Ivy League Boys

Huge hat tip to Tiffany for sharing these articles.

They made my day.  Here's hoping they make yours.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/education/edlife/a-classic-high-achiever-minus-money-for-a-college-consultant.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/education/edlife/a-first-generation-student-striving-to-inspire-black-youth.html

Part of the "Wow" Collection

In Oprah's magazine this month, she features a collection of 50 things that make you go WOW!  Below are links to the ones I think are WOW, too.

A man who carves pencils.  http://www.daltonmghetti.com/index.asp

Instant prescription glasses.  http://www.adlens.com/eyewear/

Ice cream shop in San Francisco.  http://smittenicecream.com/home/Home.html

Eleven year old bow tie maker.  http://www.mosbowsmemphis.com/p/story.html

Gizmo that tracks your luggage.  http://www.trakdot.com/TrakDot/index.jsp

Bake a cake-in-a-jar.  http://www.getyourhotcakes.com

Flowers that last longer.  https://www.thebouqs.com

Enjoy!

Television Series

In Sacramento, I used to watch a lot of TV.  Since I've been here, I've watch very little.  That has changed in the last couple of days, where I have been glued to my gadgets, watching a couple of series.

They are both British shows.

The first one is Luther, starring Idris Elba.  It's a police drama, and he plays the title role as a brilliant, flawed detective.

The other is Downton Abbey.  It's about an aristocratic family and the servants who care for them.  I know, this doesn't sound exciting, but strangely enough, it is.

I've been watching both of them, pretty much around the clock.  My only salvation is that these series are short.  Otherwise, I'd probably loose some serious sleep.

It's been 117 all week, so I only go out when I absolutely have to, and that has been my rationale for so much TV time.

Today, I was feeling a little guilty, so I decided that I'd watch an hour, then read for an hour.  We'll see how that goes.

Here's wishing you a cool day, wherever you are.

Men Need Us

This is a fascinating article in the New York Times about the positive impact women, and especially daughters, have on men.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/21/opinion/sunday/why-men-need-women.html?hp

Traveling Tips

There are a couple of things that have helped me tremendously in getting around. One I've mentioned before, and the other I just discovered.

If you travel internationally, or know someone who does, getting an e-card, (that's what it's called here), will speed up the process tremendously when you're going through having to get your passport checked.  It only works in your home country, but when 300 people deplane all headed to the passport counters, having this card allows you to scan it and proceed quickly.  Getting it required going to a special counter at the airport, presenting my passport, taking a picture, paying a fee (about $60), and voila!  I had my card right then and there, ready to use.

The other thing that has helped a lot is something called "Priority Pass" which is a service that allows you to stay in the business class lounges at airports around the world, without having to have purchased a business class or first class ticket. Here's how it works. You pay a flat annual fee of $100, and each time you visit a lounge, you present your card, and you're charged $27.  There is another, more expensive option, where you pay $250(?) and there is no fee at the door.  I tried using it Houston recently, but their lounge closed at 6:00pm.  I did use it for the first time on my last trip, when I had a five hour layover is Moscow.  It was wonderful being able to relax and rest comfortably.  There was even a place to shower if you wanted to. There were complimentary drinks (beer and wine) and snacks.  I have the Priority Pass app on my phone, and can check for lounges at airports all over the world.  It tells where they are located in the airports, what services they provide, and their operating hours.  The best part is, you don't have to be connected to the internet to access this information.

Years ago, when I first started teaching, I began as a long-term sub.  One of the teachers where I worked was a world traveler, and she trekked alone.  I used to marvel at the many places she had visited, and thought she was a superwoman for going it alone.  Now, I don't claim to be a superwoman, but she planted that adventurous seed in me.  I hope that I have, in turn, planted it in someone else.

I share what I've seen and learned, not to brag or to boast, but as an encouragement to others to take that leap, whatever it is.

Wow . . . Krakow 2

More from my time in Krakow.

Rural landscape

Aerial performers in the Town Square

A furnace in my hotel.

Jewish Neighborhood

The only active synagogue in the city.

The Jewish Neighborhood

This is Pope John Paul II.
He is standing in front of the seminary he attended.

Another church

This is a very ornamental church.
The doors to this magnificent sculptures are opened at noon each day.
The left door is open.  The right one, no yet.

I'm in the courtyard of a museum of one of the oldest universities in the country.

The tall statue on the right is an Academy Award.  Schindler's List was filmed here.
Not sure who was awarded the Academy Award.

This is a Nobel Award.  Again, i'm not sure who received this.

Another furnace in the corner.

A palace.

Some random thoughts . . .

There are 145 churches in this city alone.

Ninety-five percent of the people are Catholic.

The George Zimmerman Trial was covered by the local media outlets here.

Mayonnaise was served with french fries, reminding me of a scene between John Travolta and Samuel l. Jackson in Pulp Fiction.

The restrooms were called toilets.  In many places they're referred to by the initials WC, meaning water closet.

I saw several men wearing capri pants.  Not the best look for a guy.

And finally . . .

Men wear their wedding bands on their right hand.

Until next time,

Your blogging buddy.

Mining Away

The Wiecliczka Salt Mine is a treasure to behold.  This mine has been mining salt from the 13th century through 2007.  It is 1,073 feet deep, and is over 178 miles long.  To enter the mine, you take 378 steps going straight down, round and round, six steps at a time, until you reach a depth of 210 feet.  (This info was obtained from the link mentioned at the end of this post). Although it is fitted with electrical lights, it was still dark.  There are two more levels that we descended to, and there were six more levels below that that were off limits.

The overwhelming thought as you walk through this, is the time, patience, and tremendous talent it took to create these masterpieces out of salt.  And these men were not trained sculptors, which makes it even more remarkable.

The 378 wooden steps descending down, down, down.
It was like a spiral staircase, but there was a landing after every six steps.

A corridor

Replica of miners

This is one of the floors, also carved from salt.

Salt formation along the walls.

More salt formations that look like cauliflower .

Replica of miner and horse used in the mining process in the 1800's.

Sculpture of a king.

Wooden sculpture of the Crucifixion.

More wall sculptures.

Another view of the one above.  Note the detailed work.

Joseph, Mary and Jesus.

Jesus carrying the cross above the Holy Family.

One of the three altars for church services.

Another altar.

Corner sculpture of the Crucifixion.

The Virgin Mary.

The Last Supper.

Chandelier made of salt.

Me in front of the Last Supper.
Note the walls, ceiling, and floors are all made of salt.

Pope John Paul II, who was born, raised,
and entered the seminary in Krakow.

A closeup of Pope John Paul II

An elaborate structure built to support one of the excavated ceilings.

A beautiful open space, used as a hall for various functions:
weddings, boxing matches, and beauty pageants.

Another view of the hall.

These photos came out better than I expected, but they don't come close to showing how magnificent this place really is.

Below please find a link with some really great pictures.  It's a busy link, with all kinds of stuff on both side, but scroll through the pictures in the middle.  Take special note of the second one.  It is a shot of the cathedral, that is absolutely extraordinary.

http://curioushistory.com/post/55364201693/polish-salt-mine#.UebVBxY_595

I hope you enjoyed this.

As always, thanks for continuing to allow me to share my adventures with you.

Wow . . . Krakow

I'm home now, but below is the post I wrote on the road.

I'm writing this on my first full day in Krakow, Poland.  What a beautiful city, although it has a very small town feel.  I opted not to bring my laptop, in an effort to travel lighter.  I realize now because of that, I'll have to wait to post, so I hope you won't mind a flood of info when I get back home.

The first thing I noticed as we very ferried by bus from the airplane to the terminal, was a large (several stories high) picture of a Mike Tyson ad.  I was so surprised to see him, I didn't notice what he was selling!

Getting through the passport checkpoint took a while.  The only other people of color on this flight were Asian guys, and the man checking their passports gave them a heck of a time.  I'm watching this, hoping that my treatment is better.

Yes, thank God it was!  Once I got to the counter, the check of my passport went very quickly.  I was asked why I was visiting.  I told them I was here to see the salt mine, and I was welcomed and sent on my way.

I took videos of the landscape on my way to the hotel, but I'm having technical difficulties with the upload.  I'll try again later.  

I was struck by how rural it was.  We were on a two lane road for a while before we entered a highway, and even that wasn't a busy thoroughfare.

When I arrived at the hotel, I was given directions to the town center which was like a town square.  A beautiful park-like setting surrounded the area, making it a lovely place to stroll and relax.

Where I stayed - The Ostoya Palace Hotel

Across the street from the hotel

View of the look down the street from the hotel.
Notice the cars are parked on the curb.

The weather was damp, rainy and cool, which was a welcome break from the blistering heat of the UAE.

I washed off the road dirt with a wonderful shower, then I was on my way to explore.

This area looks a lot like Prague, but quieter and slower.  The buildings were painted in pastel colors, and the streets were clean.

The town center/town square is a large open area with a stage, statues, and restaurants surrounding it offering outdoor seating.  This area is really, really nice. Also in the middle is a long, covered corridor with souvenir shops all along the way.

This beautiful, luscious park surrounds Town Center

This is on the way from my hotel to Town Center

Town Center

The head is hollow so you can climb in and look out through the eyes.

This is the awesome shopping area in the middle of the square with souvenirs galore.
This picture doesn't do it justice.  This is a really nice area.

A church on the square.

Outside dining area surround the square.

Closeup of one of the dining areas.

Statue in the square.

Another view of the above statue.

After walking around for a couple of hours, I was tired, so I headed back to the hotel. It was an all-night flight, but I didn't get much sleep on it, so I was ready for bed for the night at bout 2:30 in the afternoon.

After a wonderful night of rest, I awaken this morning to a quick breakfast in the hotel, then I walked for about ten minutes to the gathering place for my trip to the salt mine.

I'll stop here and pick up on that adventure in the next post.