I'm finally home, but the jet lag is killing me right now. Will post later on diverse topics such as how awesome the first two weeks have been, how much more difficult it is to fly out of Warsaw than to fly into Warsaw, why you shouldn't arrive more than 2 hours before your flight, and recaps of various highlights during the first two weeks.
It is also worth noting that I took the Michigan Flyer bus home to East Lansing from Detroit airport. There's a certain Bialystok travel agent that desperately needs to see what a 'highly comfortable' bus actually looks like.
Best to all,
DDB
MSU Law Poland Program
Monday, June 27, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tykocin
Not very far outside Bialystok (I believe there's a bus) lies the town of Tykocin, best known for the still-operating Jewish synagogue and the site of a significant Nazi pogrom against Polish Jews. (Wikipedia entry for the Tykocin pogrom ). I have seen the synagogue -- which is reportedly operated by groups of Israeli Jews who make something of a pilgrimage here several times a year to keep it open and to run an associated museum. More information is available here: David Dickerson's Jewish Culture and History Web Page .
Kiermusy Resort
After arriving in Bialystok, Dr. Krasnicka provided a brief tour of the town and Branicki Palace for Mrs. Prof. B, and then we and Dr. Krasnicka's graduate student went to dinner at a delightful resort outside town called Kiermusy. (Kiermusy Website in English) The resort is modeled on an 18th / 19th century Polish manor and is one of the most relaxing places I've been. The rooms in the building we are staying at are late 19th century in furnishings, while other buildings are decorated in 17th or even 15th century furnishings. If your goal in vacations is to step outside of the daily grind and not worry about anything for a couple days while you indulge in great food, a very good spa, walks or biking through the countryside, this place is worth it. We might try to get a group out here during the program for dinner.
The restaurant is a marvel, and is presented as a traditional 18th/19th century Polish country home dining room.
The restaurant is a marvel, and is presented as a traditional 18th/19th century Polish country home dining room.
The food is amazing. If you have the chance in Poland to try podpiwek, it is worth it. Podpiwek is a brewed drink in which, as best I can figure, they leave the yeast in for only 2 days. This gives the drink carbonation without an alcohol content. It is spiced lightly and contains a very nice slightly bitter aftertaste. As summer drinks go, it is excellent.
Polish legal institution visits and other stuff
Arrived in Bialystok yesterday and worked with Dr. Krasnicka to finalize parts of the program. We currently have scheduled two visits to or presentations on Polish judicial institutions. One will be a presentation on the structure of the Polish judicial system by the president of the Polish Supreme Court. The other will be an actual visit to a Polish trial. While the trial itself will be conducted in Polish, the presentation afterward will be in English, as will the tour of Bialystok's courts. Thanks to the generosity of the EU, the Bialystok court facilities are the newest and best courts in Poland. Thanks to the foresight of the chief judge of the Bialystok courts, they are also some of the most advanced anywhere in terms of using technology to facilitate the efficient administration of justice.
We have also almost finalized housing arrangements. I can't say that everyone got their preference regarding singles or doubles but we came close.
Dr. Krasnicka's class on Friday, June 17 will be rescheduled for Monday, June 27 at the same time. Those of us going to Krakow/Auschwitz will be leaving immediately after the morning class. Those staying in Bialystok will have free time, although Dr. Krasnicka and the Polish students will be staying in Bialystok.
The language classes are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of Week 1. We have scheduled these as 90 minute sessions, and they are totally optional.
We have also almost finalized housing arrangements. I can't say that everyone got their preference regarding singles or doubles but we came close.
Dr. Krasnicka's class on Friday, June 17 will be rescheduled for Monday, June 27 at the same time. Those of us going to Krakow/Auschwitz will be leaving immediately after the morning class. Those staying in Bialystok will have free time, although Dr. Krasnicka and the Polish students will be staying in Bialystok.
The language classes are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of Week 1. We have scheduled these as 90 minute sessions, and they are totally optional.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Polish Alcohol
I'm sure the Polish participants in the program will be happy to introduce the Americans to the Polish wodkas. I'm not so worried about those since grain spirits are pretty much the same everywhere, and I assume that the Americans know their own limits. Please, for my sake, don't do something stupid and try to uphold your national pride on the basis of your capacity for alcoholic consumption.
The beer ("piwo") is what might creep up on Americans not used to travel. Polish beers tend toward the domestic macrobrews - a few large brands such as Zywiec, Tyskie, Lech, Warka, Zubr. These are mostly strong lagers, comparable to a heinekin (but much better tasting in my opinion). Alcohol content is about 5.5%-6%, and the serving size is either .3L (10oz) or .5L (17oz). The price difference between them usually means that the .5L is the better deal, and it looks like a pint. Just be aware that it's bigger than a pint and that the alcohol content is slightly higher than the American norm for domestic macrobrew lagers (3.5%-4.5%). 4 of these equals a 2 liter soda pop bottle full of moderately strong beer.
That concludes my alcohol safety tip for the day.
The beer ("piwo") is what might creep up on Americans not used to travel. Polish beers tend toward the domestic macrobrews - a few large brands such as Zywiec, Tyskie, Lech, Warka, Zubr. These are mostly strong lagers, comparable to a heinekin (but much better tasting in my opinion). Alcohol content is about 5.5%-6%, and the serving size is either .3L (10oz) or .5L (17oz). The price difference between them usually means that the .5L is the better deal, and it looks like a pint. Just be aware that it's bigger than a pint and that the alcohol content is slightly higher than the American norm for domestic macrobrew lagers (3.5%-4.5%). 4 of these equals a 2 liter soda pop bottle full of moderately strong beer.
That concludes my alcohol safety tip for the day.
Changing money
My experience so far has been that I'm getting about 2.65PLN to $1.00 using my credit card. Mrs. Prof. B brought a bunch of cash and has been getting about the same from the Kantors, provided she shops around a little. We looked this morning and found one selling dollars at 2.86PLN to the dollar. Inside the shop, however, his buying rate was only 2.36PLN to the dollar, about what you would get inside the Warsaw airport. 100 feet away, another Kantor was buying USD at 2.65.
My ATM from MSUFCU works fine here, but the rate varies a lot. I'm averaging about 2.55 PLN to $1.00 on withdrawals, which is ok. I end up using my credit card a lot.
In real terms, this means that a decent .5L beer (17oz - slightly larger than a pint) at a cafe or restaurant usually runs about 8PLN ($3), pierogi with meat run about 12-14PLN ($4.60 - $5.40), a large greek salad with feta etc. is abou 16PLN ($6.15), a large kebab plate or sandwich is 16 PLN ($6.15). Mrs. Prof. B and I have been eating out at nice restaurants for an average of about 65PLN for our big meal for the day. I typically have a .5L beer (when I'm traveling, I usually drink beer just to avoid stomach issues) and she has a uniquely Polish cocktail called a tatanka, appetizer, soup (for her), two entres and a desert - this runs about 65PLN or $25 for a nice dinner for two. In the US, these dinners would run us at least $50-$65 US for the quality of food and dining experience we're getting. Also remember that we're staying and eating in the heart of Krakow at the height of tourist season. It's not as good as 2 years ago when the exchange rate was 3.50PLN to $1, but prices are very reasonable.
At the grocery around the corner from my hotel, I'm buying a loaf of bread that lasts me three days for 2PLN, prepackaged lunchmeat and cheese sufficient for 5-6 sandwiches for 10PLN, and if I wanted beer at the grocery .5L of a good beer would cost 3-4PLN per individual can. Basically, I could eat reasonably well on about $10 / day or less.
My ATM from MSUFCU works fine here, but the rate varies a lot. I'm averaging about 2.55 PLN to $1.00 on withdrawals, which is ok. I end up using my credit card a lot.
In real terms, this means that a decent .5L beer (17oz - slightly larger than a pint) at a cafe or restaurant usually runs about 8PLN ($3), pierogi with meat run about 12-14PLN ($4.60 - $5.40), a large greek salad with feta etc. is abou 16PLN ($6.15), a large kebab plate or sandwich is 16 PLN ($6.15). Mrs. Prof. B and I have been eating out at nice restaurants for an average of about 65PLN for our big meal for the day. I typically have a .5L beer (when I'm traveling, I usually drink beer just to avoid stomach issues) and she has a uniquely Polish cocktail called a tatanka, appetizer, soup (for her), two entres and a desert - this runs about 65PLN or $25 for a nice dinner for two. In the US, these dinners would run us at least $50-$65 US for the quality of food and dining experience we're getting. Also remember that we're staying and eating in the heart of Krakow at the height of tourist season. It's not as good as 2 years ago when the exchange rate was 3.50PLN to $1, but prices are very reasonable.
At the grocery around the corner from my hotel, I'm buying a loaf of bread that lasts me three days for 2PLN, prepackaged lunchmeat and cheese sufficient for 5-6 sandwiches for 10PLN, and if I wanted beer at the grocery .5L of a good beer would cost 3-4PLN per individual can. Basically, I could eat reasonably well on about $10 / day or less.
More on the Cloth Hall
My post yesterday about the Rynek Underground museum lacked context because it's kind of hard to describe the market square in Krakow. Basically, there has been a market here in some form or another for potentially 3000 years. Most of that was as a primitive village, so it probably doesn't count, but Krakow itself is more than 1000 years old as a city. The Rynek and a nearby church were what the city was built around. The Cloth Hall was a major center of trade for the entire region. Here is a picture with some perspective from the southeast corner near a small romanesque church that sits incongruously out in the middle of things:
And another from a different angle...
Inside the lower level under the arches are restaurants. Within the Cloth Hall are merchant stalls, generally dealing with varying degrees of tourist goods. There is some nice amber inside, but the better deals are supposed to be down in the Jewish Quarter or even just up the street. From an American perspective it is slightly surreal because the stall owners are generally content to let throngs of people wander past their wares without a single sales pitch.
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