Polish Pottery Road Tripping

My trip with 3 friends from church to Boleslawiec, Poland -- the mecca for American females addicted to beautifully-decorated handmade pottery -- resulted in successful haul. The first time my eyes set upon the wonders of this craft was 1998. You might say I was in the know long before the wave hit. Nowadays army wives from Ramstein base in Germany take buses nearly 18 hours to go shopping at the myriad factory stores in this small southwest border town. For me, Jane, Liz, and Marilyn, it was only a three hour drive there and another three hours back. We also stopped for Polish pierogies, which were good, but very heavy and buttery -- perhaps too much so. Next time we've already decided we need to bring a bag lunch to optimize shopping time since some places close as early as 2 or 3 pm. It was a beautiful, beautiful day -- for more reasons than one!

London Calling

Just got back from a lovely weekend in London, England, where I met up with my dear friend Leah from college and my friend Alex from grad school Intervarsity. Had a great time taking in Winston Churchill's wartime bunker, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and the West End production of Wicked and eating yummy cupcakes, Lebanese food, and Southern Indian.

A few thoughts on London:

The Tube is slow! I missed my flight out of Heathrow and had to spend a night and book for Monday morning. I ended up doubling my expenses for the weekend. Oh well... c'est la vie. I wasn't about to spend the night at the airport no matter how chique the new terminal 5 might be.

“We are all worms but I do believe I am a glow worm". Winston Churchill

Wicked ROCKS! I loved it. Here's my favorite song:

Easter Monday

Easter weekend in Prague was absolutely beautiful for more than one reason. The sun was out, the weather was warm, the sky was blue, and there was plenty of time for rest, reflection and fellowship with friends. After a difficult last 2 weeks or so, with lot's of unpleasant happenings (the horrible event in Binghamton, my wallet getting stolen, and my hot water heater breaking), I can honestly say God gave me a refreshed perspective. As one ponders the death and resurrection of Jesus, I guess that is bound to happen :) On Easter Sunday I enjoyed brunch after service with friends Sheila and Liz and Liz's parents. On Easter Monday -- when most Czech boys are out on the street, whipping girls with branches -- I took a leisurely walk to Prague Castle to see a photo exhibit on World War I. It was a very cool collection of digitally remastered photos from an unknown foot soldier. The pictures were from the Italian and Galician front. The photographer captured many ordinary and very human shots: burying the dead, celebrating Mass, Galician Jews, a mother picking lice out of her child's hair, ethnic Rusyn villages just to name a few. Afterwards I walked back through the castle gardens, down the steps, through Mala Strana, and eventually home. Oh, I stopped for a toilet break at McDonald's where I treated myself to a McFlurry. Yum.

A few sights from today's walk...