Zalipie and Sandomeirz

Thursday May 25, 2017 Day 15

Trams didn’t seem to start until just before 5 a.m. this morning. Sleep in! Soggy morning but it’s a road trip day so no matter. The main part of our tour is over and the majority of our group has gone their own way. Our current traveling companions for the next two days are 3 sisters and a husband from Huntington Beach, California. The sisters are 3 of 5 sisters of Chinese decent from Miramar who moved to the US, one at a time, between the ages of 19 and 50 . Sisters 3 & 4 are now in their 60’s and no. 1 is an 80 year old doctor. Delightful talking to them and funnily enough most of the conversation is about Burmese food.

The first stop today was Zalipie, a very small town known for the floral paintings on the walls of their houses, sheds, wells, compost boxes and even in their church.

In the pouring rain we continued heading north through agricultural areas, again fairly flat with small towns along the way. Gradually we started seeing orchards that expanded into mile upon mile of orchards, mostly apple, interspersed with peach, cherry, and pear with plantings of cabbage, tomatoes and onions in between.

Sandomeirz was our destination, a town of 26,000 with a main square in old town that was much as it has been for hundreds of years and a new town on the other side of the river with a windshield factory. Our 15th century hotel is on the town square that was filled with school children during the day but now quiet and deserted. Although somewhat touristy, English speaking tourists are in the very small minority as evidenced by the lack of English on menus or spoken in shops. We had a time warp, lost in translation kind of lunch experience. Sitting just off the square in this very traditional Polish 16th-18th century small town, enjoying a very delicious bowl of Mexican soup while listening to 1950s American rock/roll on the restaurant’s outdoor speakers as hoards or Polish teenagers (who look and dress just like kids in Victoria) run around the square. Where are we and what era are we in?

Sandomeirz was not damaged during WII so the buildings go back 100’s of years. In the 14th century merchants kept their wares in their basements under the square. In the late 60’s the spaces underground were joined together and are now known as the dungeons. Our tour took us into the underground which ran under the square and then popped up about 2 blocks from where we started. Sandomeirz is a lovely little town with winding cobblestone streets, lots of trees and flowers, and birdsong. With our guide we wandered over to one of the large churches in town with a view over fields and down to the river. On the other side of the small valley was what was left of a castle after the Swedes blew it up in the 1600’s. Then over to the Franciscan Monastery and back through the town wall through a gate just wide enough for 2 people for 14th century security reasons and back to the hotel.

Dinner was at the hotel and one of the best we’ve had since arriving. Good wine, good duck and good night. Wonder what breakfast will be.