Poland Travel Report 10/14-22/04
Thursday/Friday 10/14-15/04
I almost missed my plane out of LAX Thursday morning
when traffic delayed my shuttle. I got there barely
45 minutes before the flight took off. Forty five
minutes is when they close the check-in for a flight.
However, the plane sat on the runway for half an hour,
waiting its turn in line. That, of course, delayed
the flight 30 minutes getting into O'Hare. A fast
train to the international terminal and I got there
barely in time to catch my flight, which, as it turned
out, was delayed a half hour. I did not know it then,
but I would be plagued by plane schedules throughout
the trip.
We flew into Chopin Airport in Warsaw Friday morning
and I was met by Pawel from Egmont Polska, one of my
two Polish publishers. The plan was to check into the
Hotel Campanile, rest a few hours, then do my first
interview. But hotel check-in turned out to be at two
in the afternoon, which forced a change of plans. It
was off to the Egmont office to meet my editor Tomek
(tom' ek), whom I had first met two years ago in San
Diego. I hung out at the office until it was time to
check in, had lunch with Tomek and Mark Vanoppen, a
Belgian artist better known as Marvano who was also a
guest of Egmont, then did my interview. The interview
covered many things, including the upcoming
presidential elections. Poland is one of the
countries with troops in Iraq so, naturally, they have
a vested interest in the election results.
In the late afternoon,Tomek, Marvano and I walked
through downtown Warsaw. We went to the top of the
Palace of Culture and Science, the tallest building in
the city. It had been built by the communists in the
1950's. It is just one of a few remnants of the
previous communist regime. We stood atop the balcony
that the communist leaders stood on to review the May
First parade of military. Now, though, the large
square is comprised of parking lots and stores. An
EMPiK store is one of them. EMPiK is a chain of 60
stores throughout Poland featuring electronics, DVDs,
music, and books. They, and my two publishers,
sponsored my trip to Poland.
We got to the store at the scheduled time, and there
was a mob waiting for us. The first person whose
books I signed stated he had been in queue for six
hours. The Poles are an extremely patient people.
The signing lasted quite a bit longer than
anticipated. I have thirteen books in Poland, two of
them had been published just prior to my arrival. The
first thirty people in line at each store also
received a 2x3 feet Usagi Poster printed just for the
tour.
After the signing, we walked over to a restaurant near
the old city center. I had crispy duck, with sauce
and grillled vegetables.
Saturday10/16/04
Pawel met Marvano and me at 7:30, and we taxied to
Egmont where hired vans would take us on the two hour
drive to the 15th Miedzynarodowy Festiwal Kiomiksu in
Lodz (pronounced "Wooj"). First snag of the day--only
one van was there, enough to carry 8 of us. Another
van would not arrive until noon. We drove to Lodz,
the rest would have to wait for the next van. We
arrived at about 10:30, checked into the Hotel
Centrum, then walked next door to the convention hall
and the opening ceremonies. I met Przemek (she'
mek), the owner of Mandragora, my other Polish
publisher. Marvano and I were then escorted to
breakfast at a nearby pub (I had goulash), then back
to the hotel for a little rest. I did a presentation
at 1:00. While I talked, artists were behind me at
easels drawing Usagi on large boards. At the end, I
was to judge them, and award a prize to the winner. I
dislike being a judge for anything, especially
circumstances like this, and wanted to let the
audience decide. But organizers said that was taking
the easy way out. I said a few nice things about each
of the drawings, then decided. My choice got a good
round of applause, so I guess I made a good decision.
Organizers provided a private luncheon for Marvano and
myself of borsch with ears (a type of pierogi), salad,
and pork loin wrapped in bacon. Marvano left for
press interviews, so I finished by myself. An hour
later, I left for my own interviews. I had an hour
between the interviews and a signing but I noticed
that a line had already formed, so I went to the
signing room and began early. Three hours later, I
signed my last book. There was a big ceremony that
night which included an auction. I had donated a
drawing of Usagi with a Polish warrior, made
especially for my trip. It was printed in new books
by both Mandragora and Egmont Poland. The original
went for 2,600 PLN (about $700). I was later told
that this was a extraordinary amount, since the
average Pole makes about 1500 PLN a month. Post
ceremony, off to a party at a nightclub.
Sunday 10/17/04
The convention did not open until later today, so I
took this opportunity to do some walking and taking
pictures of what are (to me) some of the more
interesting sights such as a Polish-Chinese restaurant
(the Czerwony Smok or Red Dragon) and some grafitti.
Why is it that grafitti looks more like art in other
countries? I was on the lookout for a sweater, but
most stores are not open on Sundays. I dreaded to
think what my sports coat will smell like after a week
of wearing in smoke-filled rooms.
I did an Artist Presentation where I explained what I
did and how I did it, critiqued portfolios, and signed
books. I had not gone through the small dealers' room
on Saturday, intending to do so when I had more time
on Sunday. I was surprised to find it almost
deserted. Friday was a day for school children, and
Sunday was considered a very slow day anyway so most
publishers had set up only on Saturday. Reports are
that the Lodz convention is on a slow, steady decline
in attendance, ironically much of it has to do with
the growing popularity of comic books in Poland.
Previously, a reader would have to go to Lodz to
acquire the newest comics. Now they are available
throughout the country, and there are even a
few--about 8 or 10--comic book specialty shops. There
is also another annual convention in Warsaw, a city
much easier to get to.
Marvano and Tomek took a train back to Warsaw, while
Pawel and I continued on to Cracow. Marvano is a
terrific person. I’ve had some of his books on my
bookshelves for 15 years. I’m glad I finally got to
meet him. Marvano comes from Flanders, the Dutch
speaking section of Belgium. By coincidence, when I
returned home, there was an invitation waiting for me
to an August convention in the Netherlands at which
Marvano will also be a guest.
Pawel and I caught the 2:45 train from Lodz. We had a
private six seat compartment. By the time we arrived
in Cracow at 6:45 pm, it was a full train with people
standing in the the aisles, so I felt a bit guilty
having so much room. We took a taxi to the Campanile
Hotel where I immediately blew out the fuse. I had
wanted to recharge my computer battery so plugged the
converter into the wall socket. A spark, and the room
went dark. Luckily, I had my flashlight. The hall
lights were still on, so I didn't black out the entire
hotel. Pawel was just down the hall, and he called
the front desk. Five minutes later, the manager had
arrived and I saw something I had never seen
before--the inside of a European fuse box. The
problem though was in the main fuse box for the floor.
A few minutes later, I had light once again.
However, this was not the first time that I would be
in the dark.
Cracow was almost untouched during the war, so this is
truly Old Poland, the city of the ancient kings. I
could have easily stayed here for another week,
exploring the city, the salt mines, visiting the Tatra
Mountains, and Auschwitz is an hour away, though it's
becoming more touristy. The City Center was just a
few minutes' walk from the hotel, so we went there for
dinner at a traditional Polish restaurant.
Unfortunately, they were out of the roasted pig
knuckles, something I had wanted to taste. The garlic
soup was delicious, though. I also had meat wrapped
vegetables with a brown sauce. This being Sunday,
almost all the shops are closed at this time, so back
to the hotel.
Monday 10-18-04
I went for an early walk through the park to the old
city walls. As we were checking out, I mentioned to
Pawel that it was nice that the hotel posted a sign
regarding the weather conditions, so people can
prepare for it when they get outside. He asked what I
meant. I indicated the sign that said "windy" (which
it was). I guessed that if it is raining, they'll
post another sign so people will remember their
umbrellas. He told me it is pronounce "vinda" , and
it means "elevator". Another point of confusion are
the public restrooms. They do not have the universal
symbols of a man or woman. Some have a triangle or
circle, others had chickens, and another had the
words in Polish. I figured out that I am a triangle.
Upon closer examination of the chickens, one turned
out to be a rooster and the other a hen. As for the
Polish words, one had "men" mixed in with a dozen
other letters, and the other had "dame".
I left my luggage at the EMPiK store then went
shopping. I bought Hannah an amber necklace, Sharon
some Polish linen and an amber bracelet, and Matthew
some amber. Amber is very popular in Poland,
especially in the north. One of the major attractions
in Cracow is Wawel (va-vel) Castle. The castle was
ruled my many Polish kings, each of whom made an
addition in the style of architecture popular at the
time. As a result, the castle is a conglomeration of
styles. There is also a legend of a dragon that lived
in a cave under the castle. A tailor's son filled a
sheep's corpse with poison. When the dragon ate the
sheep, he became so thirsty that he blew up by
drinking too much water. You can go down into the
cave which exits outside the castle.
We had lunch at an old style tavern. I had the roast
pork with garlic and prunes. The interesting thing
about our meal is that it came with fresh bread that
was so heavy it could have been made out of old
National Geographics. You could either slab on cheese
or lard. I tried it with the lumpy lard. Not bad,
but I could almost feel my arteries clogging up.
After lunch, another interview.
I found a nice sweater for 150 PLN (about $40) before
my signing. Przemek met us at the book store then we
all had dinner. Pawel walked to the station to catch
the train to Warsaw while Pzemek drove me three hours
to Wroclaw (vrash-yov), where I stayed at another
Campanile Hotel.
Tuesday 10/19/04
I was picked up at the hotel at 11 by Przemek, and
Jalek (Yah-lek) our translator and guide in the city.
Wroclaw is built on a series of islands, so we crossed
a lot of bridges. I have never seen so many
cathedrals in one small location. We took the
elevator to the top of one to get a grand view of the
city. All around, you can see the cathedral spires
rising above the other buildings. 90 percent of the
city was destroyed in WW 2, so it was almost
completely rebuilt. The city center was renovated
about 10 years ago in the old style, with the most
prominent thing being the large "sun clock" on the
city hall. Also in the city center are large sections
of the Berlin wall, Germany being just over the border
from Wroclaw. The west facing wall is marred with
grafitti, but, not surprisingly, the east side is
unmarked.
We arrived at the EMPiX store in the city center at 5,
and there was a long line of people waiting. The
university is not far and, I suspect, there were many
students. The signing lasted for about 2 1/2 hours,
then Przemek and I drove to Poznon, about 3 hours
away.
Wednesday 10/20/04
A very foggy morning. Przemek and I were joined by
Tomek, a journalist, who would act as our guide. We
visited a couple of cathedrals, one that was first
built in the 10th century, then went to the military
park and cemetery. The park sits on an old castle,
mostly destroyed in WW 2. There is a museum there
with tanks, planes, and weapons from WW 1 to the
present. Poznan's city center is like most that I have
seen on this trip--a city hall with the huge clock
tower, the open market place, etc. There is a new
palace downtown--only a hundred years old--that was to
have been Hitler's residence. However, he decided to
bypass Poznan in favor of pushing on to Moscow. A
campaign that failed.
Because it is a 4 hour drive to Gdansk, we decided to
start the signing earlier than 5. There had been
lines forming an hour or two before the scheduled
start time anyway. We went to a coffee shop where I
had my pre-signing cuppacino. Przemek went to the
EMPiK store to make sure everything was prepared, then
came back and collected me. When we got to the store,
we found a huge crowd for me, but outside the store.
The construction site next door had just broken
through some power lines, and had blacked out the
block. The store was evacuated, and those who came to
my signing were waiting outside. I was set up just
inside the doors, and people came in one at a time to
get something signed. Because of the black out, the
store was unable to sell anything, including the
newest volumes of Usagi Yojimbo. When it got darker,
I signed by candlelight.
The signing lasted the typical 2 1/2 hours. We ate at
a "western" restaurant, themed like the cowboy days.
I had bacon collar with saurkraut. We said our good
bye to Tomek, then drove onto Gdansk, a resort along
the Baltic Sea. We went through patches of fog and
rain, over a small mountain range, then reached the
Hotel Novotel at about midnight.
Thursday, 10/21/04
It sprinkled throughout the day, but never heavily.
Przemek and I drove to Malbork to see the castle
there. It is the largest castle in Europe, and the
largest brick castle in the world. Building was
started by the Templar warrior monks in the 12th
century, but it would not be completed until 150 years
later. The Polish king had enlisted the aid of the
Templars (black crosses) to help against the heathen
barbarians. The Templars stayed though, eventually
conquering the area for themselves. The leader of the
warrior monks was the Grand Master, elected for life
by the other Templars. At their peak, there were only
60 Templar knights living in the castle, the other
residents were comprised of the castle and personal
staff. The castle eventually fell to the Poles--the
cost of the upkeep was too great for the Templars, so
they sold it to the Polish king. The castle is
massive, much larger than I expected. Przemek had
arranged for a personal English-speaking guide.
Kalinda was a beautiful young woman who spoke
impeccable English. She was very knowledgeable about
the castle, and led us around for a 4 hour tour.
Back to Gdansk and a quick tour of the city, then to
EMPiK for another 2 1/2 hour signing.
We had a quick meal, then drove back to Warsaw, a four
hour drive. We reached the hotel at about 1 am.
Friday 10/22/04
A beautiful morning. I took a walk to the old train
station and street vendors next to the hotel, Pawel
and Przemek drove me to the airport, and stayed with
me until I had checked in.
I was sitting at the gate, when an announcement came
over the speakers. I don't understand Polish, but I
could guess what it said by the reactions of my fellow
travelers. The flight was delayed. I had allowed two
hours for my connecting flight at O'Hare, but now
catching it would be iffy. When we landed, I shot
through passport control, grabbed my bags
(fortunately, they were one of the first ones off),
rechecked them in at United, then caught the train
from the international terminal five to United
terminal one. I quickly got through security, ran down
the quarter mile to my gate, just in time to see my
plane backing out of the gate.
Fortunately I was in Chicago and there is a flight to
LA every hour or so. I rebooked, and arrived in LA
just an hour later than expected. But, for some
reason, the airline had deemed it best to send my
luggage on two different flights. So I hung around
baggage claim for another hour until my second bag
arrived. I got home a little past midnight, just
three hours or so later than my original estimation.
Poland is a wonderful country. There is a move to
modernize Warsaw, an otherwise nondescript city. The
centers of each city has been renovated in the old
style, a tribute to the country that still remembers
the World Wars. The people there are terrific, very
generous (I was gifted bottles of vodka and books)
and, as I said, very patient. Comic books are a
developing market in Poland, and I was surprised at
the interest in my signings-- from people with books
to sign as well as the media.
Next stop: Spain
The backround is stunnung!.......