Polish Farmers Cheese

If you have visited us in Warsaw there is a high likelihood that we have introduced you to one of our favorite Polish delicacies...farmers cheese.  This is a cheese produced in the Southwest mountains of Poland and is served warm and grilled with a cranberry jelly on the side.  It is a surprisingly delicious combo!  I came across this photo exhibit documenting the cheese production.  Its pretty cool to see how the cheese is produced.  Want to try it yourself?  Some specialty food shops in the US do sell this cheese.  But, an even better option is to come and visit us to try it in Poland!

Photo exhibit source

In the Tatra Mountains of Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic, photographer Michal Korta spent three days capturing the process of creating Oscypek, a smoked cheese made from salted sheep milk. The cheese and the process behind it dates back to the beginning of the 15th century. The cheese flavor varies depending on the time of year it was made and the diet of the sheep.

- J.Lin

An Interesting Read.....

17th-century treasures being recovered in Poland

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Capitalizing on low water levels in Warsaw's Vistula River, police are teaming up with archaeologists to recover gigantic marble and alabaster treasures that apparently were stolen from royals in Poland by Swedish invaders in the mid-17th century.

A police Mi-8 helicopter hovered over a riverbed on Thursday, lifting ornaments such as the centerpiece of a fountain with water outlets decorated with Satyr-like faces.

For police, it was gratifying to provide the chopper and assist Warsaw University archeologists in "this very important mission of retrieving priceless national treasures," said Mariusz Mrozek, a spokesman for Warsaw police.

Archaeologists have long known that such well-preserved treasures were located in the riverbed in the Warsaw area, but not exactly where.

The archeologists and frogmen, led by Hubert Kowalski, have previously retrieved some of the stolen stone ornaments from the Vistula riverbed in three years of searching for the sunken treasures. But only now, with the river much lower than normal, thanks to recent heat waves and droughts, their findings have become spectacular.

"This is a precious find. These elements were stolen from Warsaw's royal residences and palaces," said Marek Wrede, a historian at the Royal Castle.

The valuable artistic objects - marble floor tiles, parts of archways and columns - were robbed from Warsaw by the Swedes who overran the nation in mid-17th century and took heavy loads of spoils from across the country. Today's items probably came from the Royal Castle and from a royal country residence, the Kazimierz Palace.

The artifacts probably were being carried by a barge that sank, one of the many such vessels that ferried loot down the river to the Baltic Sea and to Sweden.

The find is precious for Poland, which has been repeatedly plundered by neighboring armies over the centuries, including Nazi Germany and the Soviet Red Army during World War II.

Kowalski said he knew about the hidden artifacts from 17th-century letters that mentioned barges that had sunk in the area.

First word of where the treasures might be came in 1906 when sand barge operators discovered some items, but could retrieve only a few of them.

Kowalski said his team is now busy cleaning the newly retrieved items, which are "very well preserved, given the 350 years in water."

It has not been decided yet where and when they will be publicly displayed.

Read more: Source

48 Hours in Belgium

Tom and I had the pleasure of attending a wedding of one of his colleague's at CH Robinson Europe this past weekend....so we were off to Antwerp, Belgium for the weekend! 

Antwerp is an adorable little town with a ton of character and charm.  And, we lucked out by getting bright and sunny weather, which is apparently rather rare in Belgium.  The wedding was loads of fun and we were thrilled to be able to celebrate with Sigrid and Ben on their special day!  And, no Belgian wedding would be complete without serving Belgian fries at midnight!  Tom loved this special touch to the wedding.

The main square

The Old Cathedral



Piwo Polski

Tom and I have grown quite fond of Polish beer and have had the chance to try a number of different kinds in our time hear.  We think they are fantastic and had talked about why they didn't have wider distribution outside of Poland.  Looks like folks have caught on to our idea.  Here's an interesting article about the growth of Polish beer around the world!  Next time you are shopping for beer, pick up and try one of these labels shown below. You are in for a real treat!

In 2011, Polish beer export reached the highest level in history. Also within the country, Poles are drinking almost as much golden drink as Germans – well known for their great and everlasting love for beer.

According to preliminary data of Central Statistical Office breweries, that operate in Poland, sold beer abroad for about 101 million dollars. The biggest export market is Hungary and the Czech Republic, then Germany, Ireland, USA, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria and France. Breweries also produced more beer than in recent years (37.9 million hectoliters).

Annual sales of golden beverage per person in Poland amounted to more than 100 liters. This means that in terms of beer consumption Poles almost catch up with Germans, who drank an average of 103-105 liters per year. Year 2012 could be even better. Industry expects that the production and sale of beer will rise, but it all depends on the weather, which significantly affects the consumption.

In recent years, regional breweries got especially popular among Poles, who enjoy unique taste of beers produced on a medium scale, and not being back-uped by international corporations. There’s rapidly growing group of customers looking for genuine quality beers. Large companies have also sensed the boom and start to fight for customers reaching for a premium beer, whose sales are growing five times faster than normal. But small, regional breweries do not give up. Some of them launch new brands and announce the expansion to the United States and Australia, athough unfortunately any detais are still unknown.

The forerunner of the renaissance of regional beers in Poland was Ciechan beer. Products of Ciechanów brewery already won all possible prizes at beer competitions and festivals (four times in a row Ciechan has been recognized in Poland as the beer of the year). Ciechan’s non-pasteurized beer with a short shelf-life is particulary popular. In 2007 Ciechan sales doubled, and since then the brewery continues to grow steadily.

Source

A great trip to the states!

This past August we went to the US to see family for a little over a week.  Of course, it was an amazing time that went by way way too fast.  And, we left as we always do, feeling like we couldn't fit in enough and wanted more...more time with those people we love the most.  But, this is one of the realities of our current lifestyle.  The trips to the states are great but they are limited. 

We were fortunate to spend most of our trip at our place in New Buffalo, Michigan.  We got a chance to relax by the lake as we had a constant stream of wonderful guests throughout the time.  It was like one big revolving door....as there was a new group or guest constantly coming and going.  In addition to family, Tom got to catch up with a group of his high school buddies.  And, I stayed a few additional days to have a mini reunion with my closest girlfriends from college!  Fun times all around.  We didn't take nearly enough pictures as we were busy visiting with loved ones.  But, here are a few!

Thumbs up for vacation!

Love time with mom and dad

Summer fun = Roasted Marshmallows

Great Friends!

Tickles and Pillow Fights with Tio

Play time for Grandma

Warming up her arm....

And getting some pointers from Uncle Tony.

Happy Mr. Finn

Hammock Fun!

Group Shot! 

Relaxing!

Brotherly Love

Searles Family

Too cute!

11 Days Late....

Life has been crazy here in Warsaw, hence the lack of posting on the blog.  Here is a posting I meant to write 11 days ago, but better late than never.  September 1st is quite a memorable day in Poland.  Below is a posting from one of my favorite Polish blogs....

September 1st in Poland is not only the first day of school for kids…It is also a very said day in the Poland’s history.

On Sept. 1, 1939, Nazi Germany invaded Poland, the act that started World War II (Druga Wojna Światowa)

The day before, Nazi operatives had posed as Polish military officers to stage an attack on the radio station in the Silesian city of Gleiwitz. Germany used the event as the pretext for its invasion of Poland.

The Polish army was defeated within weeks of the invasion. From East Prussia and Germany in the north and Silesia and Slovakia in the south, German units, with more than 2,000 tanks and over 1,000 planes, broke through Polish defenses along the border and advanced on Warsaw in a massive encirclement attack. After heavy shelling and bombing, Warsaw surrendered to the Germans on September 27, 1939. Britain and France, standing by their guarantee of Poland’s border, had declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. The Soviet Union invaded eastern Poland on September 17, 1939. The demarcation line for the partition of German- and Soviet-occupied Poland was along the Bug River.

In October 1939, Germany directly annexed those former Polish territories along German’s eastern border: West Prussia, Poznań, Upper Silesia, and the former Free City of Danzig. The remainder of German-occupied Poland (including the cities of Warszawa, Kraków, Radom, and Lublin) was organized as the so-called General Government  (Generalne Gubernatorstwo) under a civilian governor general, the Nazi party lawyer Hans Frank.

Nazi Germany occupied the remainder of Poland when it invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Poland remained under German occupation until January 1945.

Source



A little summer break...

We are off to Pure Michigan to see immediate family.  It'll be a quick one, so while we would love to see everyone we love in the US it just won't be possible.  Pics to come upon our return!   Looking forward to some R and R on the beach with our families!