Over the river and through the woods . . . to Poland

I haven't written - or rather, I haven't posted, which is rather a different thing - for a while and I am rather ashamed.  Suffice it to say that when it rains it pours . . . I don't think any more details are needed than that.  One of my goals in this blog is to only talk about the good and the universal concrete of things.  Basically, this means that I only want to put up things that folks might find interesting or enriching and that are personal insofar as everything that has a living, breathing, loving human source must be personal.  This is in no way meant to be a place to pour out my feelings or angst, discuss the somewhat confused details of my personal life, or seek solace in the readership of the unnamed and largely imaginary crowd.  St. Paul's words in Phillipians 4:8 sum it up nicely:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Right, so on to the grand thinking!

This past weekend I went to Poland.  Why?  That is the only consistent response I've gotten from the folks I work or interact with when I mention my trip.  Why Poland out of all the available spots in Europe?  Now if you, like my former self, tend to think "cold," "gray," "Auschwitz," and "iron curtain" when you think of Poland, then yes, I can see the reasoning behind the instantaneous why.  Good news, though!  Poland - or at least the city of Krakow - is so very much more than all of the above associations and was one of the best European sidetrips I've taken.

A couple of the things that struck me were the following.  Poland is ardently and steadfastly Catholic.  In fact, it was Catholic in a way I've never seen in Europe before.  There was Adoration in lots of the little churches around Krakow and the people attending were of all ages brackets: children, elderly, students, young mothers, working men.  There was real devotion as well.  I didn't see sloppy genuflections or people popping in to take a picture and then leaving.  One of the most touching occurrences was when a school group touring a church was trying to sneak out the back during Mass.  The Consecration began and instead of continuing to file out, they all dropped in one floppy, back-pack laden movement to their knees and froze.  When the Consecration was over, they scuttled out as quietly as a herd of 30 second-graders with all their lunch boxes and school gear can.  No one told them to do this; the teacher had already left the church.  It was just plain adorable. 

Also, the churches were just lovely.  After all the baroque and paleo-Christian art and architecture of Italy, Poland's colorful, candle-filled, and gold flecked interiors were a huge relief.  And while they are meant to impress you with their grandeur, they are made for prayer.  In fact, woe to the tourist that tries to come in and snap some photos indiscreetly!  A couple of favorite churches: St. Mary's (of course) which I will talk about further in another post, the Dominican church, the Franciscan church, the Wawel cathedral, St. Florian's, and St. Barbara's.  And were these churches empty?  No.  Were confession lines wrapping around the church on a regular Thursday, Friday, and Saturday?  Were they lovingly protected from thoughtless photo-happy tourists?  Were they beautiful places of prayer?  Yes, yes, yes.

God bless Poland.  Alright, well, I've tarried long enough and must go staunch the tide, but I have lots of lovely Poland photos below.  I will do my best to write a bit more later in the week.

Just to let you know how far you are from...everywhere!

The Cloth Market in the center of Old Town Krakow

A sign...that seemed worth photographing

St. Mary's in Krakow along with its outdoor flower market

 

A model of Wawel Cathedral and Castle

A glimpse of Wawel Castel from both the outside and the inside

Beware children carrying abnormally large candies

The Vistula River running through Krakow

What rhymes with orange, I say?

Good afternoon!

         I'm taking the liberty of assuming it is afternoon wherever you are...a huge leap of faith, but we all must make one at some point and I'm taking the plunge early.  Today we'll be taking a short but sweet look at blood oranges.  Blood oranges, you ask?  Why, yes.  Yes, indeed, blood oranges.

     In the lovely U.S. of A, blood oranges were not something that I came across.  At all.  I'm sure that they're found in the right markets at the right times for significantly more than the right price, but none of those qualifiers ever crossed my path and I was blood orangeless until I arrived in Europe.  I was in an Italian supermarket last February and bought some harmless, normal looking oranges.  I did all the things that you must do in Italian supermarkets: I weighed them, punched in the correct number, got my sticker, paid the cashier with exact change, and put them in the "busta" that I had bought.  All well and good, yes?
     
      When I arrived back at the ranch, however, I realized that something was wonderfully amiss.  I cut open one of my newly purchased oranges and, low and behold, it had VEINS.  RED VEINS.  The things was practically alive with red...juice?...trickling out of it.  Even though it seemed to put me teetering on the edge of cannibalism, I took a bite and fell head over heels in love.  I've been eating blood oranges in copious amounts ever since.

       The only details that keep me from delighting in them year-round are
the following: 1) I am not in the wondrous land of Italia year round; 2) The blood orange season starts around November or December and continues until March or April.  The knowledge that I can't have them all the time only serves to increase my appreciation and I urge all of you, whoever and wherever you are, to go out to one of those ridiculously priced markets and buy one and have a go.  They're a delight to all your senses - except maybe touch since they are rather sticky - and make you oh-so-grateful that God put such things in the world.  If you're one of the sorts of people that like to know more about things, here is a link to blood oranges.  I know there is a vague school of thought that says: Sure, if there is a website, the topic must be legitimate.  I do not subscribe to this, but here is a website dedicated entirely to blood oranges anyway.  Enjoy if you have time and inclination.  Do go and out and find one, though.  Your world will be more complete.

Til next time!