Punny, right? I kind of want to be Bettie Page. I mean look like her, not be her (don't worry Mom!). Maybe I'll have Val give me her haircut when I get back. In 23 days! What what!
I had a busy day today! I saw two castles. Tropsztyn was first. There is only one road to get there and it winds around a lake. Remember when there was really bad flooding in Poland about a month ago? Probably not. The rains were torrential and destroyed part of a hillside near the castle along with many other things, causing some rocks and debris to spill onto the road. Much of the drive was closed and a one-way pass only, so it took us about twice as long to travel there. On the way, Marzhina and I talked about Poland's changing borders and how it affected the culture and those surrounding it. The river initially marked the divide between Hungary and Poland, and many castles dotted along the banks of the water. Too many to count or maintain. On the drive there, the scenery became very hilly and wild. You'd see a tower mounted with a flag jutting up from some trees to the left, and an old decrepit mansion foundation on the right, peeking from behind some hills. It continued in this manner for the duration of the ride.
The entire castle is restored so nothing is original, which isn't as cool, but it was still pretty awesome. The souvenir shop had Inca-themed trinkets because one of its last Hungarian princes had fallen in love with an Inca princess. It has a tall tower and Marzhina and I climbed up to the top. We were both out of breath. I got some really nice pictures there of the wonderful view over the water. After we left the castle, we walked around a winding path that contains the castle grounds. It was built up on a hill, of course, and the shady path was bound only by a wobbly wooden fence. It really was gorgeous.
Some of the big rocks surrounding the castle had wide vertical cracks in them, with a handprint painted on the side motioning toward the crack. Supposedly you are to insert your hand into the crevice and you'll feel a draft from within the rock. Now it's roped off so you can't really get that close, but I'm sure if you were adventurous enough it would be pretty cool to experience.
The second castle Debno was much more astonishing. The tour was only in Polski but Marzhina and I stood at the back and she whispered the important parts to me in English. The castle was small, for a castle anyway, and was filled with wonderful things. The rooms were decorated as they would have been when it was in use centuries ago. My favorite rooms were the pantry and the kitchen, although everything was extraordinary.
The floor of the courtyard was composed of uneven stones that had been rounded and smoothed on the tops from years, no - centuries of feet stepping over them. The doorways were big and heavy, and steps leading up to them were worn from a thousand footprints, with a trough in the same spot on each stone level. (Okay, I realize they have probably been stepped on way more than 1,000 times but it sounded very poetic in my head.) Around the inner edge of the courtyard was a wooden veranda with an elegant iron railing. This was for the servants to use because they were not allowed to enter from the normal front doors.
Each room was unique, but they were all tied together with similar features including exaggerated archways, oversize vaults, and two sets of doors. Everything was intricate, yet I didn't feel overwhelmed as I had at Wawel. The wooden floors would creak and groan with every step. In some areas, the staircases were awkwardly positioned, forcing the tourists to sidestep and duck their heads while hopping from one place to another. The large stained glass windows opened up like french doors and had big heavy stone benches in their nooks - a great place for gazing into the forest and daydreaming. I'll admit that I totally fantasized about being a princess with porcelain cheeks, sighing with boredom while I sat gazing from the window wearing some magnificent heavy gown.
In the pantry, real herbs were hanging to dry and it smelled rather amazing. It reminded me of being at my Mom's house in the evening when the chamomile that grows in our driveway smells the strongest. They had a cabinet with different concoctions and remedies and tonics, and a pharmacy table with an old prescription. The drawers were labeled with things like menthus and hyssopus. Eggs were kept in bowls of sand to keep them fresh. There was a candle burning in its sconce on the wall, and it served to foretell whether a person's illness would be cured or not. They held the burning candle next to the body, and if the smoke was smooth and straight they would live. If the smoke curled and scattered, they would not. At that point, the sick person was generally executed - they were going to die anyway, right? It's no wonder why the life expectancy was so short.
In the kitchen, the fire was kept burning 24 hours per day. They actually had most of the original copper pots and pans and other utensils from when the castle was in use. I can't imagine those items surviving from the 13th and 14th centuries, so they must have been from the 18th century. It really was quite the operation though.
In one of the salons was a table made from wood and ivory. It was really breathtakingly beautiful and had taken over ten years to restore! All the armoires and wardrobes were huge and bulky, yet delicate and so very pretty. There was a huge safe that was unable to be opened, and a traveling case with exotic animals carved on the surface. Shelves lined the perimeter of a room and were filled with delicate teapots and dishes with birds painted on them. There was an entire room shelved with shallow pans made of silver, which supposedly holds a temperature rather consistently. The pans were filled with oil so the oil would maintain its temperature throughout the night. I think something was lost in translation there - does anyone reading know why they did this or what the oil was used for? Why was it important that the temperature of the oil be maintained? I'm curious to find out. Leave a comment!
It was quite hot out today, but down in the cellar of the castle it was pretty cold and gave me goosebumps. Prisoners from insurgent groups were kept there and probably tortured. A gangly iron hook hung from the ceiling, and there was a chair of nails as well as Spanish boots. The tour guide joked that the schoolchildren say the nail chair is a good place for the teacher. And do you know what a Spanish boot is? It's an iron contraption that is placed into a fire for a while, and then when it is taken out, the foot belonging to the incarcerated is placed inside. I think it has pokey things on the inside as well, but can't be sure.
Of course, every castle has a ghost. There was a young princess there who was forced to marry a man she did not love. The King, or whoever had power over her, told her she had three options for her life: She must marry him, be killed, or a mysterious third option. She chose the third option and was placed in the corner of the hall. A tower was built up around her and she died there from hunger, thirst, and loneliness. Of course they had a mannequin of a bride with flowing white gowns in the corner of the room, hidden behind a screen. It actually did creep me out a little at first. She walks the halls at night looking for her love or to take revenge on the man who ruined her life, one of the two. I'm just guessing here. The mannequin had long blonde hair, and it is said that the prize for winning this woman would be her lengthy golden locks.
I didn't take any pictures of the inside of Debno because I'm pretty sure it wasn't allowed. No one else in the group was taking photographs, anyway. You can probably see pictures online if you search it.
I really liked spending time with Marzhina today. I know I'm not spelling her name correctly, pity. Her English is probably better than mine and we had great conversations. She has seen upwards of 30 countries and told me that Prague is her absolute favorite, followed closely by Spain. Hence the previous plea for someone to come gallivant Europe with me. We talked about how different people have different priorities in life, and she said that she doesn't care about updating her furniture every five years or having the best jewelry and newest car; what's important for her is to travel and enjoy the earth. I like that philosophy!
After the castles, she took me to a restaurant called Soprano. Yes, it is Italian. I had a Greek salad there and it was pretty delicious. The feta cheese is different here I think. Normally I don't care for it and will leave it on the side, but I suppose it's done differently here in Poland. There is also this tasty beer called Redd's and it has sweet flavors like lemon and raspberry, so everyone calls it the woman's beer. Great - now I'm patronizing sexist beer. Perhaps I'll have to teach my kids about gender roles to compensate.
So who's been watching the World Cup? Eh?
No comments:
Post a Comment