Krakow, Saturday 2 October - Spotkanie klasy maturalnej 1960 rok

Lots of photos with subtitles, slightly different format!

Spotkanie klasy maturalnej 1960 rok u Krsystyny Kydryńskiej [The Art school matriculation class of 1960 meets up at Krystyna Kydryński's house]

Krysia i Marta

Hanka

Bośka i Andrzej

Andrzej i Hanka

Krystyna Kydryńska

Krakow, Friday, 3 - Wednesday 8 October - Rodzina, Kawarnia Noworolskiego

Ciocia Anula i Wójek Krzysiu z córką Elżbietą Aunt Anula, Uncle Krzysek with their daughter, Elizabeth
Kawiarnia Noworolskiego Cafe Noworolski

Melbourne, Thursday, 7 October - Platypus!

While things are quiet in Poland (I can only guess - haven't heard from Ela in days now - although she has got into the naughty habit of sending photos and "letters" through in enormous batches!), I'll tell you about some exciting news in Melbourne.

A platypus has been seen in the creek that runs near Kasia and Nick and Tom's house (only a street away), and is also very close to where Paul and I (Monika) live.
It was on the radio news on Tuesday, and in the local paper on Wednesday, and the story is now online.
Here is the whole story, Platypus pops in to Northcote's Merri Creek (link)
and an excerpt from it,
THE first platypus sighting in Merri Creek in more than three decades has prompted speculation that they may recolonise the area.
Merri Creek Management Committee information officer Ray Radford was among half a dozen people who reported seeing the platypus in September in the Thornbury-Coburg area of the creek. “I saw it duck into vegetation overhanging the embankment and then it came out and swam around for 20 minutes” Mr Radford said. “It even got up on a rock and had a scratch.”
Mr Radford said platypuses disappeared from the inner urban areas of the Merri Creek with the arrival of white settlers in the 1800s. He said the last confirmed sighting in the Merri Creek was near Craigieburn in the early 1980s.
I've included a picture of the man who saw the platypus.
And here is a picture of a platypus (but not the one seen of course)
Unless, Tommy, have you been down to the creek to try and see the platypus?
I've also included a few photos of the Merri Creek, at different points, including a view of Melbourne from the banks of the creek.



This picture is from a story in The Age newspaper about how the platypus is an ancient creature that was around at the same time as dinosaurs. There's also a picture of an Australian 20 cent piece that has a platypus on it. Platypus swam with the dinosaurs (link)

More about the platypus here (link)

more about the merri creek, its bike trail and where it is, here (link)

Saturday night, 2 October - kuzyni

Grażyna w domu ze swoją Matką Krystyną Drwotową

Grażyna i Jacek, kuzynka i kuzyn Eliu Grażyny w domu

Stylowa lampa u Grażyny w domu

Friday, 1 October - Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego‏ w Krakowie!

When I spoke to my mum last week she was very excited because she had gone to the theatre. And not just any theatre, but Teatr im. Juliusza Słowackiego (link)‏

Here are some photos ... (Mama, you look very excited)

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and this

is what Ela saw, Frank V. Komedia bankierska (link)

Thursday 30th September - Kraków, Ela does Wawel

I had a certain place in mind: "Rydlówka".

Piotr who offered to take me sightseeing today, didn't think there would be any problem getting there.



We had couple of hours before
"Rydlowka" would be open to public,
so I decided to finally go and see Wawel! But not as the usual touristy thing.

All I wanted was to be close to the great landmark, look at it from every angle, so we took a walk around it and that's what we did.







In the end, "Rydlówka" was out of bounds – road repairs prevented us from reaching it.

Mama, you can visit Dworek "Dworek Rydlówka" online here (link) instead!

Sunday, 26 September - Szczawnica

It was late afternoon and time for dinner, so next stop was Szczawnica. Looking for somewhere to we looked at a very different Szczawnica. But "dorożki" with their drivers, górale, the same. Only these drivers were probably grandsons of those in our times.


We found a very homely restaurant "Pod siekierkami" and I found an interesting dish, "Harnasiowy placek" and decided to try it.
The waitress explained: 2 potato pancakes with mushrooms and meat (beef) in between. It was very tasty but Andrzej's and Jasia's choice was better. They had Pierogi. After dinner we went looking for the best ice-creamery in Szczawnica. Jasia and Andrzej remembered the place from 20 years ago. It wasn't easy – there were few spots.
Finally Jasia was certain she found it so we made our choice, I had raspberry flavor. Andrzej suggested we walk towards the park and there opposite the park was the place. Of course we had to have proper ice cream and we had a long way home.
Andrzej drove very well and got us home safely. It was 9 pm.

Sunday, 26 September - we are going to ....Jaworki!

It’s Sunday.
I know we are going somewhere... But I don’t know where yet.
What’s awaiting me is one of my dreams come true!
Andrzej has a very mysterious look on his face and he says that all is ready (he was conferring with his lady pilot). [hello - this is Monika. I just realised that "lady pilot" means GPS. this is in case you're as silly as mean and hadn't worked it out. sorry for the interruption!] Jasia prepared food for the road. Joasia decides to stay home, so three of us are on the road to … Jaworki!

Jaga tried to discourage me from going there. She said I would be
Jaga tried to discourage me from going there. She said I would be disappointed – the place has completely changed. We spent couple of summer holidays there in 1957 and 1958.


OK, yes, it was completely different, but I still managed to find couple of pockets of “old” Jaworki. The cheese factory which locals told me stopped production 15 years ago. An old hut here and there.
OK, yes, it was completely different, but I still managed to find couple of pockets of “old” Jaworki.
The cheese factory which locals told me stopped production 15 years ago. An old hut here and there.

And then we parked our car near
And then we parked our car near a beautiful little chapel and started chatting to the man who was there and he told us that 10 minute walk would take us to "Biała Woda" (link) – well, that walk was most rewarding.

Not only was it very pleasant - next to a creek, with beautiful trees, looking at distant views,
but it brought us to the spot that Jaga, Bożena and I considered our favourite swimming hole.

I may have been mistaken as to the exact spot but Jasia decided to honour the place, and took her shoes off and went in!


We managed to lose Andrzej, he was well ahead of us, but he appeared just at the moment Jasia was wading into the creek, exclaiming: Oh no !!! I was performing various gymnastics to get the right angle for the best picture and almost fell into the creek but Jasia stopped me just in time.

So that was Jaworki! Very, very happy to have been there. But I think I would have liked to stay in the area for few days.

More about Jaworki and the Pieniny mountains, borrowed from here (link):
In the southern part of Poland just where it boarders Slovakia and beside the Tatra mountains there is another mountain range - the Pieniny. These mountains are not so high or as difficult [to climb] as the Tatra. Moreover it is said to be the most interesting and beautiful region of southern Poland. You can find many rare species of plants and animals here, and it was established as a national park - Pieniński Park Narodowy - in 1932.

A map of the trip (I'm just guessing...)
on the way to Jaworki,
a very old wooden house is in Kasinka – our (Danek's) holiday place in 1946, 1947. We met our cousin Kasia Sawicka there, she was 3 or 4 years old and just came from England with her mother, Ela.

It was also the place where Maciek my cousin who was Kasia's are was teaching litte chicks to fly from a first floor balcony. They wery very bad pupils.

also,

two bridges in Krościenko: one old and one new. Jacek (in Perth) was hoping that new bridge would be completely finished by now. Well, it isn’t.

We decided to have lunch in Krościenko square and ate what Jasia prepared and also sampled local produce: oscypki. Delicious.

Except Jasia doesn’t seem to trust a very strange version called “Korbacze”.