Thursday, Oct. 25, 2007

OK, really the restaurant video is from Thursday morning, even though I put it up on Wednesday. Whatevs. Apparently I did not put it up on Wednesday. Huh!

Breakfast in Zakopane was mostly the same, but a little fancy pantsier. Also, I love Zakopane.

After breakfast we left for our marathon trek. We went to St. (Brother) Albert's monastery/hermitage up in the mountains. The skiing mountains. I've never been skiing before. Not that I have still - we didn't go skiing; I'm just saying. It was such a fun walk because it was super snowy and slippery and kind of steep. I did not fall, thank you very much. I almost fell, and I purposefully took a butt-full of snow in the name of making a snow-angel. My almost fall was awesome - I was doing lunges. Anyway. It was also gorgeous.

Ski lift disappearing up the hill

JP2 canonized Brother Albert and some other guy. Hold... wikipedia!

Brother Albert's cell (which might have been 5' wide if he was lucky)

I could live in a hermitage if I got a view like this. I'm just saying.

Inside the chapel, which was probably intended for fewer than 20 people

OK, I admit. I honestly, really and truly, decided I should take an actual on-purpose MySpace pic (as opposed to the mockery kind). I lifted my camera and aimed and realized what a moron I looked like and started laughing at myself. That's why this picture is such an awesome "Ha - I cannot believe I'm doing this" face. I am rad.

Thank God for Uggs.

So we had Mass after long whiles because no one wanted to let us in, but it was lovely to wander and be quiet and pretend to be a hermit. After Mass, we hiked back down to Zakopane to have ourselves some lunch. I, being awesome, which you already know, made a snow angel on the way down the hill!!

This is the preparation stage (aka no snow in the pants)

OK, I don't remember the time before this that I made a snow angel. I wouldn't go so far as to say it was my first time, because that's just absurd, but I can't remember. The point of this is that once I was down I could not figure out how I was supposed to get back up without totally destroying anything angelic that was happening. It was hilarious. I pretty much lay in the snow laughing for a while.

The finished product

Unidentifiable grilled meats for lunch ... yum.

After lunch, I spent the afternoon mostly on my own, wandering through Zakopane buying things. I almost bought Michael O a big freaking knife (until I remembered who I am). I also took loads of pictures and found a bookstore.

This was our last night in Poland, and, I have to say, we worked it out in style. The House Band performed, Fr. Stan performed, and Maryland Mary performed. She didn't close with her "Fin!" pose on the video, but I have a photograph; never you fear.

Dinner - potato pancakes with some sort of goulashy magic inside

As I mentioned "yesterday," the House Band was the bizzzzzzzzzzzzomb. I could've sat and watched them all night, but (as you will see in the video) they were giving me weird looks. It was rad. They were there all night, every night, and I wanted to be them. Fr. Stan wanted to be their bass player, but he wasn't trying to share.

Good times, good times. Before getting up at 3a to drive back to Krakow and catch a flight to Rome.