12. Shellie’s Tour to Ancestral Places. Day2.

Today we went for a drive through neighboring villages of Załuczne, Piekielnik and Jabłonka.

Piekelnik nearby Odrowąż. Panoramic view of Tatra Mountains and Shellie in the distance :-).
Piekelnik nearby Odrowąż. Panoramic view of Tatra Mountains and Shellie in the distance :-).
Piekelnik. Tatra Mountains in the distance.
Piekelnik. Tatra Mountains in the distance.

Jerry and Shellie walking on the road to Odrowąż.
Jerry and Shellie walking on the road to Odrowąż.

For lunch we stopped at a tavern and I had my first real Polish pierogi. I had the potato and cheese with onions on top. Also, we had kielbasa again. It was all very delicious.

Kielbasa, red cabbage and potatoes
Kielbasa, red cabbage and potatoes

Next we visited an open air museum of Podhale Orawa region culture where we saw dozens of original houses that were moved from its original places or reconstructed on the museum property. In many of these homes, the stable was attached directly to the house. I also got to see an example of a thatched roof, though none of the houses had total thatching on the roof. I need to look up old Podhale homes to see why this is so. Most impressive were the doors of some of these homes!

18th Century Podhale house – beautiful door
18th Century Podhale house
18th Century Podhale house
Interior of Orawa traditional house
Interior of Orawa traditional house
House from Orawa Region from 19th century.
House from Orawa Region from 19th century.
Introduction to a cow ;-).
Introduction to a cow ;-).

Later we returned to Odrowaz and on to Zary, a small area south of the village. There we visited Jozef and Maria Kulawiak and their foundry, where for 4 generations, the Kulawiak family has been making bells and other fine metal pieces. Jozef showed us his workshop and explained how his bells are made. Then Maria polished a new bell and presented it to me as a gift!

Kulawiak bells
Kulawiak bells
Shellie with a shining bell made especially for her by Jozef and his wife Maria (we had observed the whole process of producing it!)
Shellie with a shining bell made especially for her by Jozef and his wife Maria (we had observed the whole process of producing it!)
In Józef Kulawiak foundry - Józef and Shellie.
In Józef Kulawiak foundry – Józef and Shellie.
Handmade Gorale belt by Jozef (metal items) and his colleague (patterns on the leather).
Handmade Gorale belt by Jozef (metal items) and his colleague (patterns on the leather).

We were not able to determine a family link yet, but we hope to visit the parish priest tomorrow after Sunday mass and ask for permission to see the records.

Shellie

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