Author: Kevin McCartney

During my first weekend there was a flea market in a park near my apartment.  I bought an antique trivet (base for an old iron) from the lady in the second picture.

There is a daily farmers market near my apartment.  Poles, like most Europeans, go to great length to get fresh food, and farmer’s markets and fresh-food stalls are very popular.  The price for the box of raspberries (malina) is about $2.50.

This is the main geology building at the University of Szczecin (I work in a new building behind this).  There is a science museum here, and – in the foreground of this picture – are some large local bouders that are labeled as an exhibit.  I would like to do something similar at UMPI.

This is my work station, in my colleague Jakub’s office.  I am looking a Paleocene age (~60 million years old) sample from the South Atlantic (Argentine Basin).

Fire hydrant on Jana Pawela II Ulica.  (I love the old architecture!)

Some buildings on Jana Pawela II ( the “a” after Jan and Pawel is possessive, similar to our “’s”) Ulica (street).  This area is well enough away from the U-boat sites along the river during the war to avoid the worst of the bombing, so that many of the old buildings remain.

Erected in the 1880s as a municipal high school, this is now the Szczecin University president’s office.

Szczecin City Hall (Urząd Miasta); the Jan Pawel II statue is in the park behind this building.  In December 1970 there were public demonstrations at this location, very dangerous during the Soviet occupation.

The Pomnik Czynu Polaków (Monument to Polish Endeavor) was unveiled September 3, 1979 – the 40th anniversary of the Nazi invasion.  The monument has three dragons:  1) those who made Polish history, 2) those shaping present history, 3) those in the future who will sustain and strengthen Poland.

Continue reading Monument to the Polish Endeavor

A tour of a Polish community must start at the Jan Pawel (John Paul) II statue.  There is much argument about who has the best/worst JP statue – this one looks pretty good.