Warsaw to Warsaw

We have been travelling quite a lot and have been very busy, so I have not had a chance to update the blog. :) This will soon be remedied. A few weeks ago, in the middle of "Golden October" we went to two towns in west-central Poland in search of archive materials for Doug's dissertation.

The pictures below are of the town of Kórnik. There is a small castle that looks like a mini version of the Leeds Castle in England and a wonderful arboretum and lake surrounded by a public park.

The Kórnik castle was first mentioned in writing in the 12th century, and again when it was expanded in the 1426. The local lord commissioned the church in 1437.

The arboretum was created in the middle of the 19th century by the castle and town's benevolent owner Tytus Działyński. Today it is owned and maintained by a historical foundation and houses a branch of the National Archive.

Danger and I spent our time in the arboretum, walking around the lake, reading and napping in the sun on the castle lawn while Doug did his research in the castle's library and National Archive. This is the life!

"I jumped over this log AND ran through it!" ~Danger

This educational poster is titled "Let's help the Chestnuts!"

There is some sort of pest that has been hurting the chestnut trees in Europe.

I thought that my parents would like this poster. :)

Myrtle beech and Basswood trees

Common oak

More educational boards about the types of nuts and seeds the trees produce

Types of nuts

Basswood Alley

Lipa trees. Also known as basswood or "Bee Trees"

Fun fact: the Polish word for the month of July is "Lipiec", which comes from the word "Lipa."

Guess what. This tree is in full bloom in July, and attracts bees that make the ever popular miód lipowy, or basswood honey.

I think that if we ever have a child, that we will plant a basswood tree in his or her honor.

This tree made me a little homesick!

Japanese walnut tree

One of the bridges across the moat to the castle

I'm the king of the castle!

Walking through the town of Kórnik, right outside the castle

The statues guarding the entrance to the castle. A big dog and a big wild boar!

A very friendly kitty we met on our walk around the lake.

She later showed up outside the castle's gift shop and cafe, begging for a handout.

The church in Kórnik

A beautiful day for a walk around the lake, which was right across the street from the castle entrance.

A great morning to go fishing

Mistletoe infestation

A good morning to work in the garden. This man was very happy to talk to me and Danger, and did not speak any English. He spoke some Italian, as he said that he fought during WWII in Italy and stayed there until being sent back to Poland.

Taking a new path is fun and may lead you to unexpected places!

October 7, 2012

I wanted to dedicate a blog post to our wonderful family friends, Klaus and Susanna Kries. Our family connection with them goes back to 1965. While on an engineering internship at Lockheed, Klaus became friends with my grandfather, Bill Barber. They have been close friends ever since. I am sure that Granddaddy thinks of Klaus as a brother or another son. Their children are slightly older than me, and came to visit us in Georgia several times in the 90's. During my childhood we returned the favor and visited them in Munich.

Family stories aside, I was thrilled that Doug and fellow Olmsted Scholar, Sarah Thomas, got to spend time at my home away from home in Grobenzell, Germany.

Here are some photos as we drove from Copenhagen to Munich, all in one day.
It took about 11 hours.

Here is our complete route!

View Larger Map

We also visited their family house in the mountains, and on the way home, got lost and ended up in Austria. So, Danger has now visited 10 countries!

I have also posted many pictures of Danger's Baltic Blast to my Facebook page for your viewing pleasure.

Hamburg

Germany is a world leader in wind and solar energy. They often make so much electricity from the wind that they have to SHUT OFF the windmills! They are going to need these things once they take all of their nuclear plants off-line.

Jetta LOVED the Autobahn!

Fields of hops

The hop harvest is complete for this year

Family portrait in the driveway!

This traditional Bavarian dress, or dirndl, was purchased by our host Susanne in 1976.

This was her very first dirndl, as she is Swiss.

She gave it to me in 1999, and I have been wearing it ever since.

So handsome! I think he should be in a lederhosen catalog.

The design on the front flap of the lederhosen is supposed to be a big deal. Zippers are a no-no.

Hi, Daddy. Hi, Danger.

The Kries family cat, enjoying a roll in the driveway

We're here!

And making friends!

Mmmm! These giant gingerbread cookies (lebkuchenherzen) are decorated and people buy them for their sweethearts. Many of them read "My Princess" or "My Love", etc.

If you're not into wearing a big cookie around your neck all night, you can buy a small purse in the shape and design of the cookie as a nice, functional Oktoberfest accessory.

Doug and Sandra, Klaus's oldest daughter.

Serefe!

mmmm....Spaten!

Only by the liter. You could also get the half-beer, half-lemon/lime (Radler), or non-alcoholic.

Klaus, Doug and I about to dig into our ox and potato salad in the Spaten tent.

This was our first day at Oktoberfest, on Tuesday. We returned with Sarah on Thursday.

We simply could not get enough of the potato salad.

So what does one do the morning after Oktoberfest (Wednesday)?

Go hiking and rock climbing, of course!

We decided not to hike the 2 hours, so we rode the gondola up halfway.

Susanne was such a trooper!

From here we ditched our hiking poles and did some rock climbing up to the top.

Our view down on Garmisch-Partenkirchen

I bought a Dr. Pepper as "emergency caffeine", as I have not had a soda in over a year.

Dr. Pepper + Rock Climbing + Alpine Air = Hangover Cure

Behind me is Alpspitz, which I climbed 13 years ago.

In 1999, my family and the Kries family climbed to the top of Alpspitz, the second tallest mountain in Germany. It was an incredibly fun day (for me). I'm pretty sure my parents thought that we were all going to fall to our deaths.

As we climbed up, often on hands and knees, clinging to rocks as better prepared climbers wearing harnesses passed us....my Mom would look at the little flowers growing in the crevices and say,

"If this little flower can survive in such conditions, so can I!"

Susanne mentions that whenever she gets tired climbing, she stops and looks at the flowers, and remembers what my Mom said that day.

Alpine milk cows, each and every one a Mississippi State fan.

We could hear their cowbells clanking for miles.

Back at the bottom.

We were on one of the lower mountains, to the right of the main road into town.

After an afternoon of climbing, Susanne and I went to the local swimming pool to enjoy the hot-tub.

We then walked around town, stretching our muscles.

OMG! Nasturtium climbs?!?

Inside the church. It was too dark already

More ponies! There is an agricultural fair associated with Oktoberfest every 4 years.

Icelandic horses, and yes, their gate is so smooth, you can ride without spilling your beers.

Free beer? Darn!

Halflingers showing off their dressage moves.

Halflingers are extremely hardy little ponies. They are used for light draft or under saddle.

The breed was developed in Austria, and they have one of the longest lifespans of any horse breed.

You can find them in the mountains still doing work at 30 years of age!

Beautiful Belgians doing their job

Halflingers in harness

Every brewery has their own draft team on display

Lake Amersee, where Klaus keeps their sailboat

Pretty forest mushroom. On our way to Andechs village and monastery for lunch and a cold beer.
I forgot to tell Sarah that when Klaus says we're going for a "short walk to get lunch," it really translates into 4 miles uphill, and then 4 miles back down. Sorry, Sarah!