I had always wanted to go to Boleslawiec and since it's only about a 60-90 minute drive from where Michal's mom lives. So while we had a rental car we decided to take a tiny, little trip here. When we were dating, Michal bought me an 8 plate set and brought it all the way from Poland. It only costed him about $100 to get the 8 plates + one large bowl. Since we have had them for about 4-5 years, we have broken two plates... and we wanted to replace them. Boleslawiec has some pretty regular patterns, patterns that they rotate, and patterns that they experiment on and are a "one-time only" pattern. We had no idea what kind of pattern we got, so I was nervous that we wouldn't be able to find it again. But we did! As Michal talked to the warehouse owners, they said that our pattern is a pretty regular pattern that they've had around for years and will continue to have around for years since it is one of the "typical Polish patterns" that Boleslawiec is known for. We sure lucked out.
Michal displaying our pattern on a gravy dish (which we did not buy).
There are, literally, hundreds of patterns and shapes and sizes of pottery to chose from. At first glance it seems overwhelming, but if you you know what you are looking for (or are very patient) you'll find some exquisite pieces at unbelievable prices.
We ended up buying a Salad bowl, 4 cereal/soup bowls, 2 plates, and a side dish bowl + a Christmas ornament and 2 magnets... all for under $100. You can't pass up prices like that!
One thing I absolutely love about the whole town of Boleslawiec is how much the town is decorated and embellished with their signature pottery. It brings a smile to my face.
We got down super quickly in Boleslawiec, so we decided to head to Gorlitz Germany. This is a special place for Michal because he used to come here quite often when he was a teenager. When he joined the church in Wroclaw there were 2 Young Men, so they would do "combined activities" with the members in this city. It was a great opportunity for Michal to feel more included and incorporated and to practice his German at such a young age. He had always wanted to take me here to show me the area and how much Gorlitz helped his testimony to grow.
Many of you have heard about Gorlitz because it's the town that President Monson often refers to in his talks. In this very city, when it was a part of East Germany, President Monson made a promise to the Saints that every blessing promised to other members of the Church would be theirs if they remained faithful. Today, this city has a Chapel - and a Temple is only an hour away. Michal loves coming to this city because of the beautiful architecture and charm. Plus it is right on the border of Poland so many people in this city are fluent in both languages. Kids in Gorlitz take Polish and the Polish city (Zgorzelec) the kids learn German. Before WWII it was one city, but Russians split it right down the middle (where the river ran through the city).
This was my favorite part of the city. You speak into one of the grooves, and it travels around the arch and the person on the other end of the arch can hear what you are saying (even if it is just a whisper).
Michal & I both found our initials on license plates in Gorlitz.
I love taking "Welcome to Utah", "Welcome to Pennsylvania", "Welcome to North Carolina", etc. signs in America. I had never seen one in Europe... but today this changed! I was able to see "Welcome to" (minus the "welcome to" part) Germany & Poland signs, each in their respective language.
On the way home I also experienced something "new." Since we don't have a car in Poland - we never have to fill it up. But.... the ONE time we fill up a car - look what we ran into? Someone whose job it was to fill up your car for you! Talk about customer service! You don't even have to get out of your car if you don't want to. Crazy! This definitely deserved photo documentation!
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