Flying from Newcastle to Krakow on Friday 18th August twenty members of DTTIA were to enjoy a fabulous week in Poland.
On Saturday we were met by Lukasz Samek who has lived with his wife Dominica in Darlington for the past few years. Lukasz was to be our interpreter during visits to other towns. While most of our party explored Krakow's beautiful centre on Saturday, he took Gerald, Hugh and myself to his home town of Niepolomice which was about 40 minutes drive, where we were invited to the Championship match between Niepolomice and Opole, our cousin twin town, which resulted in a 1-1 draw. We met many local people including the Mayor, Roman Ptak, and presented him with a Darlington FC strip. Before returning to Krakow we had a splendid dinner at the home of Lukasz's parents who were so friendly towards us. Earlier that afternoon we had visited the ground of KS DAB Zabierzow Bochenski, where we met the club President and players including Lukasz's brother, Grzegorz. We discussed arranging a visit to Darlington next year involving matches against our local teams, and hopefully we can make this a reality. We also visited Niepolomice Primeval Forest where European Bison are kept in an enclosed area.
On Sunday the brollies were out for heavy rain but it did not stop us touring the town. Krakow has one of the most beautiful market squares, surrounded by bars and restaurants, around which superb horse drawn carriages take visitors on tours of the city with its impressive cathedral, castle, churches and River Vistula.
On Monday the whole group were invited to visit Niepolomice where we visited the National Phonographic Museum and the magnificent castle, where we were given a 3 course lunch. Our guide was Przemek Kocur who was so knowledgeable and friendly and stayed whith us throughout the day. This Royal Castle was the hunting lodge of Polish kings and we were given a tour of all galleries within the building. The Mayor was presented with a framed picture of High Row and a coal model of Locomotion No.1. We also visited the parish church and library.
On Tuesday we had a long drive to Opole our cousin twin town, as we are both twinned with Muelheim. Our guide for the day was Maciej Wrobel who spoke perfect English. We were invited to meet Mayor Arkadiusz Wisniewski in the Town Hall where we exchanged gifts and discussed future projects between our towns. We then had a tour of the town including the Ampitheatre and Museum, which highlighted the fact that Opole is the Capital of Polish Song and holds a festival every year. Again the hospitality was superb and we were given a meal in a local restaurant.
Wednesday was the visit to Auschwitz, where everyone was able to pay their respects to those who suffered and died in this terrible camp.
Thurday was a free day in Krakow where we all enjoyed the delights of this wonderful City, bought presents for home and then had a great evening together in the Black Gallery Pub drinking beer and the many flavoured Polish vodkas. Last to leave was at 3am!
Friday was again free time in the City before leaving at 5pm for the flight back to Newcastle.
Thanks to our wonderful Polish Hosts ;
KS Dab Zabierzow Bochenski - Stanislaw Losinski Grzegorz Samek Bartek Knapczyk
Puszcza Niepolomice FC v Odra Opole - Niepolomice Mayor Roman Ptak Chairman of PNFC - Jaroslaw Pieprzyca Chairman of Odra Opole FC - Karol Wojcik
Niepolomice visit - Przemyslaw Kocur Chief Specialist Promotion and Culture
Opole visit - President Arkadiusz Wisniewski Magdalena Matyjaszek Head of Culture, Tourism and International Cooperation Maciej Wrobel Department of Culture, Tourism and International Cooperation
DTTIA participants - Tom Nutt Gill Nutt Helen Crumbie Lynda Brass Gerald Lee Ruth Lee Lukasz Samek Sandra Dashwood Hugh Adams Maggie Ellison Susan Ellison Brian Robinson Helen Robinson Amos Robinson Sheila Perangie Michael Newson Ann Newson Dave Lyonette Geoff Walker
Report by Tom Nutt
More photos to follow.