At the end of February, 5 other ladies and I did the big trip to Poland for the famous Polish Pottery. If you haven't experienced Polish Pottery before...you probably shouldn't. While I've never been a drug addict...I'm pretty sure it could be compared to crack. You get one piece, and it's just not enough...after a while, you realize you can never have enough!!!
We drove 2 big SUV's, and might as well had a sign that said "Stupid Americans" attached to each car. In all seriousness, the Polish depend on Americans to buy the pottery. Most Germans don't like it, so tourists and Americans totally fuel this industry. We drove about 8 hours each way in horrible weather and a bad stau (traffic jam) or two. Our trip took us to the very place they make the stuff....
Boleslawiec, Poland. We stayed at an awesome little hotel that had great shopping, authentic and delicious Polish food, and cozy rooms. It's called
Hotel Protea. Boleslawiec is kind of a rough area in parts. Poverty is high and therefore crime is high. American's are obviously a huge target. Luckily our hotel was very safe and had gated parking to keep our vehicles safe.
While out shopping the stores and factories for the pottery, many times you will want to pay the children to watch your car. If you come out and the car is good...you give them a few bucks...they go crazy. It's kind of sad, but it totally makes their day. I had one kid that literally followed me from store to store....I guess I paid well! Deb gave him candy which was also a hit. At one store, they proceeded to wash all my windows and most of the car with paper towels and something that I assume was Windex. What a sweet gesture, even if it was pouring rain. I rewarded them for their efforts, and I'm sure they had tummy aches from all the candy and their pockets full of money.
The pottery stores were amazing. It was seriously overwhelming. For those of you not familiar with
Polish pottery, it is great. It is dishwasher, oven, freezer, and microwave safe...virtually indestructible (with the exception of my tile kitchen floor). Each piece is potted by hand, hand painted, glazed, and fired. Each piece is a one of a kind piece of art. The patterns and colors are many and almost everyone can find something they like...goodness knows I did!
I don't have many pictures of Poland...because there wasn't much to look at. I have included pictures of my haul for the trip.
Here is a picture outside a pottery shop. It's like pottery on steroids...they have these all over the city since this is what Boleslawiec is famous for.
Here is the Christmas stuff I picked up. All of it is made in Poland except for the nesting Santa, which was made in Russia. All items are hand painted, hand carved, etc... Pretty amazing when you see some of the detail in these things.
Here are the Russian nesting Santa's. The kids love these things.
These are also from Russia. These dolls are extremely rare and hard to find. They are made of lime wood and every amazing detail on them was done by hand. I fell in loves with this little girl in her pink dress. The box is also hand carved. The small cuts and detail were unlike anything I had seen. I had to have it!
These are my end of the year teacher gifts. They are crocks that can be used to hold kitchen utensils, flowers, or you can even cook in it. I think I'm going to fill it with some yellow flowers when I give them.
How cute is this guy??? They had tons of different kinds...but I fell in love with the cowboy. He holds a bottle of wine and makes for a neat conversation piece.
I love crosses. I bought these three to add around the house.
These bakers are amazing! They are even painted inside! The glaze makes Pam and sticking a thing of the past. They cook so well and clean up so easy. I love them!
This is a mini tea set that I got for Caleigh for next Christmas...maybe. I may have to save it until she's old enough not to break it into a million pieces.
I love these two serving pieces. So elegant with scalloped edges. I haven't used them yet...but I can't wait! The blue, green, and cream looks great with my everyday dishes.
This tea set was one thing I definitely wanted to get. I love it! The pitcher, I'll use for water or tea, and I had to get the matching platter too. The bottom of the tea pot holds a tea light to keep your tea warm as you serve it.
Here is the same pitcher and platter, but with my new latte mugs. We used them for soup the other day too, and they were the perfect size.
Here are some random serving pieces I got. Good thing I like to entertain! I have already used most of these!
I found this pot, which I loved. I also found these blown eggs that were hand painted, and just amazing. The eggs are real, and since I have tried making real blown eggs myself...they are a pain...I was amazed by the detail and beauty of the designs on them. I don't love the ficus they are on...maybe next year I will get a bare branch and paint it white to hang the eggs from...but I didn't have time this year.
I found these painted wooden eggs. I just loved the bright colors. I don't know why I took a picture of them in this bowl...but in a glass bowl, they looked really cute.
This was one of my best finds. This is an authentic and antique Polish bread or dough bowl. They used to knead the bread in these large wooden bowls. I haven't found the perfect spot or way to display it in the house...but I'm working on it. Any suggestions??? The store I bought this in was crazy. They had all kinds of Nazi helmets and gear. Kind of odd seeing that stuff. Sometimes I find it hard to believe that we are living in a country which we at war with a few decades ago. The Nazi memorabilia kind of creeped me out.
Well that's it! Now I need a new piece of furniture to hold all my new stuff! Actually, I have most of my pieces out on baker's rack and above my cabinets on display. I love the color they provide. Even though I brought home plenty of stuff...I hope I get to go back once or twice before I leave Germany. Great experience, great fun, with great friends!
