Last day in KRAKOW, Poland . . . Cafe Mini . . . and more perogies

Bryan’s travel journal continued:

Tuesday September 17

We woke up to another sunny day and walked again to the Europejska for breakfast. 

Then we all walked down to Wawel Castle. Along the way we visited the Franciscan Church of St Francis of Assisi which has an impressive stain glass window by Stanislaw Wyspianski as well as a certified copy of the Shroud of Turin. 

A modernist, Stanislaw Wyspianski was “one of the most outstanding artists of his time in Poland”.   In addition to working with stained glass, he painted, designed furniture, and wrote poetry and plays.  Sadly, he died in 1907 of syphilis when he was only 38 years old.

We also passed by the grand statuary in front of the Church of Saints Peter and Paul. We wandered the grounds of the Royal Castle on Wawel Hill and visited the Royal Cathedral of St. Stanislaus and St. Wenceslaus which has the Sigismund Chapel. The cathedral, which was the traditional coronation site of Polish monarchs, is closely associated with the religious life of Karol Wojtyla who became Pope Jean Paul II.

Later Nestor and Bryan walked across the river to see Oscar Schindler’s enamel factory which was not easy to find. It was a good thing that we stopped for a pleasant lunch. When they did locate it (thank heavens it was next to the hard-not-to-notice MOCAK, the gallery of contemporary art). They could not enter because there were no tickets available! On the way back they visited the Galicia Jewish Museum in the Kazimierz. This museum, established in 2004, is a photo exhibition commemorating the 800-year Jewish culture and life in western Galicia (southeastern Poland). Their trek so far had made them a tad peckish, so they stopped for Polish tapas: vodka shot with sardine paté and later, a donut and coffee.

Choosing a more relaxing afternoon than the guys, I couldn’t resist trying one of the desserts offered at a small restaurant near the Rynek.

              Raspberries and whipped cream in a meringue:  absolutely marvelous!

That evening everyone took in an excellent meal at Wesele. 

While waiting for dinner to arrive, Bryan  went for a short stroll and went inside St. Mary’s Basilica and viewed its wooden Gothic altarpiece carved in the late 15^th century by Veit Stoss.

This time, I had some perogies stuffed with duck and others with potatoes.   

In The Polish Country Kitchen Cookbook, Sophie Hodorowicz Knab tells us that, “In 1842, a cookbook devoted solely to the preparation of potatoes was published. . . . purées, salads, pastry, . . . ‘au gratin,’ puddings, tortes, and even dishes utilizing potato peelings.”

Wednesday September 18

At 7:00 am we were picked up and take to the airport. Our talkative driver was knowledgeable and open about the political situation in his country. He was far more liberal-minded than many of his fellow countrymen.

A little after 9:00 am we left Krakow for Munich in an Airbus 319 and around 3:00 pm from Munich to Vancouver on an Airbus 350. The trip home was long but smoother than our flight to Poland.                                                                                                                

January BIRTHDAYS . . . and Reese Witherspoon’s CORN & CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

Happy January Birthdays, Everyone!

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Reese Witherspoon’s CORN & CHERRY TOMATO SALAD

6 cups fresh corn kernels: I thawed frozen corn kernels.  Another option is to grill the corn until lightly charred before cutting it off the cobs.

4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved (2 pints)

1 bunch scallions: white & green parts: thinly sliced

1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

(I halved the 4 ingredients above but made the full amount of dressing.  There was enough salad to serve four people)

Dressing:

¼ cup white-wine vinegar

2 tbsp fresh lime juice (all the juice from one lime)

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp coarse Kosher salt

½ tsp liquid honey

¼ tsp black pepper

1 shallot, finely chopped

½ cup olive oil

1.     Prepare Dressing: Combine vinegar, lime juice, mustard, salt, honey, pepper, and shallot in a small jar with a lid.  Let stand 10 minutes.  Add oil.  Shake for 30 seconds.

2.     Combine corn, tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro in a large bowl or covered dish.  Sprinkle salad with more coarse salt and freshly ground pepper. 

3.     Serve or chill in fridge until later.  

KATOWICE, Poland . . . and the TATIANA restaurant

Lonely Planet remarks that Katowice is “a major commercial and cultural centre and holds sufficient attractions to make it worth a stopover.”

 Katowice was on our itinerary because this city is a major railway hub. 

                              Cathedral of Christ the King: note the "wheel" crucifix

                           Lunch at The Patio, ul Stawowa 3, a restaurant near our hotel:

I put The Garrison Church of St. Casimir on the itinerary because Lonely Planet said it has “lovely Art Deco interiors”.  Unfortunately, we could see very little of the interior because it is barred.  The square opposite the church, however, was a lovely place to just sit and people watch.   

On the Rynek, a young woman was selling what looked like hot pancakes with jam but are actually fried cheese called oscypek.  Delicious!   

                                               27th Floor 

Bryan's Journal continues:  

Monday September 10

The next morning we had to take two taxis (There is a limit of four to a taxi.) to the train station where Eleanor  lined up for tickets while Bryan and Nestor waited with the luggage. Fortunately, the ticket agent was most helpful and tickets were purchased for both Katowice and Zakopane.

After negotiating our way to Platform Z, Track 4 we found ourselves boarding a train and settling into a compartment for a smooth, fast ride through the countryside with a few announced stops along the way. When we arrived in Katowice about 3 hours later, we only had a 5 minute walk to the Hotel Diament.

After lunch, Nestor and Bryan walked to Kosciuszko Park to see a parachute jump tower that had not been used since the Second World War.

We all gathered for cocktails on the top (27^th) floor of the Marriott Hotel which provided a grand view of the city. We walked back toward our hotel but stopped to eat at Tatiana’s for one of the best meals of our trip.

   

This restaurant in Katowice is so outstanding that our evening glows in my memory. 

Our expressions of delight with the wonderful food were rewarded by on-the-house plum vodkas!

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Polish cuisine is certainly not simple to prepare.

If you EVER see Jaja Faszerowane na Goraco (Hot Stuffed Eggs Polonaise)  on a menu, ORDER it immediately.  They are delicious, but so much work that I will not be making them again.

For starters, you have to CAREFULLY cut through hard-boiled eggs; then CAREFULLY scoop out the insides and pick off any shell fragments!

Jaja Faszerowane na Goraco (Hot Stuffed Eggs Polonaise)  

recipe on page 41 of EAT SMART IN POLAND

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Set in Poland in December, 1945