GIRL'S SEWING DAY AND OFF TO POLAND

The weekend began with seven young girls coming to our apartment for a girl's party day, complete with making skirts for each of them.  I had the help of several Moms for this project.  There's no way I could have done this by myself.  The skirts were re-purposed from old t-shirts.  They also drew designs on t-shirts which were traced over by a bleach pen.

The girls showing off their new skirts.

The girls made Christmas cards, necklaces,  played games, and ate pizza.  Here they are toasting to a fun afternoon.

 Two friends from Croatia (Sandra and Bonnie) arrived while the girls were still here.  They had volunteered to drive us to Boleslawiec, Poland to shop for Polish pottery.  After the girls left, we met Bruce, Barbara, Jim, and Jenny at Socrates, our neighborhood Greek restaurant for dinner.  After dinner we hopped on the Strassenbahn and rode to the Rathaus for the opening of the first Christmas Market of the season.

The seven of us at Socrates.  Greg is in Korea for two weeks so missed out on all the fun.

Sandra, Bonnie, and me

The Rathaus decorated for the Christmas season

  After about 30 minutes of fighting the crowds, we decided to walk to Stephanplatz area and find a cafe for dessert and coffee.  It was a very chilly night and we were glad to be back in our warm apartment.  It was a late night and then up early to head to church at the Hensal's house before departing for Poland at noon.  The drive was longer than we anticipated and a little scary when we were driving in the dark (with no street lights) through Czech Republic and into Poland.  At one point Susie (the GPS) had a bit of a nervous breakdown.  We began driving through one round-about after another and before long we were officially lost.  We stopped at a gas station and just kept praying for one person who spoke English.  Finally one man was able to give us directions to our destination, but it turned out that it was the long way with some not so great roads.  Susie finally recovered enough to guide us to our hotel (the Blue Beetroot.) We were extremely happy and thankful to be there! 

The Legend of the Blue Beetroot

In Poland around 1791 the fields of Lower Silesia were all planted with beetroots.  One of the most popular uses for the beetroot was moonshine!  The strong alcohol was secretly brewed in the cellars of the barn.  

Only a few locals knew that the cart of beetroots coming from the barn hid a secret stash of moonshine below.  The story goes that one winter as the farmer left the yard the horse bolted and slipped badly on the icy road.  The whole lot, farmer, cart, horses, moonshine and the beetroots fell into the pond.  Despite dredging, everything mysteriously disappeared without a trace....

The story passed down by locals for generations says even now a single blue beetroot will occasionally float to the surface of the pond.  It is a strange blue color and of course it is completely impregnated with alcohol!!

The rooms were great-so warm and homey!

 The British owners traveled all over (Africa, Spain, Portugal) before settling on this old run-down house and barn in Boleslawiec.  It took them 2 1/2 years to restore it and open the hotel and restaurant.

The 18th century barn has been restored to its former glory with its chunky wood beams, vaulted ceilings, and hand made furniture.  The old stable has been transformed into the restaurant and bar.  The four of us sat by the fire of the wood stove, ate dessert, and sipped our tea (and, oh yes, Barbara beat us at a dice game of Farkle.)  It was one of the most delightful places we've stayed and I regret that I found it at the end of our European adventure.

We had one day to shop for our pottery and this town is literally filled with shops.  Each shop has its own unique pottery and it's all beautiful.  The pottery is made, painted, and sold there.  It's also shipped all over the world.  The prices are about 1/4 of what you would expect to pay in other parts of the world.  There are many who are full-time artists and here is what one of them has to say:  "My first patterns were often random combinations of geometric and floral motives.  In time, however, and as I became more experienced, they have become elaborately stylized.  The chief and recurring motive in my works is a floral border.  Colors are prompted by my imagination, and the rest is inspired by the beauty of nature."

It's amazing that each piece is hand painted.   Each shop has it's own stamp on the bottom of each piece with the words "Made in Poland."   It's also very sturdy and can go in the microwave, dishwasher, and oven.

I decided to just mix it up and get different patterns.  What fun we had!  I also was able to get lots of gifts.

Sandra, Barbara, and me in front of one of the shops.

 

A great little cafe where we had a lunch of polish goulash and pancake.

Barbara and I had attempted to do this trip several times and for one reason or another it kept getting canceled.  I can't believe we finally did it!  We crammed a lot into a few days, but it was well worth it and we are thankful for Sandra and Bonnie and their willingness to drive us so we could load up the car with all of our wonderful finds.