Notes From Poland - My Trip to Poland and the Breaking of Communism

My husband and I decided to visit Poland back in 1993. Andrew was originally from Poland but I had never been there. Communism had just ended and the whole country was in a strange turmoil. I could sense it; the Polish people were in a hurry to westernize their country. There was a feeling of trauma and relief throughout the country. I witnessed scenes of beauty and scenes of horror.

June 23, 1993: We were stopped by the police again today, but Ella (this was a friend that we were driving with) told them that she was a doctor and this was an emergency! Ella was in a fact a doctor: a dermatologist. That's the fourth time we've been stopped by the police since we arrived in Poland. Everybody seems paranoid! They stop you on the road for no reason, just to check you out.

Today on the train, Andrew slipped off to the washroom and I was sitting across from my father-in-law who had his eyes closed and was enjoying a short nap. As I stared out the window a scene flashed before my eyes, and it happened so fast that I couldn't quite believe it. I saw a policeman standing on the side of the railroad tracks and he looked very grim, beside him was the body of man who was upside down, body twisted in a strange position and dried blood on the side of his mouth, stuck in some sort of electrical pole. I felt a little bit sick. When my husband came out of the washroom I told him what I had seen. His dad hadn't seen it because he had been sleeping! My husband had a hard time believing my story.

June 25, 1993: I just found out from our friend Benedict Jozefko, who had read the newspaper that the man I had seen had indeed died from jumping off the train. He had come from the Ukraine looking for work to feed his four children. He didn't have a train ticket so when the conductor came by to collect tickets the man had panicked and jumped to his death.

June 25,1993;The Basilicas are absolutely beautiful here. I'm inspired to do a black and gold sculpture when we get back to B.C.

Right now we are on a train to Auschwitz.

June 26, 1993: It sure was creepy being in the concentration camp. Somehow I wanted to honor the people who had suffered such unspeakable horror and tragedy. I felt stronger emotions than I ever did in a church. Pictures of the victims were everywhere on the walls. I had only seen images of Auschwitz and the prisoners in the movies; let me tell you, no actor, no matter how talented, has been able to capture the sheer terror I saw in the eyes of those victims. We saw a short film which was in English. We walked through the camp; there were large rooms with huge piles consisting of thousands of shoes, other piles of hair brushes and toothbrushes, suitcases and eyeglasses. We walked through the gas chambers and the crematorium. It was a very frightening experience. I saw the so-called beds, made of wooden planks and a bit of straw.

I took one reed of grass and a white little flower from Auschwitz and taped it into my journal.

July 5, 1993: The scenes that I really love are the huge stork nests up in the telephone poles. It just looks amazing, the nests are at least 3 feet in diameter and they are everywhere. Sometimes the nests are made on top of old wooden buildings. While I am staring at the stork nests an old carriage with two big old horses and a mound of hay comes walking by .This looks like a scene from a Van Gogh painting.

July8, 1993: We are on a plane back home to Vancouver, B.C. We had a stop over in London. At the airport in the boarding room, Andrew went to the back to sneak a cigarette. While in dental school he started sneaking cigarettes because it just wasn't "cool" to smoke and study medicine! So here he was in London, England sneaking cigarettes and I reminded him of where we were and that nobody would care if he smoked. All of a sudden a really loud voice yelled "Hey, Andrew," "Hey, Andrew," we couldn't believe it, it was someone that Andrew had just graduated from dental school with. We are all on the same plane together going back to Canada.

I have a web site in which I am able to invite other artists. The address is http://www.labedzki-art.com

It's quite simple to join, click on "register", "login", "create/order album" (this is where you give your album a title only,) then "upload images", I usually only load two or three at a time. Once you've loaded you can go to home page click on "user gallery" and you'll see your images! Of course there are no fees and your image upload is unlimited! For art collectors this is a great place to buy original art for a great price.

Thank you so much and I really hope to see your work there.

Regards,

Annette Labedzki

Going To Asia For Medical Tourism? Here Are Some

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If you are one of the thousands of people considering medical tourism as an option for your health needs, how can you be sure that your trip will be everything that you hope it will be? Here are some practical tips to help make sure that your trip is smooth sailing.

Make sure you have a signed, valid passport and the required visas. Imagine the inconvenience and the trouble you will get yourself into if you don't have the necessary documents. Worse, you might even end up spending a night or two in jail.

Are you deem fit by your doctor for traveling long distance? This is an important question. You will need to endure about 12 to 16 hours of travel to Asia. Think about how long you want to go away for and how far are you prepared to travel. Will you have to go alone? Do you need somebody to accompany you? Be flexible with your schedule as you can as you may have to stay longer if there is a complication, and it is preferable that the surgeon and provider treat you there and then, rather than at home when it becomes more difficult.

Check all your medical prescriptions for necessary refills. Bring along a list of your medications, and be sure to include their generic names, as brand names may differ from place to place.

Learn about local laws and respect the customs of the countries to which you are traveling. While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws. When in Thailand, DO NOT publicly criticize or make fun of the Thai monarchy, or you will be jailed for 15 years! So mind what you say and do. DO NOT EVER consume or bring illegal drugs with you. Countries like Singapore impose harsh penalties if caught with illegal drugs. A doctor's prescription is preferably be carried along with any medication.

Make 2 copies of your passport identification page. This will facilitate replacement if your passport is lost or stolen. Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives. Carry the other with you in a separate place from your passport.

Leave a copy of your itinerary with family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency.

DO NOT leave your luggage unattended in public areas. DO NOT accept packages from strangers. We have heard enough horror stories of travelers arrested for unknowingly carrying those packages that contained illegal stuff.

Prior to your departure, you should register with the nearest embassy or consulate of your country. Your country might offer online registration and do check them out. Registration will make your presence and whereabouts known in case it is necessary to contact you in an emergency.

To avoid being a target of crime, do not wear flashy clothing and expensive jewelry and do not carry excessive amounts of money or unnecessary credit cards. In order to avoid violating local laws, deal only with authorized money exchange agents. If you get into trouble, contact you country's nearest embassy as soon as possible.

So, do your homework. Put thoughtful consideration into all your preparation, be alert and mindful of your actions and you too can join the growing ranks of medical tourists. Then you can sit back, relax and enjoy a delightful and memorable medical travel vacation experience.
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10 Tips to Consider When Planning Your Family Vacation

Well, the time is finally drawing near. That long awaited and much anticipated family vacation is fast approaching. You will be off on a new adventure soon.

Oh my, suddenly panic sets in as you scramble to get everything pulled together. You search and search, but the reservation receipts and travel itineraries are nowhere to be found. You break into a cold sweat and begin mumbling out loud. This has quickly turned into the vacation from hell! You now find yourself screaming until suddenly you are awakened to find it was a bad, bad dream.

Your vacation is supposed to be relaxing and carefree, and booking this anticipated fun-filled event should be stress free as well. When planning your vacation it is always best to research your destination, accommodations, and itineraries well in advance. That's how Ward and June Cleaver would do it, right? Well, reality says it doesn't always work that way. Job deadlines, appointments and other day-to-day events often throw a wrench into the mix. Besides, there is always that last-minute deal out there somewhere to pull you through. And where do you suppose your own Wally and Beaver would like to go on vacation?

After you have decided that you are going on a family vacation, the next step is to decide where to go. The tourism industry offers many destinations that will welcome you but certainly there are some choices that are better than others for family vacations. Since you have decided that you will go on vacation with your children, it is clear that this must be the primary consideration in choosing the destination.

Here are some quick travel tips to help you choose and to get the most out of your family vacation:

1 ==> Start making your travel plans early. The earlier you can commit yourself to your travel plans, the more options you will have and the better the deals are likely to be

2 ==> Be firm and decide early about transportation arrangements

3 ==> Focus on just a few places instead of many

4 ==> Stay in one area and discover it's many dimensions: people, history, museums, music, food, monuments, etc. Excess travel can eat up precious vacation time

5 ==> Read as much as possible about the place(s) you are visiting. Browse your public library and read all available guide books for background information and to get a sense of the local culture

6 ==> Get a map of your destination and become familiar with it ahead of time

7 ==> Once you are on your way, get your nose out of the guide book. This should only be for researching your destination prior to your trip.

8 ==> Travel light - enough said!

9 ==> Don't try to do everything. Slow down and build some time into your schedule to relax, play and be spontaneous, especially since you are traveling with kids.

10 ==> Stay alert and hang on to your possessions

A great tool to involve the whole family in your vacation experience is to create a travel journal for your children. They can use a notebook and write a story telling what they experienced each day. You can create a game for them where they count something they see, other children they meet, or towns, etc., and they can keep that information in their journal.

Our favorite activity has always been to give each child a map of the United States and have them color in each state from which they saw a license plate on the trip. On a recent trip to Branson, Missouri we were able to find over 40 different states. We located them as a team in order to avoid arguing over who saw one first and this created more of a sense of working together.

Another option to quell the "are we there yet" syndrome is to download some good positive audio books onto their MP3 players. Get your kids interested in an audio book and you've got the makings of a successful vacation. In her audio book, Tips for the Savvy Traveler, author Deborah Burns says: "The single most important ingredient of successful travel is a positive attitude." Having a positive attitude will allow you to turn what might be disappointment into a learning experience. For example, bad weather may cancel some plans and force you indoors only to discover something you would not have learned otherwise.

In conclusion, choosing the destination and itinerary for your family vacation is totally up to you! These are merely suggestions. You are the one who knows best what is interesting for your children and what is not. Take into account what is suitable for them and what is preferred by you. Choose a destination or vacation package which offers the best combination of activities that appeals to all of you -- and you are halfway there.
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Bed and Breakfast to enjoy all the comforts of home when Traveling

Toronto, ON April 10, 2007 – Enjoy the sights, sounds and experiences of traveling across Canada and the U.S. while continuing to experience the comforts of home by staying in one of the thousands of Bed and Breakfasts or B&Bs available across North America.

Whether you are enjoying the emerald green waters of Lake Louise in Alberta or the splendor of the Grand Canyon in Utah, enjoy the intimacy available only from staying at a B&B, where your hosts inevitably become a part of your vacation memories and provide local information and travel suggestions you may miss by staying elsewhere.

And now, you can access the thousands of B&Bs throughout Canada and the U.S. from the comfort of your own home. Before you plan your next trip, visit http://www.bandbcanada.com or http://www.bandbunitedstates.com and open yourself to a whole new way of traveling.
It has been said that B&Bs have existed since the beginning of man. They have become very popular in Great Britain and most of Europe as an inexpensive and friendly place to stay. B&B signs populate the landscape of Ireland as any traveler to that country can attest. In Canada and the United States there is long history of bed and breakfasts, beginning from the time of early settlers. Some of these historic accommodations continue to operate as B&Bs.
A traditional bed and breakfast is generally known as a private home where a guest is provided a place to stay for the night. In some cases, the bathroom is shared with the family but more and more this is changing as guests are beginning to request private bathrooms. Breakfast is usually included with the price of the room.
For the single female traveler, B&Bs are often considered a safer environment and more appealing to the lone traveler.
In recent years, there has been an exponential increase in the number of B&Bs in the U.S. The B&B is not viewed as a low-cost lodging facility but as an attractive alternative to the typical standard chain hotel or motel room. Today, some bed and breakfasts offer amenities not unlike those found at the most upscale hotels in the world.
Whether you are traveling in cities or experiencing life in a small town, enjoy the hospitality and intimacy only offered by staying at one of the many Bed and Breakfasts across Canada and the U.S.

A Few Ideas For Weekend Road Trips

Tennessee, Johnson City to Gatlinburg

So dang gorgeous, these 90 miles of rural Tennessee might inspire you to grab a banjo and strum an Appalachian love song.

Take U.S. Route 11E toward Davy Crockett's birthplace (Everyone: "Born on a mountaintop..."). At Greenville, where two

homes of Andrew Johnson anchor a presidential historic site, veer onto U.S. Route 321, skirting the majestic Great Smoky
Mountains National Park. Next day, depending on your preference, visit the park or, for mountains of a different kind, nearby Dollywood.

Florida, Overseas Highway

Only car-crazy America would link a 105-mile long chain of islands -- from Key Largo, just south of Miami, west to Key West -- with a highway, U.S.Route1. "You're on either a bridge or a causeway, surrounded by
shimmering water," says Janet Groene, author of Great Eastern RV Trips.
"It's a lovely, lovely drive." Two tips: Crowds are smaller during spring
and early summer, and catch the sunset at Key West's Mallory Square Dock.

South Dakota, Pierre to Mount Rushmore

Mythic Mount Rushmore does not disappoint, even after driving more than 200 miles across jaw-dropping cool scenery.
From Pierre, follow U.S. Route 83 across the Missouri River and striking grasslands to Interstate 90, going west. The good stuff isn't visible from the interstate,
so be sure to turn off at Murdo for buffalo burgers, Badlands National Park for dusty canyons and Rapid City for dead presidents carved into the Black Hills.

California, Monterey to Morro Bay

Like you needed reminding that state Route 1 along California's central coast ranks as one of America's -- heck, the planet's -- best road trips. South of Monterey begins 125 miles of windy highway within incredible scenery,
most amazing at Big Sur, where the Santa Lucia Range slopes steeply into
the Pacific.
By the time you hit San Simeon, the Hearst Castle's
architectural wonders will barely register against what Mother Nature just
showed you.

Finally, regardless of your road trip, travel pros urge folks to plan their routes in advance and to pack a map, not just directions spat out by a Web site.

Don't be one of those that thinks they know it all and can't get lost. Many
a great weekend trip has been ruined by such poor planning. For the best
maps available go to DrivingDirectionsAndMaps.com

Gregg Hall has been a consultant for years to many different businesses.
When planning a road trip he recommends http://www.drivingdirectionsandmaps.com

Bed and Breakfasts Today

Travelers are seeking new experiences today. Bed and breakfast trends today are attracting people who want to completely get away from their rushed and busy daily lives. These people prefer to travel far from the city and out into the country. They prefer to stay where the hospitality is warm and personal. They prefer smaller hotels, not large impersonal hotels. They want quiet and peaceful surroundings. They want to reconnect to the land, to experience community life and enjoy simple stress-free chatter. In short, they want an experience that only a bed and breakfast can provide. The quaint and simple experience of a bed and breakfast has become a popular tourism trend today.

The real human contact of a bed and breakfast getaway

Bed and breakfasts offer personal customer service by real human beings. Travelers who are seeking the bed and breakfast experience have busy impersonal lives and want to literally stop and breathe in real air and real human contact. Simple and pleasant interactions with the local community is the highlight of any bed and breakfast stay.

Bed and breakfast holidays are romantic and historic

Newlyweds are also looking to spend their honeymoons at bed and breakfast hotels and inns. They want to be pampered and treated like real human beings. Bed and breakfast getaways are often romantic and luxurious experiences. They offer an otherworldly experience. By virtue of being so completely different from your daily life in the big city and often by having a rich history, bed and breakfast inns and hotels make you feel as if you've traveled far, far away into another world.

For all of these reasons, more and more people are turning to bed and breakfast hotels and inns for quality vacationing.

Why do people go for travels?

Human being is of curious nature. To discover new and exciting places, feasting the eyes with beauty of nature and meet with new peoples always excite anyone. To get these excitements people started traveling since very ancient days.

In India travel was developed in the form of ‘Tirth Yatra’ (pilgrimage). ‘Shantanu’, the father of ‘Shravan’, and his wife were blind and unable to travel but they were so curious for their ‘Tirth Yatra’ that his son ‘Shrvan’ made a ‘kanvar’, a special carrier, for his parents and he carried the kavad on his shoulder to fulfill their desire. The great ‘Devarshi Narad’ always used to be on travel only. The ‘Char Dhams’ were purposely made to facilitate and make popular the travels.

Herodotus from Greek made great travels in the 5th century BC. Chinese traveler Heuin Tsang traveled India in 7th Century. History of the world is full of great travelers like Christopher Columbus, Marco Polo, Odisseus, Vasco da Gama, Magellan, Przhevalsky, Afanasy Nikitin, Tur Heerdal, Jacque Coustau etc.

Traveling is a great attraction for people of any age. Children are most fond of traveling. Whenever there is any planning for tour and travel, they start being excited and making preparations since several days before from the start of journey.

People go on journey generally for:

• Getting a change from daily routine life
• Feasting their eyes by seeing the beautiful natural scenes like hills, forests, oceans, wild animals etc.
• Visit mythological places

A Retreat

I've taken a room at Stratego's, Oakapalloka's most famous scion. Here he snaps my picture as I study graphs of the Bush Recovery, and monitor a Chinese space flight.

It's a beautiful house on the corner, a block from 'uptown'. This is one of those few very large houses from a century ago that weren't sectioned into apartments. When winter comes Stratego moves his media-room back upstairs somewhere, usually to a room he hasn't tried for years. This one was last discovered in 1977.

My room will have only two monitors on the world. But, he says, at least it has a nice south light for the plants.