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Posts by rybnik  

Joined: 16 Jan 2011 / Male ♂ 		Last Post: 2 Nov 2013
Threads: Total: 18 / In This Archive: 14
Posts: Total: 1444 / In This Archive: 1147 		From: new jersey
Speaks Polish?: yes

Displayed posts: 1161 / page 21 of 39
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rybnik   
9 Dec 2011
Travel / Trying to plan trip to Poland for 2012 [10]

First time to Poland? Don't know the language? Do yourself a favor and check out a group tour. You'll ride around the country in an air-conditioned bus seeing all the sites with your own personal guide, who speaks both English and Polish. Then, come back on your own for another look.
rybnik   
7 Dec 2011
Love / Do polish men like career women? [60]

That's probably why so few Polish men date western women, as they are too strong minded and independent for them.

So true! The Polish men very rarely venture outside their Slavik comfort zone, whereas the Polkis are all over the place. But in all fairness, I see it in other ethnic groups : Filipino men, Latino men among others
rybnik   
7 Dec 2011
Polonia / How would an American Pole be treated while studying in Germany? [25]

Don't go away mad :) I received a similar reception when I first posted on this site but I'm here to tell you this is a very good forum overall. There's a lot of vigorous, animated at times, discussion here and while it's true posters do not care to sugarcoated their opinions, overwhelmingly the contributors are not here to hurt nor insult you. We just happen to have many with very strong opinions. I hope you stick around and share with us your experiences in Germany :)
rybnik   
5 Dec 2011
Life / Graffiti problem in Poland [38]

I'm not going to defend the retards spraying HWDP and RKS PANY

what do those acronyms stand for?
rybnik   
5 Dec 2011
Life / Graffiti problem in Poland [38]

I have also seen a lot of graffiti everywhere in Poland

so have I


  • large buildings

  • small buildings

  • nothing gets spared!

  • absolutely nothing!
rybnik   
4 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

it is for lovers. they kiss under the centre arch, which has mistletoe hanging from it. then attach a padlock and throw the key in the river. i believe it's a tradition from the far east.

I love it! Here's Wrocław's new slogan: "Wroclaw is for lovers" :)

did you notice the biggest change ? there were no steeples on the cathedral when you were last here.

OMG that's it!!!! No I didn't notice while there but something was "bugging" me when I looked at the cathedral. Now that I'm taking another look at it, you're absolutely right! LOL..................too funny - obvious.
rybnik   
4 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

There was this quiet place overlooking the river where I sat and watched a riverboat go by. It was very peaceful. The only thing interrupting the tranquility were two German tourists talking over a cigarette. I left after a while heading back towards Plac Dominikańska. Once over the bridge and across the highway I passed a building I had not entered once during my six years in Wrocław: the Hala Targowa.

I went inside to colorful panoply of sight and sound. There was all this fruit and vegetables alongside florists putting together grave covers and wreaths for the upcoming All Soul's Day.


  • riverboat

  • Hala Targowa circa early 1900's

  • halatargowafacade_.jpg

  • I was still shocked by the bountiful fruit and vegetables stalls!
rybnik   
4 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

The next morning was announced abrubtly by two Germans arguing in the hallway directly in front of my room. Naturliche!..........Too bad I didn't understand any of it. It was a very animated "discussion" , so much so, that the receptionist had to threaten calling the police if they didn't stop "right now". Luckily they stopped and an international incident was avoided.

This was going to be my last day in Wrocław and I was beginning to get lonely. Also I was most eager to met my new-found cousins and aunt from Zabrze. After the typical "continental" breakfast, I went out for one more exploration expedition this time to Ostrów Tumski.

When I was in school I came to visit my ex-wife's retired uncle, the "wujek ksiądz" nearly every week for 4 years . He had it great. The diocese gave him room and board for the rest of his life. The nuns even came to clean his room once a week! Anyway, I became quite attached to this place and couldn't wait to see it again.

The weather was starting to turn cold and overcast (showers in the forecast for the next day). In spite of the ominous sky, the churches, streets and other buildings all sparkled - just as I remember. During the PRL-days this place was like an oasis amidst the PZPR-nonsense that was going on outside this island outpost.

Everything was clean and well-swept as I remembered. As I approached the Most Tumski I saw something that did not exist back in the day: the bridge was covered in locks! What the....? I came closer to the locks and saw that each and every one had a date and 2 names inscribed on them. Is this some sort of wedding tradition? It looks awesome.


  • interesting

  • it's actually ornamental in a weird way

  • is this a Wroclaw wedding tradition?

  • next time I'll bring my inscribed padlock
rybnik   
3 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

It was approaching 6pm. I was starving and it was getting dark. Hopped on the tram hoping I would remember when to get off. Luckily I made it back to "Marche" where I enjoyed a kotlet schabowy, kapusta smażona (very good, I highly recommend it) some obligatory ziemiaczki and a couple of cold Pilsners. That good, simple yet delicious food put me in such a great frame of mind. I was happy to be alive and grateful to the gods for allowing me to return to my Wrocław enjoying myself so. Life was good. I made it back to my hotel sated and contented planing in my head what I would see tomorrow.........It was one hell of a day!
rybnik   
3 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

The walk back to the Odra was short and uneventful. I came upon the river bank and recognized almost immediately, that all the high grass had been cut so that now one could walk all the way to the river's edge. In my day that would've been very difficult. You needed to hack your way through all the reeds and undergrowth. This I liked. What I didn't like, however, was the lack of park benches. Why did they get rid of them, I wondered? One of my fondest memories of Karłowice was the lazy afternoons spent sitting in one of those benches, drinking beer purchased from the local "mordownia" as the locals called it and watching life go by. I loved those times! I was looking forward to sitting in one of those benches (or an updated version) and to reminisce. But alas, it was not meant to be(time marches on and all that).

I spent about 20 minutes looking around on the riverwalk and this is what struck me:


  • one of the bridges into Karlowice

  • "my" segment of the Oder river

  • the "defoliated" riverwalk

  • I saw this curious "fad" on TV back home but didn't expect to see it!
rybnik   
3 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

I was hanging around so long I began to worry someone might call the cops! I was seriously thinking about knocking on the door, explaining myself and asking to take a look inside my old apartment. After some inner deliberation, I decided not to. I'm such a coward......................

Saying goodbye to my old digs I continued on ul Goszczynskiego towards the tram rondo
passing the old Nazi bunker and the Kino Ognisko (this place was a godsend back in the day. Here I watched all the recently-released American films of the day. The movies played a big part in curbing the homesickness and helping us feel we were keeping current at least when films were concerned)....It was very sad to see the place empty, without purpose and covered in grafitti.....Oh well, change is unavoidable I guess.

Walking towards the river I passed the old przychodnia (walk-in medical clinic) that I used to shadow the docs in during my last year in Med School. It appears to be a private clinic now.


  • the bunker-there used to be a playground on this spot

  • the Kino Ognisko - sad looking

  • the local medical clinic

  • on the way to the river
rybnik   
2 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

From the old Spo (that's what we called the sklepy spożywczy) it was literally a few steps to my old apartment. The one I lived in for 5 years. But for the life of me I couldn't remember the name of the street. All I knew was that it was a long name....A few steps from the store and there it was - my street ul Goszczynskiego! And there was my old place - wow! A flood of emotions overwhelmed me. I needed to take some time through this - so many memories.


  • the old spo

  • my street!

  • in its day it was quite a looker!

  • it's kind of sad looking I think
rybnik   
2 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

I found it! I was good now. From here I could find my way to the tram rondo and get back to Plac Grunwaldski and beyond. This was great! I made the right onto Wincentego Pola (the same right I made a thousand times before under very different circumstances) and continued my trip down memory lane.

Again, the first thing I noticed was the sidewalks (which were clean and free from that greyish sediment that was everywhere in my day) and the houses with their clean facades and pampered lawns. (PAMPERED LAWNS! I still can't get this out of my head).....To my chagrin I came upon an old neighborhood spożywczy, where we used to get milk, mineral water (Grudziska - Delicious!) and ground meat in better days. It was abandoned and the front was overgrown. I wonder why? This was a bit disturbing for me. In my day this was the local "barber shop", where locals hung out and plotkowali ie gossiped. I have nothing but warm memories of this place. Here is where my neighbors and I bonded. After my first year, thanks to this local joint and the people I was able to meet and befriend here, I was no longer the American but "Pan Herbert the Polonia from New Jersey studying Medicine" - a big difference and a major upgrade in status.


  • my old hangout - a victim of the times
rybnik   
2 Dec 2011
USA, Canada / Going back to the Old Country of Poland after more than 25 years! (from USA) [249]

Standing there on ul Kasprowicza in the warm Karłowice late-afternoon was one of many surreal moments I experienced during my brief return. The street seemed more "cozy" (przytulny is a better word) than I remember. (It sounds nuts I know but that's how it felt. In my day, grey, hard and cold were the operative adjectives - even in the late Spring! I know most of it was in my head but nevertheless, the contrast was noteworthy). The trees that line the street were definitely bigger and bushier; the road surface appeared new. The sidewalks were undoubtedly newer with wide bike paths!!

The houses were all well-looked after with abundant landscaping. LANDSCAPING! (I don't know how many times I did a double-take and shook my head in disbelief). In Karłowice I did a lot of both.

All this was very, very nice indeed but it did not detract from the fact, that I, for all intense purposes, was lost. I knew there was a street I needed to turn right on but what was the name? Hell if I knew. I just kept walking. I knew that I needed to walk away from the water tower(thank God for that tower-saved me in the old days; it's saving me now). So walk away I did. Suddenly, as if on cue, a sign caught my gaze. That was it - MY STREET!


  • I found it!
rybnik   
24 Nov 2011
USA, Canada / Thanksgiving Day in the USA - was there some Polish on the table? [13]

Tonight I'll be sharing Thanksgiving Dinner with my wife's large family. As some of you know, she is Filipina but what you don't know is that she loves Polish food (and so do her relatives)! So, I'll be bringing the Polish dishes that make my asian in-laws smile and licking their lips in delight. I was wondering if any of my American PF family will be representing Poland today at their respective Thanksgiving Day feasts? Let us know what you cooked/bought and brought to the table (and how was it received)?

Amongst the pancit, palabok, caldareta and mandatory turkey (boring) will proudly sit grilled kielbasa krajana, gołąbki (made with veal & pork filling in a wild mushroom cream sauce), babka (the flips love it because it's similar to their pan de sal), and rolady (a Silesian specialty). I get such a kick out of watching their faces dig into the Polish fare!

They(not my wife) also LOVE śledziki (pickled herring)! It reminds them of ceviche' :)