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Month 1 in Poland - August 2025

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Welcome to our first update chronicling our year away in Poland. We recently completed our first full calendar month in-country so we felt it would be a good time to share how we're getting on. Our goal is to send one of these once a month, ideally with a different author each time rotating through the family (including the kids!). We'll see if it works out that way. Our first several weeks were focused on what you would expect: getting over jetlag (especially me), getting keys to our place, trips to IKEA and building furniture, getting settled and up to speed, etc. In Krakow, our place is across the way from Monika's parents and a 15 minute walk to her brother's. It's also a 2 minute walk to Alex's school and a 15 minute walk to Adam's school. Very convenient. Apart from that we have also been spending time in the countryside at Monika's parent's country house and at her brother's mountain cabin (which has spectacular views, a firepit, a wood-fi...

Sonoma in winter

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When it rains, it pours. But even if it rains, it's a good time to drink wine. The first weekend in December we took a trip to the famous wine country to taste some wines and explore a bit. Sonoma, located a 1 h drive north from San Francisco, is not only famous for its wines but also  because it's the location of the last of the 21 Catholic missions established in the first half of the XIX century by Spanish Franciscan missionaries. The mission was built with Native American hands and vineyards were planted soon after to provide sacramental wine for the church. With its square plaza/park in the middle, its city hall and street layout, Sonoma reminds me of  a typical polish town. There must be some connection: the town was built by the Mexicans, who based their architectural styles on spanish designs  who probably were influenced by the French and Germans. And most polish cities were built according to German ( i.e. Magdeburg) law. Unlik...

Northern California Coast in My Lens

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