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!

Our Summer View....



A day to Remember....

Today is the anniversary of the Polish Uprising.  This is a very important day for the Polish people.  Check out this cool video to give you an idea of the pride and honor the Polish people have for this day.

Polish Uprising Video

Here is even more information about this moment in history from Wikipedia:

The Warsaw Uprising (Polish: powstanie warszawskie) was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance Home Army (Polish: Armia Krajowa) to liberate Warsaw from Nazi Germany. The rebellion was timed to coincide with the Soviet Union's Red Army approaching the eastern suburbs of the city and the retreat of German forces.^[9] However, the Soviet advance stopped short, enabling the Germans to regroup and demolish the city while defeating the Polish resistance, which fought for 63 days with little outside support.

The uprising began on 1 August 1944, as part of a nationwide plan, Operation Tempest, when the Soviet Army approached Warsaw. The main Polish objectives were to drive the German occupiers from the city and help with the larger fight against Germany and the Axis powers. Secondary political objectives were to liberate Warsaw before the Soviets, to underscore Polish sovereignty by empowering the Polish Underground State before the Soviet-backed Polish Committee of National Liberation could assume control. Also, short-term causes included the threat of a German round-up of able-bodied Poles, and Moscow radio calling for the Uprising to begin.

Initially, the Poles established control over most of central Warsaw, but the Soviets ignored Polish attempts to establish radio contact and did not advance beyond the city limits. Intense street fighting between the Germans and Poles continued. By 14 September, Polish forces under Soviet high command occupied the east bank of the Wisła River opposite the insurgents' positions; but only 1,200 men made it across to the west bank, and they were not reinforced by the bulk of the Red Army. This, and the lack of Soviet air support from a base 5 minutes flying time away, led to allegations that Joseph Stalin tactically halted his forces to let the operation fail and allow the Polish nationalists to be crushed.

Winston Churchill pleaded with Stalin and Franklin D. Roosevelt to help Britain's Polish allies, to no avail. Then, without Soviet air clearance, Churchill sent over 200 low-level supply drops by the Royal Air Force, the South African Air Force and the Polish Air Force under British High Command. Later, after gaining Soviet air clearance, the US Army Air Force sent one high-level mass airdrop as part of Operation Frantic.

Although the exact number of casualties remains unknown, it is estimated that about 16,000 members of the Polish resistance were killed and about 6,000 badly wounded. In addition, between 150,000 and 200,000 Polish civilians died, mostly from mass murders. Jews being harboured by Poles were exposed by German house-to-house clearances and mass evictions of entire neighbourhoods. German casualties totalled over 8,000 soldiers killed and missing, and 9,000 wounded. During the urban combat approximately 25% of Warsaw's buildings were destroyed. Following the surrender of Polish forces, German troops systematically leveled another 35% of the city block by block. Together with earlier damage suffered in the 1939 invasion of Poland and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising in 1943, over 85% of the city was destroyed by January 1945, when the Soviets entered the city.



Mitt in Warsaw

Mitt Romney came to Warsaw today to speak during part of his European tour.  Tom and I were able to get tickets to the event.  For us it wasn't about which political party we support, but it was simply a cool experience to see a presidential candidate speak in such an intimate setting.  He gave a good, succinct speech that focused on the Poles and their resiliency...this of course, pleased them. 

Seeing Mitt speak was another one of the cool experiences of living abroad where random things come up that we try and take advantage of.  Another one of those things will be attending the Madonna concert tomorrow night.  If we were living in Chicago there is no way I would have been able to get tickets at the regular prices before they landed in the hands of scalpers.

And, here is an interesting article on why Mitt came to Poland from The Atlantic

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/07/why-is-mitt-romney-going-to-poland/260446/

At the speech today