After church, we headed to an Italian restaurant in the town center for lunch. On the way there, we had a blast watching all of the dragon parade (yep, dragon parade) festivities. It was hilarious to see all of the inflatable, flying dragons.
Happy anniversary, Brad! Got you a dragon.
We chose our own meals a la carte at lunch (as opposed to the prix fixe meals that Piotr had been choosing for us), and I decided that I'm not very good at choosing for myself. I ended up eating quite a bit off of Brad's plate. Our lunchtime conversation began by discussing the progression of Ginny's character in Harry Potter and ended by discussing the ethics of writing from a viewpoint that is not your own. It was fascinating (and also got pretty deep, due to the philosophers at the table).
After lunch, we went to the National Gallery (I think? I'm forgetting the names of things) and wandered through the art exhibits. There were some beautiful (and massive) paintings of Polish history by Jan Matejko that I particularly loved.
Statue of Matejko
photo credit: Piotr
photo credit: Piotr
Look how massive this is! Also, we were allowed to take pictures. I wasn't being sketchy, guys.
I walked past this one and thought, "That looks SO Ukrainian!" I read the title of the painting..."Ukrainian Night."
View of the town center from the entrance of the gallery.
The Fellows had a long afternoon session, so The Wives hung out again. We set out to find a couple of Polish pottery shops Jared had mentioned but stopped for coffee and a fantastic chat on our way. Brittani told us about her business helping Syrian newcomer families get started in their new lives in Canada (that's where her husband is in school, although she's not Canadian), and it was wonderful to listen to her describe it. You should look at her website! Especially read about all of the chefs and directors. I want to be friends with all of them. And if you live in Hamilton, Ontario (or visit!), you should partake of their menu! She and Ashley are both such kind, resourceful, and generous women. I'm so glad I got to spend time with them while The Fellows were doing their sessions!
We found the pottery and had such a great time looking around and picking out the things we wanted to bring our husbands back to see (and purchase). Except for Brittani who went ahead and bought a wedding gift she needed. As we were finished up our shopping, THE BOTTOM FELL OUT OF THE SKY. Did I pack an umbrella for our European adventure? Yes. Did I have said umbrella in my bag when it started pouring? Of course not. There wasn't any rain predicted that day. We could have just waited it out except for the fact that we were supposed to be meeting the rest of the group...at that exact moment. OF COURSE.
Some of the pottery
Brad said no to this one...
I loved it all so much.
So, I wrapped my scarf around my head like a village grandma, and we skittered from covered storefront to covered storefront. We must have been hilarious to watch. When we got to our meeting spot, the rest of the group was nowhere to be seen. Thankfully, the rain had slackened, and Piotr showed up to tell us that the group was running long and he would take us to the restaurant. The place we ate at was kind of famously known for being the bohemian haunt of artists, writers, and musicians of the 1800's (precursor to a hipster coffee shop, perhaps?), but, as Piotr put it, "now it just looks like your grandma's living room." Ha! But really though.
We got to have a nice long chat with Piotr while we waited on The Fellows, which we thoroughly enjoyed. He's an interesting guy. Once everyone arrived, we had a super delish Polish dinner (of which I ate entirely too much. Again. No self-control.). After dinner, we headed to the Dominican Catholic Church nearby for mass. Part of Brad's cohort is Protestant and part is Catholic, so Piotr scheduled our day for everyone to participate. The mass that we went to is one comprised predominantly of university students, and y'all, there were probably 1,000 people there. I know I hyperbolize a lot, but this is not one of those times. It was standing room only, including people standing on the massive staircase that wrapped around the wall. It was amazing to see.
Inside the Dominican church.
photo credit: Piotr
Outside of the Dominican church.
We decided on dessert after mass (it was raining again. And cold. Village Grandma Scarf got a lot of action.), which turned into quite an ordeal, trying to find a place that could fit us all. But we finally did, and it ended up being one of my favorite chatting sessions of the whole week. I talked with Brittani and Hilary, who is one of the women in Brad's cohort. It was a marvelously encouraging and thought-provoking conversation with Hilary about her studies and work (Philosophy), as well as her son, who was born with some very complex and rare disabilities. She has a blog where she thinks and writes beautifully, and I highly recommend you check it out!
It was a really lovely day full of lovely things to see, and more importantly, lovely people.
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