Sunday, November 26, 2006
Polish Pottery Galore
When I first told Mom I was moving to Germany, she oooh’ed and ahhh’ed about the prospect of making a trek to Poland to go shopping for more Polish Pottery to add to her collection. I, on the other hand, had to be educated about the world-renowned pottery...but it didn’t take me long to discover its beauty.
Each ceramic dish is hand-made in Boleslawiec, Poland, of white clay decorated with lead-free glazes, which makes it safe for the microwave, oven and dishwasher (a must for me!). Polish farmers created these traditional designs with inspiration from the proud peacock, and the brilliant colors added beauty and color to an otherwise plain and simple lifestyle. Over the years, the technique of using handmade stencils to create the designs has become a form of art passed on to new generations.
I had purchased a few bowls during the Spring Bazaar earlier this year, but when I saw the USO was offering a shopping trip to Boleslawiec, Poland, while Mom and Dad were visiting, we jumped at the chance to go shopping--in the extreme. It helped that Dad agreed to stay home with the kiddos (they had loads of fun with Papa, and I suspect he truly enjoyed the day as well). So, Mom and I loaded the bus at 9:30 p.m. Friday night to begin our 29-hour trek.
After a brief stop at the border to have our passports checked and stamped, we arrived in Boleslawiec at 5:45 a.m. ready to begin our shopping. Yes, we began shopping that early in the morning! The first two stores were on the edge of town, and they knew we were coming. When the bus honked its horn, lights in both stores came on and their doors were open to welcome us (and our money). On average, we didn’t spend more than 45 minutes to an hour at each stop (depending on how many stores were located together). We even had time to stop at a glass factory (yes, I bought some glass Christmas ornaments--for those of you who’ve seen my tree, you understand). But, the focus of the trip was to shop for handmade blue ceramic pottery.
At one of our first stops, we noticed several bushes were decorated with various pieces of pottery, much like you would find a Christmas or Easter tree decorated with ornaments or eggs. I don’t know that I would be willing to decorate my yard in such fashion, although I’m sure those pieces were not the top-of-the-line ones.
We even happened upon one store where patrons could stamp their own pieces of pottery, with the guidance of a skilled artist. We saw several people working on their own creations, and I thought it was interesting that the colors were rather muted during this phase. I imagine that the true colors come out during the firing process.
For lunch, we stopped in downtown Boleslawiec, and literally ordered our food from a hole in the wall. Apparently, this place is known for its waffles, but we opted for a gyro, hot dog and fries instead.
Since the hole in the wall is a take-out place, we walked down to the Town Square and found a bench to sit and eat. This is the view we had while eating lunch. Sadly, this was about the only spot of color we noticed the entire day (except on the pottery). Not only were the buildings drab and lackluster, but most of the people dressed in similar fashion. But, we were soon traveling from store to store, shopping our way through Boleslawiec once again.
Thirteen shops, six boxes and nearly a dozen bags later (between the two of us), we left the last shop at 5:45 p.m. and were soon on our way home. Yes, that was 12 hours of shopping! After another stop at the border and supper en route, we finally unloaded the bus at 2:15 a.m. Needless to say, we both slept late this morning. We sure had fun unpacking our loot and rediscovering what we had purchased though. And of course, we ate supper tonight on my new plates...how could I resist!?!!
Here's our loot. Mom now has 22 new pieces, and I have 55 new ones. I'd say we were successful in our shopping endeavor!
Each ceramic dish is hand-made in Boleslawiec, Poland, of white clay decorated with lead-free glazes, which makes it safe for the microwave, oven and dishwasher (a must for me!). Polish farmers created these traditional designs with inspiration from the proud peacock, and the brilliant colors added beauty and color to an otherwise plain and simple lifestyle. Over the years, the technique of using handmade stencils to create the designs has become a form of art passed on to new generations.
I had purchased a few bowls during the Spring Bazaar earlier this year, but when I saw the USO was offering a shopping trip to Boleslawiec, Poland, while Mom and Dad were visiting, we jumped at the chance to go shopping--in the extreme. It helped that Dad agreed to stay home with the kiddos (they had loads of fun with Papa, and I suspect he truly enjoyed the day as well). So, Mom and I loaded the bus at 9:30 p.m. Friday night to begin our 29-hour trek.
After a brief stop at the border to have our passports checked and stamped, we arrived in Boleslawiec at 5:45 a.m. ready to begin our shopping. Yes, we began shopping that early in the morning! The first two stores were on the edge of town, and they knew we were coming. When the bus honked its horn, lights in both stores came on and their doors were open to welcome us (and our money). On average, we didn’t spend more than 45 minutes to an hour at each stop (depending on how many stores were located together). We even had time to stop at a glass factory (yes, I bought some glass Christmas ornaments--for those of you who’ve seen my tree, you understand). But, the focus of the trip was to shop for handmade blue ceramic pottery.
At one of our first stops, we noticed several bushes were decorated with various pieces of pottery, much like you would find a Christmas or Easter tree decorated with ornaments or eggs. I don’t know that I would be willing to decorate my yard in such fashion, although I’m sure those pieces were not the top-of-the-line ones. We even happened upon one store where patrons could stamp their own pieces of pottery, with the guidance of a skilled artist. We saw several people working on their own creations, and I thought it was interesting that the colors were rather muted during this phase. I imagine that the true colors come out during the firing process.
For lunch, we stopped in downtown Boleslawiec, and literally ordered our food from a hole in the wall. Apparently, this place is known for its waffles, but we opted for a gyro, hot dog and fries instead.
Since the hole in the wall is a take-out place, we walked down to the Town Square and found a bench to sit and eat. This is the view we had while eating lunch. Sadly, this was about the only spot of color we noticed the entire day (except on the pottery). Not only were the buildings drab and lackluster, but most of the people dressed in similar fashion. But, we were soon traveling from store to store, shopping our way through Boleslawiec once again.
Thirteen shops, six boxes and nearly a dozen bags later (between the two of us), we left the last shop at 5:45 p.m. and were soon on our way home. Yes, that was 12 hours of shopping! After another stop at the border and supper en route, we finally unloaded the bus at 2:15 a.m. Needless to say, we both slept late this morning. We sure had fun unpacking our loot and rediscovering what we had purchased though. And of course, we ate supper tonight on my new plates...how could I resist!?!!
Here's our loot. Mom now has 22 new pieces, and I have 55 new ones. I'd say we were successful in our shopping endeavor!
Labels: Nana and Papa, Poland, Travel
