Boleslawic, Poland

This past spring I hopped on a bus for a quick trip to Boleslawic, Poland and Prague, Czech Republic arranged by Lucas of www.cookingwithlucas.com. I've taken several of his cooking classes and he's never steered me wrong, so I took advantage of his organizational skills and group discount to venture to two countries I'd never visited before. For this particular adventure, my friend Helena was my travel buddy and partner in crie. We left on a Friday evening and arrived in the town of Boleslawic Saturday morning. Lucas provided sandwiches and wine, and of course Helena and I also brought our own wine, so I slept decently on the bus. Well, decently for me, anyway. It was such a long ride I was happy that most of it was overnight. I'm not sure I'd do it again, but I'm glad I did it once, and I highly recommend keeping an eye mask and ear plugs in your travel bags! The primary purpose of the Poland half of our visit was to buy Polish pottery, whereas we had nothing specific planned for Prague.

We went straight to Andy Pottery (www.andypolishpottery.com) on the outskirts of Boleslawic, and quickly overran the place. Frankly, I thought their customer service was terrible. They neatly wrapped and packed our goods for us, but were unhelpful and unfriendly. There were nearly 40 of us crammed in there, but I'd venture to say that 90% of us found something to purchase so it was disappointing to be confronted with basic indifference by the shop owner and attendants. I was almost overwhelmed by all the options; there are so many different pieces and patterns to choose from.

My only goals were to buy a teapot for my mother-in-law, some mismatched plates for myself, and find something for Tony's grandpa. Check, check, and check! I got Tony's mom a cute little set where the teapot sits on top of its matching mug, and though I debated on some birds and piggy banks for Grandpa, I ultimately settled on a ceramic cross for him. I found my dinner plates and also treated myself to two mugs, a mortar and pestle, and a lasagna pan. I do not regret those extra purchases in the slightest! The pan may be my favorite purchase, since it is versatile and incredibly easy to clean, but it also makes me super happy to look at and use my mugs. I was one of the first ones to check out, because I didn't want to get stuck standing in line. Good call, past-Elaine! After purchasing my ceramics, I poked around the back of the shop to see where all the wares are hand-painted, and then I went outside to take some pictures of the tulips. They were everywhere in Poland, and I particularly loved the ruffled double tulips! You know me: I never met a flower I didn't like.

After Andy's, we went into the city proper to visit another pottery shop, with even MORE options! I forget the name of that place, and it's actually where I picked up the cross for Grandpa and my mortar and pestle. I was sorely tempted to purchase a mixing and/or salad bowl, but couldn't quite justify it. Now I rather wish I had...we made some new friends on this trip and walked to downtown Boleslawic for lunch after visiting the second ceramic shop. We found a little place on the corner of the main square and ordered four different kinds of pierogies. If I remember correctly, mine had meat and mushrooms, one had spinach, and one had cheese. I forget the other, but I got to try them all and they were delicious! We had a little extra time, so we did a quick tour of the town, which was quite small, and then went into a grocery store to compare goods. I was really tempted by some leather shoes made in Poland, but talked myself out of them. I also bought a bunch of chocolate for my friend Krista, which I really ate myself over the course of the last few months. Whoops! I was intrigued by all the different vodka varieties, but ultimately passed them up as I'm not a huge vodka fan. I always like poking around in stores when I visit other places, and Poland did not disappoint. Everything was relatively cheap, the manufactured goods seemed well-made, and the chocolate was of course delicious.

Kids hanging outside the church in Boleslawic's main square

After our outing in Boleslawic, we hopped on the bus to Prague...to be continued...

Nove and Marostica

Last Tuesday, I got to take a little jaunt to the towns of Nove and Marostica. They're, I dunno, maybe 30 minutes from our hotel. While Tony was working, a new friend (Hi, Jackie!) came and picked me up. She had to pick up some personalized ceramics in Nove and invited me to tag along. I'm so glad I did! Nove is a tiny little town well-known for its hand-crafted ceramics. Jackie has been collecting a pattern of blue poppies (Himalayan poppies, but they look more purple than blue, I think) and daisies. She basically created this pattern and now the owner can't keep it on the shelves! I wandered all three floors of the store, knowing there are a dozen more scattered throughout the town but assured that these guys have the lowest pricing, just delighting in all the different styles and patterns. I learned that it is good luck to give chicken or rooster pitchers as a gift, to ward off assassins. There's a good story behind that, but anyway, a few designs caught my eye, but I managed to resist any new purchases...this time...

After that, we ran over to Marostica, which is the next town over. It's known for cherries and especially for its live chess matches held in September of even years. If you Google "live chess Italy" I'm sure it'll pop up. They dress up in medieval costumes and have horses and knights and everything.  I saw the chess board in the middle of the square, and I'd really like to go one year. Marostica is known for it's two castles; there's an upper and a lower, and the sight as you drive into town is breathtaking. You can drive or hike to the upper castle, through olive groves and other beautiful sights. I'm told the view from up there is amazing; you can see into the Asiago valley. You know, Asiago as in cheese...that's right, it's only an hour from us! In the picture just below, you can see the lower castle in the foreground to the right, and the upper castle on the hill.

Unbeknownst to us, Marostica holds its local market on Tuesdays, so we had fun wandering around taking in all the vendors' booths. There were salami and cheese trucks, and stalls of clothes, shoes, vegetables, and knickknacks. We popped into a pasticcheria and tried a small assortment of pastries with delicious cappuccino, and then had pizza. In the picture above, the chess board is in the center, and we sat under an awning just to the right there. On non-market days, our seats would have had a great view of the upper castle, but the vendors were blocking our line of vision. That just means I have to go back! I really want to go back with Tony and hike up to the upper castle. I love how the walls span the entire hill. 

It was a short trip, but a really great one!