Independence Day

Today it is a national holiday here in Poland as it's their Independence Day! All shops are closed unless the owner wants to come in and work (thats the rule apparently). Here are some photos of the patriotic Poles celebrating.

Happy Easter from Toruń!

Our Easter basket which was taken to church yesterday to be blessed

Beautifully hand-made eggs

An Easter decoration for the home

Hand decorating Easter eggs

The lamb comes out of the oven

Cooling - ready to be decorated

The finished lamb - all iced and ready for the Easter basket

Wishing all our readers a very Happy Easter 2011!

Poland has many rich Easter traditions. From taking an Easter basket to church to hand decorating beautiful eggs to eating Polish Żurek soup to walking around the church 3 times at 6am on Easter Sunday. The list goes on. Wait until what happens tomorrow!! ;-)

May 3rd Constitution Day

Well at the moment I'm enjoying a week off work this week...due to the 2 big public holidays here in Poland. First up it was the State Holiday on the 1st May, which is a relic of the former communist era. However, today we have the most important day in the Polish calendar...Święto Konstytucji 3 Maja or the May 3rd Constitution Day. The day marks the event back in 1791 which is considered Europe's first constitution and the second oldest national constitution in the world.

Polish people are immensly proud of their country and today you will find red and white national flags everywhere, even on buses, trains, trams and homes.

This picture was taken yesterday in Toruń's Old Square as the citizens get ready to celebrate today's Constitution Day events. These empty seats will soon be occupied by local dignitaries as the events unfold. No doubt the local brass band of Toruń will be playing today and of course Michał Załewski the President of Toruń will be in attendance.

You can spot two national symbols of Poland in this one picture: the red and white flag and of course the national emblem of the eagle (orzeł)

I kind of like the serenity of this picture before the crowds pile in!