Simply Sophie

When in a foreign country, especially in Europe, some of the big stuff can run together. You see lots of incredible, cathedrals, historical buildings, and things that have been around longer than your country has existed.

What really gets me at times is the small stuff: The people you meet, even if just for a few hours. The small things you see as you sit in a cafe or take a walk around town. The culture and the character of it all.

In this post, I was to share that small stuff with you. The little things I captured and love:

One of my favorite pictures from the trip – a sweet old man playing an accordion.

 

Girl in Frame from the Royal Castle in Warsaw – I’m not a big history person but I can really appreciate good art. Standing in front of this painting truly makes you feel like the girl is leaning out from the frame.

Some cute street performers

The BEST tour guide from our trip. I remember our main tour guide, Anna, saying, “Have fun!” when she dropped us off at the cathedral. I never expected a devote Catholic priest to be so hilarious!

“The weather is so nice today because I make call, Jerusalem direct.”

A pretty amazing house in Zakopane, a town known for its woodwork.

Some beautiful flowers make from wood in Zakopane. I bought a few to take home.

One of the members of our tour, a sweet man from New York, dancing in a restaurant in Zakopane with one of the Polish performers – We were so impressed!

About to go rafting on the Dunajec River on the boarder of Slovakia and Poland – what an experience!

A sweet tradition at St. Mary’s in Krakow – A fireman plays a short song on a trumpet every hour. The trumpeter plays the song 4 times, once in each cardinal direction. There is a legend that years ago, a trumpeter was signaling an oncoming ambush and warning the city to close it’s gates. He was, however, shot during the signal so the song is never played all the way through.

Writing some post cards to friends and family.

As I mentioned in a previous post, the city of Wadowice, Pope John Paul II’s hometown, has a famous cake known as the “Pope’s Cake”. It’s unclear where it originated though because every bakery claims they made the original recipe.

At the end of our tour, we got the chance to have dinner with a young couple just outside of Warsaw. They had a beautiful, historical house and property, and fed us a feast!

 

The wife also paints and has a small studio in their backyard. I purchased one of her paintings which is done entirely from nail polish.

Our visit with them ended with a bang! The husband showed us their very own canon!

Another of my favorite pictures from the trip. My mom and her cousin embracing after being apart 25 years.

Watching glass making at a place in Wroclaw. These men are so talented!

Found this in a grocery store – Barszcz (or Borsht) ramen! I did actually try this and it’s just about as good as you’d expect..

My sister and I also connected with a friend of a friend while in Warsaw. He was so much fun and taught us so much! He is currently planning to visit the states next summer for Bonnaroo. It’s the most amazing feeling to make friends in new places. I can’t wait to reconnect.

Thanks for reading about all the Polish silliness! It truly was an amazing trip.