Skywatch Friday--Pinwheels and the Royal Palace

Just another two days in Poland. Here are some colorful pinwheels against a backdrop of the Royal Palace in downtown Warsaw, and of course, the sky.

Check out more skies at Skywatch.

Pierogi

Yum. I am having a super time in Poland trying out all kinds of Polish foods. Above are some potato and mushroom pierogi that my friend bought fresh and that we fried and ate with thick yogurt. All that was missing was the vodka...I still have time.

ABC Wednesday "L" is for "Lany Poniedzialek"

I am here in Poland for a few more days. Yesterday my friend and I went out to an outdoor regional museum where there are several village houses that display various aspects of Polish rural life. Some interiors were of a village old school house; others were of farmers or craftsmen. Still others showed kitchen scenes where it appeared as if everyone had just hastily departed, leaving set tables, freshly-baked bread, and sliced meats. Artisans, dressed in folk outfits, displayed and sold their wares, like papercuts, paper flower bouquets, and wood carvings. There were also games for children all along the road, such as egg-rolling, hoop, and this custom of water spraying. Dousing passers-by is what really takes place on Easter Monday, or as it is called here "Lany Poniedzialek." Using targets keeps innocent bystanders dry and still lets kids have fun.

See other L's on ABC Wednesday.

In Poland

I am here in Poland visiting a friend for several days. I swore I would not buy hardly anything (notice the 'hardly'), but indulged myself in a few pieces of traditional Polish Boleslawiec pottery. Anya, a friend of my friend's, runs this shop in Warsaw and sells these beautiful ceramics at very, very reasonable prices. Next time I must come to Warsaw by car, not by plane....

Wedgie

The other day my NYC blogger friend, Daryl, at Out and About in New York City posted a photo which reminded me of this one I took about a year ago while I was sitting a a bus stop. I guess I was just waiting for the right inspiration to post it! That's the Belgrade Arena across the street, where I'll be going to see Walking with Dinosaurs this coming Friday. I am currently in Poland, and hope to have a Polish photo for you tomorrow. No joke.

Happy Easter and Passover

A bouquet for those bloggers who celebrate Easter or Passover, and of course even for those of you who do not. Enjoy your Sunday.

I am in Warsaw until Thursday evening, and will be posting a photo or three from 'up there.' May not have time to visit your blogs, but I'll be back!

Second choice for 'red'

This photo was my second choice for April's Theme Day of RED. This ring-necked dove is a frequent visitor to my very good friend's window sill. She puts out some grain and he or she comes right over.

They're coming......

It's been so nice recently that I took a trip down to the village to see my little traveling buddy, Radovan, who has traveled with me to Greece, the US, and India. He was all excited to show me this little 'lizard,' as he called it, that he found in his yard. He also complained that all his chickens are missing....

When I took this photo, I saw something that Radovan hadn't seen, so I whisked him off to Belgrade, leaving the baby 'lizard' to its mother. Radovan and I are off to Poland the day after tomorrow, where we will be visiting a friend of mine and we will try to buy him some more chickens.

Now I know why there are signs all over Belgrade advertising Walking with Dinosaurs, which I am going to see on April 9th at the Belgrade Arena.

I think I'll be seeing more of 'mama' and her baby.

Theme Day -RED- and April Fool!

The news is in! Serbia has forsaken its national hat, the Šajkača, for the sombrero! (Okay, April Fool!)

Now, today, aside from being April Fool's Day, is also Theme Day, and it's RED! The fellow in the photo was on his way to Belgrade's Sports Arena to see The Davis Cup, that was held there from March 5th to 7th.

See if anybody else will fool you or else just see RED right here:
Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

ABC WEDNESDAY -'K' is for 'kooky'

Spring is here and the weather is warmer, on and off, anyway. This photo was taken on an 'on' day, along the Sava River, where I happened upon this fisherman. I've always wanted to wear a hat like this....and this fellow had the nerve. A very practical and 'kooky' solution to sun protection.

See what others have done with the letter K by checking out ABC WEDNESDAY.

Happy Birthday, Vincent van Gogh...

...and to the little boy on the right, who shares a birthday with him! This is my 3rd grade English as an Additional Language class (the 3rd grade is bigger; these are just the kids who come to me.) Their current theme unit is on 'expression,' and what better way than to learn about van Gogh, who expressed himself so well through his paintings? I invited a stand-in for Vincent, who would have been 147 today. The little doll is part of a series called Little Thinkers that you can read about by clicking on that link. They're fun gifts...and Vincent has a removable ear...