Skiing at Cienkow

On last Sunday Adrian and Iza took us skiing at Cienkow.  http://www.cienkownarty.pl/

It was an amazing day blue skis and lots of sun!!! We got a bit of a tan on our faces and had fun skiing, chatting and eating mountain cheese.  

Iza, Kayla and Me

Adrian and Me

Veľká Rača

Two weekends ago Adrian, Joe, and I went skiing in Slovakia at Veľká Rača.  It was cool to be at another different mountain.  I decided that Slovakia looks pretty similar to Poland.  At least where we were, I would not have known that we had left Poland if they hadn’t said so. 

http://www.velkaraca.sk/snowparadise/en/skiing/skiing-runs/

 It was a really fun day, we started off on the left side of this map and then worked our way right then back left, right and so on.  The weather was great and in the afternoon it got a bit crowed but never too crazy.  We skied all day with just a few breaks for snacks, lunch, or to go to the bathroom.  For lunch I had goulash and french-fries.

By the end of the day I was so tired and sore!  It was a great weekend outing, thanks again to Adrian for suggesting it and Joe for driving!!!! 

Winter Camp

When we got home we did some laundry and repacked for Bukovina for winter camp with school.  We set off on Saturday morning and took a bus with about 80 kids and several sets of parents.  After a few stops and some traffic we arrived in Bukovina and saw out chalet for the week. 

 It was great, like a cross between a hotel and a dorm.  Kayla and I shared a room that had a small bathroom attached!  There was one room where everyone kept there skis and snowboards.  Another larger room for all camp gatherings like movies, discos, and the awards at the end of the week.  A room with ping-pong, pool, and foosball and a dining room!  One night we had a fire outside and sausages!    

 Every morning we got up had breakfast and went skiing right away.  I skied a lot with Kayla and we helped this boy named Anthony.  He was an awesome kids and it was often comical because since he was 6 he didn’t speak muck (or any really) English and we still don’t speak Polish.  When we first asked him his name he just said yes.  I knew this wasn’t his name but until I could find someone to ask I called him yes.

By the end of the week he knew “lets go, ready, 1,2,3, and stop.”  He really loved skiing and his excitement made this little hill lots of fun!

Then in the afternoon the kids had activities.  Things ranged for English lessons, beading, science, math, swimming, and lots more.  One afternoon we took the kids to Zakopane to do a bit of souvenir shopping.  We tired traditional grilled mountain cheese with a cranberry dipping sauce.  It was really good!  The kids bought loads of sweets and other things and then we went back to Bukowina.  

It was a great trip and it was our first time eating traditional Polish food for any length of time.  We had lots of sandwiches (breakfast and supper) and soup!  We also learned a bit more Polish and met some really great people.  

Louvre and de la Comedie

The Louvre was built in the 13^th century as a fortress and then later was rebuilt in the 16^th century as a royal residence.  In 1793 it was transformed into the first national museum.  We spent our last afternoon in Paris perusing a few of the 35,000 exhibits.

Inside 

We saw Venus de Milo in the Greek exhibit. The Mona Lisa in room 6 in the Denon Wing and much more.  The crowds by the Mona Lisa were crazy and I was expecting is to be about the size of an 8.5’’ by 11’’ paper because everyone says it’s so small.  But I was surprised that is was bigger than that. 

Mona Lisa

Venus de Milo

We went to see some art from Ancient Egypt and then called it a day!  We founds a nice café near the Louvre called the Comedy Café and that is were we had our last meal in Paris before catching the bus for the airport.  I had croque-monsieur and Kayla had a salad.  We had fresh squeezed orange juice and crème brulee.  It was a GREAT trip!!!         

Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame (Our Lady)

We started off our last day be going to the Eiffel Tower first.  We wanted to try to avoid as many crowds as possible and had heard that the line can be unbelievable.  We there about 30 minutes before it opened and maybe 100 people were in front of us.  Once they were opened we went through security, bought our tickets, and went through security again. 

Then we were on our way to the top level at 279 meters, the third level closes in high winds, and it was pretty cool to look out across Paris.  The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World Fair.  Many people in Paris don’t like it and it is often referred to as the ‘metal asparagus.’   

The tower was almost torn down in 1909 but was saved by radio technology because it was the perfect place for transmitting antennas.

The tower is made from 7,300 tones of iron held together by 2.5 million rivets.  This expands and contracts due to the temperature and so the tower height may very by 15cm.   

     

The Louvre

Arc de Triumph

Small Statue of Liberty

Looking out we could see Arc de Triumph, the small Statue of Liberty, The Louvre and much more!  It was pretty cool! 

Then we went back to ground level and took the Metro to Notre Dame.  This year is Notre Dame’s 850^th birthday so they had a large viewing platform built in the square in front of it.  They also replaced eight of the bells and got a new toner bell.  They are improving lighting inside, renovating the Great Organ and more. 

Norte Dame was built from 1163 to the mid 14^th century.  It is the most visited site in Paris with over 10 million people going inside each year.  This cathedral is famous for its stained glass rose window, gargoyles, and buttresses.