Saskatchewan + Italy = .......

Last weekend was my very first time hosting an overseas visitor in Genova (family at Christmas not included).  To be honest I was a little nervous about the whole event as I hadn't hosted a visitor at my place here yet, and I wanted everything to go well so that she'd walk away with a wonderful experience.  Thanks to my guest being so great and my friends here, I think that was accomplished.

It started off with her arriving in Genova via train from Reggio Emilia.  Upon picking her up from the train station, to which she expressed gratitude at all who helped her with her luggage along the way - I've never had that whilst in Italy, we whisked her off to the Slow Fish festival at the port.   My friends and I had already been there that evening, to which I took a hiatus, wine glass around my neck to the train station to get her. Hey, I had to show up in true Italian style right?

Luckily one of my Italy friends had a vehicle so upon learning that my other friend, let's call her CD for the rest of this post so as not to get confused, was keen for going to the festival we took her luggage, plopped it in the car and headed down to the port where we delved into a world of wine and wine tasting. Mmmmm.......

Tickets, glass and neck holder.  Check, check, check! Bring on the wine tasting.

No CD yet.  We were waiting. (But not empty handed lol)

After getting our fill of vino we headed to a Mexican restaurant where CD and I were excited to see Cheladas on the menu.  Unfortunately, they were not what we thought or were used to, although pretty tasty if not totally salty.  The little mixed burritos/tacos were absolutely scrumptious and it was nice to find yet another place where we can venture from pizza and pasta.

We topped off our night by meandering through the viccoly where CD got a taste of the downtown, busy, crowded lifestyle of Genova.  During this trek home, one of our companions found a little place where we were encouraged to try a "traditional" (?) shot.  Oh but this was no ordinary shot.  No, no.  It was a sugar cube that had been soaking in alcohol for at least a month, with a little bit of liquid.  Needless to say I'm very surprised I survived that, I'm extremely glad there are no during drinking/eating pictures, and I'll never do that again.

First night in Genoa was a bang with many flavours of the city already felt.

The next day was a lazy day.  We didn't get moving until the afternoon which was nice as our morning was chill and spent visiting and catching up.  In the afternoon, we met up with another friend and went for a stroll down by the sea.  It was a beautiful day and we stopped for a lovely lunch of trofie and pesto, a traditional Genovese dish.

Beautiful day for dining al fresco, although there

were some interesting clouds at one point.

That evening some friends invited us over for home made Greek pitas, hummus and tzatziki sauce.  Yum!  CD was then quickly introduced to our gaming night traditions, and our game of choice: Resistance!  (A popular favourite, if you don't end up being the Spy EVERY round like yours truly that night).  All in all a fun night hosted by great people and giving CD a chance to see one of our favourite weekend evening past times.  

Someone had gone to bed at this point ;) lol

The next day we were up early and headed to Milan.  CD was flying out of there the next day so we figured we'd head to the city for the day and then hit up the World Expo.  Now this was kinda of a new experience for us both as I've been to Milan but usually only to head to the airport, so I have that routine down pat.  The one time I went shopping there, I followed the lead of others as they navigated the subway system.  At least we fuddled along together this time, using buses, trains and subways, and it worked out just fine.  Watch out Expo, here come the Sask girls!

Looking great for the early morning train ride

(Well, not really that early I suppose)

So dropping her luggage at the train station, we found the subway and thanks to a helpful subway employee found out how to reach the Expo.  It was a pretty smooth trip and before we knew it we were there.

Entrance to the expo.  Security gates scanning bags and people.

Welcome to Expo '15 

Waterway at the entrance.  

There were various water scenes throughout the place

which were quite beautiful and calming.

The theme this year is food, and sustaining a future through agricultural means.

http://www.expo2015.org/en/index.html

Main walkway

Each country represented has a building reflecting

their own style.

Purchases from the Sudan exhibit.

Stopped in "Belgium" for a tasty treat

The buildings that represent each country vary in style and are 

super interesting to see.  I loved seeing how countries represented

their culture through various means (i.e. architecture, food)

One highlight we wanted to hit was the Children's Park at the Expo.  My friend had been in Reggio Emilia doing a study for the week prior to her visit and the park was created by the children at Reggio.  It was really cool to see the various tasks/activities they created to explore the senses and use the mind in extraordinary ways to build understanding of the world around them.

Senses matching activity with herbs

Rainwater exhibit showing how the water cycle works.

The park across the pond

Body as a tree (your movements create the tree)

Motion and energy in relation to water, sound and light.

It was a HOT day! Relaxing in the shade after some gelato. 

Tree of Life

One of many sculptures adding to the ambiance of the place.

After a few hours of navigating the Expo, seeing the various exhibits, trying tasty treats from different countries, and having a delicious pizza lunch we headed back to the train station where we bid each other adieu.  Her to the hotel and me back to Genova.  Our time together was brief but wonderful.  It was great to see CD again, hear about her adventure at Reggio, share with her some of Italy and relish in having someone around who knows what a bunnyhug is.

Thank you to all my friends who were so warm and welcoming and showed her what a great group of people I have in my life here.

And thanks CD for coming.  It was a grand adventure and I had a lovely visit! :)  'Til next time....

Nice Shirt!

For the second half of Easter break we found ourselves in Poland; Krakow to be more exact.  Now while I never considered this to be a vacation destination, even after it was suggested in our group, it was definitely a place I'd recommend to others.

The first thing to note is that when we entered the LOT Polish airplane in Prague ABBA was belting out over the speakers.  Yep, a little "Take a Chance on Me" to get one in the mood, not the best omen though.  However, I was already liking this Polish expedition.  Upon landing we got another ABBA rendition and I couldn't help but leave the plane with a smile on my face and a bounce in my dance step.  ;)  (The plane to Krakow had music but nothing like ABBA, a bitter disappointment).

Then, the airport in Warsaw.  Calm. Quiet. Serene.  A scene I very much wasn't used to. (Side note: Prague's airport was also very quiet, with scrumptious restaurants and tasty waiters).  And, I'm not sure what's going on in Poland but let's just say that the men to women ratio was definitely working in our favour.  Yep, I knew I was going to like my time in Poland. ;)

Big game boards in Prague's airport

Waiting on the runway and then saw this :o 

Definitely not in a rush, please and thank you

What?! First time I've seen this.  LOVE Polish airlines.

Krakow....here we come!

People waiting their turn to get into the aisle and off the plane.

Had to take a picture because I haven't encountered this in my travels yet.

B had arranged for the accommodation place to pick us up from the airport which was great considering the time of night we arrived at.  Sometimes it's not as convenient or timely to make your way through the public transport system later at night in unknown places so this was a nice perk. Plus it was the first time B had her name on a placard for an airport pick up and so she was a little excited about that lol (I'm still waiting for that to happen for me). Upon arriving at the hotel we were further grateful for this ride as we would never have found this place on our own.  There was no outstanding sign for the place and the hotel itself was actually tucked in behind a few buildings reachable only through a tiny tunnel and three locked, need to be buzzed in, entries later.  As obscure as the location was, the hotel (and I use that word loosely) was quaint - an older building, I'd say was an apartment complex in its time, with a slanted, creaky wooden staircase, thin, noise enhancing wooden floors and some very interesting decor.  Kind of reminded me of the Victorian times.  All in all one could say that if you want an adventure, then this is the place for you. ;)

Twin beds are the norm in many European establishments

For our first day in Krakow we decided to head to the Wieliczka Salt Mine and take a guided tour. Just BARELY making the train, almost a run and jump situation occurred, we got to see a bit of Krakow's suburbs complete with shack houses and deer.

The salt mine was quite an exquisite thing to see.  It reminded me of the Lewis and Clark caverns tour my family took in Montana a few years ago.  We got to delve deep into the Earth to explore the wonderings that man created meters below the surface, that still exist today, and view the magic of earth and salt.  It was quite an informative tour, and my first one with a headset, and was really interesting to get the perspective of what life of the miners would have been like.  And I got the ultimate souvenir as one of the guides pulled a chunk of salt off the wall for me (and some children lol).

Main park

Heading down many, many, many stairs

Pullies to get work done

One of many sculptures in the mine

Standing on the tracks used to move salt

Stalagnites and salt

Chapel; weddings can be held here

We look a little exhausted.

Salt pool.  No swimming, just floating

Holding the place up

Yummy salt walls ;)

No trips for tourists here anymore; boat capsized

once years ago and a man drowned

After a delicious lunch of meat pierogies (YES! I was back in a land of good food once again) and Polish beer we headed back to the center of Krakow and made our way to the Wawel Royal Castle.  This was an exquisite area that houses the palace, courtyard, sacred ground with an area considered good for the chakra (that's now blocked so wall rubbing and chakra embodying cannot continue too closely), and buildings that now contain museums, with famous artwork such as the Lady with the Ermine.   Wawel Cathedral is considered the Westminster Abbey of the east.

Yum! How I've missed you.

Oh Starbucks.  You were 0 for 2 this time.

And someone thought their name was secure ;) (lol not I that's for sure)

Love the parks here.

 

Wawel Castle

Passing the gates

Only so many tickets are sold throughout the day.

This board counts down how many tickets are left

for the various areas of the castle grounds.

Church. A mish-mash of different architectural styles and pieces

(it had been added onto throughout the years)

Chakra spot.  Black from all the people rubbing to be in the 'exact' spot.

Cathedral (other side)

Remnants of a building

A view of the Vistula River

Names of those who contributed to the restoration of Wawel 

Next we headed down to the Main Market Square.  This was a bustling place complete with tourist trap souvenir stands, break dancers, horse & carriage rides and a firefighter-turned-bugler who plays atop St. Mary's Church.  There's quite the history behind the song played (click link to read more).

Some churches along the walk

Main Market Square

Man playing the water glasses on the street

St Mary's Church.

Bugler plays in top left tower.

St Mary's Church

After meandering through the square we headed to the Cloth Hall, traditionally where merchants sold their cloth (literal translation here) but now where there are merchants of all sorts selling their wares, like a one stop shopping center,  It was here that our eyes gleamed with the amber jewellery known to Krakow.  Pulling ourselves and our wallets away after browsing each and every stand, we ended up at a lovely little restaurant for supper, Marmeloda.  For the first time in 10 months I got to experience once again one of my all-time favourite foods: cabbage rolls!  And they sure didn't disappoint.  How I love Poland!

Cloth Hall

Cabbage Rolls! SO scrumptious!

Square at night.

Back at the 'hotel' we hoped for a quiet relaxing night before our tour the next day only to realize that wasn't going to happen.  As per our luck, we ended up below a group of people who, from what we could tell, like to run around, shout and rearrange furniture at all hours of the night.  Unfortunately, my roommates couldn't sleep because of it (I could since the night before I was up listening to them and so now I'd hit pure exhaustion) and our front desk clerk got a wonderful visit at 1:30am from our room.  Needless to say we were very appreciative of his promptness in going up there immediately to tell them to knock it off.  I'd still like to know exactly what they were up to up there. Or maybe not. :s

The next day we took a tour of Auschwitz and Birkenau work/concentration camps.  Going here had always interested me as I had read much literature about the camps from a young age when I first picked up The Diary of Anne Frank, on into my adult years when I'd read excerpts and young adult fiction about the trials and tribulations of those who endured the camps.  It was eye opening and awing to be in a place only heard about and where so much unnecessary tragedy took place.  I can say that it was numbing to see some of the history that has been maintained to enlighten individuals of what occurred, what was endured and the suffering that happened.  It was also very surreal to be there amidst the sun and green grass, oxymorons of life in a cruel place.  I really appreciated our tour guide as she had a vast amount of knowledge and delivered it to us in such a respectful, sombre way that definitely paid homage to the site and both its victims and survivors.


Note:
I wrestled long and hard about sharing pictures of Auschwitz and Birkenau with my readers.  Up to this point pictures I've posted have been to show the landscape, proudly share the views I've had and to inform you of the various sights and places I've been to.  But this is different.  This excursion, if that's even the right word to use, was to learn, to see and to hear about a topic that holds so many terrible memories, images and stories.  Now whether to share what I've seen, well I'm leaving that in your hands.  For many people they would never have gone here, and right fully so, and many who went had a very hard time with everything they saw.  Now in saying that, I found it very difficult to stand in a place where so much destruction took place, yet what I gleaned from the experience can never be taken away from me.  And I found it interesting, in a heartbreaking way.  So, I leave you with two slideshows that you may choose to view or not.  The choice is up to you.  If you'd like to see images of the camps, you may do and if not, fair enough, completely understandable.  I just wanted to be as respectful to my readers as possible considering the topic and standpoints.

Auschwitz


Birkenau

Once we returned to Krakow, we needed a little 'pick-me-up'.  We enjoyed lunch at Pod Wawel where our meal, I enjoyed a sour cabbage soup, was brought to a close with a free traditional cherry vodka shot.  One thing I have to say about alot of the restaurants in Krakow is that the servers wear traditional garb and it's neat to see the different styles of dress.

On the streets of Krakow.  Not sure what the bottom one is saying.

Children wielding lollipops cross here?

After the meal the girls headed to the mall and I back to the Main Market Square to take in the surroundings, enjoy the atmosphere once again and do a little shopping in the Cloth Hall.  We met up and headed to an old mansion turned restaurant for supper.  The food definitely doesn't disappoint regardless of which restaurant you go to.  Back at the hotel we had a lovely time with a t-shirt, a Polish boy, towels and toilet paper.  Right B? "Nice shirt" ;)  Sorry folks, inside joke. For more.....well, you'll have to see me in person.

Not sure about my pose, or my face in this pic lol

The next day was our sadly our last in Krakow.  We spent the morning at Schindler's Factory (yes, that which the movie was based on) and again indulging ourselves in the vast history that Krakow encompasses.  Coming from a country still so 'new' it's very interesting to be in places where their history goes back hundreds of years, and is so powerful, tragic, and uplifting.

Germans replaced the Polish street signs with their own

over the course of Krakow's occupation

 

Letters from children in the ghetto

People Schindler helped inadvertently save

Before going to the airport we stopped at the mall and did a little shopping. Luckily our cute, lawyer student driver was back to escort us to the airport.  Did I mention how friendly and helpful the people in Krakow are?  Even when we were trying to figure out how to buy a tram ticket a lady stopped and asked us if we needed help, without us even looking around like lost, wild cats.  Yep, I believe if you want to see a beautiful place steeped with history and friendly people then Krakow is the place for you.  How I wish to return to Poland!

Square outside our accommodations

**Some photos courtesy B. McLaren.