Poland
We were invited to Poland by the city of Minsk which is about 30 miles east of Warsaw. Minsk is the sister city to our city of Lacey Washington where Andy is the Mayor of. This is our second trip to the area having traveled here two years ago to celebrate Minsk’s 595th birthday. This time we were invited to attend a music festival and brought with us a local musician from home, Ethan Tucker who performed on The Voice.
We arrived midday on a Thursday and our gracious hosts have kept us busy exploring Minsk as well as other local areas. On our second day we visited Kazimierz Dolny, the oldest town in Poland dating back to the Middle Ages. The town is a quaint tourist destination now home to a thriving artists community and numerous art galleries. There is an old castle in ruins that is perched above the town that served as a lookout tower back in the day. I was stopped by some gypsies who were speaking to me in their language I was later told as they do not speak polish apparently. After that I became aware that gypsies are all over Poland and can be found in public areas selling their wares and playing the accordion for money.
Here are some photos of Kazimierz Dolny.
After our excursion to Kazimierz Dolny we were off to Warsaw where Ethan Tucker was playing at a venue and showcased his music to a welcoming audience. He was amazing as you can see from this video.
Warsaw has quite the club scene as well. There were clubs everywhere with lines out the door.
What I love most about Poland is the people. Proud of their Poland they love to show it off to those who travel here. Their deep and troubled history is now well documented and available for display in numerous museums located in Warsaw. Museums to see include the Uprising museum, art museum and the Jewish history museum. Give yourself plenty of time at each of these as there is so much information. The Jewish history museum offers self guided tours as well as English translated script at each exhibit.
We visited the Jewish History museum this day and could have spent all day in there.
After the museum we had lunch at Zapiecek, a local chain that serves traditional Polish food. We ordered pretty much everything they had on the menu and shared it. It was a good way to fill our bellies and put us in a food coma.
Wandering around Warsaw was how we spent the rest of the afternoon.
Something to note is the massive amount of infrastructure building that is happening in Poland. New freeways and roads are in the midst of being built for miles and miles.
Dinner this his night was at the Palace in Minsk which serves as a center of the community. The Palace is surrounded by a park like setting where many events are held throughout the year including the music festival we are here to attend. After dinner we watched one of the bands play. The band Lao Che had a very different sound than anything we are used to hearing in the states. I would describe the sound as being industrial which doesn’t really explain it. So here’s a sample of their music.
