We began the month with one of the most glorious weekend days we have yet seen in Sheffield(or the United Kingdom, for that matter) and celebrated its warmth and sunshine by walking out to the edge of the Peak District. Along the way, we crossed paths with a couple from our new church, and enjoyed the chance to get to know them a bit better.
The Peak District is really gorgeous (I think) and quintessentially British landscape (except that there are no sheep! We did, however, pass a pasture of llamas).
Here's the view of Sheffield from the top of the tallest hill we climbed. The large-ish building jutting up from the treeline in the centre of the photograph is quite near our flat; we estimated that we walked about three miles to see this view.
And, because I mentioned our churchfellow, here's a quick snapshot of the doors of our church (new in the midst of the very old).
In the middle of the month, I.'s mother flew over for a visit, with the intention of getting to see Britain when it was not in the midst of a major winter storm. It has been a cold winter, and we still had snow on the ground for most of her visit, but we had fewer plumbing disasters (aside from a leak in our bathroom) and not quite as much actual ice. I. took her around some of the local attractions (mostly just pubs, I think) while I worked, and we all three visited lovely nearby York once my teaching obligations had ended.
York, however, was only the very tip of the iceberg (and was, in fact, a bit cold and icy during our adventure there).
On the first proper day of my Easter Holiday, we ventured to Nottingham for lunch and from there made our way to the airport, and, by default, to lovely Poland. We began this trip in Warsaw, which as a city has been heavily reconstructed since World War II but with the intention of making the facsimile as like the original as possible. We stayed in a fabulous flat in the centre of the Stare Miasto (Old Town), which was wonderful for the quaintness but not as splendid for transport links. Our big excursion was a trip to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which is a quite well designed museum that holds a wealth of World War II artifacts (including an airplane).
I. and his mother just outside the Stare Miasto:
From Warsaw, we took a train to Krakow, where I. and I visited for our anniversary last March as well. Where Krakow last year was warm and sunny, we had beautiful snow and cold rain this year, but managed to amuse ourselves quite nicely regardless.
Among the "Greatest Hits of Poland" to which we introduced I's mother were the museums and cathedral on Wawel Hill. Wawel was a bit of a hike to climb, but the freshly fallen snow made it particularly lovely, so the uphill trek was well worth the effort.
One benefit of climbing Wawel is the stunning views it offers across Krakow.
I. was very keen to hear the trumpeter in St Mary's church again--you can't see the trumpet in this photo, but it was a beautiful evening regardless.
We spent a wonderful day walking around two street markets, and rested our feet in between with pierogies and afterwards with these delicious cream-filled delights from a nearby piekarnia (bakery).
Though we were very glad to have her along, I.'s mom was very aware that this was our anniversary trip and thus also very gracious about making sure I. and I had time alone together every day. On one evening, we ventured out to have a quiet dinner date at a wonderful Ukranian restaurant (which we had also visited last year) and stopped along the way to listen to an amazing singer who had found a courtyard with splendid acoustics. She stood quietly in the shadows, tightly bundled up against the cold weather, and held a small umbrella to fend off the softly falling snow. Her voice was haunting and beautiful, and I. and I stood and listened until our fingers had turned stiff from cold and our noses were red and slightly runny. Though a short moment in time, I think we would both agree that her music was one of the most beautiful and memorable parts of this trip (and we actually heard her on the following night as well!) She had an amazing repertoire and a beautiful voice.
Near the end of our trip, we awoke on an absolutely stunning morning to find Krakow covered in a layer of magical white snow, which fell softly for most of the day while not actually impeding our travel whatsoever. It offered the perfect blend of beauty and accessibility.
We took a trip back to Podgorze (a district of Krakow just south of the Wisla river) where the Schindler museum is based. If you saw our photos from last year's trip, you may remember the square of chairs designed to commemorate the dissolution of the Polish ghetto (located in Podgorze), which looks even more stunning and tragic when covered by a layer of snow.
In the afternoon, I. and I re-climbed Wawel Hill to see the snow-covered city at dusk. I was hoping for a bit of a sunset, but it was still snowing very lightly, so we enjoyed the rise of the darkness, and I wandered around taking photographs while Isaac threw snowballs at the fire-breathing Smok Wawelski (who was not actually breathing fire that day) located at the base of the hill near the river.
We wandered back into town to hear the trumpeter play, and discovered a wonderful street market full of crafts and other delights, including a number of stalls selling cheese, which could be purchased in patterned blocks (as in the photograph below) or in small bite-size chunks, freshly heated with charcoal fires and served with cranberry on the side. These were delicious.
On our last full day in Krakow, we dragged I.'s mom to the market, where we looked at all the pretty things before having a lovely lunch and watching several troupes of Polish musicians perform on a stage sponsored by a local radio station. It was so cold that the cellists' fingers were going numb (as did mine every time I stopped to take a photograph). On our afternoon walk, I. and I revisited the Wisla at sunset, which was beautiful but well below freezing.
After a mostly sleepless night punctuated by the generic thumpings of the nightclub located (unfortunately) just beneath our rental apartment, I. and his mother flew back to the UK early on Palm Sunday--at which point my travels were but half over!
Poland is still a very Catholic nation, and as I returned from the airport, I was treated to the delightful sight of a Palm Sunday procession traipsing and singing its way around the planty (a park that surrounds Krakow's Old Town). I've left this distant because posting photos of strangers on the internet is still a bit wierd, but you can see Jesus (in white) on the left side of the cluster, just behind some of the well-bundled children. The very tall flowery pole being held by the gentleman in the front is the Polish version of a palm frond; these come in all colours and sizes and were for sale nearly everywhere during our week in Krakow.
The palace below is beautiful, but not, perhaps, quite as spectacular in the winter; it has particular fame for its location, which is atop a large lake. Here the lake has been covered over with ice thick enough to bear human weight (I didn't try, but there were workers out chipping holes in the ice on the other side of the palace) which is beautiful but perhaps not quite as awe-inspiring as it might have been.
From Warsaw, I flew to Toronto, Canada, where I met my parents for a few days of sightseeing and family time. We kept things pretty quiet, but enjoyed, in particular, the Distillery District, which has been converted into a home for all sorts of arts, and features some nice culinary delights as well.
My father wanted to see the city from the top of the CN tower, so we travelled up the hundred-odd stories in a very fast elevator for a quick meal; the restaurant rotates within the tower and makes a full circuit every 72 minutes, so we spent quite a lot of our time staring out the window at the ever-changing city views before our eyes.
The real reason for my trip to Toronto was not actually to see my parents (that was a lovely benefit!) but to attend the forty-first annual Shakespeare Association of America meeting. I caught up with a number of wonderful colleagues and friends, and particularly enjoyed my seminar, which was on a topic near and dear to my heart (and thesis!). It was a delightful few days, and I learned a lot (as ever) and met some wonderful new people along the way.
I left Toronto on Easter, and had one of the worst airplane or hospital meals I have ever encountered as my Easter supper (and also, I think United is the last airline that charges for alcohol on transatlantic flights, which is irksome), but I had three seats to myself for my transatlantic flight, which made me slightly less annoyed about the supper and ridiculously overpriced wine (which I did not purchase, though it might have facilitated my sleep even further). I arrived in Britain on April Fool's Day, which was also a bank holiday (and thus all the more confusing!) and staggered through a day of exhaustion before succumbing to the delights of my own bed for the first time in more than two weeks.
It is good to be home. Happy Easter (He is Risen indeed!) and Happy April Fool's Day as well!
