No Bucha..rest for us

Goodbye Poland.  I was very surprised at how wonderful your Krakow is and how amazing the people we met were.  Stunning architecture and rich history to name a  couple.

Vienna calling.

Ok...this pic should be the first one but great blogger that i am it didn't quite work out that way.  Fantastic hosts to us in Katowice (pronounced...cat-o-wizza)  lol

This is what happens when you decide to leave your luggage till the next day and have no power cords for any of your electronic devices.  You are forced to use Facebook on a Kobo and utilize that amazing black and white interface and wait like a year for a page to load and why....because it is not built for using as a wifi device.  LOL  That'll learn ya Kevin

Again...this pic should be above the last one.  Letters falling down to form mountains of words in all languages at Vienna airport.

So our flights were fine UNTIL Vienna when it seems they booked too many people for the flight to Bucharest.  So we get bumped and all we got was a paid stay at a 4 star hotel across from the airport, dinner, breakfast and some spending money too.  I am so angry (not).  LOL.  This worked out better than flying into Bucharest late at night and not being able to know if there was internet so I could talk with my amazing woman back home and see her face on Skype.

So...the day is over and I get to say goodnight to you all but not before I have one last call to you know who by now.

More to come as we do go to Bucharest and then onto the work at hand with EuroAid.  All this delay only put us behind by a few hours so not that bad.  Onwards.

Stay tuned.

Travel to Katowice, Poland

I should have paid closer attention to our host the other day when he told me about this statue in the centre of the marketplace courtyard in Krakow Old City (its like a piazza....not a pizza).  Anyways...gorgeous architecture here.

Hello Lampy (my son will get that joke)

After a 1 hour+ drive at 140 km/hr legally (our host drove) we arrived in Katowice to see the office of our hosts and spend time.  What a wonderful couple they are.  They are EU directors for an organization that works with students.

Ok...so Katowice may not be the most touristy part of Poland but it has its landmarks.  This one is a famous statue commemorating the struggle and fall of communism...or maybe just the fall...or maybe just the struggle....what do I know as I was too busy trying to take the photo from a moving car!!! lol

This is an interesting story.  The church above is a Lutheran church which is centrally located in Katowice instead of a Catholic church.  First off it is Lutheran due to the German influence as they owned this area a number of years ago so the architecture reflects that culture.  Secondly, the Lutheran church was not allowed to be in the centre of town BUT it wasn't.  This church was outside the city limits but Katowice expanded and through it all the boundaries ended up placing this church in the centre of the city just by that expansion...how funny and cool is that (or maybe i just find it ironic)

Hey Kevin...did you notice that our hosts have a corkscrew entwined in their lamp cord...now how funny is that???  

So the time in Krakow is over and our time in Katowice was very  pleasant with hosts who made us feel very much welcomed.  The homemade bread and that fantastic brown cheese from Norway as well as dinner was amazing.  

Odd thing though was that while these experiences are wonderful and I am enjoying my time with Kevin on this trip it is just not the same without my Becky.  She is my harbour and my best friend and I miss her so very much as I know she misses me too. Coming home soon and we can spend time putting together all this footage babe :)  

Anyways, tomorrow it is off to Krakow airport and then on to Vienna and then to Bucharest. Stay tuned as the journey continues and we get down to seeing some incredible work that EuroAid is doing with its partners in Romania among some very hurting people.  Building relationships wherever we can and finding ways to help here is what we do and we are glad you are on this journey with us through this blog.  More to come as the journey unfolds.

A sobering day to contemplate @ Auschwitz-Birkenau

To see the barbed wire and know it was electrified is just a small hint of what it was to be a prisoner for crimes that were only found in people by the Nazis.  Kind of sad that it was barbed wire that kept the prisoners from escaping out and yet it was barbed wire that surrounded the hearts of the Nazis.

Cyclone 8...the gas solution or simply death in a can.  The pellets would be like stones until they hit a certain temp and then they would change their state to a gas and the victims would literally suffocate internally.  No words to explain this method of madness.

ARBEIT MACHT FREI-Work Makes you Free

What a lie that would greet everyone who entered these gates.

The names of some of the many prisoners whose belongings would identify them...only to be thrown aside after they had been looted.

Stand inside the gas chamber and look up and see a bright light.  Light is always a symbol of freedom and goodness and yet imagine the terror as gas cannisters hurled to the ground to hit the floor and transform into poisonous gas.  I can't even imagine.

What struck me as unique is that every now and then one shoe would stand out from the rest of the over 80,000 pairs of shoes disposed....shoes that were probably only worn for one day or so and not tarnished as the wearer thought they were being transferred to a bit better of a place and had paid for that opportunity only to be exterminated within a day or so upon arrival.

A crematorium....one of many.  Enough said.

One of the bunk houses among the many that were here.  3 to each level and the ones on the bottom were not so lucky with the rats and feces and urine that would come from above them.  This is life as they knew it.

Many pics have been taken of this railcar which sits in Birkenau and is like the ones used to cattle the Jews and other prisoners to Birkenau.

A place where washing the face was done but in the crudest form ever and in a living quarter that was exactly modeled after a horse stable.

This is the entrance where the trains rolled into Birkenau.  Once those gates closed behind you death was awaiting you in the not so distant future for many and you even paid for the ticket to come here!

I love old doors...just sayin and after the day it was nice to get out with Kevin and go for a bite and discuss the day and what it meant.

Fresh Halibut with spinach, pine nuts and phyllo pastry...a wonderful last dinner in Krakow.

A corner at night with just the right ingredients for a nice shot.

Just the right light on a nice night walk back to the hotel.

You may notice the transition from the sober to the joyous in the photos.  Can I be that quick to change and just get on with life?  By no means.  In the same way one needs to laugh after a horror movie or dance when they are stressed (ok...maybe thats me), the same is true for this transition.  I spent a good many times at Auscwhitz and back at the hotel in tears as I reflected on this horrible time in history.  The fact that someone's heart can become so cold and heartless to see people as rats and needing to be exterminated in the most efficient manners sickened me.  I took many more pictures obviously and the ones concerning the women and children hit me the hardest.  The children under 14 would see death almost immediately as they were not work ready and the women were tortured and experimented on and then terminated.  I saw one woman that was 31 and weighed 75 kg when she entered the camp and only 25 kg when liberation day came.  I thought of my Becky and how that was someone's wife and mother and the pain and isolated sorrow and almost only bones woman's thoughts and those of her husband as he could do nothing.  I was reminded of the utmost importance in taking care of your family and seeing life as the most precious thing to treasure and to never take it for granted.

And if you think that the attitudes of the Nazis was isolated then you need to realize how close we all are to the repetition of that same attitude.  It may not be the same as this but it creeps up in intolerance and judgement and in cruelty towards anything we see different from ourselves and see no use for.  It is in our culture as we now profile people and pick sides for things and forget about discussion but only look to violence or character assassination.  

I cried for those who lost their lives so horribly and yet it renewed in me a sense to live life as full as I can with those whom I love.  To love is far harder to do than hate and it takes work...but out of it comes freedom.  I suppose then that Arbeit Macht Frei (Work makes you Free) actually might be true BUT not as the Nazis saw it.

Tomorrow we are of to Katowice, Poland and then on to Romania.  Stay tuned...and in the meantime...be tolerant of one another and encourage those around you as much as possible and may your heart find freedom.

Seeing Krakow emerge...and a few thoughts

This is one of the main markets inside the old town section called Stare Miasto, Krakow.  The usual tourist shirts and things but some very unique hand carved gifts and crafts too.  The complete fusion of the old and the new is very evident here although the architecture is breathtaking if you like this sort of thing...a photographer's mecca of sorts.

Art and practical transportation collide in this example out front of an art gallery in Kazimierz which is in the Jewish quarters district.  This area was one of the ghettos from WWII when the Nazi's invaded and was recounted in Schindler's list.  But this place is the art and cultural centre of it all...and there are like restaurants or cafes every 30-50 feet and I am not kidding!!

One of the Jewish Synagogues walls that now blend in with the adjoining buildings and in the heart of the Jewish district.  To think that innocent blood en mass was shed in this district (many were shot in the alleyways) for just believing something different.

We have yet to take the grand tour of Wawel Castle but from what we saw on the outside and inside...this is one big house.  This house would have my Becky decorating for an entire life and still not finishing.

Ok...so looking stoic is not my thing but I thought I would give it a try.  The cobblestone is hundreds and hundreds of years old. 

The food here is sooooo rich that i don't even want to think about or comment on it suffice to say that you will never go hungry or be starved eating traditional Polish fare.  Above is Polish style ribs with dumplings and I had a bread bowl soup of forest mushroom...mmm good but I am still hurting 8 hours later.

Just a great shot down the streets of old town.

The building here is the second oldest in Europe or Poland...I should have paid a bit of closer attention to our host that was with us up to this point.

Now that you have an idea of Krakow a bit visually let me fill in a few other thoughts and musings.

The merchants here are very efficient.  They will help you find what you are looking for, put the price on the calculator and show you and wait to be paid and then show you the door.  It is a shock from a customer service point of view but funny at the same time. I already mentioned it but will say again that there is soooo 

much food everywhere and so no worries about eating.  The Lego here costs more than back home so no deals there if you like Lego like my boys :)

The whole purpose of this leg of the trip is to scout out the area to ensure it is safe to bring fellow trekkers for future Vision Trips for EuroAid.  We did meet with a wonderful partner here who is doing some amazing work so we simply spent time encouraging him too...and he encouraged us.

I will say that there is a lot of drivers that could put NASCAR drivers to shame lol.  Even the cab we came in with was one I think.  I was impressed that most drive standard here so I didn't feel like an ageing remnant of technology not driving  automatic as enthusiastically as I should.  And....they have the best yogurt in the world here!  It is to die for.  Ok...I will add the picture as you gotta see the name if you ever get the chance to have it (above pic if that was even needed....lol)

Tomorrow (Wed) is a visit to Ausschwitz-Birkenau.  I expect it to be a very emotional day and a lot of thoughts to go through my mind.

I Skyped with my family for almost 2 hours today as I miss them dearly and they miss me.  As Kevin would say "If they don't miss you, I would think they were crazy"  He summed it up well and it is very common for this separation anxiety but it does not negate the fact that I love my family very much and they are with me in spirit on this whole trip.  I am very proud to be associated not only with EuroAid but also with it's director and my friend as he has shown me not only what a friend can be and a Christian but there is no arrogance and no judgement and no attitude of 'holier than thou'.  Just because we are one thing does not negate the fact that we care about the world and people around us and are looking for ways to help as life is hard enough as is (thank you Becky for reminding me of that and keeping me real) so why not encourage one another and help out wherever and whenever you can however you can. Just sayin is all.

Stay tuned for more and do feel free to comment whenever you like.

The first 24 hours

Ok so what have I learned about international flights that differ from domestic ones?  Well the first thing is that this type of travel is always best done with at least two people and as wonderful as Kevin is he just does not have that same...anything as my Becky (and I know he feels the same about me).  The next thing I have learned is that in flight food sucks internationally too.  IF you are ever offered pasta feta....say NO before they even finish the sentence.  Don't touch this stuff with a 10  ft. pole.  Not even sure what that sauce was between the bread for the sandwich from Frankfurt to Krakow.  I swear they allow budding scientists to use airline passengers as guinea pigs for new food ideas.  As far as I am concerned...they all fail.  Here is an interesting thing to take note of...ever notice the stewardess will apologize AFTER whacking your arm or leg with the trolley cart...hmmm.  Perhaps some kind of sick satisfaction for them...not sure about that.  I did however get to listen to the whole soundtrack for Breaking Dawn 2 which is totally a Becky influence.  If you do listen to the soundtrack then Renesmee's lullabye/Something Terrible, A Way With The World and Such a Prize are must listens too although my motive for listening will be different than yours.  I just find it as a way of connecting in some ethereal way.   I am getting sidetracked (which is so easy to do)....squirrel!!! 

Anyways, staying over 8 hours in any airport sucks but after having had no sleep and a 5 hour time change and still feeling a physical battering from sickness recently...whole different ballgame.  Getting to Holiday Inn in Krakow was interesting with taxi driver who drove like a nascar driver.  Then in the foyer what is on the ceiling...the zodiac signs....and i am once again brought back to the realization that there is an amazing woman at home whom I miss dearly.  I am eager to learn more about the wonderful work EuroAid is doing and to help educate others about the need and the reality but then there is that need to be the family guy I am too... Well I hope I have kept you wanting to hear more otherwise this blog is like me talking to a wall.  Your thoughts and prayers are always welcomed as these are lands where we must act very wise and not stir any pots.  More to come...keep following.

Soon the journey begins

It has been a crazy week at the house with sickness and activities and now the day has come for me to leave my wonderful Canada.  Many of you have travelled Europe I imagine or other international flights but this is my first and it is filled with a lot to do in 11 short days. To go there and come back home requires 8 flights so with my sinus issues on descent I am hoping the medication does its thing or else my head will feel like splitting in two.  I have used  meds for sinus issues as of my New York flight last April so that proved to be a good hurdle to hopefully overcome.  I am going to miss my family beyond words but I am also excited...still a strange mindset to be in.  Stay tuned as next stop is Pearson then off to Frankfurt, Germany.  Remember to keep me in your thoughts and prayers especially as we enter some very interesting areas.  Stay tuned,

48 hours till bye bye Canada

There is a sense of calm before the storm and yet also a feeling of sadness as I will deeply miss my family when I go.  To balance that there is a feeling of anticipation and excitement about doing something meaningful.  I think the scale still tips on the side of sadness a bit only because I have never been away from my family for more than a day and this is not just a few hours away either.  Thank goodness we are not on any Russian planes while over there though or I would have to add "fricken scared outta my wits" to the list.

Anyways, the bon voyage party is tonight with some friends and my family so I am grateful for that.  I do hope I get the footage and pictures that will really educate people about the areas of concern for many is Eastern Europe.  EuroAid is a fantastic organization and they deeply care about the projects and people they are involved with and so I am glad to be part of that.  The internet better be working over there or I will definitely be one upset guy...who won't be able to do a dang thing about it :)  Stay tuned as we all go along this journey one way or another in 48 hrs.