POLAND...at last!!!

Duo sTREga reunited:

Krakow and Zakopane!!!!

Wonderful Photo: Anna Dzięgiel

...and so, finally, I made it to Poland.  It has been on the wishing list for a while, but I guess I had to wait for the perfect time! And the perfect time it was: the Fall put on her best colours and I had some of the most welcoming experiences packed in four intense days of great music making. I am commenting on the "welcoming experiences" for a reason: it seems to me that while most cultures have some sense of pride in being good hosts, this is perceived at a very heightened level in Poland. I did say, half jokingly, that I felt like it was Christmas for four days and I was Santa Klaus on a rare visit, but in fact it wasn't so far from reality. I was literally inundated by gifts of flowers - at every concert and masterclass, even though everybody knew I was leaving after a few days-, all possible kinds of food - just in case I didn't feel like one thing, or maybe I wanted to try something different, and I had to try this special thing that is typical of here, which they have plenty of, be it on the street (the bruschetta-like zapiekanka), in a restaurant (szarlotka which, although delicious, I am assured is not quite the home-made apple pie of Maria - I'll need to check -, but still, YUMMY!!), on a mountain (oscypek: the squeaky cheese!), at home (with fancy porcini mushrooms!) -, and please, don't even thing of eating twice the same thing! -, infinite supply of chocolate that recreated itself in lovely boxes on my bed every time I was coming home, spectacular honey - which I already finished a while ago, so I now have to urgently go back to Poland! -, private performances just for me, to share the music, as well as private lessons to learn - and not succeed - how to say words in Polish,...just to name a few of these experiences. 

Photo: Anna Dzięgiel

In all this, one might thing that I wouldn't have the time to play a note, but NO!!
I arrived at Krakow airport where I was welcomed by tall smiley Kasia, made taller by a cheerful waving Canadian flag (thanks Becky!), and taken straight to a beautiful villa to play in a dance-filled concert organized by Gaia, Centrum Muzyki i Muzykoterapii, for some amazing kids, just look at this face:

Photo: Anna Dzięgiel

 Two days later we were driving to a Masterclass: two hours with fun talented students followed by a short sample of my upcoming performance.

 The same evening we had a photo shooting with amazing photographer Anna Dzięgiel - whose fun fun husband shared with us his tarantula's skin - the real tarantula was in a box eating a cricket! - which I managed to touch without passing out, but it was a close call: 

Photo: Anna Dzięgiel

Next morning we packed and drove to Zakopane, Szymanowski's home town and a beautiful little village South of Krakow, at the feet of the Tatra mountains and of the sleepy giant...and what a drive through the Fall-y hills!

Here is a proof that there, too, we didn't sit idly:

And the following day, my last day, we had another recital in Krakow:

Photos: Anna Dzięgiel

Thank you very much, dear Poland:

                 

                   do zobaczenia wkrótce!!!