Nałeczów and Kazimierz Dolny

More thunder storms overnight but by morning it had all dried up and the temperature was soaring. 

We visited some splendid galleries today. 

After some housekeeping chores we were on our way to the spa town of Nałeczów. The town was made famous during the 19th century when esteemed writers, artists and Prime Ministers came here for the quality of the air and water, laying the foundations for the resort to become very popular. The very pleasant environment, the parks and the whole wellness industry still makes it a popular resort today. 

Beautiful parklands ....

.... and lakes ...

... even a royal summer residence (now part of the spa industry) 

... and a swan and her cygnets.

After a very pleasant morning in the park we decided to drive on to Kazimierz Dolny for lunch and the afternoon. Kazimierz Dolny is a village on the banks of the mighty Vistula River. The river has been critical to the town throughout time, with it being the most important trading route from the south through to the Baltic  Sea. 

It has been destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries. For the past two hundred years artists have been drawn to the town because of the light and the ancient buildings. In more recent times it has been very popular with film and tv producers. 

Beautiful wood paintings.

Stunning pottery.

Fabulous paintings. 

And very original creative pottery characters. 

Kazimierz Dolny is linked very closely to 14th century King, Kazimierz the Great (1333-1370) of whom it is said, "he found a wooden Poland and left a Poland of stone". He sponsored the great trading towns along the Vistula and encouraged Jewish traders to settle in the towns. Kazimierz Dolny grew wealthy based on this Royal support. 

The ornate burghers house shows the wealth that was generated through the river trade. 

The popular market square. 

The other church overlooking the market square. 

King of the square.

Wherever we go in Poland there always seems to be a display with an emphasis on tolerance, understanding and being accepting of all cultures. Again today a photographic display was again sending this same message.

Great achievers from other cultures on display. 

To end the day we drive on to Puławy with the intention of purchasing a new data card. You have got to love Poland: 4 gb of data for $AUD6.00!

Tyre Day

What do I write about when the day has been about getting new front tyres and dodging the late afternoon heat!

Trying to get the right deal for a simple item like van tyres can take an extraordinary amount of time. Even though, in most places in Poland someone speaks a little English. Getting over this hurdle it is not always plain sailing. The first business that we were  directed to the guy had a little English but all he wanted to do was to talk about his school friend who now lives in Adelaide. In the end he thought I was after a fan belt and not tyres! 

When we finally found a tyre business - they only sold them but didn't fit them! Also, they only dealt in cash, and then, only Zloty - not Euros or credit card. So off we tracked to find a shopping centre and an ATM, once found we returned and took delivery of two large tyres! Now for the fitting.

Here we had more luck. The directions to the garage were accurate and we were met by a very pleasant chap who was very helpful and he had very good English. Tyres were fitted, our brake pads checked and we asked to have our suspension checked as well - it was decided that each was in good order. But we can't say enough about the very good customer service we received at this garage. If you are ever in Lublin and need some work done on you car or van go to "Auto-Service Zbigniew Ciechanek". They are at ul.Bursak 8 Lublin.  Just say that B&H sent you!

The supermarket was also on our radar for the day. The air conditioning was appreciated for the day has started to get over the 30 degrees and we Tassies' start to duck for cover at this point!

We drove on to  a small village, Tomaszowice, for lunch in the shade and decided to stay here for the rest of the afternoon and night. 

We can hear thunderstorms rumbling around the district. With a little luck we may get some rain to cool things off a little! And, yes, that's exactly what has just happened. Violent thunderstorm followed by heavy rain and temp drop to 19 outside  and 26 inside . Great!!!

Some other photos from yesterday:

Special pub for Paddie in Lublin!

A gallery of local art. 

An interesting piece of street art! Titled "Warning". 

Wooden architecture is a celebrated part of the traditions here in eastern Poland. 

Pretzels are a local delight!

Not sure what this guy was doing but something was brewing in the pot - and he was letting someone know what!

A mixed bag but all look great. 

Eastern Poland - Sandomierz & Lublin

Delighted by the village of Sandomierz.

Often pictured as being less developed economically and culturally compared to the western part of Poland, eastern Poland appears to be fighting this trend. Today has been another revelation - the villages, the farmlands, and the roads have all been the equal if not superior to other parts we have traveled through.

The land use has changed, no longer the cerial crops dominating the landscape, now we have mixed fruit and vegetable cropping - in abundance!

Orchards of all descriptions!

And crops - cabbage, tomatoes, etc. 

And the cucumbers in hot houses all along the way. These would be going to the pickling factor for the famous Polish gerkins.

We called into the town of Sandomierz and were pleasantly surprised - again! - by the picture it presented. A special market was being held in the Stare Miasto (Old Town) and it was very popular with visitors - not another English voice heard. 

Market in Sandomierz.

Very popular with the locals and others. Tourist buses were lined up in the car parks. 

Even a changing of the guards ceremony!

"I'm an Aussie, let me out of here!"

All in all, a very pictureque village. 

 After lunch we made our way to Lublin - a town of 360,000 people. Here a festival of music was being conducted in the grounds of the castle. Again, many Poles were out and about indicating again that there is plenty of disposable income in the pockets to enjoy the extras in life. 

Town Square in Lublin. 

The very ornate Cathedral. 

Lublin Castle. 

The Donjon inside the Castle. This tower is one of the oldest structures in Lublin. 

A small colourful street stall. 

Interesting buildings ....

.... with interesting decorations!

The Old Town has plenty to offer with the cafes and bars surrounding the square where there is still evidence of a bygone era - and not all restored to the condition of other high profile Polish towns.  But nevertheless, a very pleasant place to spend a Sunday afternoon. 

Visiting Lublin you can't help but think of the number of Jews that were sent to the death camp, Majbanek, a few kilometres from the centre of the city, while others were sent to the Bełzec camp - 26,000 in all. We had had enough of death camps but it is very important that it is remembered. 

Late in the day we drove a few kilometres to our overnight in the village of Jakubowice. 

A public campaign of interest.

And some interesting sculptures. 

The famous gates to the old town. 

Zalipie- The Painted Village

The Painted Village today!

One of many of the painted houses in the village of Zalipie. 

As we continue to travel eastward in Poland we are intrigued as to the beauty of the villages and the level of civic pride as demonstrated by the building and development activity going on. 

The village we stayed in overnight, Nowy Wisnicz, is incredibly beautiful, well cared for and very people friendly. Commercial activity, through a market and retailers,was evident early, and many people were out and about. Every where we look we see development, building sites and people with disposable incomes. It is s far cry from the picture that is often painted of Poland in the Anglo-based press. 

Lovely open green spaces in The village of Nowy Wisnicz. 

Nowy Wisnicz with traditional carvings and ceramics to decorate the village. 

As we drive through other villages new town squares were providing people spaces for the community. This one in Olesnica.

And most villages had new houses with well laid out gardens - and many more being built. 

We stopped off in Bochnia to resupply the fridge and cupboards before heading north-east to the village of Zalipie, famous for the painted houses and the competition that is held there each year. This tradition started over a hundred years ago when the women of the village wanted to coverup blemishes in their wooden houses - so painting floral patterns on the buildings seemed a sensible and creative way of doing this. The tradition has made Zalipie one of the unusual places to visit. 

Even the church has got into the spirit of the village. 

We are still coming across railway crossings on major roads where every motorist has to stop - there are no lights or boom gates!

It works!

When we arrived at our overnight stop we met up with a Catholic youth rally about national sobriety! From what we gathered pilgrimages are being held all over Poland this week in regards to this. 

Google Translator is marvellous in determining text - on the left is the card given to us by a participant, and on the right is our best Google Camera translation.