The Mountains

One of my favorite experiences from the trip was our stay just outside a tiny town in southern Poland, Krościenko nad Dunajcem. Our accommodations for the week were much different than the hotels we had stayed in previously in Sopot and Kraków. We were staying in a large house (pictured) in the country with two other Polish families. Not as many people spoke English, none of the people we lived with did, and we had to walk 15 minutes to a restaurant for any sort of internet access.

There were tons of sheep, which meant plenty of fresh, delicious cheese made only from sheep's milk. Our first day there we all hiked up the mountain road, Biały Potok,that ran by the house we were staying in. The view as amazing and there was something very refreshing about not being as surrounded by people as we had been in the cities.

During our days there we would explore and take photos. We were able to cross the boarder into Slovakia one day where we visited a monastery in Czerwony Klasztor. We also visited a national park museum and some castle ruins. At night we would critique photos and watch various Polish language films, Blanc, Dzien Świra, and Katyn.

The home-cooked meals were a nice change from usually eating in restaurants and the fresh eggs from the chickens the family kept were delicious. Without all of the modern attractions of the cities it felt as if we had almost stepped back in time and were really able to experience Poland in an entirely different way.

Wieliczka Salt Mine

Due to the closure of Auschwitz from flooding, we decided to alter our plans and visit another historically significant attraction in the Krakow Area, the Wieliczka Salt Mines. One of the oldest and largest in the world, the Wieliczka Salt mines have been continually mined from the early thirteenth century until 2006, when they were forced to discontinue excavation because of low demands and expense. We ventured forth on the city bus line, escorted by Pawel, a teacher from the Sopockie Szkoły Fotografii. Wieliczka lies about 10 miles outside of Krakow and it didn't take long for us to reach this small touristy town. While waiting for our English tour it was interesting seeing the diversity of the people gathered for this subterranean historical hike on a sunny Thursday. Large groups of young Polish students sat gathered on benches under trees while waiting for their own group tours.

At the time the tour was about to start we were packed together with about fifty other tourists and gently squeezed towards the entrance of the mine. Following in the steps of the million visitors the mine receives annually, we descended 378 wooden stairs, arranged in 54 steep flights. Slightly dizzy and disoriented at the bottom, we gathered around our guide ready to set out on the 3.5 km hike around the mines.

The Wieliczka Salt Mines official website has a thorough online tour of the various caverns, displays and cathedrals we saw. Trying to grasp what the tour guide was saying, through accent, echoes and the mere size of our group was rather challenging, though the sights and vastness of the carvings and tunnels made more of an impression than I think her words would have.

One of the most spectacular sights the mines have to offer is the Saint Kinga’s Chapel, built and decorated over a period of 100 years. Everything, from the floor to the chandeliers, is crafted from rock salt. Adorning the walls are shallow relief scenes from the New Testament, chiseled carefully from the salt walls. We were lucky enough to enter the chapel during the closing song to a private mass. The acoustics in the chapel are both haunting and gorgeous, with voices echoing in the vast chamber.

Exploring Sopot

In the morning, while waiting for all the members of the group to congregate, I wandered along the beach, people-watching and enjoying the smell and sound of the Baltic Sea.  Apparently, this area is well known for it's amber, and after a really large storm pieces of this golden treasure will wash up with the surf.  Dennis pointed out that locals knew that last nights storm was not large enough for the amber to surface, but that didn't stop the tourist from looking.  Most of the people I passed had their eyes trained on the sand.

Our afternoon was filled with culture.  We attended a half-hour poetry reading in a small theatre by the sea.  Many cultural events, like theatre and concerts are supported by the government.  We were hoping to catch a philharmonic concert that Dennis thought he had seen an advertisement for, however, it turned out that the concert is on Sunday.

Day 2: Exploration

After a long night and waking up at 5am, thanks to getting adjusted to the time difference, we woke up to spend the day exploring our surroundings. The day started off by eating a traditional Polish breakfast complete with cold-cuts, sausages, yogurt, and various other foods that were completely new to me. As a group, we proceeded out our hotel, Hotel Wanda which happens to be a block away from the Baltic Sea, to explore the shoreline.  

This part of Poland is known for it's amber, which can be found on the beach. However, as Dennis Chamberlin, the coordinator of the trip explained to me, the findings of amber on the beach aren't very common except after a storm. However, you can still find tourists searching the shore for the gem. After the shore, the group continued to just sight-see Sopot. We walked down the main street where numerous shops and historic buildings and a few churches can be seen and most of the tourists flock towards. This part of town can get fairly busy, especially during the tourist season where the Polish, Germans, and Scandinavians flock to the coast. Numerous other stops were also in order including a bakery and later a Thai restaurant for dinner. The food wasn't that bad, for being Thai food in Poland! We then hurried to a theatrical performance that was given in English, simply a series of monologues. Exploration continued for a bit, while there was confusion regarding a jazz piano performance that occured the following evening. We took turns climbing up the lighthouse to get some of the best views of the town! Afterwards, we went to see the photography school that we will be working at for the next couple of weeks. We got a personal tour by Jerzy, the director of the school. Here, most of us were highly impressed by the resources that are provided which exceed a lot of what the ISU's College of Design has to offer. We ended the day by visiting a grocery store to buy some bread, sausage, and other necessities to make dinner and we ate as a group in one of the rooms and chatted until late at night.

The Journey

My flight left Chicago O'Hare in the late afternoon on Wednesday for London. This is a shot from my window of Greenland. The plane changed course slightly to fly over it so we could avoid some of the ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland. In a perfect example of just how small the world is, the man began a conversation with me and I found out he was from my hometown, Sioux City, and he was currently living with his family in Iowa City.

The Adventure Begins

Though storms in the Midwest delayed our initial departure by a couple hours, the rest of our trip went quite smoothly. Waiting in Des Moines allowed us to break out our cameras and start experimenting.  Pantalis went all out, crouching in the middle of the hallways and snapping quite a few photos before we left Iowa.

The Munich airport was abuzz with Duty Free Shops and cafes.  In typical European fashion, though it was only noon in Germany, many patrons were enjoying tall glasses of draft beer.  On the whole, the airport felt very modern.

Upon reaching the Gdansk airport, exhausted from lack of sleep, we were greeted by two of Dennis's old friends from Poland.  I got a ride home with Krzysztof, a lively old neighbor from Dennis's years in Poland. He laughingly pointed out that we could find his car by trying to find the oldest car in the lot.  The ride to the hotel featured a wide host of scenery, including modern shopping walls,  Communist-dated residences, and dense, vast forests.  During the ride Krzys provided familiar complaints of traffic and new construction.

That evening we got a taste of the night life in the Spatif bar.  The photography school that we are working with was hosting an exhibition for graduating students.  Though a little overwhelming at first, the atmosphere provided a fun introduction to young Polish life.  Adorning the walls were large black and white cutouts of Polish actors, musicians, and Spatif frequenters.  Only the next day did Dennis point out that Krzysztof is actually featured in one of these cutouts -- you can see his white pants at the top of the photo above.

Day 1: International Travel and Spatif

My journey to Poland began in Charlottesville, Virginia on Thursday, May 13 2010. I left the local airport there at roughly 2:30 pm, after saying good-bye to my parents and headed to Washington-Dulles Airport. From there, I flew overnight to Copenhagen, Denmark and finally after over 12 hours of traveling, wound up in Poland. After a long and weary flight to Gdansk, Poland, our group of 6 ISU students eventually made our way to an opening that was held at the local club "Spatif" for the Sopot Photography School (szkolafotografii.pl). This event was to celebrate the graduating class of 2010 at the school and was overall a laid back and social gathering. Various works by students were displayed while cigarette smoke hung in the air and the photography students shared beer with each other. Despite the welcoming nature of the locals, we found some difficulties at first adjusting to the new surroundings. 

The language barrier was definitely intimidating to us and it all seemed fairly overbearing. However, after a little time of adjusting to the environment, we made some new Polish friends who seemed more than eager to talk to us and get to know us foreigners better.