One Last Photo Shoot in Kraków (Sad Face)
It's been an amazing 2 years living here in Poland, but on August 31, we move back to Sterling, MA USA. Living in Europe has led to many great photo adventures and also many great friends made along the way. Yesterday, my photographer friend Jacek and I woke up to catch the sunrise over the Old Town Market Square here in Kraków. We tried to get some cool drone footage over the square, but the batteries were not cooperating and it crashed a couple times. After those mishaps and a bloody finger, we switched to our traditional cameras and tripods.
Especially in the summer the main square, the largest medieval square in Europe, fills up with tourists pretty quick, so it was nice to get there early and make some photos without the crowds. It was really sad being in this beautiful place for the last time, but at least we will have some great memories.
See you in Sterling!
Cyprus - Where History Meets the Sea
Being only a short plane trip from Poland, Cyprus was an destination to cross off the list before we move back to the U.S. It was a great experience to roam around the ancient stone ruins set against the backdrop of bright turquoise water. We spent most of our time alternating time between the sea and pool at the resort and sightseeing around the historic coastal city of Paphos. About 2 hours northeast of Paphos was the interesting city of Nicosia, located on the border of the Greek and Turkish sides of the island. Immediately crossing the border, we were welcomed by the sound of the call to prayer echoing from a nearby minaret. Besides that, it was noticeably quieter and more peaceful, although a bit run-down, on the Turkish side with lots of interesting architecture.
New Video - SoClean 2 Go
We recently created this commercial for the launch of SoClean 2 Go, the new portable CPAP equipment sanitizer from Better Rest Solutions.
Photos From Poznań
Not much to say, just some photos from our trip last week to Poznań, a city in north western Poland.
Czech Republic, Sweden, and Ukraine, Oh My!
A new gallery collection has been added to the website!
This will be a collection of Travel Photography for viewing and of course prints for sale. The first 3 galleries are from recent trips to the Czech Republic, Sweden, and Ukraine. Thanks so much for looking, I hope you enjoy the photos!
Up on Wawel Hill
This is the view as you travel up one of the paths that lead to Wawel Castle. The sun was low, the balloon was high. My wife says it reminds her of a scene from a Bond movie.
Québec City in 2.5 Minutes
We visited Québec City, Canada for the first time last week. What a great city to visit! One of the nice things about Québec, is that after only a 7.5 hour drive (from MA) you can experience an old world European feel.
The Old City where we stayed is filled with historic architecture, quaint shops, and great restaurants. 15 minutes outside the city are the 275 ft high Montmorency Falls. These impressive falls are 98 ft higher than Niagara. Also nearby is the beautiful farming island, Ile d'Orleans. A single main road takes you around the perimeter of the island passing spectacular views of the St. Lawrence river, farm stands, cheese shops, and even a Creme de Cassis cellar.
If you are looking for a great place to stay, I highly recommend Hotel Maison du Fort. The hotel was very fresh and clean and the owner was super friendly and helpful. Located right in the Old Town near the Citadel, we were able to leave the car parked and explore the whole city by foot.
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Pennsylvania - Land of History, Signage and Large Objects
Roadtrip photos from Philadelphia and other interesting spots along the way.
Real Football, Krakow Style - VIDEO
Besides learn Polish, the only thing I really wanted to do during my time here in Krakow was to see a football match. That wish came true last Saturday night. There are 2 rival teams here in Krakow. Cracovia and Wisła. I didn't know much about either team. I mostly follow the English, Spanish, and German leagues. Wisła finished on top of the Ekstraklasa last year and a lot of our friends here support them so that led my decision on which team was to get a new fan. As most European countries, Poland takes their football pretty seriously and so do the stadiums. At least at Wisła's stadium here in Krakow, you can not even purchase a ticket unless you first obtain a club card which has your photo and ID number on it. Even the tickets come printed with your name and the stadium turnstile will not let you in unless you scan a valid club card. I'm not sure if this is a safety precaution or what. The hooligans are pretty tough too. No alcohol is served at the stadium, police in full riot gear are all over the place, and the home and away fans are kept apart by fences and separate entrances and exits.
Interestingly, as serious fans they are, you never see anyone in the city wearing their teams colors. In fact, even on game night, it wasn't until we got close to the stadium that people started to put on their Wisła jerseys and scarves. Right after the game everyone quickly changed back. It's pretty sad that you can't even wear your teams jersey in public without the fear of getting beat up or knifed by supporters of the "other" team. It happens!
Anyways, we avoided injury and watched a great game. Rafał stood in line to get us our tickets and the 4 of us met him, Bartek, Beata, and Milena at the stadium, only a short walk from our apartment. The game ended 1-0 in Wisła's favor due to a penalty kick. The caliber of play was excellent, especially compared to the MLS games we have in the States and the fans were great! Click on the photo below to play a video I made of the action.
Wednesday night Wisła plays for a spot in the Champions League, a first for them in a very long time. We wish them well, Go Wisła!
Danboard Rocks Out With Morrissey
This little cardboard box is pretty excited tonight! What, you don't know who Morrissey is?! Take a listen here. Who would have thought he would be able to see Morrissey live in Poland? Best part is, the venue is a small, standing room only club. Danboard hates those giant arena shows. Hopefully he will remember his camera!
Uwaga!
I thought this sign was kind of funny. I guess I wouldn't be laughing if I was the one colliding with the tram though. I probably don't have to worry about it actually. I haven't been behind the wheel for 2 months now! It's really nice to be able to walk everywhere and take the occasional public transportation which is very good here in Krakow.
Krakow Street Performers - Video
Got a new video for you today! There are so many street performers here in Krakow. Here is just a sampling of some of the interesting ones. Click on the picture below to watch the video.
Published!
I'm not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm just pretty excited! One of my photos was just published in the July issue of the Krakow Post. Here is the original photo. They pick one or two photos each month to be published and then then an overall winner is selected at the end of the year. While I am excited to see it in print, I also wouldn't be surprised if only 2 people submitted photos. It's kind of interesting that it took moving to Poland for a few months to get something published. Maybe they have lower standards here!
Medieval Life in Krakow
Last weekend in Krakow, set before the backdrop of Wawel castle, was the medieval fair called Jarmark Swiętojański. It was interesting to see what life was like in medieval Poland. On display was a blacksmith shop, beer making, printing, armory and weapons, cooking displays, sewing, salt refining, jewelry, wood carving , and more. Of special interest was the horse shows. Riders were displaying ancient skills such as archery, jousting, and swordsmanship. These guys were pretty good! They managed to pick up small rings with the tip of their lance, hit targets, and splatter eggs with their swords, all on a moving horse. The show ended with a real joust competition in full armor. Lances shattered as they hit their opponent, sending large wood splinters in all directions. I'm surprised nobody got seriously hurt!
Danboard Visits Poland
The rumors are true, Danboard is in Poland. He was a little shy to come out in public at first because he speaks very little Polish. I let him borrow some of my books and he is progressing very well with the language. He is now comfortable mingling with the locals and he can even order a coffee with milk in Polish. He really loves Krakow and looks forward to checking out more of the sights. You can view more of his adventures here.
Naleśniki and a Drunken Bum
So, the other night everyone had plans except for me. Don't worry, I wasn't sad. I had a nice night by myself to take some photos. I started my "date" with a delicious plate of Naleśniki at an outdoor cafe in the Main Square while I waited for the sun to go down. Naleśniki are similar to crepes. They come with a variety of fillings like fruit or cheese. Mine were stuffed with apples and covered with chocolate sauce, powdered sugar, and whipped cream. Since I had to sacrifice a lot of space and weight in my suitcase for my tripod, I thought I better start making use of it with some long exposure night shots.
This is when I met my new "friend". He came up to me and asked what I was doing. I thought it was pretty obvious, but maybe not to someone with beer goggles as thick as his. I chatted for a few minutes with the extremely close talking drunk. Occasionally he braced himself on my shoulder. He told me that he was a law student and had 2 more years left until he graduated. The fact that he had only 3 teeth, dirty clothes, and liquor breath that could knock you over, kind of told me otherwise.
After his "spiel" came the punch line I was waiting for, "Do you have any money for food?". I gave him 2 złoty to get rid of him, but he said, "Only 2 złoty?!". "Sorry, that's all I have on me. If you don't want it give it back!", I replied. Of course he kept it and staggered away.
I have uploaded some new photos in addition to the ones below to the Krakow Gallery.
One Foot in Poland, the Other in Slovakia
Saturday we spent the day hiking in the Tatra mountains of Zakopane, southern Poland. The peaks are a little over 6,560 feet. The border of Poland and Slovakia runs along the ridge of the mountains. Along the trail are markers with an obvious "P" for Poland on one side, and "S" for Slovakia on the other. It's kind of cool to stand in 2 countries at the same time!
Hello from Krakow!
I can't believe we have been here for 3 weeks already! We are finally settling in to our home away from home for the next few months. Krakow is such a great city, and our apartment is close to everything, even our Polish language school is right across the street. This weekend we are heading south to the Tatra mountains in Zakopane.
Last Post From America!
So, today is our last day in the US! We are off to Poland for 6 months. It's tough packing your whole life into 2 suitcases! We have an apartment in Krakow that is in walking distance to much of the historic area of the city, including the main market square, Wawel castle, the river, and many parks. Sounds like many great photo ops!
Scotland and Ireland
We flew into Edinburgh and drove throughout Scotland for 1 week. From there we drove south through England and Wales and took a ferry over to Dublin. We spent the second week driving across Ireland, spending most of the time on the West coast, and flew back home out of Shannon. Despite the horrible airline called Aer Lingus ruining our lives, the trip was great! View the whole album
