Stairs and More Stairs, Again! Poland Pilgrimage V. 2 P. 12

Well, yesterday wasn't really an "exciting" day in anyway.  Danuta went to work, and I walked to the mall and then to a shopping center near by.  That was yesterday, in a nutshell.  I finished a book I started on the plane ride over and then today we went to the little souvenir kiosks.  We weren't aware, but there was a BIG Protest march going on.  There was a big mass in the square where we were, police everywhere and people with flags and banners and so forth. So we got what I wanted quickly and hurried away to avoid the crowd of over 100,000 people from all over Poland who came in busloads for this event of sorts. 

Another surprise to me was that the elevator went out this morning and is still out to the best of my knowledge.  We hauled my big suitcase down already about 5 flights of stairs and soon it will be time for bed and my flight. That long haul wasn't any fun... We are going to have to leave quite early...for my flight.  I tried to print out my boarding passes and it was not working well on Danuta's computer, so I hope that it didn't mess anything up somehow.  Who knows...Well, I will soon be home posting pictures and greeting family again.  It is always nice to go when things start to wind down and the agenda is over.  So alright.  Till I return home and get settled in the normal routine!

All Good Things..,Poland Pilgrimage V.,2 Pt. 11

Yes, all good things must come to an end. Including vacations, which is officially over on Sunday.  However, the really fun part, visiting ancestral homes, researching and seeing wonderful stuff is all but done.  I had a great time, and accomplished everything on my "agenda".  I am now back in Warsaw, where it was pretty breezy today.

Sylwia and I left at about 8:00 am and drove through Koszecin again, because it was the way the GPS \told us to go.  I didn't mind that at all.  One last look....We drove about 5 hours till we got to Warsaw.  And now I am at Danuta's apartment.  She is at work right now and so I am having a little quiet time writing my blog. I can't wait now to get home and study and look at all the pictures I have taken.  We returned the rental car and also went to Sylwia's place where we got a great photo of an old Babcia sitting outside.  What a great picture and absolutely classic!  Sylwia stays on a Baptist campus, somewhat of a foundation with housing, sports places and forests.  It's simple and nice.  Not really big, but I think it works for her and her kitty.  I am tired tonight and am anxious to get a little rest.  I am not sure what tomorrow will bring.  Not much to write about today. Just that Poland highways and byways have just as much construction as do we in the US.  Nothing different in that department!

Stairs, Stairs...More Stairs! Poland PIlgrimage V. 2 Pt. 9

Hello again, from Jemielnica,
This morning before we headed out, we stopped at a little shop in town and picked up several copies of the local county newspaper.  An article about my work and how I found the family of Dominica in Nogowczyce is on the second page.  As soon as we entered the store a customer said to us "I just saw your picture in the paper!"  It was funny, because later in the day we went quite a ways away and stopped at a shop to get an ice cream and the lady working there was starting to look at the same paper.  I wonder if after she helped us she may have turned to that page.  It was kind of funny!

After we picked up our papers, we went to the Archives in Opole again and stayed till about 1:30.  We got quite a bit done, and then we headed to Gory Sw. Anna which is a mountain with a monastery on the top of it.  You can see it quite a ways away and also as we got to the very cute town there, we saw lots of fences with corn, corn husks, and vegies and decorations to celebrate the coming in for the harvest.  Sylwia says that the decorations stay up about a week.  I got a picture of some, but not all that I wanted because my batteries went dead.  We took a little tour with a group led by a Polish Monk.  The church was really pretty and the weather was exceptionally warm today.  Almost to the point of being hot.  We had a nice walk through the area there and enjoyed the warm beautiful day, as well.

The way up to the monastery was preceeded by numerour stairs, again.  I am either going to be dead when I get back home or be able to climb a million stairs,  (I pretty much doubt the last option!)
 Now we are back to our place and it is probably a little earlier than usual, but that's OK.  Tomorrow is the last day at the archive and then probably tomorrow it will be time to clean up a bit and pack to go back to Warsaw.  It was a really quick trip and was fun and productive.  I am about done for today.  I also just today got the link to post pictures again, but I have so many on my cards and this computer is so slow to upload that I think I will now just wait till I get home and take care of it all.  So till tomorrow!

Goodbye Breslau, Hello Jemielnica! Poland Pilgrimage V. 2 pt. 8

Well, we are back in Jemielnice, known as Himmelwitz from the pre-WWII days.  This morning I had breakfast at the hotel next door which serves a breakfast buffet with lots of good things to eat.  After this, Sylwia and I drove to the Archives on Pomorska street to do a favor for a friend of mine as well as look into some kataster records.  The hardest part of this adventure was the parking, I think.  Since we had walked so far and long yesterday, we decided to drive there. 

We found out that most of the pre-WWII German Standesamt records have been digitized.  They are not available online, only in-house, at least at this time.  But it was nice how quickly it was to find a record and then we were able to photograph what was needed.  Things are really improving in the ways the Polish archives are doing things even in contrast to merely 2 years ago.  At that time, I had to request the pages and they were put on CD for me and I had to pay quite a bit for that service.  So it's nice now, not to have to pay for anything.  There were also no archive fees or anything.  It was really nice.

After finding the document, I asked about the Kataster Karolinski which the lady helped us to find.  I got the signature for Nogowczyce and Sierionowitz.  But we were not able to view them till about 12:30.  So we decided to run some errands and come back later. 

First we went to pay for our rooms for the past 2 nights at the Lutheran Church rooms.  For those who might be interested someday to stay there, I will let you know what it was.  These are living quarters directly behind the very beautiful gold and white Lutheran church on ul. Kazimierza Wielkiego 29.  The telephone number was 34-34-730.  They have maybe 10 rooms, I believe, on the 4th floor.  If you aren't into stairs, then this is not the place for you.  It is a good climb.  Each room has different amounts of single beds in it with a bath with shower.  At one end of the hall is a commons area, with a TV, fridge, table/chairs and on the other end of the hall, an area with sink and coffee maker type of things.\  Sylwia said that there were cups and plates there.  I didn't look, but she was probably right.  So then in each room, there is a couple of tables to work on and night stands and a wardrobe.  There is also wifi.  So there you have it. It was really nice and Sylwia plans on staying there when she is in Breslau again.

So, back to my story, we went back to the Lutheran Church lodging and I paid the money for the 2 nights and then we went to Breslau Cepelia. Cepelia is a tourist store that often is found in many larger cities which have many tourists. We found a few things there.  But I was not able to find the one thing, my mom requested of me.  Back when we were in Breslau earlier, they always had little stands where people sold their wares.  This is no longer allowed by the city.  I am not sure why, but truly there were none to be found of this sort of little open air stands.  I was disappointed because you could always find cool stuff to buy.

Then there was a "Jahrmarkt" in the city center today and people were there from the entire eastern countries selling.  These occur once a year and there are different types of Jahrmarkts. I bought a few nice things. Some gypsy people were running around in there. They had some really interesting stuff.  I took some pictures also. 

We still had some time to spare, so we went to the Jahrhundert Halle.  It was really made to look very nice again and was yellowish rather than the dark greys of previous visits.  We went through the arbors and then around to the back where they had a large pond area with wonderful fountains and speakers on both sides which played classical music and the fountains seemed to be choreographed to fit the music being played. Wouldn't my dad have enjoyed this! 

There were places to picnic, relax, walk and just enjoy it.  And again it was a beautiful day in Breslau.  The sun was shining and it was warm.  Kids were playing in the area and dogs were being walked.  Pigeons basked in the sand and sun.  There was a little splash pad and it was just nice to be there.

Then we drove back to the archives because it was about time for our films to be delivered.  The microfilm readers were not the newest and were a bit hard to use.  So we did the best that we could.  The helpers here in Breslau were really nice and again we were able to photograph what we needed.  This really helps the work go much faster and then I also don't have too much carpal tunnel problems.  I can do the rest when I get home and have more time.  We finished fairly quickly and aside from the 2 places that I expected to see on the films there was also Wischnitz, Tost, Klein and Gross Pluschnitz, Schieroth and several other places.  It was great.  Then we headed quickly over to the Archdiocese Archives in Breslau.  Piotr Symchak had told us that there was a possibility that duplicate church records might have sent to there before the war.  If so, they had no record of them there.  The nun and priest that helped us were both so very helpful and nice.  We also went to where the priestly robes and table cloths are sold which is next door to the archive.  Sylwia thought that possibly we might find a nice tablecloth there for my mom.  They had some, but mostly white in color and I don't think that was what my mom had hoped for.

Then back to Jemielnica and a quick stop at the Lidl grocery store in Strzelce Opolskie.  It is a German market and quite nice with all the stuff that we want or need.  We had another ice cream there.  Not as good as the one in Breslau, but...hey, ice cream is ice cream!  We got back, and brought things up to our place and had a light dinner.  Sylwia must be really tired as she is sleeping instead of working on her computer as she likes to do in the evening.  Poor girl, I must be overworking her.  It is now 8:00 pm and I too, am getting tired as well!  So that's is all for today.  Oh, how I wish I could share some pictures with you! 

Beautiful Breslau! Poland Pilgrimage V. 2 Pt. 7

Today was a beautiful Sunday in the most beautiful Breslau.  I have been to Breslau 3 times and each time is more wonderful than the previous.  The post-war buildings are being restored and made absolutely wonderful and people flock from all over to see this amazing place.  And why is this place special to me?  It is because my mother was born here and lived here till they were forced to flee the Russians in January 1945.  It was a horrible time in her life, but the years prior to that were spent in this beautiful place before bombing raids took away nearly all the beauty that existed there.

So I first visited Breslau in 1992, 20 years ago, with my mom and daughter.  We had a wonderful time, revisiting child-hood places.  And although her homes had been replaced by new, but not beautiful places, it was good to walk those streets again, to see the street cars she often told me about jumping on and off of them in order to avoid having to pay for them.  To travel back in time and place...it's wonderful.

So this morning I woke up for the first time having slept through the entire night since getting to Poland a week ago.  I needed it and was really tired of not sleeping.  The place we are staying is on the 4th floor of the Lutheran Augsburg church and there about 60 or more steps to climb before we get to where we are going.  It is a big climb and I am usually out of breath and wobbly kneed  by the time I arrive at my destination.  So I hope that I don't forget something out in the car!  I don't want to go back down and up too often!  I did this morning, however, because first I ran down to the restaurant next door for breakfast.  Sylwia decided to stay in and rest.  So I went out and to the restaurant where they had a nice breakfast buffet.  They had wieners, kielbasa with onions and scrambled eggs, hard-boiled eggs, juices, fruits, ham, cheese, bacon, breads, rolls and other things.  Anyway, I didn't go away hungry,  breakfast buffets were 35 zloty per person.  But it was good, so I ate and was full. 

After this, I was planning on going to church which was within walking distance from our Lutheran lodgings.  Radek, my friend, had told me it was just between the Lutheran church and the museum, both of which I found, but between them was a gated area which appeared to be locked and inside were many shops.  I tried the gate and it was locked.  So I headed around the block on either side, but couldn't find out where to go and how to get there.  So I went back to our place and a lady was there and said that it didn't open till 10:00 there.  So I waited till 10:00 and a man came and he let me in.  I looked all around and the doors were locked, the buildings didn't look like anyone was there and there were no signs showing an LDS church was anywhere in the vicinity.

So I went out and up the 60+ stairs again and told Sylwia what had happened.  She went down with me and spoke to the man in Polish this time and then he knew what was wanted and led me to the right door and into the building and I went up the elevator and found it.  I then arrived at church "Jamie Style" late... and it was about 20 minutes after it had begun.  Then an area seventy spoke.  He lives in Germany but spoke in English and everything was translated.  Then I went to the other meetings.  It was really nice seeing Radislaw and his wife again.  They are really nice people.  In fact everyone was so nice and so many spoke English or German.  So it wasn't too hard to communicate with people.  After church I went to get Sylwia and we had lunch at the Rathaus where we had eaten together in 2005, along with Danuta.  We both had Roladen, red cabbage and Kloese.  It was really good.  Pricey, but it was Sunday after all. This was our Sunday dinner. So then we walked through the entire city.  We had such a good time.  We went to the market place and we saw a "silver" lady and a "silver" man.  They hold really still and of course want some money. They spray themselves with silver paint.  I don't think I would want to do that, especially.

There are street musicians, including a bag pipe player and a gypsy band.  Tourists everywhere and activities for kids like making giant bubbles and playing in a splash pad or fountain and just having a wonderful time.  We went to the Odra/Oder River and there were boats giving rides to people, and the place was wonderful. 

We stopped for Lody, Polish ice cream.  I had to have that.  First it's delicious and secondly, a tradition and I am not one to break a tradition.  After seeing everything and walking absolutely everywhere, we really both were slowly getting tired and I had sore knees from the walking.  Sylwia said we had walked about 8 km.  maybe even more.  As we returned back she ran into old friends, some who even now live in Portland, Oregon, and others in Kattowice.  So it was a nice surprise for her.  I think we both had a really great day.  And tomorrow is our last day here.  While walking we saw the Cepelia store which is across the street from the Ursulinen Kloister and I could see goodies to buy.  Great stuff as I was getting desperate as such things are not available in the smaller villages.  So, tomorrow a short trip to the archive and then to Cepelia and we will see how the rest of the day goes for us. 

I called my mom and Spence and now it's about 8:00 and I guess I will try to get some sleep.  Hopefully, I won't be mosquite bait again, like last night... The window is staying shut, that is all there is to it.  Anyway, I should have brought my book, but left it in Jemielnica.  I just wasn't thinking.  I forgot.  So still can't load pics, but maybe when I get home, I will try to complete my blog entries.  I don't like only text.  It just isn't me.  So, signing off for today!

Family Time and for Whom the Bell Tolls, Poland Pilgrimage V. 2 pt. 6

Well, being as this was Saturday, it was a good day to visit the family of my mom that lives in Kamien Gorowski and the area.  It was a rainy day as we woke up in Jemielnica today and cold. 

Last night I had decided that I was really getting tired of being a mosquito's supper, so after closing the windows, (there's no screens in Germany or Poland) I got out one of my flip-flops and went into my room on a skeeter hunt.  They were hanging out above my bed on the vaulted ceiling, so I got something to climb on and started smashing them.  I thought I had them all, but after I layed down in bed, no sooner had I done so, than I heard that infernal buzzing in the ear.  So I jumped up and turned on the light.  There he was above the bed on the wall.  Got him.  Back to bed.  About 2:00 am I saw what looked like a big flash of light outside.  I had no idea what it was at that time.  But tried to go back to sleep.  Again the buzzing began...I missed one of those dang skeeters.  I was too tired to go on a skeeter hunt again, so covered up and hoped for the best.  I didn't get the best, it did and I added a couple of bites to my growing collection.  I guess I will get the Poland East Odra disease. 

Anyway, after getting up in the morning, I saw him and smushed him.  As I went to hop into the shower, I noticed that there was no power to the bedroom or the bathroom.  (the flash was a power outage, nearby)The rest of the house was fine.  Strange.  So I go to get into the shower and apparently that ran on the power line that wasn't working and the water was ice cold.  Well, they say that is supposed to be healthy, but I wasn't really all that sure if I wanted to be all that healthy at the moment, so I skipped the shower for today. 

After Sylwia got up and got ready, we headed to Kamien by way of GPS.  We drove quite a ways when we came to a road construction area that was unpassable, so we had to turn around and start all over again.  It wasn't my idea of fun, so as it went, we didn't have a good start.  But the further we went the more construction we came across.  It certainly slowed us down and now I guess that we eventually made it regardless. 

On the way to Kamien, there were many great photo opps.  This area of Poland has many more brick buildings that the stucco style in the Oberschlesien area.  Quite a contrast.  I kind of got into the old train station photo mode and hunt for the old wrinkly weathered skin babcia mode, (grandma pictures) as I keep seeing many of them (train stations) and they are quite old and interesting to look at.  Sylwia was telling me that usually one or possibly two families lived in the train stations as needed to do the rail switches and take care of the crossing arms, etc., etc.  I guess I never really realized that someone would have lived there.  It is kind of cool.  I also love those pictures of the old babcias with their leathery, wrinkled skin, and headscarves.  We saw some perfect ones on the way, but I missed all the opps.  But will keep trying,

So first we arrived at the home of Bozena..  She has a beautiful, large, modern home and she served us a wonderful lunch with thin noodle soup, where the broth is poured over it later.  Something my mom does when we have special dinners at her house.  Then potatoes, vegies, chicken, gravy and a nice drink with a fruit in it that Sylwia said is only available in this area.  It is a German fruit and is green and just ready to harvest about now.  It looks half apple half pear and  is called "pigwa" in Polish.

Then was dessert, torte and fruit tea or coffee.  It was really nice.  The family was all there and there was quite a group of people.  It was so nice.  We had a nice talk, took many pictures.  And then they were very interested in the family tree, which I showed to them and they would like to have me mail to them. 

My mom's first cousins were there, Gerhard and his sister Anna.  They spoke some German, but said it was really hard for them now.  We had a nice visit and then we went to the cemetery and saw the gravestone of  Karl and Hedwig and Anton Gralla, the parents of Gerhard, Anna and Karl. 

The weather was getting really windy while we were at the cemetery and they tried to light a candle and it was a bit of a challenge to keep it lit.  The cemetery was in Wasosz, which I believe was Herrnstadt in German times.

The people of this area mostly have farmlands.  The sister, Anna, has 300 hectars of land.  Some were now burning off the potato fields so that they will not have fungus in the spring.  I knew they burned everything in the fields after the harvest, but didn't really know that was the reason for it.  The fields were mostly empty and plowed under.  It was pretty to look at.  Sylwia really loves the area, she mentioned to me. 

Then we drove to Gerhard's and I photoed a couple of pictures that he had.  And again we were served food by Gerhard's wife, drinks, torte, poppy seed cake and cheese pierogis with sauer cream that the babcia, Gerhard's wife prepared.    Later she made me a glass of raspberry hot tea or juice from their raspberries.  Then we went on a little walk and Dariusz Gralla mentioned that the village population was getting really small, and mostly old people, as the younger people were moving to other places. 

On the way back, I saw a large bug, one I have never seen before and it was crawling on the pavement.  I asked Matteusz, who is Dariusz' son that speaks some English, what it was and it was a bug that can kill people if it stings them.  Wow, that was not a good bug to run into. 

After that we went back to Gerhard's and I called my mom to say hello to her Polish cousins, so that was kind of fun.  Then I asked how things went there during and towards the end of the war.  I was surprised by the answer a little bit, because everything went fine for them because they all spoke Polish already.  I had no idea about this as I don't remember that my mom ever mentioned that to me.  And of course, she never spoke Polish.  So something new everyday.

Then we needed to get to our little lodging in Breslau at the Augsburg church in the heart of the city.  It is quite nice, the rooms have 3-4 single beds in each one and a bath. They are up, up, up the stairs.  And was that quite a climb for me.  They are very reasonably priced and my friend Radek told me our church is in the same building, although I am not quite sure where and haven't been able to explore around yet as it is evening time and Sylwia was tired and so am I, actually.  We will be here 2 nights and Monday the lady said not to worry about when we check out because no new guest are coming.  So that was nice.  So I am getting tired. 

I didn't sleep too well after the flash of light last night and the church bell kept reminding me every 15 minutes what time it was.  I am hoping that the Lutheran church does not toll the bells all night long.  During the day, it's great and at night, not so much....  So tomorrow should be stressless, got a few coins in the pockets and don't hope for or expect any big surprises.  Am anxious to take pictures and to bring back some memories for my little mama!

Archive Adventure 2. Polish Pilgrimage V. 2 Pt. 5

Well, I didn't have any time to post last night due to an unexpected project to work on.  And I got that dumb back side hip kind of pain exactly like on Tuesday or whenever it was and again while at the archives.  And it behaved exactly the same way.  I had it about an hour and then it started shifting to the front and thereafter disappeared as quickly as it had come.  Boy, what fun...See my previous post...

So aside from that, all went well at the archives and we accomplished a lot before it closed at 3:00 for the day.  Then we went to Lidl German store in Gross Strehlitz and picked up water and bread and fruit.  Tonight Dominika will drop by later for a minute and then tomorrow we will  go in the morning to Breslau or Wroclaw, as it is now known.  Actually, we will go to Kamin to the area of other relatives in this country, my mom's cousins.  My mom used to go here as a child to visit her grandmother.  Which was a long time ago.  I have been here twice, but just in the last 2 years,  have met online other immediate family members that I wasn't aware of.  So it will be nice!

On the evening, we will head to Breslau to a place that I have reserved for us to stay. It is rooms available from the Lutheran Augsburg church.  It is actually, by some strange luck, in the same building as my church is located.  How funny.  So it will be like in Utah, a church around the corner! 

Also last night, a local historian came by giving some insights to local history.  His name was Piotr Szymchak.  It was nice of him.  I now have his card and will be able to contact him with any questions that I might have at some time. 

The nights are getting colder and when we left the house this morning there was frost on the car window and we had to melt it before we left as there was no scraper in the car.

Bought a couple of take-home to the family gifts and I still need a few more.  More later, hopefully no internet problems in Breslau.  So if you don't hear from me, you will know what happened.

Adverntures in Poland! Poland Pilgrimage V. 2 pt.4

My Polish adventure for the day... While in Opole at the archives I needed to take a break and walk off a pain in the back I have now had twice. Saw a sign indicating a restroom was in the vicinity and "stopped by". Well, I missed an important notice, looked in the wrong direction, I suppose. To use the potty, was 2 Zlots and my wallet was in my locker at the archive up the street and around the corner.

So I finish and get ready to leave the premises and a Polish lady, apparently the attendant there, holds out her hand and points to a sign, 2 zlots. OK, I ask if she speaks German or English, the answer, no... So I tried to use my own sign language, indicating I need to get my purse. She stands in front of the door. I think she is getting madder by the minute. Finally, somehow I convince her to let me go to get money. As I get back, she is standing, hands on hips, waiting for 2 Zlots. I give her 10.  A very expensive trip to the lou.

 

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Adventures at Archives Polish Pilgrimage V. 2 Pt. 3

So today was another good day.  We left about 7:00 to get to Opole Archives by 8:00.  Our timing was good as we were able to find good parking right beside the archive.  Today it rained in the first part of the day making things colder of course.  We got in the archives and filled out the necessary and customary paperwork.  This always takes a bit of time, but of course, the rest of the stay we can pass that by.  We only need to do it the first day.  Then we got the books for one of the civil registration offices for 2 of the villages which belonged to the Jaryszow parish.  This time we were allowed to take photos of the documents.  A very successful day one that started out somewhat on a bad foot for me.  When I got to the archive I felt fine, but after about an hour or so I got a BAD pain in my lower back hip area that got to the point of is this a kidney stone or what.  The pain was almost to that point and I know that pain, believe me, been there, done that.  However, it was a little lower than a kidney stone, so I didn't think it was that.  I kept leaving the reading room trying to walk it off, went up and done the street by the archive, went to the car, and did all I could, but it kept getting worse.  I finally decided to tell Sylwia that we had better go.  She said I looked really white in my face like a ghost.  So we packed up and went to the German-speaking lady in the reception area and asked if we needed a doctor, where to go.  Just before that, I kept praying for the Lord to get me through this one and help me, because I totally didn't know what to do or where to go.  As we were talking at the end to the lady at the reception desk the pain stopped as suddenly as it had started.  I told Sylwia and we went and sat in the car for a short time.  Then I said, I'm fine, let's go back.  We did and I felt fine the rest of the day even till now as I write this.  And so we continued and tomorrow we will return, hopefully not to repeat today's adventure or I will be famous there as that American lady who got sick at the archives...

Anyway, we finished, did a little shopping at the German market and bought, yes, a little chocolate.  And then we went back to our place in Jemielnice where Sylwia made delicious Polish pancakes and we ate them and they were like large crepes.  We made our calls and then I took a walk outside to the two Himmelwitz churches.  We are right in the middle of them.  One is really old, the other not so old.  I took photos of the inside of the not-so-old one and then walked towards the old one.  On the way I took photos of the WW monument of people of Himmelwitz that were lost in the war and then I went and took pictures of the older church all around it.   Then the funny thing I wanted to write about.  Each nite when we had the windows open at our place, the smell of the "Land" would come in.  Another words, not a wonderful smell.  So we would have to close all the windows for a while till the wind shifted.  I kept wondering where it came from.  As I was at the old church grounds I heard terrible noises from the building next to the church.  It sounded like a herd of elephants, so loud!  The building next to the church was a modern barn of cinder blocks with 2 stories, didn't really look like any barns I have seen, more like a large house with glass windows, most of which were open.  The elephant noises came through these open windows and though it sounded like loud elephants, it was really a herd of pigs, many pigs.  I had no idea pigs could make such a racket!  And the smell, whew!  That is where our nightly air was coming from, no doubt about it.  But that is what is the fun of living on the land! And I am really enjoying my total immersion into Polish life in Silesia.  I love it.  It is so real life to me.  I am having a great time. 

Tonight I skyped with my co-worker, Baerbel, who is on vacation in Germany.  And my mom and so, now I will wait to catch Spencer and then I will go to bed.  Tomorrow night we have an appointment with the historian for this region who will come by after we return from Opole.  Never a dull moment.  Again pics later.  What a disappointment and yes, I have lots of pictures!

What a Day! Poland Pilgrimage V. 2 pt. 2

Well, this was truly a most amazing day.  I honestly don't believe I accomplished so much.in one day.  First, I had an appointment with the priest in one of my ancestral villages.  One of the churchbooks had somehow been missed in filming and I was able to get the information from those that was needed.  This was a great start to the day.  Then after this we went to the parish in Jaryszow where I am doing my reconstruction project.  I took many pictures today of the church, the grounds and so on.  We talked to the priest as to whether any records had been found or if there was anything that might help me with my project.  I guess not.  So that was kind of expected, anyway.  Then we went to the cemetery and took pictures of the gravestones so I could add these to my project.  I thought, because it was such a big cemetery that it would take several trips to finish. Sylwia and I finished today.  I took 3 cameras with me.  And this of course was the reason that I took them all, to make sure there was no camera problem, dead batteries or other crazy problems.  So this job was finished in about 1 1/2 -2 hours time.  I am sure that the transcription part will take much, much more time.  But that, of course, can be done at home, as time permits.

Then we went to my relatives in Nogowczcyce.  We had a wonderful visit.  I would like to share pictures with you, but blogger will not show me the "upload" picture file.  So, I believe that when I get home, I will add pictures to my blog entries.  So, for now, this is all that I can do :( .  There is even a picture of me with a large milking cow.  We took many pictures of the "Land", the people, the culture, because I love the WHOLE feel of the place, not just the genealogy.  The last time I was in Poland, it rained and picture taking was not an easy or nice thing.  This time, I have to say that the weather is nice, not so hot that makes being outside miserable, but actually rather pleasant. 

A big surprise that happened at my relatives was that a newspaper lady that writes local history articles in all the weekly papers of the Kreis Gross Strehlitz, interviewed me about the work that I do with the reconstruction of the parish of Jaryszow.  It was very interesting to do and it will be published on Tuesdays edition.  I hope that it will be a good article.  There will be a picture of me.  So I guess that on Tuesday we will hit the newstands and buy about 100 copies.  Just kidding about that number! 

Well, I am very tired and I had better get rest for tomorrow at the Opole archives.

Ist Night Polish Pigrimage V.2 Pt 1.

OK, so I have to give this an official title!  This is my second Polish trip that I am blogging about.  And as such, have to give it a slightly different name than Polish Pilgrimage, which I called the one from year 2010.  I arrived yesterday to Poland at 2:55 PM.  I connected through the airport in Paris, which is large, by the way, and wasn't as well marked or perhaps I should say, as clearly marked as some other airports that I have been to.  But I got to my gate in plenty of time and shortly thereafter people started lining up.  I got in line, too, and remembered that in Europe they don't seem to call people's seating zones as they do in the US.  I remember last time, it was pushing and shoving.  This time, it wasn't.  Interestingly enough, it was REALLY hot in the airport in Paris.  There didn't seem to be any air conditioning in it.  I was roasting because I had my jacket on because it had been quite cold on the plane.  So that jacket got quickly stuffed into my bag.  The plane to Warsaw was much, much smaller and totally full.  I had been lucky to get a seat on the way to Paris with no one next to me.  So I could "S P R E A D" out a bit.  I really enjoyed that.  They fed us a lot on that flight, dinner, sandwiches and cookies, after the dinner, and then the sandwiches were offered again in the back if you wanted one.  Then there was the peanut and pretzel snack and then later breakfast.  It was pretty good.  On the Paris to Warsaw flight, which was Air France and a 2 hour flight, we had lunch.  So I didn't starve, by any means.  A nice young French man helped me with my luggage.  I didn't even ask, but he did!  So all that went well.  In Warsaw, I didn't even need to go through any controls only went straight through the "nothing to declare" door and no one stopped me to do anything.  Even Danuta was surprised about that.

Danuta and I went to the shop to get my internet set up so that I wouldn't have to worry about connecting with anyone.  We got some very nice bread.  In the store it was a huge bread and they cut off a chunk of it to have as much as you want to buy.  Now where will you find that in the US???

I just made an unfortunate discovery.  For some reason, I am not given the option to upload any pictures.  I don't know what it causing this, because last trip I used the same internet, same computer and same blog.  So if it is a blogger problem, I hope it goes away really soon, otherwise you will be only reading long boring text entries until I am home.  I hope it is a blogger problem and it will be fixed tomorrow.  Cross your fingers for me!

I went to church in the Wolska church.  There are 2 LDS branches in Warsaw.  This one is much closer to Danuta's home.  It was nice and I stayed for the whole meeting.  Sylwia stayed with me.  We later went to pick-up my rental car.  It is an Audi 4.  We had a little trouble at first because it is very different than any car either of us had ever driven.,  You stick the key in and turn it off with a button.  One of us had pressed the button when we got in the car and checked it over.  We didn't know it would automatically turn off the car when the brake was applied, so the car stalled at every light and turned off.  After starting and "stopping" countless times we finally figured it out when we got to Danuta's parking lot.  Boy, was that ever interesting.  Who would have thought! But now, all is well!

What I Missed About America! And What I Miss About Poland!

As most of you know I just spent a wonderful 17 days in Poland visiting Archives as a work assignment.  It was great and I had good experiences there.  But there were definitely things I missed and was so happy to have again when I returned yesterday.  They are (not all in order of importance)

1.  My family
2.  Driving my car when and where I wanted to
3.  Napkins at the table
4.  Big refrigerators
5.  Enough electrical outlets and having them in convenient places
6.  Climate controls (hot and cold)  car and house
7.  Screens on the windows
8.  Tomatoes from the garden
9.  Multiple TV's in the house
10. Big one-stop grocery stores--Walmarts
11. Parking spaces!
12. LDS Church on every corner
13.  Inexpensive Xerox copies
14.  Laundromats and large washing machines
15.  Lots of freeways
16.  Cemetaries with old grave stones
17.  Drive-thru fast food places
18.  Drive-thru banking
19.  Cars with big trunks
20.  Free local phone calls
21.  Being able to read the language
22.  Hugs from grandkids

What I Miss About Poland:
1.  My ancestral villages
2.  Pigeons on every corner
3.  Pierogi mmmm.
4.  Roladen and red cabbage...
5.  Old castles, palaces and historic buildings
6.  Polish Ice Cream
7.  Silesian traditions
8.  My relatives
9.  Bookstores
10. Koszecin hand-churned butter, farm cheese and milk, and bread
11.  Afternoon cake custom
12.  Archives
13.  Forests everywhere
14.  A Gralla in every town/Palus or Grochla, Dziuk, Ochmann and Kandzia
15.  Kids selling blueberries on the roadsides
16.  Kloese/Dumplings, Silesian style
17.  Black currant Juice and jam
18.  Church bells ringing
19.  Cobblestones
20.  Looking at original church books
21.  Mushroom stands
22.  Poppy seed cakes

So you see, no matter where you are, there will always be things you miss from somewhere else.  But one thing is for sure...there is no place like home and I am so glad to be here!

Poland Pilgrimage Day 14

Today was a tiring day by getting up early, having a good breakfast at the hotel and then by heading to Katowice from Opole.  Of course, the GPS had another melt down due to "detour" signs caused by big construction projects.  Believe it or not, we eventually made it to our goal and went to the Archdiocese archive.  It didn't really have records that we would be using at the library, but there were some of interest, but definitely not of primary importance in any way.  After finishing here, we took some pictures of the vicinity and then walked quite a distance uphill to the car.  Parking here was not easy to find.  We then headed for Warsaw and believe it or not, we made it, and dropped off my rental car at the airport.  We had to explain all about the accident and the worker there called the police number and verified everything.  He said that there should be no problem.  So that was out of our hair.  They keep changing my Warsaw to Frankfurt flight and so I have to keep a close watch on this so I get there, eventually!  Today there wasn't too much rain and after we got back, I walked to the store about 1/2 mile from Danuta's.  It was nice to walk a bit again.  And tomorrow is souvenir day--I hope.  For some reason my suitcase is bulging w/o anything in it much.  I don't understand this at all...
Anyways, I hope that I don't have to pay extra.  I am tired of stuffing everything to the brim.  I will be glad to go home, see the grandkids and even go back to work!  See all you Utahns fairly soon!

Poland Pilgrimage Day 13

Here is a funeral procession in Centawa.


My trip is rapidly coming to its end.  Today we went to the archives in Groslawice.  There we found a building with no marks to indicate what it was, including a building address number.  We rang the bell and it was the right place.  Aside from the woman that worked there, we were the first there at 8:00 am.  By the way the Mercure hotel has a very nice breakfast.  And all you can eat, fruit, meat, coffees, teas, herbal and other, many fruit juices, many rolls, bread varieties and omelettes, vegies, cheese, Kielbasa, scrambled and hard boiled eggs, bacon, cereals, fruit and other salad type things and just about anything.  Very nice.  Anywys, back to the archive, there I had the same forms to fill out and then the book request.  The young woman that worked there spoke German, so that was nice for me.  I had quite a list of land records that I requested.  Here the copies were double the price as the other state archives where we have been.,  This was a little strange to me and so I kind of held back on the copies that I requested.    Most of the books from which I requested copies did not yet have page numbers.  Apparently I was the first to use these books.  It was interesting on the land records as one file was for one person and his family and one that I got for the Pallus family was very thick and I wanted the whole thing! Unfortunately for me, this wasn't an option.  There were some court records as well that were interesting.  I had thought it would take forever to get through all the files, but it didn't, so we went to the archives in Opole.  There we checked some civil registration records that were interesting.  The archive in Groslawice did not have a catalog of their holdings so it was not possible to request other things.  After we were done in Opole, we walked to the Mercure hotel, put our things away, paid our bill and then went to the Pierogi place that a taxi driver had recommended to us. Danuta didn't want to drive to Groslawice because of all the detours so she paid the taxi for me.  The pierogi place was great and I also had a cabbage roll with rice and vegetables.  It had tomato sauce over it.  I also had a blueberry pierogi.  Very tasty.    I uploaded some pictures and tried to load a few more, but nothing happened.  Will keep trying.  It is only 6:00 and Danuta is sawing logs.  Poor girl.  It is a bit cold in the room and outside it didn't rain as much as days past, but still cold windy with scattered showers, some quite hefty.  Well tomorrow we go to the Archdiocese archives in Kattowitz and I am thinking that after that we will go straight to Warsaw.  I am watching German TV right now as I work on this.

Poland Pilgrimage Day 13

We are at a relative in Nogawczyce.  The lady 2nd from left is 82 and a Palus wife and the other two ladies are her daughters.  I was happy to meet them along with Dominika, who is a young woman that helped me find some common genealogy over the past 3 years.  She told me that in the beginning that Nogawczyce had only 2 families, Palus and Heide.  Pretty much everyone that lives in town today is from one of these families, unless they are move-ins.  Dominika's mom gave me a book and fed us dinner tonight.

They had old family photos which I took pictures of with my camera and believe it or not they looked better in the photo of the photo than in the original.  Everyone was so surprised.  Here is a Palus gathering at the Jaryszow church where they attended.  I was told that the family was ordered to change the spelling from Pallus to Palus or they would be in trouble with the Polish government. 

Here is Dominika in the center and her sister-in-law at the left. 

Yes, here he is, ready to get me the 35th time.

Poland Pilgrimage Day 12

Well today is coming to a close.  We are at the Mercure Hotel in Opole/Oppeln and it was a bear to find.  As with Gliwice, Opole was having road work too in the inner city right around where we needed to be and therefore we had lots of trouble trying to get to the hotel.  Finally the taxi driver thing again.  So we made it from Katowice where we had been in the state archives again.  It was good at the archives and we finished up the requested books.  After we got to Opole it was late in the day and we walked to the shops and looked for souvenirs.  We were told those type of shops no longer exist because people now buy all the Chinese stuff instead.  So the souvenir thing is not so successful but we still have 4 days...oh dear, that doesn't sound too good at all.  And during the day we are in archives so that makes it rough, also...Wish me luck or my grandkids will be sad...

Poland Pilgrimage Day 11

Danuta and I are at the archives in Katowice again.  We are waiting for a book order.  My feet are freezing because I didn't bring any WARM clothes and it is really cold right now.  At least for me, having left hot Utah not too long ago.  We will have most of the work done after this new request comes.  The helpers have been good and pretty quick to get things going.  So I can't complain.  This morning was the last day in Koszecin and the church bells rang in the morning.  I will have to remember that sound as in America, at least Utah, we don't hear any. 
As I got up to leave the Ulfik's yesterday, they began to sing Polish songs.  It was really sweet.  I think that they are amazing people.  I feel really comfortable there with them.
Today the rain continues and I don't care for it.  It is getting old.  Till later, tonight when I can write about something again.

Poland Pilgrimage Day 9-10

Jan and Mr. Wieczorek. Jan called him to have him bring me some information, which he did and he let me take photos of anything I wanted to have. Wieczorek is also a name on my family pedigree. He is also married to an Ulfik woman.

Here is lunch in Tworog.  We had chicken, potatoes, salad and cabbage.  It was quite good.

Here is the Argentian group that performed.  Danuta liked the guy in the middle.

So actually as I am writing it is Sunday in Poland. I am hearing the bells announcing mass at my grandmother’s church. It is sort of a neat feeling. It is about 7:15 in the morning. I wake up fairly early in Poland because the sun starts rising about 4:30 in the morning. Unlike Germany, I don’t see any rolling shutters in this part of Poland, so the light comes into the room that I am sleeping in. Unlike yesterday, at this time there is no rain. Yesterday it rained and rained, non-stop. I was a little sad about that because I wanted to roam the vicinity on the weekend. That had been on my agenda, so to speak. But in a while we did that anyway.

yesterday after breakfast we were not able to go to any archives because they are closed for the weekend. We will go back to Katowice tomorrow in the state archives and finish that up as best as possible. That will probably be my next chance to post my blog and communicate with the outside world. Unless at the palace tonight I can get an internet connection. So Danuta and I got into the car, set the GPS and headed to my ancestral villages to see them again, get some pics and just feel the ambiance of being there. (at least for me, anyway) So we headed to Wisnicze and took some picture, to Toszek, to the city market square and to the church and the castle which sits just above the church. It was nice to see it all again. There always now seems to be those renaissance days at the old castles in Germany and Poland that depict the middle ages with knights and ladies in waiting and the whole thing. I have yet to see one, but maybe one day the opportunity will rise and I will. We drove to Himmelwitz/Jemielnika and tried to get to Dziewkowice, which is pronounced Jeffkowitze in Polish. And we couldn’t get there, every street leading to it was a dirt road full of mud because of the rain that was falling. Not that I wasn’t feeling very adventurous, but the last thing we needed was to be stuck in mud and not be able to get help. Here is the forests, there are many times that Danuta’s cell phones don’t get reception and also the GPS loses satellite transmission. Such is life. Anyway, we saw lots of the old ancestral towns and I had just wished that I didn’t have to stay so much in the car, but yesterday’s rain was cold and windy. I definitely didn’t bring clothing or shoes for what happened on Saturday.

We had told Jan that we would be home around 2:00, and after a nice lunch at somewhere around Tworog, at the Restaurant Lido, and a short shopping stop at a Netto, which Danusia says is like Aldi, but from Denmark, not Germany, we headed back to Koszecin. Jan seems to have LOTS of local connections to historical type people. He knew a man Edward Wieczorek (also a name on my Koszecin pedigree) who had made arrangements with a town near Graz in Austria. ( can’t remember the name, but have copies and photos about it) and he had a lot of historical information. It was really interesting to me because of the fact that there is a town in the district of Graz where we went in 1984 because it was called “Gralla”. It is very near to the now arranged for sister city of Koszecin. The reason they wanted this as their sister city is because the prince from Koszecin, Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen went there after the war to live and he died there. I was given lots of historical information about this and its all jotted in my notebooks. I found it so interesting because of the name Gralla, my mom’s maiden name and the town Gralla which is also in the Graz area. Anyway, Mr. Wiecorek, was a nice man and let me photograph his papers and also gave me some as well.

Then it was time to get ready for the “Folklorico” at the palace of Hohenlohe. There was a nice theatre there and Jan, Danusia, Weronika and NIcoli, who is the nephew of Jan who just arrived from Milan, Italy where his mother, the sister of Theresa, married an Italian and lives. Anyway, the production features, Belo-Russian, Argentine, Portuguese and Turkish folk dance troupes from these countries and they put on a really nice performance. Koszecin is trying to be “the” cultural center of Southern Poland and the well-known performers, in the group called “SLask” are based out of the Palace in Koszecin where they have tryouts from performers from all over Poland and dance summer camp training during the summer. They travel in a large bus all over showing the presentation. They are quite famous.

After the performance there was a stand of books and things that the palace sells. I saw one book, that I didn’t remember seeing or owning. I have to have everything ever written on Koszecin, you know! So I opened it up just to take a look and there was the picture that I know from another book, with my great grandfather, Franz Gralla and the other 35 forestor’s of Koszecin with the Prince. So of course, I bought the book and then Jan said, look the author is my neighbor. So after we returned to the house Jan calls him and he comes over to sign the book and talk. He is very nice and says he remembers that the son of a forestor on page 32 of the book, told him about the forestor Gralla. He also said my grandfather was not the only “Robin Hood” type around these parts and told us some stories and then said his brother Josef Tyrol, who lives 32 km away is writing a book, also about the Robin Hoods. I couldn’t believe it. And so he calls his brother and his book is almost ready for production and I should send him a picture of Franz in his uniform, which I will after I get home. I was given his email address. Danuta and I will try to get together with him later today because he also sits regularly at the church in Sadow where the Priest informed us the other day that he has no Communicanten books which I really wanted. However, this Josef says that this is not true, they are there. So we will see if we can get the information that I need through him., somehow.

So tonight is our last nite at Jan's, Jan’s sister, Marysia made Roladen/Rolada for lunch today and we will stay for that and then make our way to the palace studio apartment that we reserved. While taking care of that reservation, yesterday or whenever it was, the worker there took us through the palace. The rooms, like hotel rooms were absolutely beautiful with all the amenities. So one last night in my little Koszecin and then in the morning to Katowice archives, and after hopefully to Gliwice to try to pick up the book at the museum that we tried to get earlier but ran out of time because of our Post office experience. Then we drive to Opole. We will stay 3 nights there and after we are all done with everything, on Thursday afternoon we will leave for Warsaw. We will arrive there later in the evening.

This morning is quite cool and I have my little jacket on. Wish I had brought a warmer one. It took me a while to fall asleep last night because my feet were so cold. So I put on my one and only pair of socks I had brought with me.

I forgot to mention that the whole family gathered around the outside fireplace to talk and visit. Unfortunately, there were mosquitos. It reminded me of having s’mores in the backyard like we do around the outdoor firepit we have outside. But this time no roasting marshmallows, etc. That’s all for what happened on Saturday. Hopefully I will have time tonight to write about Sunday’s adventures.

Poland Pilgrimage Day 8

It is 6:00 am. And soon time to shower. I had some thoughts come to me and so am writing about them. First yesterday morning after waking I heard a pounding type noise. Later I asked Danuta if she heard it and what it was and she also didn’t know what it was. Later Jan told us that in the morning he had gotten up and chopped wood to heat the water. Wow, I was surprised about that. He says the gas and electricity are too expensive here. Anyway, just wanted to mention that.

Also, in most of Europe they don’t have screens on the windows and the same is here and I have been the meal for many a mosquito. But we must help the hungry or so we are told. Too bad about the type of hungry we are dealing with!

Also, the stork pair we saw in the nest on the day of arrival, I sort of remembered a stork nest 18 years ago and asked if they come back yearly. Jan said it is the same pair for 20 years now. Boy are the a happily married couple! Can you imagine having kids 20 years in a row. The thought makes my feet swell and my backache… Oh well!

Today it is raining and gray. It rained during the night. So, those are my random thoughts and I will continue after the day is gone by. Feel free to leave a comment if you like. I would love to hear from you also! Hope I am not boring anyone.

Just writing at the archives today.  Very busy here today for me because I got the big file that I hadn't been able to get yesterday.  Looks like we will be back here on Monday.  So much to do and see.  So many amazing record types.  I can't believe it. 

By the way, I guess I took my shower before Jan had a chance to chop the wood....so my hair didn't get washed.  Boy that was my fastest shower in history.  Today is rained hard and is still threatening to do some more it appears.  8 people in the archives besides us today.  The helpers have been helpful.  Did my gift put them in a nice mood?  I had been told I was limited but they have not limited my books or complained about all the books I have requested.  Danuta had to go move the car because they are going to cut the grass and it is a little in the way.  I have no book to view as I completed what we had.  I have found a lot of criminals in the court records belonging to my family.  They had verbal, physical abuse, thieves, racial discrimination against a Jewish woman and wood thieves.  Boy I have some black sheep.  Maybe more than I planned on. More later!

Well, today was a busy day at the archives. We took Theresa to Piekary Slask on the way and she stopped at a bakery (Piekarnia) in a town called Ziglia to get poppy seed cake. And this was a famous bakery. She bought Danuta and I both a piece and we dropped her off. Then we went on to the archives. We were about 15 minutes early. It seems to take about 1 hour to get there and Gliwice is about the same. We were able to see the Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen collection today. The index along stood about 12 or more inches thick. I picked many sources that sounded good to me and then found an unexpected treasure of many of my ancestors listed in there for one reason or another. I ordered the books and got tons, They really treated me well and again the 5 book rule was not adhered to. Thank goodness for me.

After we finished we went to pick up Theresa. They are having even more company on Sunday over nite, so we are staying at the Koschentin Palace studio apartments for one night. Danuta and I will then go to the Katowice archives for one more day of study. Thereafter to the Gliwice museum to pick up a book we wanted Wednesday but had no time to pick up. It is about the Jews of Gliwice. If it wasn’t for the really bad road conditions it wouldn’t be such a problem, but we will try. Then after that we will drive to Opole to stay over night at the Mercure hotel for three nights. We had to change our reservations just a little bit and then on Thursday we will head back to Warsaw and get there in the evening. Then Friday if needed I can shop or pack and get ready for the return flight on Saturday.

I decided to not go to Kamien. It is a really long drive and I wasn’t sure that it would be worth it because Danuta called and Gerard Gralla’s wife said that they were not able to find any old pictures.

So tomorrow I will drive around locally looking at the towns of my ancestors and taking pictures. Nothing heavy duty. So that will be nice to do. I have found some amazing records. I hope that I will be able to receive the copies that I requested because they will be amazing.

Tonight Weronika is here while I type and she is watching Harry Potter who since the last time I saw it, has really learned to speak Polish well! He really is amazing!

She was shy at first to try and speak English that she knows and her mom says that she has now loosened up quite a bit.

As usual today, Danuta made an excellent secretary. You really need one for all the forms to fill out. I found many of my ancestors had arrest records for thievery, drunkenness, guns, abuse, racial discrimination, etc., Boy, it is crazy, is it not?

It has rained all day, but isn’t too cold, though. Tonight after we returned from the archives, we went with Jan to the Koschentin Palace and picked up some souvenirs and then the owners took us for a tour of the palace rooms. They were very nice and clean and newly renovated. They were renovating a big hall on the main floor, as well. They rent the rooms like a hotel and downstairs there are banquets, weddings, etc. This is where Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen lived back in the day. They were the local nobility. The palace is right across from the forestry building and I never noticed it before. It is quite beautiful and large. I wonder if Great-grandpa Franz was there and walked those same halls as did I today.

I had to do some hand washing tonight. Otherwise things might be a little rough but we shall survive.

I think that is everything. Love the archives and what they have there. I had no idea, not even a clue. This has been a great experience for me. All for tonight. I don’t think that I will have an opportunity to post till Monday unless I charge the computer and go to the church at some time. For some reason I get my internet connection there.

I almost forgot, the 86 year old sister of Jan and Marysia, Eleonora died in July of this year and 2 days after she had a leg removed surgically she died.... 
The blog stuff is all written in Polish so I always hope everything works right!

Poland Pilgrimage Day 7

Poland Pilgrimage Day 7 Part 2

Well, today was a busy day at the archives. We took Theresa to Piekary Slask on the way and she stopped at a bakery (Piekarnia) in a town called Ziglia to get poppy seed cake. And this was a famous bakery. She bought Danuta and I both a piece and we dropped her off. Then we went on to the archives. We were about 15 minutes early. It seems to take about 1 hour to get there and Gliwice is about the same. We were able to see the Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen collection today. The index along stood about 12 or more inches thick. I picked many sources that sounded good to me and then found an unexpected treasure of many of my ancestors listed in there for one reason or another. I ordered the books and got tons, They really treated me well and again the 5 book rule was not adhered to. Thank goodness for me.

After we finished we went to pick up Theresa. My relatives are having even more company on Sunday over nite, so we are staying at the Koschentin Palace studio apartments for one night. Danuta and I will then go to the Katowice archives for one more day of study. Thereafter to the Gliwice museum to pick up a book we wanted Wednesday but had no time to pick up. It is about the Jews of Gliwice. If it wasn’t for the really bad road conditions it wouldn’t be such a problem, but we will try. Then after that we will drive to Opole to stay over night at the Mercure hotel for three nights. We had to change our reservations just a little bit and then on Thursday we will head back to Warsaw and get there in the evening. Then Friday if needed I can shop or pack and get ready for the return flight on Saturday.

I decided to not go to Kamien. It is a really long drive and I wasn’t sure that it would be worth it because Danuta called and Gerard’s wife said that they were not able to find any old pictures.

So tomorrow I will drive around locally looking at the towns of my ancestors and taking pictures. Nothing heavy duty. So that will be nice to do. I have found some amazing records. I hope that I will be able to receive the copies that I requested because they will be amazing.

Tonight Weronika is here while I type and she is watching Harry Potter who since the last time I saw it, has really learned to speak Polish well! He really is amazing!

She was shy at first to try and speak English that she knows and her mom says that she has now loosened up quite a bit.

As usual today, Danuta made an excellent secretary. You really need one for all the forms to fill out. I found many of my ancestors had arrest records for thievery, drunkenness, guns, abuse, racial discrimination, etc., Boy, it is crazy, is it not?

It has rained all day, but isn’t too cold, though. Tonight after we returned from the archives, we went with Jan to the Koschentin Palace and picked up some souvenirs and then the owners took us for a tour of the palace rooms. They were very nice and clean and newly renovated. They were renovating a big hall on the main floor, as well. They rent the rooms like a hotel and downstairs there are banquets, weddings, etc. This is where Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen lived back in the day. They were the local nobility. The palace is right across from the forestry building and I never noticed it before. It is quite beautiful and large. I wonder if Great-grandpa Franz was there and walked those same halls as did I today.

I had to do some hand washing tonight.
I think that is everything. Love the archives and what they have there. I had no idea, not even a clue. This has been a great experience for me. All for tonight. I don’t think that I will have an opportunity to post till Monday unless I charge the computer and go to the church at some time. For some reason I get my internet connection there.

I almost forgot, the 86 year old sister of Jan and Marysia, Eleonora died in July of this year and 2 days after she had a leg removed surgically she died.... 
The blog stuff is all written in Polish so I always hope everything works right!