Day 10 - Poznan

Touring Poznan with Family

After a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, and coffee. Anna made a strawberry confectioners cake. Each layer of the 3-layer meringue came in a box encircled by a cardboard ring and separated by wax paper. Mixing up whipped cream and marzipan for the frosting between layers and adding sliced strawberries topped it off!  It must sit in the fridge for a few hours to work its tasty magic. Dessert for tonight.

That done, we are off to downtown Poznan. Slawek finds us a spot on one of the side cobblestone streets and goes off to find his own spot. We walk around the main square and get a little insider history lesson about some of the buildings and inception of Poznan in 11th Century as the seat of Poland.

We go on a search for a line marking the height of the flood that occurred a few hundred years ago and went up the wall approximately 5 1/2' but couldn't locate it.

At noon each day, according to tradition, a pair of goats come out of the opening just above the main clock and butt heads before returning back into their home. I missed the head butting because I was focused above the wrong clock!  So my pictures aren't very good but I did get the bugler and his hejnal warning trumpet before the goats appeared.

The legend goes:

When the town hall was rebuilt after the great fire, it was decided to install a clock. This was to be a celebratory occasion with a sumptuous feast to which several eminent persons were invited. The main dish was to be roast venison haunch and the preparation befell a young kitchen hand named Pietrek (Pete). A lot of exciting things were happening in the marketplace at that moment. So much so that the kitchen hand took his eye off the roast for a second to watch what was going on in the marketplace. Unfortunately, his absence dragged on... and on.... and... the roast fell into the fire and was burnt to cinders. The terrified lad ran to a nearby meadow where the city folk grazed their animals, made off with two billy goats and dragged them into the town hall kitchen. The goats, sensing their imminent demise, wrested themselves free of the boy and fled to the tower. There, they started head butting each other before the assembled crowd. The spectacle so amused the mayor, voivode (Slavic for warlord) and all the guests that Pietrek was pardoned and the clockmaker bidden to construct a special mechanism to set the horological goats in motion every day. Ever since then, once the bugle sounds at the stroke of noon, the assembled crowd has been treated to the two head-butting billy goats every day.

We visited the Basilica Minor for an organ concert and wandered to take photos while Anna and Slawek saved us some seats. The concert lasted 45 minutes and was wonderful!  And Michal and Bartek were troupers to put up with taking their "tourist" family around the city.

We went to a pasta fast food shop called Avanti! The boys each got spaghetti while we watched them eat. I was surprised that this is a favorite fast food shop in Poznan and has been here for years. They do have McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and Pizza Hut (which they love their pizza) and the first 3 have drive-up windows and McDonald's has a sign advertising McDrive!

We stopped into the Church of St. Francis and were in awe yet again at the ornate design and beauty of the main altar. Busia and Grandma, I also remembered to make a wish at each church that I entered.

In the market square, I tried to find a postcard for Sophia and Hailey but none of them were kid-oriented so I passed. I was able to purchase two matruschka for my granddaughters and will continue to look for something handmade in wood for Brantley. Instead of a doll this year, I purchased a Poznan handmade momento with two head butting goats. Being the center of my Wazbinski family's start, I needed something from here for my doll case.

We decided to head back to the house and Anna will make fish, rice, and vegetables for dinner. I made sure to invite them to Florida and to stay at my home if they come to the States. I will have to make this offer once again to be sure they know I'm serious.