Getting to Edinburgh

We made it to Edinburgh! We left our house this morning to catch the 7:44 bus to the train station where we were catching another bus. There we waited about 10 minutes and took the other bus for about 30 minutes to the Lech Wałęsa Airport in Gdansk.

There we showed our passports and our residency papers. We do not have residence cards yet. The lady who was inspecting passports was unsure about our papers so she called a supervisor to come and look at them. The supervisor took a quick look and said that our documentation was acceptable. So we went through all the security fun: coats, laptops, shoes, cell phones, cameras, backpacks...awesome! We took a budget airline, Ryan Air, based out of Dublin. They allow only one carry on bag, and they charge to check any baggage. And there are restrictions on the size of the carry on bag. So we each brought the clothes we are wearing, and two changes of clothes, a pair of pjs and that's it.

The plane was about half full, if that. It is about a two hour flight from Gdansk to Edinburgh. There is no complimentary anything on Ryan Air. They have soft drinks, food, smokeless cigarettes, lottery tickets all for sale though. We did not purchase anything. I had some granola type bars (called Corny Bars--made in Germany) with me that the kids snacked on during the flight. We arrived in Edinburgh at about 12:30. They are an hour behind Gdansk, so at the moment we are only six hours ahead of home! Since we have American passports, we were lucky enough to go through the "All Other Passports" line instead of the "EU Passports" line. We did not have to wait at all to have the lady check and stamp our passports. The "EU Passports" line was very long. Ironically it was much more bureaucratic for us to leave Poland than for us to enter the UK.

We took a cab to our apartment. The cab driver was very friendly and talked to us quite a bit. He told us that our "accents" sound like Helen Hunt! We think that we are not the ones with accents--everybody here is! It has already been fun to be able to understand people and to be able to make small talk when we are out and about. Our apartment is very nice has two bedrooms and a fold out sofa. It is located near the historic Princes Street and is about 30 yards from the US Embassy. We are happy to report that unlike Budapest, it appears that no one actually lives here. There is no underwear in the drawers, no food in the fridge or cabinets. There are however, smoke detectors in this apartment, which we have not had in our other travels. It does not seem to be standard in many parts of Europe like it is in the US. Our house in Gdansk did not have any when we first arrived. But soon after we got there I bought a couple just for my own peace of mind. Oh, and there is a combo washer/dryer here! Woohoo! There is a lot of laundry line drying at our house in Gdansk as of this writing! It should be dry by the time we get home on the 13th! As soon as we dropped off all of our stuff we went out to find some lunch. We found a little restaurant that to the kids' great delight, served nachos!

After lunch we wandered 

just a little bit and found a big book store, an ENGLISH bookstore! We need to check our school book lists and we will for sure be making a return trip to that bookstore! On our way back to the apartment we stopped at a little grocery store and got a few things for breakfast. They had Kraft mac & cheese there. Who knew how excited some American children would get buying two boxes of that? They are also very excited that there is Dr. Pepper here. They are on the look out for root beer. They have Diet Coke here instead of Coke Light (like they have in most other parts of Europe). I had some Diet Coke with lunch and it sure tasted different to me. I don't know if it actually tastes different here or if it's been so long since I've had it that I don't remember what it tastes like. We came back to the apartment and the kids have been having fun switching from one English television channel to the next.

We left our apartment at 5:40 to go to dinner. Our very good friend, Cara, who we both know from our KU days, has a cousin who is living here and working on her PhD in Linguistics. Cara put us in touch with Lauren, and we were able to meet her for dinner. She is also a KU grad, though MUCH younger than us! It was so fun having dinner and wonderful conversation with a fellow Jayhawk!

We ate at an excellent Italian restaurant that she knew of and she gave us all kinds of tips on what to do while we are here.

In our efforts to reduce the amount of stuff we were bringing on our trip, we left one particular bag that we usually always bring at home. In it is our computer attachment to download our pictures. So, for tonight we cannot download the few pictures we took today. I am going to go ahead and post this entry, and tomorrow when we pick up the attachment we need, I will insert the pictures. So our pictures from today will be posted on the actual blog site tomorrow (2-5).

And one more thing...we heard that the temperature in Gdansk was 34 degrees today. Whatever! We have been waiting and waiting for some warmer temperatures and it finally warms up a little the day we leave! It is about 42 here in Edinburgh so we're doing ok.

It's Warmer and Lighter

We are still not above freezing, but the temperatures are close. I have never been so happy to see slush! It snowed another inch or so this morning but now the sun is out. We have been able to get out a little bit more which is very nice. On Saturday we went to the Gdansk National Museum.

It is downtown and we ate lunch at the KFC beforehand. The kids were so happy! The museum is quite small and it took us about an hour to go through all of it. There were various porcelain pieces that were beautiful. There were many paintings from The Netherlands and then quite a few from the Gdansk region. There are also many pieces of artwork that are being housed there that were in the Church of St. Catherine. That church burned in 2006 and is being refurbished.

On Sunday we intended to go to the Cathedral of Gdansk for Mass. It is about a 25 minute tram ride and is the seat of the Bishop of the Gdansk Diocese. Myles had looked up the directions to this cathedral. We got off the tram and headed toward the high steeple a couple of blocks away. Mass was starting at 1:00 and we arrived right on time. After a little while, Myles leans over and says that he doesn't think this is the cathedral. I had not researched it, but the altar piece was very ornate and it looked like it could be a cathedral, though the church was not huge. It was incredibly cold in the church. We could see our breath (and everyone else's, too!) all during Mass. Just as at our church (St. Stanislaus), the holy water (which is inside the doors by the way) was completely frozen. After Mass we asked one of the priests if this was the cathedral. He said it was not and that the cathedral is one kilometer (about six blocks) down the road.

So we walk the six blocks and see another tall steeple. This WAS the cathedral. John Paul II said Mass here while he was pope and there is a huge portrait of him.

We walked around for a little bit, but it also was not heated, so it was freezing. It feels like it is colder inside these churches than it is outside. We cannot figure out why these buildings aren't heated at all. It seems like there would be a benefit to having some sort of climate control for all of the artwork in these churches. We quickly looked around and then decided that we would come back when it is warmer to really look around. Maybe we'll do that when my sister comes to visit next month

It was a great weekend as we were able to get out of the house! The kids went to school on Monday. Trey's class talked about fire safety and they made fire hats to wear (sounds just like what they do at home!).

We are leaving for Scotland tomorrow morning! We are flying and should arrive in the early afternoon. We are looking forward to it.

We've Been Downright Boring

I am so glad that we had a couple of birthdays in January to liven things up, or we all might have gone mad. It has been very cold, and according to news reports here, the harshest winter in Europe in over 20 years. We can't say we've been too thrilled to be a part of THAT! But we are thankful to have a nice place to live, a big grocery store 1/2 a mile away and the internet at our fingertips.

We have not been out much at all unless we had to. It was bitterly cold the past few weeks. So we only went out to the grocery store when it was absolutely necessary. On Monday the kids were supposed to go to school and they were all looking forward to it to go somewhere. But when we got up in the morning, the temperature was -10 Fahrenheit. I flat out refused to make our school trek in that weather! My decision was not popular, but there was no way we were going. I think if we had gone out the kids would have agreed with me pretty quickly. It's one thing to brave the elements when it is regular cold, but at some point (and -10 is past "some point" to me) it's just stupid to mess with dangerous temperatures.

The bitter cold has let up somewhat. We contacted the kids' school and the director graciously allowed the kids to come on Wednesday instead of Monday. It seemed almost balmy walking to school in snow and 18 degrees! It really wasn't bad at all. When I picked up the kids it was about 23 degrees, AND it was still light for our entire walk home. Things are looking up!

We have all occupied ourselves by finding and listening to the Jayhawks' games online. That's always fun!

Also, we are up to date with American Idol! We are enjoying season 9 so far. We are a couple of days behind with it each week, but what a treat to be able to see it at all! There was a news story about a dog here that somehow found himself on a sheet of ice floating down the Vistula River. According to reports there were people in town who saw this dog on the river through Gdansk. The Vistula River empties into the Baltic Sea so this pooch floated on out there for more than 30 miles! Finally, a boat on the Sea saw him and he was rescued.

We have been doing lots of school work. I know the kids are tired of it. I know I'm tired of it, too! But we are taking a February break next week. We are taking a nine day trip to Scotland and Ireland, and we have no plans of doing any school while we are gone!

Today it warmed up to nearly 30 degrees so Trey and Abbie were finally able to get out and really play in the snow.

They wanted to build a snowman but the snow did not pack very well today. They may try again tomorrow.

We have come to the unanimous agreement that none of us will miss January in Poland! And while this may have been an unusually COLD winter, the darkness is not unusual. We have added nearly an hour of daylight to the days since the beginning of January, and the difference is significant enough each day that it is noticeable (and very welcome). So long January!

We Are Freezing

It is really cold here in Poland! That is not surprising--it is January after all. But from what we understand this has been an unusually cold and snowy winter for Gdansk. Right now it is -4 Fahrenheit. It has not been above freezing here yet in 2010, and the forecast for the upcoming week does not look promising. It looks like we will be getting an additional 4-6 inches of snow midweek. We have been staying home the vast majority of the time. We are all anxious to get out and do something, but it is really just to cold to be out running around. Ben and Trey found the KU game online last night and enjoyed listening to the Jayhawks win. We're watching a lot of movies, playing board games and doing school work to keep ourselves busy. There's nothing we can do but wait the weather out, so that's what we are doing.

Trey's Happy Birthday

Trey turned seven today. He woke up early and has been very excited all day long. It is very cold here and we just hung around the house all day. Myles came home from work at about 4:00 and Trey opened his presents. He got the movie "Monsters vs. Aliens." He has wanted to see that movie since it came out in the theaters. The DVD we bought is in Polish, but we can change it to English. We could also watch it in Czech or Slovakian if we want. He was very happy when he opened it up.

He also got a couple of transformers and a few new Thomas vehicles and trains. I love that he has not outgrown his love of trains yet. He has a bunch over here and still drives them all around the house.

We went to his favorite place on earth for dinner and he enjoyed his chicken nuggets and french fries! Myles is in the background eating Chinese food from the food court. The Chinese place and the pizza place in the food court put the food on ceramic dinner dishes (totally breakable). You eat your meal and then return the plate to the restaurant when you are done.

We came home and continued the celebration with cake. He made a wish and blew out his candle. When we got home, Trey was thrilled to see that his class had sent him a very nice Happy Birthday email. It was so sweet of them to send that on his birthday. He was surprised and delighted. Trey's is the last birthday we will celebrate here. My birthday (July) is next and we will be home before it rolls around!

It is still quite cold here. It has not been above freezing so far yet in January. We keep waiting! Ben has had to go to school three times this week. He went on Monday for his regular day of school. He and his classmates have been preparing for a British standardized physics test. That test was administered this morning. Yesterday morning he went in for a review session and then this morning he went in for some review as well. Then the test was late this morning. He just went by himself to school yesterday and today which was nice. When they all go I always go with them in the mornings and pick them up afterwards. To get to school, it is a 10 minute walk to the tram, then a five minute tram ride, then a 10 minute walk to get to school. The walking includes crossing a very busy street and crossing working railroad tracks. We've had to stop and wait for trains to pass before. Ben is fine to handle that himself, but I don't want the big kids to have to be responsible for handling all of that with Trey. We will find out how he did on the test sometime in March or April. They reviewed quite a bit so I would be surprised if any of the kids did not do well. And while this test will not count toward any of Ben's studies back home, we decided that the experience of taking it would be good. Also, he will have familiarity with physics when he does take it at Aquinas eventually.

Myles and I went to city hall on Friday to try to get our residency completed. We arrived with all of our paperwork and the lady told us that our landlord has to fill out a form and provide some other documentation regarding ownership of the house we are renting. So we still have that to do, but hopefully that will be the end of our obligation regarding residency. I wonder if we will even get our cards before we head back home in five months! We have not been out and about much since the weather has been so cold. We are really starting to notice that the days are getting longer. It was still light at 4:00 today! That is a welcome sight!

Our Beach

We took the tram to the beach on Wednesday. As we were walking from the tram to the beach (maybe the equivalent of four or five blocks), I was questioning my own sanity. It was cold! But the moment we walked past the line of trees and onto the beach, I was so glad we came.

There is something so tranquil about waves on the shore. We did not have Christmas cards made or sent out this year. I wanted a picture on the snowy beach for our Christmas card, but we did not have any snow before Christmas. So I am considering this picture as our belated Christmas card!

And the unique experience of walking on a snow covered beach is totally worth it. I was surprised to see quite a number of people (maybe 20 or so) walking about on the beach. There was a young woman (probably around 18 or 19) having her picture taken. She was wearing a sleeveless top and skirt. She had to be freezing! We really enjoyed the swans. Here are Natalie and a couple of her friends contemplating the sea.

We took a loaf of bread to share with them. As they saw Natalie walking toward them, they ran at top speed to reach her. They knew she had goodies to share!

They have huge, black webbed feet, and watching swans run is hilarious. At one point they lined up and waited for Natalie to give each a piece of bread--very polite!

Trey was a little afraid at first to let the swans take bread out of his hand. When he finally was brave enough, one swan gave his hand a little nibble! Luckily he thought it was funny and had gloves on. It didn't hurt too badly. This picture was right before Trey fed one himself. I believe this one was the biter!

As we were leaving I took this picture of the kids. We'll come back to this particular spot as the seasons change and take updated photos.

There were large snow drifts in various places on the beach. Ben found this big one and the man vs. nature conflict kicked in. Ben was victorious!

Abbie and Trey took on smaller drifts.

The sun is shining today--that's something we have not seen in Gdansk for a long time. It is forecasted to be sunny tomorrow as well. We are always happy to see a sunny day, even if it is still cold!

January

Well, it is certainly winter here in Poland. But it has not been as bad here as it has been at home, so I will keep griping to a minimum. We have had a few days in the teens, but mostly it is in the 20s during the days and teens overnight.

Myles has been in Barcelona for a few days for a study abroad program with Rockhurst students. He met two fellow Rockhurst professors and about 20 students there. He was hoping for some warm Spain weather, but it was not to be. It was colder there than it normally is this time of year (though warmer than here). He enjoyed seeing some familiar faces, but we are glad to have him back home with us tonight! He came home to about six inches of snow on the ground. Luckily, the temperatures are in the upper 20s today, so it could be a lot worse.

The kids went back to school yesterday (Monday). Here they are walking to school in the morning, and it's still pretty dark.

The days will get longer as the days go by, so heading to and from school in the dark are going to be only memories very soon. Here's how light it was by the time we got to school (about 20 minutes after the first picture was taken).

The kids have been wanting to get out in the snow and play. Ben just couldn't help himself and HAD to throw a snowball. There is enough snow to build a snowman and I think the kids are planning to do that tomorrow. I need to pick up a carrot at the store for the nose, though!

Today we were invited to join the rest of the International School students as they went on a field trip to a wall climbing activity. We met the classmates there, and they had a blast. It was a great thing to do to get them out of the house. We hurried through all of our school work this morning so we could go this afternoon. Here's Ben making his way up the wall.

 

Trey and Natalie are in the middle, making progress. 

 

This picture of Abbie did not turn out great and she was annoyed by that. But I reminded her that the entire previous blog was about her, so she's ok with it now.

Here is Trey confirming all our suspicions that he is indeed a little monkey! 

We've been a little stir crazy so this was a very nice outing, where the kids could play and socialize with their school friends. We don't have much planned for the rest of the month. We'll just be doing school work and getting out and about around Gdansk as we can. Ben and I will continue to try to figure out Geometry. I think we have a good handle on it, but that doesn't mean we have to like it! We do plan to make it a couple miles north to the Baltic Sea to check out the snow covered beach in the next few days. I'm not too worried about missing it...the temperature is not supposed to rise above freezing any time in the next two weeks. We hope everyone is staying warm!