Dresden

Ich bin in Dresden. Germany is different than Poland in many ways, and though we still know we are in Europe, we've obviously changed customs, governments, etc. We have also rendezvoused with our fiends Grady and Laurie, and their 2 year old son, Jake. Madeline and Jake are getting along well, and MK is thankful to be around other people. Some playtime:

Our flat in Dresden is very nice, and very spacious. Parking is interesting, though (ours is on top...)

Fair warning: I'll do absolutely no justice to the history of Dresden. Our wanderings today reflect a city that was the center of opulence and destruction. Read about the Green Vault and WWII. A few shots of the old town that houses the Dresden Castle and various other buildings - more on the Frauenkirche below.

The Frauenkirche (church of St. Mary) is quite the building- the inside equally astounding.

Sometimes, even in Germany, things don't go exactly how you want, and you have to stop and pout. It's worse if dumb old dad insists on taking pictures.

Tomorrow - we go to Karlovy Vary in the Czech Republic. I don't know how much wifi we'll have, so we might have to wait until Stuttgart for an update.

Wrocław and the little people

Cześć! (Hello! You say chesh-ch. mash the sh and ch together, and spit a little). We are in Wrocław (you say vro-tswav), about 3 hours south of Poznań and 3 hours west of Dresden. Here's a map (I wish we could travel by map, a la muppets). You'll see that I've marked some things for you (like you can't find things on your own) to show where we've been and where we're going next.

Wrocław is a wonderful city, with a massive town square (second only to Krakòw), and lots and lots of bridges spanning rivers and canals. It's history, like the rest of Poland's, is a story of changing nations, destruction and rebuilding. First established in 990 as part of Poland, it was eventually part of Bohemia, Prussia, and the German Empire. Napoleon even captured the city once. And now is in Poland again. After WWII, there was a great effort to rebuild Wrocław, though some of the Polish higher-ups arranged to have as many as 200,000 bricks a day sent from Wrocław to help rebuild Warsaw. And! The Red Baron (Manfred von Richthofen) was born here - then called Breslau.
Some shots of the Rynek, just a few steps from our hotel:

We visited Wrocław University today, where the main building (nice baroque feature built by the Jesuits) sports an unbelievable ceremonial hall and a nice observation tower. The 51st parallel runs through the building as well. The university has graduated 9 winners of the Nobel prize since the 20th century, and has about 40,000 students.

The ceremonial hall:

Kristin, recently (formally) promoted to full professor, has requested that CP570 (her office suite at CSUF) be redone as a ceremonial hall. She'll need a portrait like this outside her office. And a scepter, I expect.

Then from the observation tower:

Ostrow Tumski, or cathedral island, is not far from the university, featuring a giant cathedral that was destroyed and rebuilt a couple of times....and an elevator to the viewing platform. There's a charming, round Polish man who looks like Jonathan Winters that will handle the elevator for you.

This is a giant market building where you can buy food, flowers, undergarments, luggage, have shoes repaired, make copies, etc.

And, there are gnomes. Little metal ones. They started as a somewhat satirical statement about the communist efforts to control public spaces, and are now quite the tourist attraction. Here are just a few. Madeline can show you her map of various gnome locations around the city.

And, a couple of portraits of my travel companions. The first, an outright eye-roll for daddy.

Tomorrow, we drive to Dresden and start using euros. Ouch! We much prefer the exchange rate for Złoty.

Evening update- the ropes course

It's probably because I don't know about all the things in my surrounding neighborhoods in so-Cal, but I feel like there are more random (and surely less regulated) things to do in Poland. Like a ropes course hiding in the forest behind Malta Lake just a few kilometers from our flat. Kristin, Ania and the girls visited last year, and the girls in particular were anxious to revisit. The kids course is shrouded in safety nets, and includes a zip line, one of Madeline's (new) favorite things. I thought we were just going to watch the kids and chit-chat.

There are three courses for adults as well, and Łukasz said, "Gordon, you want to go with me?" I said sure, and since neither of us had been on this or any other course, had little idea about what was before us. We're going on the high one, of course. 17 obstacles, around 14 meters up in the trees. We had a short safety training (in Polish) and off we went. Here are some morsels - consider yourself warned.

There are many bad jokes to make here and in following photos. I would think you want to start with the seriousness of the explorers, and one can't really ignore the harnesses. Thanks to KK for these priceless pics.

Maybe something like: horses can sense fear, but you could probably see the ropes trembling, and that might give it away. Also, somebody needs to make a kilt joke.
You swing on a rope now, and pray you catch the big net. Spidey senses!

Ok. That's it.

Nie móvię po Polska.

I don't speak Polish. This is a helpful phrase to drive away people selling you things in the old town square. It also means that when you hear people speaking English, it's nearly impossible not to stare and eavesdrop. We apologize in advance. I also learned a new curse word, though some debated that it's merely an appropriate descriptor of superlative things, like baked pierogi. I won't write it here, but will be happy to teach you later.
A cultural item. If you remember, there is some preference for paying cash in Poland. And, there is some expectation that you will pay with either exact change, or some combination of change that will make giving you change easier. This continues to be true, though some retailers are much more forgiving than others. I've been known to offer a choice- either a large bill or Visa. This seems to garner a better reaction... All of this means that you're either hoarding change and small bills, or being frowned upon.
By now, though, you want less prose and more pictures. First, a series from a school for students with disabilities, primarily visual impairments. The playground was designed to be accessible and to help teach skills for navigating. Voted one of the 7 most beautiful places in the EU, it's open to the public at select times (a requirement from funding sources).

By the way, do you remember when it was fun to just - run? Like running was the best way to get somewhere? When you are 5, this is true.

And, the sky was incredibly blue yesterday, and I had to take more pictures of the Stary Rynek.

In the picture above, the building on the right is for sale. Anyone want to build a hotel with me?

Last, never underestimate the importance of a stool. Mostly for bathroom access, also as a craft chair...

Tomorrow is our last day in Poznan, and we will head to Wroclaw on Friday for two nights, and then to Dresden.