It's almost the end...

... of quite a summer. We returned from Poland today and are back in Berlin, staying in Prenzlauer Berg at a pretty cool, inexpensive hotel/hostel: Hotel for You(th) [a tiny "th" is at the end of the name -- tricky!]

I'm sorry I haven't had much time to blog or share with you about some of the interesting, wonderful, horrible, "cultural" things we've experienced.

Poland was quite a mix of highs and lows, a combination of a little too much togetherness, the fact that we're at the end of 10 weeks together, and the experience of travelling in a country that is in the process of being renewed and refurbished after years of letting buildings and streets (and streetcars) go without much care.

We rented a car and drove, which was pretty wild. The car had sensors at the front back and sides to let you know if you were too close to something, and at one point all of the sensors were screaming. We drove down windy, two-lane roads, staying with the traffic-flow (btw. 100-140 km/hr), but then coming to almost a dead stand-still behind trucks or farm equipment. Polish people think the pretty stripes on the road are decorative, more than anything, and occasionally I would look up in the rear-view mirror to see them lined up three across (two lanes, remember!), and then look through the windshield to see the same thing. More than once I watched a car whiz in front of a line of cars at the last possible second, escaping death (and a huge mess!), by mere seconds and millimeters. Motorcycles thought any space big enough for them to squeeze into was fair game, and the little old men on bicycles on the side of the road would let nothing bother them --- they were going to go at their own pace and take up as much of the road as they needed, no matter how many horns were honking.

Szczecin (German: Stettin), our first stop, was an old harbor town and former member of the Hanseatic league. It was also the seat of the Pomeranian dukes, which made it of personal interest to me. The last Pomeranian duke employed Christian Schwarz, Sibylle Schwarz's father. He (the duke) died in 1637, leaving Pomerania up for grabs. Part of it went to the Swedes, part to Prussia, and part to Poland. After WWII it ended up half in Germany and half in Poland, but entirely under the purview of the Soviet Union. Stettin showed signs of development, and they have begun to make the downtown area tourist-worthy, but it still bore the marks of years of neglect. As we drove through Poland, we went to cities that were more and more developed/tourist-ready.

Our second stop was Wroclaw (German: Breslau). We stayed in the Novotel at the outskirts of town (it had a swimming pool!! And it was about 65 degrees while we were there -- but that didn't stop people from sunbathing.) We visited an amazing Jewish Cemetary, which is one of very few to escape destruction by the Nazis. And we also visited the baroque University and several churches ... there were churches everywhere you looked!! It was great to step inside the Archcathedral (there was another Cathedral in town) and just rest and reflect for a while.

Our final stop was Cracow, spiritual heart of Poland -- we visited Wawel castle, the main town square (Rynek Glowny) and the Jewish quarter (Kazimierz). We also took a day trip to the Salt Mines, and another out to Auschwitz. We also spent time on Sunday at a prayer service in the Church of St. Mary on the main square. It is the most beautiful church I've ever been inside; and I've been in lots and lots of churches.

On our way back to Berlin, we spent a day and a half in Dresden. We went to the zoo and to see the "transparent" Phaeton manufacturing plant. Pretty incredible --- car manufacturing heaven. I really don't see how they can make any profit, even though the Phaeton is not cheap. To give you an idea: you can get a package deal of a Phaeton (made-to-order) and matching speedboat and trailer for 180,000 Euros. By made-to-order, I mean: they will make the interior out of any color/type of leather you would like. And the wood trim can be made out of the tree of your choice. Just pick a tree, and they will come out and cut it down and then they will work the wood into the car. The speedboat can have the same wood and interiors, and a matching color of paint. Oh, and as to the paint, they will match any color you would like ... just bring in a sample of what you want. And the workers? Very happy. 95% of the work is done by hand, not machine, but in such a way so that the workers don't have to bend over; everything is ergonomic. They have fancy-schmancy hydrolic lifts to move the chassis into the height and position desired by each worker for the job they are doing. The building itself is out of glass, letting in natural light, and the floor of the workplace is wood -- easier on the back. I could go on and on, but you'll be happier reading about it for yourself here and here. If I ever had the kind of money that enabled me to purchase a car in this price category, this is probably the one I would get. Their propaganda convinced me. It's all about the quality -- and the fact that they let you install your own steering wheel, if you want.