Poland 2010 - Day 6 - Krakow to Rabka

After a leisurely morning of looking in shops, Paul and Nick went to pick Kris up at the airport. In grand-KrisO-style, he had jumped on a plane after only 4 hours of sleep because he'd done a benefit concert in Bellingham the night before for Olivia Cook). He was pretty wiped out when he arrived, but after a bit of lunch and polish beer (the Poles eat their big meals for breakfast and lunch... dinner is more of a snack) we headed for Rabka to visit with my most wonderful relatives, while Kris slept soundly.

This was the part of the trip I had long anticipated - visiting my cousin and her family. Maria is a great-niece of my grandmother and is married to Stanik. They have three wonderful daughters - Gosia 18, Kasia 16, and Basia 12. My sister, Jane, had made the trip with her son Nick (my nephew) to visit in 2007. They were ambassadors paving good relations and have raved since about this good family.

It was dark when we finally arrived in Rabka and pulled up the long driveway to their home, finding ourselves following a car - it was Maria's. She was returning from picking up Gosia who had been boarding during the week days at the secondary school she attends. Kasia was also with them. They immediately enveloped us with hugs and greetings in english. Such a warm humbling welcome from this good family. Maria reminds me of my own sister Jane. Good to the bone, hard working and someone you love being the presence of. Stanik comes out to greet us with a flashlight to help us see our way toward the house. He knows less english than the ladies of the family, but his open honest face glows with a grin and he voices his appreciation at our arrival - "Super", he say : )

Their home was beautiful and truely a home! Stanik and Maria have built it themselves - it felt like home the minute we crossed the doorpost. We gathered in the living room and after the offering of a hot tea laced with whiskey(?), yum, and the instruments started coming out. With Gosia on the cello and Kasia on the violin, we were treated to traditional melodies with sweet strings and voice. It was so exciting to experience this… Kasia, although just 16-years old, has a confident comfortable way about herself which comes across very charismatically. Not shy in the least about showing off her talents or her "english". And she is very talented musically!

And as I looked around the room admiring the oil paintings gracing the wall, Maria informed me that they are the work of Gosia's. Gosia also exudes a confidence as well but in a more quiet soft serene way. She is very talented artistically with paint and canvas. They were ones she did at school. The school she is going to decides on what are your best talents - which track you should proceed down. According to Maria, a director(?) at the school indicated that Gosia was the artist and that Kasia was the musician. And so that was how they went… I think in my mind they are Super Girls! I imagine they are a combination of what my grandmother used to be like when she was there age.



At first Basia is no where to be seen. We ask after her and immediately Nick, Kasia and Gosia start up calling and encouraging her to come join us. Soon she slips into the room trying not to be noticed and sits behind the door as her sisters play and sing for us. 12-years-old is a hard age... I remember being painfully shy and excessively introverted. There's a super girl waiting to come out in that one. It's just a matter of time : ) She used to play music as well, but is on a hiatus of sorts… her sisters do not approve of this hiatus. They tease her hoping to bring her around with comments like - "she doesn’t do music anymore, no art, she doesn’t help her mother around the house… “what will become of her; what kind of man will she ever find.”

Next Kris has brought his guitar and plays a couple songs for them. He is immediately rock-star status if he wasn't already with Nick previously feeding them stories of his good talent. Stanik with little encouragement brought out his tuba and accordian - such a talented man and he and Maria have truly done their children a good favor encouraging them in music.

Being sensitive to the living arrangements, Paul and me had Nick arrange for us to stay nearby in an apartment-for-rent, and Kris and Nick slept at their home. But later that night when we went to leave, Maria asked if we would spend the next night with them. She said that Gosia would be leaving to go back to school the next morning so her room would be available. Feeling so honored we were so delighted to say YES!