Agrochatka- Kluczbork, Poland

Where we stayed for 3 weeks.

Ready for a day of work!

Building the stonework around the base of the well

Beehives, carved from wood

Honey comb

Little candles we made from the bee's wax.
Marisa's on the Left, Denton's on the Right

Trying on the mask that the bee keepers wear when collecting honey

Our twins bed... of course the 'made bed' is Marisa's

Front door, looking out over the field. The little ears in the corner belong to Azorek

A view from the front porch toward the barn/classroom/road

Beautiful sunflower!

The Agrochatka house. Our bedroom was the lower, far right window

Our faithful companion, Azorack

Chickens on the farm

Mushroom hunting...

Denton actually found edible ones!

Our beautiful hostess, Ela, posing with a colorful one

After an afternoon of mushroom hunting; Yurek, Ela, Marisa, and Denton

Ela, Victor, and Denton in front of a historical building in Opole

Posing in front of the river in Opole

Onion and Potato Pierogi's- they were DELICIOUS!

Ela and Victor

We spent 3 weeks on the magical Agrochatka farm in Poland. We thought we'd let our Thank You letter that we left with the family do the talking on this one...

Dear Jurek, Ela, Ustina, Karolina, Grandma, Victor, Azurek, 2 kitties, 5 goats, and 3 bunnies.

Thank you all so much for hosting us for three amazing weeks at Agrochatka! We really couldn't have asked for a nicer group of people to spend time with and get to know. Everyone helped to make us feel welcome, at home, and a part of your wonderful family; which was exactly what we needed after 8 months on the road.  There is a very warm energy in this house, and it was a real pleasure to stay and help here. We felt that all of the work asked of us was very fair and overall turned out to be a rewarding experience. Especially rewarding, was completing the stones around the well and seeing how nice they looked afterwards. We only wish we could see the place after a few other projects are completed like the playground.

Thank you for taking time to teach us about the beekeeping process. We really enjoyed going to see the forest for mushroom picking, the market and museum in Kluczbork, and the beautiful old city of Opole. We really will have to come back to see more of Poland.  Also, thank you for all of the really delicious food, and for throwing us a fun going away party by the fire.  Surely, we will take many fond memories and lessons from Agrochatka back to California with us. Of course any of you are welcome to stay with us in Sacramento, and we look forward to seeing you again in the future.

xox, Denton and Marisa

Vienna, Austria

Lunchtime picnic; baba ganouch, naan, olives, salami, grapes, and an extra sammie in case we were still hungry. 

We spent two fast and beautiful days in Vienna, Austria, after taking a morning bus from Budapest. Austria is kind-of a snobby, yuppy town... and felt right at home! We loved the variety of their grocery stores and produce. There were lots of things we liked; the farmers market, beautiful parks and green lawns- perfect for lounging, picnicking, and drinking wine, and intact architecture. Walking around the streets of Vienna felt like you were already at a museum. The city grounds and gardens were immaculate. We stayed at a nice hostel, and met some interesting Australian guys that we chatted to for the majority of the nights we were there. We had a great time exploring the city, and we could easily return to spend more time!

Our last night, we caught a polish bus, at 1:30am for a 13 hour bus ride to Rome.

Italy with April! Aug 2012

On top of the Spanish Steps, with April!

Bottom of the Spanish Steps

Denton at the Colosseum, Rome 

The Vatican Museum, Rome

April, taking a dip in a fountain near the Borghese Museum.
It was HOT outside, but the water was freezing!

Cinque Terre

view from our terrace

Narrow walkways and alleys... Pedestrians only!

Marisa posing in front of the village we stayed in, Monterosso

Compulsory pose with the Tower

Bridges of Florence

Florence

Florence

Triple Scoop of Gelato!!

Duomo at Night, Florence

Rialto Bridge, Venice 

Venice!

Marisa on the vaporetto- 

Well it's been a while since we updated the blog... We were in Italy in August, already!! So... Where Were We??

April is one of Marisa's friends from the Sacramento State Women's Crew team, back in 2003. We met April in Rome, where we rented an apartment through AirBnb, near Termini Station. Though, it was much more bare when we rented it, versus the recent pictures on AirBnb. We prepared many Italian meals at the house or at our hostels. Denton and April saw many Roman sights together; the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St. Peters, and the Vatican Museum. Since it was the middle of August, and Marisa visited Italy in 2008, she stayed in the air conditioned apartment and updated this blog :) We spent most evenings exploring the streets of Rome, with our noses to our helpful and lovable, Rick Steve's Tour Book. After three days in Rome, we made our way to the Cinque Terre. We spent another three days, swimming in the ocean, relaxing by the beach, and hiking the famous walk between the five mountain towns. The Cinque Terre was a nice change from the bustle, heat, and museums of Rome. We stayed at a great little hostel, that Marisa had stayed at in 2008, Mar Mar Hotel/Hostel. We stayed in the Hostel part, which was a large apartment with ~10 beds in it. It was charming and had an attached outdoor patio. From Cinque Terre we made our way to Florence, with a stop over in Pisa. Again, we rented an apartment through AirBnb and stayed in the center of the city. We explored the quaint streets and restaurants, drank wine on the steps of the Duomo, and soaked in the cultural sites of the city; like Michelangelo's The David. Finally, we ventured up to Venice for just one night. We walked the canals, listened to music in St. Marco's Square, and window shopped. On the last day, we parted ways with April, she made her way back to Rome for another two days, and we made our way to Prague.

Marisa was so worn out from traveling Italy at such a quick pace, that she got a bad cold and was sick for 10 DAYS! So we holed up in a hotel in Prague, on the outskirts of the city and just recovered. We walked to a nearby mall and bought some running shoes because we were starting our days of hard labor... To Be Continued...