Thursday, February 23, 2012

Revisiting Summer...in Poland

 

This morning I got out of the shower and was surprised to see how the house was darker than when I woke up! The gloom and impending rain inspired me to share some beautiful photographs with you from a sunny, summer day spent at a Skansen (Open Air Museum) in Poland last August.

Come with me to re-visit this Skansen in Tokarnia nearby the bigger city of Kielce, Poland. An old world village atmosphere is created with regional architecture, old & well maintained peasant homes: many white washed with thatched roofs, lively & colorful cottage gardens, a wooden church with hand painted interior, wooden sculptures by a folk wood carver/craftsman, altars and crosses marking your journey along the pathways, rural dwelling interiors with, herbs drying in entry ways, masonry cook stoves, embroidered linens, decorations honoring special times of year, ritual and traditions and geraniums in the window sills and paper cut curtains for decoration.

I hope you enjoy this summertime stroll where we'll see many things representing a rich, rural lifestyle and some cultural traditions found in Poland. I love feeling the sense of spirit infusing these places, objects, gardens with beauty, meaning and connection to the land, history and people of this place.

7 comments:

  1. Kim, what a beautiful tour on this cool day. I could feel the sunshine for a minute there. I love the rustic architecture, that church-the thatched roofs, the plaster/wood interiors. As I look askance at my overcrowded,"unfinished" not so nice living quarters, I think I could be happy with a couple of chairs, some nice cloths, a couple of dishes and pans...And that view...!
    Have a lovely week!
    Sherry

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  2. Loving the carved wheathered wood and variations on fence designs. Not to mention the flowers.

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  3. Thank you Danusha, Sherry and Valerianna,
    Glad you all could come along and enjoy this day last summer with me! I know, I would really like to try making a fence around my garden like the designs in these photos. Something beautiful and tight enough to keep my cats and chickens out of the dirt, vegi and fruit goodies.

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  4. How very beautiful, an atmosphere of calmness, happy simplicity, pretty,pretty gardens(that window picture is fantastic) and beatiful woodcarving, stress seems far away here. I am aware the people who lived in this time and place had many problems and worries too but i'm sure the beautiful surroundings helped them to get their balance again and to accept life as it came and look at the sunny side. x

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    1. Renilde,
      I'm so glad you enjoyed these photos. I so enjoyed my day at this skansen last summer. You are so right in the late 1800's early 1900's Poland had a number of worries with many more coming. I think the people's connection with their identity through national and local traditions, their connection to their homeland...the land and creating beauty must have given them some peace and meaning during challenging times.

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