2011 European trip: Gizycko, Poland

Above is the family that shared Gizycko with me. After a weekend of their sharing, we all joined for dinner at a restaurant. The man on the far left (Pawel) and the far right (Piotr) are twins. They are grandsons of Joseph Matveev URBANOWICZ and his wife, Julia Veronica MIRONOWICZ. The little boy is named Wojciech. He ran 'round and 'round the table, played with a little car, and gave me a little picture that he drew.

Photo below: A little "cabin in the woods."

Actually, the "cabin" is not in the woods. Rather, it's in a rural area with cows grazing across the road. Piotr and his wife Teresa call it a "farmette." They own an apartment in the city in Gizycko. After the fall of Communism, they bought a little "farmette" and had a small house built on it. Though small, the house has a front room, a complete kitchen, a complete bathroom, and a sleeping area on the second floor. They grow apples and tomatoes and vegetables and flowers. They smoke sausage in a garden house. Their grandchildren come to play, where they can see the cows grazing directly across the road. Life improved vastly once the Commies were gone. Another thank you to Pope John Paul II.

Photo below: Apple trees at Piotr and Teresa's farmette.

The apples were so abundant and ripe that then fell to the ground as I walked past. And they were tasty! Look beyond the apple tree on the left; you can see a greenhouse made with framework and heavy plastic sheeting. The greenhouse is filled with vegetables.

Photo below: Another view of the farmette.

Both Piotr and Teresa are retired. Except for the cold months, they are at their farmette a few times every week, working on their property and their crops, and bringing their grandchildren there to enjoy life.

Photo below: Boats on a lake in Gizycko.

Gizycko has lots of lakes and lots of water. Many who live in Gizycko own small boats and get out on the water frequently.

Photo below: German bunker from World War I.

Above is the exterior of an old German bunker from World War I. These days, it's owned by a marina. The bunker was built into the side of a hill. Look at the concrete wall; then look along the top of that concrete and see the green moss growing. That moss is at the top of the hill, where the hill was cut away for the installation of the bunker.

Photo below: Open door at the old German bunker.

Above shows the door to the bunker opened, and Teresa has walked inside.

Photo below: Inside view of the German bunker.

This is a view inside the bunker. Inside the bunker was creepy and frightening. I did not do much exploring. The only light is what came in from the open door.

From Gizycko, it was another train to Krakow.