Dzien Dobry --

I am emailing from an internet cafe near the square in Krakow.  It is currently 10:00p.  We were dropped off in Krakow by the Zdislaw, Irena and Lukasz at approx. 7:30p - it was about a 2 hour drive from Wadowice Gorne.

Now, to Wednesday . . .

We awoke Wednesday morning to a warmer (but still definitely not warm) house.  After our shaths (shower/baths), we entered the kitchen to a very nice breakfast: rye bread, kielbasa, cheese, tomatoes, and potato/pickle/cabbage salad.  Another fascinating breakfast experience!

We had big plans for Wednesday.  Zdislaw, Lukasz, Dad & I were off to see a different side of the family (Dad's father's side -- his grandmother Agatha Ciurczak Rec).  It was approximately 100 kilometers (~60 miles away).  But, since we were driving in Poland, this took about 2 hours.

The drive took us through some very small villages, rural areas, and the larger city of Rzsezow. We seemed to encounter the gamut of transportation: many large freight trucks, some tractors, and some horse-drawn carts.

Our first stop of the day was to see Helena Janusz. We found her village (Lutcza), and slowed while driving down the street, looking at house numbers as we passed by (they do not have street addresses, but rather list the house number and the village).  We passed a small store, and someone waved to us.  It was Helena's son, and no kidding he knew who we were.  I guess this village does not get many outsiders!  He told us where to turn and that he would meet us there.

We drove into Helena's driveway (well, more of a grass/dirt/mud parking spot).  She was at the door with her daughter, waving at us.  She welcomed us into her home very graciously, and was very excited to see us.  We entered her home, went into her living room, and found a long table covered with a very nice tablecloth and lots of food!  Keep in mind this was 10:30 in the morning.

We sat down with her, two of her sons, her daughter, her daughter-in-law, her brother-in-law, and her granddaughter (she has 7 kids and 10 grandkids).  Her brother-in-law emigrated to the U.S. from Poland and lived in New Britain CT for 33 years.  When he retired, he decided he could live much better on his pension in Poland.  He spoke a bit of English (but surprisingly not too much).

We showed Helena and her family all of our photos, and she took out a huge stash of photos.  She and Dad had a great time looking through them all -- Dad continues to amaze me by being able to converse with everyone in Polish.  Thank goodness Lukasz was there, as I would have been bored to tears (poor kid, he is only 14 years old, so I fear he was bored the entire time). Helena gave us the names of her grandchildren so that we could add them to our family tree.

After enjoying some cake (well, it was a 4 or 5 layer cake, with cream, jam, jello, etc), they brought out a full meal.  There was a pork roast, and several salads, along with rye bread.  Little did we know that this would be the first of quite a few dining experiences this day . . . 

Helena's house is very modest - one or two rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen.  The kitchen has a large stove/oven made of ceramic (similar to the one in Halina and Anna’s house). However, they do not have a modern stove/oven.  The ceramic stove/oven has a door into which you put either wood or coal, and a door to put things you want to bake.  On top of the stove/oven is a metal sheet, onto which you put pots and pans.  There are no on/off buttons on these bad boys.  They are literally cooking with wood fire. I have no idea how they determine the correct temperature for cooking and baking, but I guess they do it the way it was done for thousands of years.  It is hard to believe they can produce wonderful meals using these ancient cooking skills.

We had some very nice discussions with Helena and her family.  Afterward, I asked to see her barn and the farm animals.  She has a cow, many chickens, ducks, goose, etc.  We walked around her property and saw her sons’ houses, immediately next door.

The landscape around Lutcza is beautiful, with rolling hills, farms, etc.  The rain and fog kept us from seeing it in its full glory, however, we certainly got a good idea of how beautiful it is.

Upon arriving back in Helena's kitchen, her son went to the refrigerator and got out the good bottle of vodka.  We all had a shot of ‘wodka’ for 'good health' (naz drovia).  We asked about their church, as we were interested in possibly contacting the priest upon our return home to see if we could get any baptismal records.  They told us they had two churches in Lutcza -- the old church and the new church.  All of the records were in the new church -- built in the 1950s.  I asked when the old church was built and they nonchalantly told me, "Oh, about 600 years ago".  Well, come to find out, it is one of Poland's rare, very famous wooden churches.

When I heard there was a historic wooden church in Lutcza, I knew I had to see it.  I asked them where it was so we could drive there and take photos.  They looked at each other and laughed, and one of Helena's sons walked over to the phone. He called the parish priest and asked him to meet us at the church and give us a tour!!  How exciting.

We drove to the wooden church in Lutcza.  It sits amongst some beautiful trees, on a small knoll.  The priest was waiting for us when we arrived.  After walking up a set of stairs, we stood in front of this amazing structure.  The entire church was constructed of wood.  The priest opened the door and proceeded to give us a truly fascinating history of this church.

The walls of the church are hand painted with many different designs and biblical characters, and the wooden altar is stunning.  Not even a photo can capture how beautiful it was.  The ceiling above and behind the altar was painted to make it appear that there was a big curtain behind it.

The church was damp and quite cold. There were simple wooden benches lined up as pews. There was a very small balcony which held the church’s pipe organ, and several original framed paintings.

The priest, dressed in a traditional black robe, nonchalantly told us about the history of the church.  Many hundreds of years ago, the church was a refuge for the surrounding farmers when the Tartars invaded Poland, on their way to Krakow.  He showed us the small windows from which the farmers fought back with arrows.  He showed us a painted altar that was several hundred years old.  He pointed to a crucifix and matter-of-factly said "This is over 500 years old", and walked away.  Can you believe that!  This is a small wooden church in the middle of a small village, and they have many amazing historical pieces that would fill a small museum.

I kept asking the priest if it was alright that I take photos, and he kept saying yes, no problem. There were original framed paintings on the walls, dating back to the early 1700s. Near the altar, there was a small glass case with a framed letter above it. Inside the case was a crumpled piece of white cloth. Inside the cloth was a replica of a nail used in crucifixions. He told us that the nail was made in Jerusalem, and was one of only 16 in the world. He wrapped it up in the ragged cloth and put it back in the case.

The priest leaned on a large, iron baptismal font.  He told us that it was too old to continue to use (several hundred years old).  Since this was the only church in Lutcza last century, we figured that Dad's grandmother was probably baptized using this font.

He turned all the lights on in the church, and opened a small, secret door built into the large, wooden altar.  This altar (approx. 30 feet high with many carvings of saints, and decorative items) was renovated 2 years ago at a cost of US$100,000.  He walked behind the altar, and we could hear him turning a wood crank.  Suddenly, the painting in the middle of the altar started to rise, and a beautiful sculpture behind it was displayed.  He told us that they open this little area with the sculpture during the Sunday mass (they have one service per week, at 9:00a on Sundays).  He then invited us to walk through the little trap door with him, and walk behind the altar.  Very cool!  Huge, old timbers everywhere. We could look up through the altar and see the painting and sculptures.

We were then led into the small private area for the priest where he prepares for the mass. He showed us the old, rickety steps used to get up into the pulpit.  On an old, warped shelf, he removed a small box with a hole cut in the top and very old hinges. He told us that it was a collection plate (actually, a collection box) that was used in the church -- about 250 years ago!  It sits, covered in dust, on a shelf. Again, anywhere else, it would be in a temperature and humidity controlled room in a museum.

He then brought us outside to show us the wood exterior.  It was beautiful.  All of a sudden, he walked over to a big tree stump.  He proceeded to tell us that this was where they hid ammunition for the Polish resistance during WWII.  I pointed into the stump and asked, "In here?".  He shook his head and said ‘Nie’, and pointed up to the sky. He told us they had hollowed out the entire tree and dropped ammunition into it.  They stored all of the ammunition in this hollow tree.  Brilliant.

This was definitely a highlight of our trip.  I have seen some amazing churches in my travels, including Notre Dame in Paris, St. Peters in Rome, Westminter Abbey in London, etc.  This church ranks right up there as one of the most amazing I have ever seen.

After visiting this beautiful wooden church, we were heading next to visit Helena's brother Jan.  He is 77 years old, and is the first 'crazy old man' we have met.  Very funny.  More on that in the next version.

Sorry -- its getting late and I do not think that I am coherent enough to write a good email.  We have an 8:00a train to catch in the morning so we can get our 1:00p flight home tomorrow.  Perhaps I will find an internet cafe at the airport.