Kielce, on the day....

I went to Kielce today. We didn't do the sight seeing stuff because it was pouring down with rain in the morning. As this was the case I didn't bother to take the camera and risk it getting wet so soon after getting it. So I have no pictures to share!

Instead the family (Uncle, Aunt and cousins) Spent the day shopping and looking in just about every shop on the main highstreet. They are redoing the city and totally modernising it and it is looking more like somewher in Itally than the Poland that I am used to from my childhood visits here.
After trawling the main highstreet and looking at everything from antiques to cakes to fashion boutiques we went on to the main shopping centre and did it all over again but with some Vietnamese food for dinner and an Ice cream to follow. Safe to say I'm all shopped out for the day and my feet are killing me.

I feel like such a girl!

Kielce

Hello from Nadina, and Poland

Right tomorrow i'm going to Kielce for the day with the relatives. It's just for shopping and the like but it's good to get out of the house. I'll take the camera with me to keep you all up to date with what's going on here, as I know you must all be agog to know what it's like. I hope you liked the pictures that i've posted so far.
It has been raining today since very early in the morning. We went out to the garden centre today and did some shopping afterwards. I found a really nice T-shirt at one of the shops so that was exiting. Yes really! Don't laugh! Anyway there isn't much to say about today other than I seem to have brought the English weather with me when I came. I'll have more to tell you tomorrow.

signing off....

Nadina

Wawel castle - Krakow - May 2009

Boats on the River Vistula

Vistula from Castle walls

Tower at Wawel

Golden Dome at Wawel Castle

Images from Krakow

Mime of Polish Soldier in Krakow town square

Me.........Uncle John......My cousin Greg

Natalie in front of statue of 'Adam Mickiewiczowi

The Saint's Cross Monestary - Poland - May 2009

View of Cross from top of hill

Watchtower on the hill

'The Saint's Cross' Monestary

Entrance with tour party

View from top of the hill

Polish Picture Book

A Polish Forest

Krakow

Ok, Yesterday I was in Kraków for the whole day. We left by seven in the morning and it took about three hours to drive there by car. We went to Wawel castle which is huge and absolutly stunning and had two tours that I went on with my cousin Natalia and my Aunt. While we were doing this my other cousin Greg and my uncle were spending a few hours down by the river and having ice creams. Wawel castle is situated on a small hill overlooking the river Vistula and surrounded as is Krakow by miles of forest in all directions. It's just the kind of backdrop where you expect to see black wolves running through the trees and the odd vampire bat following along behind! As well as this trip to the castle we all went through the main town and had a great time shopping for very touristy things. The sheer amount of Amber here is amazing, literaly there are ropes of the stuff hanging in nearly every other shop window. I had a huge pretzle as we walked and bought a few souveniers for the family: a mug of Krakow, postcard, some bookmarks, the usual kind of things.
In addition to this I went to see the famous Krakow tower. Legend has it that hundreds of years ago when the Tarters invaded Poland the only person to see the advancing scouts was a young trumpeter that played the trumpet to call the hours for the town. He rushed up to the top of the tower and played his trumpet song over and over until the towns people realised that something was wrong and clossed the city gates, foiling the invading army and giving the Polish army time to assemble and guard the city. In doing this he made himself visible to the enemy and one of the Tarter archers shot him in the throat with an arrow halfway through his song. The trumpeter of Krakow is sill remembered to this day anf there is a statue to his honour just under the tower where he fell, saving his town. When the song is played to this day it is always stopped just where he did as he died, in memory of his brave sacrifice.

From Poland

Hi all...

I'm in Poland now and I've had a lovely time so far. I'm staying here with my Aunt and Uncle and my two cousins, Greg and Natalia. I've been up mountains and visited Monestaries, got some great pictures and have lovely food. All the people here are really nice, esspesially the old gentlemen. The amount of times that one of the elderly men have stepped aside to let me pass or opened a door. That's what is missing in the world, that old word charm. I suppose modern men can't be blamed though, the amount of times that they've heard women say that they can do it themselves over the years, it's no wonder that they are confused!

Tommorow we are going to Krakow, the old capital of Poland. I should be able to get some really good shots to post and to take home with me. I can't wait as the whole architecture of eastern Europe is amazing. And I might be biased here but I think that the best is in this country. Although I havn't been to Romania so I might be wrong. The whole Dracula's castle thing would be a blast!

Anyway give me two day's and I'll be able to tell you what it's like...

Nearly there!

Hi again, It's almost time for my trip. I know that it's only Poland and It's not because I actually have had much fun over there either, but this time is different. I'm not going to visit five of six relatives in one day for one thing. In addition to that I won't feel like throwing up because I've had to eat five or more large meals plus drinks in the name of politeness. Or sit in the corner in silence because I can't understand a word that's being said. No this time I'm going to visit relatives that I'll be able to talk to. Relatives that I like. I'm going to have some fun over there, do a few new things and relax for three weeks. I'm going to be going on the 19th May and staying for 3-4 weeks so all's well in my world.

I've also recently acquired a new Canon camera that I quite happy about. OK make that completely ecstatic. So if anyone wants pictures of anything specific or has any general enquiries about anything where i'm going, just post it and i'll do my best to answer them.

I like to travel. I really love it and the fact that you can learn new things wherever you go is one of the perks of traveling. I do not want to go to another country and have an English Breakfast. I mean come on, they're not that great in this country why would I want to pay three times as much for the privalige of eating it abroad. What I also love is the experiance of doing the things that I enjoy with people that enjoy it too. So as a nod to recent adventures, thanks to my new friends, special people and and the characters that I have encountered along the way. This year has been memorable in more ways than one. So for life experience and wonderful memories thank you to everyone that matters and for the things that i've learned.

today's the 14th and I have 5 day's to go...

Nadina

Grumpy Young Woman

I'm currently watching a program on Comedy Central. It's called Grumpy Old Men, there's also one called Grumpy Old Women, of which I share a particular affinity. If you haven't seen these yet I can highly recommend it. The point that I would like to put out there is that I do not believe that these should be limited to the members of the population deemed middle aged and over. They complain about the youth of today like they are the only ones that are bothered by them and all the other things that are frustrating in the world.
And the worst thing is: we were never warned when we were young! Was it so that we could grow up in relative peace of mind that the world is fair and just and frankly not irritating.
Here come the bullet point of just ten, I won't overload you. And it's not even the top ten things that annoy me.

1. What's with the coffee shops? Starbucks, Costa, Prezzo's! We are a nation of tea drinkers that are investing in the image of a hip and up to date cappachino drinker. The coffee with the fancy name, with the three inch heads of aerated milk, cream or chemically modified slush colours confection. There is no small, medium or large, no you ask for a Grande, its not that Grand you have to say with an Italian accent and you then find out that the simple cup of coffee that you wanted? Well it just isn't!
2. Coming back to the coffee shop generation, there's also the staff to consider. The sheer idiocy of teenagers or even adults these days. They can be very literal but only when you do not want them to be! You asked for green tea madam? Well here's your mint tea. OK so I suppose that we can be grateful that they got the colour right. Your 50% right deary is what I'd like to say, but I don't, I'm just ranting quietly in my head and developing a peptic ulcer but don't worry your pretty little overly bleached head about it!
3. The whole P.C. thing gets me. You have to be polite and not call it like you see it. God forbid you should mention that someone is black, white or overweight. Even if they are. Then you're not being rude because it's the truth. How about this for an un-pc sentence: Hi I'm a Caucasian female of European descent, living in England and my skin is currently a tanned, dirty beigey pink colour. You might be a man or a woman, probably a bit overweight or also compulsively throwing up and thinner than a POW victim and your skin, statistical ywill be tinged yellow, chocolate brown or dirty pink. There stick that in your complaints letter and smoke it!
4. Telemarketers
5. Weathermen/people/whatever!
6. Being put on hold while on the phone to customer services that cost over a pound a minute to people that wont speak proper English and are a couple of thousand miles away. Who will then ask you to wait a further hour or two while transferring you to 'a department that will handle your query'. Then you get timed out and you have to start all over again.
7. School is the best days of your lives. Yes we were told that but nobody believed it! We thought yes! no more school. But they never warned you about mortgages, bills and that irritating blinking light on the dashboard of your car. You're sure it means something expensive but you put it of so you don't have to worry about it.
8. Standing in ques! Look there's a till open just two ques down and you look at it, and debate about it but does anybody actually leave their appointed and self induced cattle drive? NO!
9. Those ridiculous trousers/jeans/things that hang down at the crotch that you just want to walk up to and yank. Either resulting in the worlds harshest wedgie or showing the world that the boy's penis doesn't actually fill that space, no matter how much he wants to believe it.
10. It comes from America. It's cheerful. It's totally fake and we just want you to leave us alone so shut up! 'Can I help you at all madam?' No I'm a perfectly capable adult with a working pair of both hands and eyes! and 'Have a nice day!' You don't mean it. After dealing with the people that can't be bothered to open their eyes, or don't realise that the fact that it's not there actually means...hmm let me think...it's not there! You are wishing that the customer would step under a bus, be sent to hell and have to answer stupid questions for all eternity. All with a saccharine expression on you face and a sing song good bye.

Gurkhas vs Brown

Hello to all my readers:

I'm making this foray into the world of political debate because of what I deem to be the appalling ineptitude Britain's leaders. For this mini rant of mine I'm leaving off the 'Great' part that would have once graced this group of four country's title. I do not feel at this very moment that we as a whole have much to feel great about.

It is currently our misfortune to be burdened with a leader, that seems to be so out of touch with the wants and needs of those he is supposed to be leading. Given the opportunity to actually score some 'Brownie' points that are sorely needed by the Labour party, Mr Brown has actually managed to make himself more disliked that ever. Personally I didn't think this was even possible!

The Gurkha's, well known for their legendary fighting skills, heroism against uneven odds and selfless bravery saving the lives of many a British citizen over the years, have by Mr Brown's idiocy been as a whole, insulted. To think, that as a country, and politically, Britain under the leadership of Gordon Brown is actively welcoming in immigrants that are straining this countries economy and yet seem incapable of common decencies. We currently, as a nation are paying taxes that go to immigrants in the form of income support and family allowances. This money then leaves the country and is sent to their families. Nothing wrong in this you say? They're getting payed to support their children that do not even live with them! It's a ridiculous situation when our government is throwing away our taxes on people trying beat the system and then turning around and denying sanctuary to the very people that have risked their lives for us!

Without getting into the every occasion and historical footnote on these exceptional people I think it is safe to say that they are among the few that can honestly say that they deserve to live here if they wish. I mean every single one that has fought and their families. If asylum seekers and immigrants get to stay in this country, and their only success has been to make it across our boarders, why shouldn't we welcome in a people that have earned and died for our respect.

In an additional note, Brown as a leader you have either of two options: The first being to actually be a leader. In other words get your thumb out, be a man, and lead. Stop listening to people that obviously do not have a clue how to advise. Think Churchill, think Thatcher! They had problems of course but they made hard decisions and stuck with it. And secondly if you are going to do things that you think are going to make you popular as least try to find out what we want to hear! I mean what were you thinking! Ignoring what the British public has been nearly shouting at you for the past couple of years and picking on one of the few things that we still have some pride in.