SMS with the message "smok" to the gas company's special number.

Historical sites always have a great deal of money, which they spend on landscaping.  Hence, pretty flowers that I have never seen before.  Grammy!  What are they?!?!
This is one of the oldest markets in Central Europe...I guess its more than 300 years old.  They have lots of jewelry and wood work shops.  Amber seems to be the most popular item.  

This is the cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul.  The 12 Apostles are appropriately situated outside...doing a dance as my father pointed out :).  Each one shows the next step.  Take THAT Macarena!
This is a shot of the outside of the castle. We didn't actually go into any of the exhibits because the lines were long and the prices a bit silly.  Most of  my sightseeing decisions are based on finances.  Therefore, I walk around a lot...and windowshop.  I budget for food consumption.

This tree reminded me of the one that the Bader's had in their front yard when I was growing up.  Fond memories :).

I think the best part of the trip were the people I was with.  Wandering around the city with 2 Germans, 2 Lithuanians, 1 Dane, 2 UK Islanders, and 1 Turkish guy was hilarious.  For example:  When we were heading towards one of our destinations, part of the group erupted in a rendition of "We're following the Leader, the Leader, the Leader", to which Dieter, one of the Germans replied very somberly, "In my country, we cannot sing zis song".  Laughter ensued.  He also fathered the quote that serves as the title for this entry.  The story involves a map, the city center, and our inability to navigate 2 cars effectively.

Other quotes are mildly inappropriate and cannot be listed here.

Praha Mama

Here is an amalgamation of my photos from Prague. If you're lucky, I'll put in captions.

110/70

Today I woke up at 6:00am to go to the doctors office. Being a US citizen, and therefore not subject to EU regulations on health care, I am required to get a FULL health examination to determine whether I am physically fit enough to have my temporary residence visa.

AWESOME.

Why?

I actually like going to the doctor.

I think that this feeling springs from my history in that I have never suffered from anything worse than the Chicken Pox. Going to the Doctor's office consistently reinforced that I was in great shape and perfect health. Growing up, I usually got sick around once a year. I got the flu, puked once, and then went back to school the next day. End of story. Therefore, getting an annual check-up was never associated with any pain or suffering. I don't have a fear of needles, and my veins do a good job of providing blood for tests when necessary (today, I filled up 4 test tubes!!! woo!)

I believe these feelings of excitement are also caused by the fact that I am a tactile person. Having someone check my organs, asking me to breathe deeply, and feeling my lymph nodes is kind of like getting a massage. Plus, I get the bonus of them telling me (in broken English) "You ok. Everything normal!" If they have caring hands (that are not FREEZING), you can feel as though they are taking care of you. They are interested in your well-being, which improves the experience of being in a sterile and somewhat morbid environment.

Everything went incredibly smoothly, despite the fact that I was REALLY hungry after fasting for 12 hours and incredibly tired from only getting 5 hours of sleep. I was one of the first appointments of the day, so I didn't have to wait. They do have some weird customs in terms of data/sample collection however. They handed me a test-tube, which I thought may have been for the blood test, but then Mirka told me that I had to pee in it. Wait. How am I supposed to pee in a test-tube? Even if I had alternate anatomy I don't think my aim would be that accurate. So, you have to "do your thing" into a cocktail-glass-shaped beaker, then pour it into the test-tube. Why not just skip the middle man? I'm sure they'd save money on dishwashing supplies. (eww.)

Next, it was time to get my blood drawn. Like I said, 4 test tubes, no pain. Then, I went to the Doctor's office where she asked me general questions about my health and family history, then she took my blood pressure (110/70...ok, but I'm striving for better. I remember one time getting it taken at Corporate Challenge Event that my Dad was participating in, and it was around 98/63 or something...they wondered why I wasn't dead). Once she determined that I didn't have any obvious ailments, we had to make our way to another building so that I could get an X-ray.

I've only ever gotten 1 X-ray (at least from what I can remember), not counting my teeth. I think it's REALLY cool to be able to look at your bone structure. Getting through the process was a bit strange though. Let me explain:

I walk into the room, the guy tells Mirka something, and then she turns to translate for me. She tells me that I need to take off my shirts. Ok. Protocol. I ask her if there is a paper gown that I need to put on. She asks the guy. No. Wait.

I'm supposed to be topless for this?

She nods.

I panic.

She says something to the specialist.

He says something back.

She tells me that he says "It's ok, I see many women everyday"

I say, "That may be true, but I'm sure the orderly who is standing and watching in the observation room doesn't!"

I just wasn't prepared for that. I barely like being naked by myself. What am I supposed to do when there is a specialist and one of my friends in the room?

Apparently, suck it up and strip.

So, I do as I'm told, take of my shirt, and run over to the machine like there's a fire. He tells me where to stand, and adjusts the screen, then pushes me into it.

"COLD!"

(at this point, I never want to get a mammogram)

He starts talking to Mirka again, GOD knows WHY, and then she tells me to stand there, breathe deeply, and not move.

Ok.

A second later, I heard a door shut, some beeps, and then she walks in and says "Ok, it is finished".

Thank goodness. I immediately put my shirt back on.

Plus side? I got to see my bones :)

After it was all over the doctors told us that the tests would be ready by May 5th.

Then the best part happened :)

Mirka gave me a lollipop!!!!!!! I had been talking to Petra about the health exam, and what it is like in the United States, and how they always give the children lollipops to calm their fears (and possibly also because they struck a deal with the dentists in the next building). So, she must have told Mirka, who then bought one for me! Great start to the day.