One Fine Spring Day...

...in the midst of all the upheaval in the capital city, I went for a drive through the countryside. I was on my way to a village in the south to visit one of our teams there. I had with me a young woman from Austria who recently joined our team, as she was going to participate with that group. It was an absolutely gorgeous day and driving past the fields and blossoming fruit trees one almost could believe that all was well with the world. Moldova is a beautiful country. The team I was visiting was involved in a variety of work, including a program for children. I joined them for lunch, which started with fish soup. The guy across the table from me got the head, eyes and all! It's not easy pulling fish bones out of soup but I was glad I didn't get the head. The main course consisted of 'grutchka' (a barley-like grain served plain) with cabbage salad.

After lunch everyone went back outside in the warm sunshine. They played some games outside and then went inside for some songs and a puppet show.

Everyone was thoroughly enjoying the beautiful spring day.

With a 2-3 hour drive ahead of me, I left late in the afternoon and enjoyed driving back through this land where spring is such a glorious time.

Next week we will be celebrating Easter here, a week after the usual western Easter. I am thankful that we are able to help make sure that the children of Moldova are learning about more than spring in the country. They are learning about the Creator who made all this beauty. He is the One that can bring hope where there is so much despair, and peace where there is strife. Jesus can give new life to anyone who trusts Him, because He has overcome Death itself. Now that's something to celebrate! Have a blessed Easter and a glorious spring!

Suffering Parents

The student protest that became a violent rampage through the Parliament and Presidential building on April 7 resulted in many arrests. The next day police visited high schools and colleges asking for lists of all those who had been absent from class the previous day. All were suspect. My understanding is that over 200 young people disappeared, presumed taken by police but families desperately sought information and word of their children's whereabouts. Three days later one family received a phone call, telling them to come to the morgue to identify their son. Officials asserted that he had died of poisoning presumably from tear gas but there were clear indications on his body that he had been beaten. This video shows the funeral that was held yesterday for this 23-year-old, whose death his parents feel was caused by police violence. (This also gives you a very good idea of what a Moldovan funeral is like.)There have been other images and reports of physical violence so this is not an isolated case. Other videos can be seen on http://www.jurnaltv.md/ .

Meanwhile, officials are reviewing the electoral lists to determine whether last week's election had some irregularities or not.

What?? No Facebook!

In face of the protests and riots going on, much of which is being fuelled by the communication technology easily available to young people, the communist government of Moldova has shut down access to Facebook within Moldova. So if you don't see me on Facebook - it's Vladimir Veronin's fault! (Moldovan president for just a little while longer) If you want to find out more about what's happening in this country, you can search for Moldova protests on YouTube and find a lot of footage giving a very clear image of what's going on. Please pray for Moldova during this time of instability and upheaval.

The Blame Game

So yesterday we heard there was some real violence in the protests. Since then we have seen and heard and been much dismayed by the actions of a contingent of the protesters. Ultimately, both the presidents palace and the parliament were attacked and even burned. So from the time of the violence Veronin has been seeking to lay blame on somebody for what happened. Initially the opposition leaders were accused of inciting the protesters to violence but it was clear that that was not their intention. Today for some reason the president chose to lay blame on Romania and declared the Romanian ambassador a 'persona non grata' who must leave the country. At the same time the border was closed to Romania and it was ruled that Romanians will be required to obtain a visa to enter Moldova. This raises a lot of questions and complications for many people who frequently come in and out of Moldova.

Stories are circulating about how the election was fraudulent, including rumours that over 1,000 dead people voted! That is, the mayors in the villages, it is purported, held off on completing paper work for individuals who had died recently. Therefore, officially on paper there was nothing to indicate their decease so those names somehow were used and votes were cast in their name, I suppose for the communist party. And of course the Orthodox priests were instructing their people to vote for communists but then, the Baptists were encouraging people how to vote as well.

News reports indicate that about 180 people were injured in yesterday's violence, 100 of whom were policemen. They also said that 200 people have been arrested and the news showed distraught parents at the police headquarters, trying to obtain information about their teenagers who never came home last night and whom they haven't heard from. Other reports imply that there has been beating of suspects by police.

So it's been an interesting day, and I suspect the saga isn't over yet. We certainly hope not. If this is a revolution, there's a long way to go! Communism is still alive in Moldova. But then, a revolution needs a leader and of all the political leaders I have been watching on TV these days, not one is the charismatic type who will really be able to win the trust and allegiance of the people. That's my take on all of this, anyway.

Moldovan Youth - not apathetic!

It seems that although the communists somehow obtained more than 50% of the vote, the youth of Moldova are not prepared to sit idly by. There was a huge protest rally in the city centre today with over 20,000 youth filling the square. The opposition parties are accusing the government of rigging the election and there is a call for an electoral review of some kind. In any case, through text-messaging and internet a huge crowd of young people gathered in the centre square this evening in declaration of a national day of mourning in view of the election results. Word is that there will be another protest tomorrow morning. Much prayer has gone up for this election and for new blood in the Moldovan parliament. Christians are rejoicing that the Bishop of the Baptist Union, Valeriu Ghiletschi has obtained a seat in parliament. Ghiletschi said on his Facebook page: “I finished the first day after the election X in the center of Chisinau attending a 20.000 youth protest. I was thinking that the battle was over, but it seems it's just the beginning...” (Valeriu Ghiletschi, newly re-elected to parliament)

Find out more about the election at these links:
http://www.kyivpost.com/world/39060

http://www.kyivpost.com/world/39049

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7984582.stm

"The election results were based on a final vote count from Sunday's ballot. Turnout was more than 59 percent. There are two days to consider challenges.Opposition parties raised the specter of a new election by saying they would not join a coalition with the Communists. If the Communists fall short of 61 seats and no president is elected in three ballots, another parliamentary election must be called.Three opposition parties passed the 6 percent barrier to enter parliament. All three are broadly in favor free market policies and closer ties with the European Union and do not object to membership in NATO.
… The election was monitored by some 3,000 observers. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe said the election was fair, but there was a need for "unbiased news reporting by the public broadcaster," said Nikolai Vulchanov, head of the long-term election observation mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.In the ethnic Moldovan town of Corjova, inside the breakaway region of Transdnestr, some 300 people jammed a polling station, preventing residents from casting ballots. Election observers were investigating the incident, and the town's residents voted in a nearby village.Moldovans living in other areas controlled by separatists were prevented from traveling to polling stations.No ballots took place in the separatist-controlled areas of Transdnestr, where Russia has 500 troops stationed. "(from the Moscow Times. Com - http://www.moscowtimes.ru/article/1010/42/375970.htm)

It's well-known that there is a LOT of cabbage in Moldova. I laughed when I saw this poster from the voting campaign whose title means: "Don't be a cabbage! Vote!"

The Big 90 Wahoo

Well, praise the Lord! I had the opportunity to go to Canada last week to see my mother. She has been in the hospital for over a month and has at least another 2 weeks to go before they expect to discharge her. But she is improving and is looking forward to going home. I was glad I went as I was really uncertain of what to expect in regards to her health. She seems to have been happy to see me and was also glad to be able to celebrate her 90th birthday! "I made it!!", she said, as she lifted her arms in victory! The hospital wasn't her first choice for location of the party but the fact that she achieved the 90 and that she was able to have a party seemed to be enough for her in her somewhat weakened condition. It was great to have friends there as well as relatives, including my aunt and cousins who drove from London, Ontario to join the celebration.

This is me and my aunt Audrey.>>>>

Mom cuts the cake! (hope the video works)

My son Ben and his girlfriend also celebrated with us. Another joy during my brief time in Canada was to spend time with my son Ben and to meet his girlfriend. They not only came to Mom/Grammy's birthday party but took me out to lunch the day I was leaving. Thanks, guys!

The day I left I also had breakfast with my brother Bob and his wife, who came from BC to see Mom. After breakfast we went to the hospital so I could say goodbye and pass Mom into their loving care for a few days. It was great to see you two!

God sends angels everywhere and some of the most wonderful angels go to my mother's church. Thelma and Jim helped to organize the birthday party but have been continually assisting with caring for my mom since they met her at church a couple years ago and found out they were related. There is another couple, Betty and Al, who also take it upon themselves to help care for Mom, visiting her and meeting whatever needs they are able. The minister of pastoral care at the church has also been very faithful to visit her. All these blessings mean so much to me and my siblings when we are unable to be as close to Mom as we would like. Whether we can be or not, we know that God is watching out for her. I look forward to seeing Mom in the summer when I go for a vacation, not a hospital visit!

Friday Surgeries

The last few weeks have been quite a ride for my mother. As I shared previously, she had surgery to remove her cancerous uterus. Then she had a lot of complications and the following Friday the doctors performed another surgery, this time with a general anesthetic and an incision, to correct a bowel obstruction that had occurred as the result of the first surgery. Then just as things seemed to be getting back on track, Mom's heart stopped one night and so the doctors decided to insert a pacemaker. So yesterday, Mother was back in the operating room again for the 'simple' procedure - 20 minutes, local anesthetic, incision - of inserting a pacemaker. Mom is now back in the cardiac care unit with the concerns about her heart rate now addressed and hoping to soon be able to go home. My sister soldiers on at Mom's side and we hope that next Friday Mom will be playing bridge, not visiting the surgeon again! Then on March 22 she'll be celebrating her 90th birthday. We trust it will not be in the hospital, even if the medical team is a wonderful group of people!

Thank you all so much for your prayers and your expressions of concern. They are greatly appreciated.

Meanwhile, back in Moldova, I have been busy with a variety of things. The last two Sundays I have been visiting our local ministry teams in the villages in the south and then the north. It's always good to get a taste of what's happening on the local scene with people. I also have been spending some time each week with our new recruits, especially the couple from Australia. One day my colleague, Albina, and I took Justin and Jessie out to the village where they are having their 'homestay' - living with a Moldovan family to become familiar with the language and culture. Here is a photo of the couple and their two children, along with Albina (on the left) and Justin and Jessie (in the centre). They have been having an interesting and valuable time with these new friends. Also, they are one step away from receiving their long-prayed-for residency permit. We'll know next Thursday...

In other news, Moldova is in the midst of a political campaign in the face of upcoming elections at the beginning of April. It's really something to see big signs up saying "STOP COMMUNISM", vote for the Green Party. Even the Baptist bishop is running for office! More about this next time.

I'm afraid I don't have many new photos as my camera is not functioning properly. I need to find a place to get it repaired or leave it for dead and buy a new one. Meanwhile I'm begging and borrowing photos from other people.

Oh, and one more thing - tomorrow is March 8 - a big day in Moldova as it is Women's Day. It's the equivalent of Mother's Day except that ALL women are honoured. Everyone's giving out flowers to the women in their lives and our team is going to have a special social event on Monday for all the women on our team. So to all my female friends, wherever you are, I want to wish you a happy 'Ziua de femeie' and to let you know that you are special - uniquely created, a blessing to those who know you, and precious in the eyes of the Lord. Felicitari!

Still praying...

Hello, dear friends. This is just a quick note to ask you all to continue to remember my mother. Her surgery last Friday went well and she seemed to be recovering well initially. However, she had a setback on Tuesday and then yesterday there seems to be a lot of concern for her heart. So rather than being sent home as we had hoped, she is being moved to the Cardiac Care Unit. My sister is still with her and is giving us daily updates. We are thankful for a competent medical team who are monitoring the situation constantly and providing excellent care for Mom. My mother is in good spirits and simply entrusting herself to the Lord, knowing that ultimately, He is the one who is caring for her. Thank you for keeping Helen in your prayers.

My Mom

I just want to thank all the people who have been praying for my mother. She had cancer surgery today and came through it well, although the doctors are keeping a close eye on her, especially her heartrate. I'm so thankful for my wonderful sister Beverly who is there with Mom during this time. It eases the concern, and the regret that I am not able to be with Mom through this situation. I know that many, many people have been praying and please continue to pray, as she isn't out of the woods yet. But coming through surgery so well at age 89 is no small feat! Praise God for His grace!

Making God smile

When you look at the life of Jesus you see that above all, His heart was moved by the things that moved the heart of the Father. In fact, His life's purpose was motivated by the love of God for his lost children. He showed His love for God the Father by pouring out His life and His love for those whom God loved.

In my life, I have felt most loved and cared for when someone has shared in caring for those who are most precious to me. When my children were small, I had friends whose greatest act of love towards me was that of caring for my children. I still have friends who care for my children and grandchildren in very tangible ways, when I am too far away to do much that is tangible for them. For these friends I am most grateful. (You know who you are.)

And this week, a friend has also shown her love for me by caring for those who are special to me here in Moldova. I received a package in the mail that contained a gift for me. But it also contained similar gifts - lovingly and creatively and beautifully made by hand - for two of my co-workers, individualized for each of them. My dear sister in Christ, you have touched my heart by your thoughtfulness and care. Thank you so much. (You know who you are.)

I have felt this kind of love from others, also, who have embraced the work in which I am involved by praying for me and for my team and for our ministries here in Moldova, and by supporting our work financially and by participating in some way. But I know that their care is motivated by more than just their love for me. They are motivated by their love for the Father and their desire to share His love with others.

In the same way as my friend showed me her love by caring for my friends, we show our love for God by caring for those who are precious to Him. Whether it is children in Moldova or street kids in Toronto, or AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe or seniors in retirement homes or homeless people in shelters or single mothers in housing projects or people nearby or in faraway lands who have never heard about God's love or the name of Jesus; by caring for these ones who are so precious to the Father, we show our love for Him in a way that I am sure causes Him to smile.

Today I was reading some reports on some of our projects here in Moldova - stories that illustrated the difference we are making in the lives of children through the day centres we help to facilitate. Some of the situations in which these children live are heartbreaking. God sees and cares. I am just so thankful that - because someone gave

and someone prayed

and someone left home to live and work in Moldova

and someone trained national workers how to work with children

and someone made sure that health and safety standards were met

and someone is preparing healthy meals each day,

and someone takes care of the finances

and someone writes reports to donors -

that children in 10 different day centers around Moldova have had a hot meal today and help with their homework and have been shown and told about the love of God for them.

How about you? Have you done something today that caused our heavenly Father to smile? How have you cared for those who are precious to Him?

A Year for the Lord

We have a new program that has just begun in January. It is a response to the huge problem of emigration in Moldova - so many people leave the country to find work elsewhere. Many young people feel that if they go to another country, they can get lots of money and have a better life. Often parents leave their children at home or young people leave illegally and end up getting into all kinds of problems and trouble. So our new program is a challenge to young people to give a year for the Lord instead of leaving the country. Moldovans are required to commit a year to mandatory service of some kind and so this is a similar idea, except the service is for the Lord. It is called the D.E.L.T.A. program and the initials are for giving a year to the Lord (in Romanian).Here is a photo of the first team participating in this program - the 4 girls on the left are the team and the tall guy is Spiridon, the program coordinator. Three of the girls are Moldovan and the one in the green is from England, Kate. They will spend about 3 months in each of the girls' home village, serving in partnership with the local church. They will return regularly to Chisinau for training and debriefing and hopefully by the end of the year they will be ready to consider more long-term involvement in missions or just a more committed involvement in their local church. Meanwhile they are serving their communities by working with children and young people, feeding and visiting elderly people, doing service projects of various kinds and generally just making themselves available for however the Lord wants to use them. On this team, two of the girls are native Russian speakers, one is English and one is Moldovan. They are having a challenging time communicating among themselves.

Beyond the gas crisis

Let me begin by sharing with you the most recent photo of my angelic granddaughter, Eliana. Here she is being held my her 'god-grandmother', Vicki, in British Columbia, Canada. Eliana and her brother Alejandro and their parents just spent a weekend together with their wonderful god-grandparents who kindly stand in the gap for their absentee grandmother from time to time. Thanks, Eric and Vicki!

Don't you all agree that Eliana is absolutely adorable? (This is Grandma missing her babies.)

It could be that some of you are wondering whether for lack of gas I froze to death in my apartment here in Moldova, mourned only by the pigeons who gather regularly outside our building and only eventually to be discovered under the powdery snow at the time of the spring thaw. In fact, had Ukraine (don't you just love their prime minister - or is it president?- and her very Ukrainian hairdo?)and Russia not made a deal, we may still have survived easily in the mild temperatures that have stayed with us over the last weeks. Fog, rain and mud. That's the current situation in Moldova. And I emphasize mud! (Yuk) During the gas crisis there were in fact many Moldovans who endured hardship with lack of heat in various situations. Schools were closed an extra week at the end of the Christmas break and when they did open, some were still woefully under-heated. Personally the only real effect of the gas cutoff for me was that the central hot water in our apartment complex was turned off and my electric water heater was not working so I had to have a few cold showers. Thankfully my wonderful landlady had a repair guy come and together they ensured that the hot water heater was repaired.

Anyway, so here I am alive and well and living in Moldova. In the last few weeks we have been preparing to receive our new recruits - a couple from Australia and a young girl from Austria. At the same time we have been making every effort to keep the other couple from Australia here in the country. Sadly we were unsuccessful and last Friday I travelled to Romania for a last visit with Ben and Becca before they flew out to England to join up with one of our teams there.

That hasn't been the only disappointment. Eugen, a Moldovan on our team was hoping to attend a training program in England and has been refused a visa. Maybe an appeal will be possible but we need prayer in this world of seemingly random visa refusals.

Another highlight in the last few weeks has been the opportunity to meet with Vlad, who has returned from his two years of ministry in Nepal. It was interesting debriefing him about his time, but it was also great to be with other friends who attended his church the day he made a fascinating presentation about his work and ministry and life in Nepal. Stories of trekking in the Himalaya mountains and sharing the gospel with Hindus and Buddhists who had never heard the name of Jesus was the stuff of genuine mission adventure.

My mission adventure here in Moldova is not quite so ... adventurous. But nevertheless it is full of relationships and opportunities to mentor and encourage and train as I serve a team of people who are involved in many different types of ministry. I enjoy having people over to my home for a meal on occasion and recently I hosted our team leader and his family of 5 children (who are being home-schooled!! by their brave and competent mother.) I have begun meeting with Helen, their mother, for a weekly Bible study and time of sharing as we discuss the gospel of Mark. I was also happy to welcome back to Moldova my good friend Corinne and her dog Silas, who came for a movie night and sleepover one weekend.

Most recently my time has been consumed with preparation for the arrival of our new recruits and planning of their orientation time. It's great to finally have them with us and last Saturday I returned from my visit in Romania in time to meet them at the airport on their arrival from a new recruits' conference in Germany. In the photo you can see Justin and Jessie, from Australia, on the left and Michaela, an Austrian girl, on the right along with our Moldovan teammate Lilian.

So dear readers, that is what I have been occupied with over the last two weeks. It's always nice to know that people miss my blog when I don't get around to updating it. Thank you, Inga, Joyce, and Dana, for reminding me that it's been too long. I also want to say hello to someone who reads my blog regularly but whom I have never met but someone told me about you and gave me your name and I wrote it down somewhere and was going to surprise you by greeting you by name on my blog but now I can't find where I wrote it down!! So, if you read my blog but have never met me, I just want to say hello and welcome to my ramblings about life in Moldova.

Current news

Once more we find ourselves praying for gas! The weather has been getting colder every day. I still have heat in my apartment, but no hot water.

KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine's president says his country will supply its own gas to freezing Bulgaria and Moldova amid a Russian cutoff.
Viktor Yushchenko says Ukraine will help the two countries by sending them gas from its own reserves starting Saturday. He didn't say for how long Ukraine will provide gas.
Deputy head of Ukraine's state gas company Naftogaz Volodymyr Trikolich said Saturday it will supply daily about 2 million cubic meters of gas to Bulgaria and about 1.5 million cubic meters of gas to Moldova.
Russia cut off all supplies to European countries via Ukrainian pipelines Wednesday, leaving more than a dozen countries with no gas shipments. Bulgaria and Moldova were among the worst affected.

New Year's Eve in Wisla

On December 30 Jurek picked me up at the train station as I returned from Krakow and off we went to Wisla. Wisla is a small tourist (ski resort) town in the south of Poland in the mountains. It is here that the Wisla, or Vistula, river begins. It was just crisp and snowy when we arrived and the next day I had opportunity to walk into the town and see some of the sights. It was a lovely town and a beautiful day and many people wandered the market area on a break from their ski holiday, I suppose. I enjoyed wandering around and seeing the souvenirs and crafts that were on sale. I also saw some interesting food items and stopped at a place to eat some lunch. The air was clear and brisk and it was a real holiday atmosphere in the little town. After exploring for a while I headed back to the church where we were staying and where the concert was to be held that evening. It was a lovely large facility with a round sanctuary on the main floor and the upper floor able to accommodate a lot of people in lovely rooms with big windows overlooking the town.

Already people had started arriving from the Katowice church and other churches in the area. I met some of the people who had attended the English language camp that is conducted as an outreach event each summer at Katowice. Some of them had been taught by friends of mine from Nova Scotia who had been there the previous summer as part of a short term mission team. I had been billed as the English language speaker from Canada so before the evening program even began some people came to my room to bring greetings and to take the opportunity to practise their English language skills. I enjoyed meeting them as well as my roommates for the night. Eventually the evening program began with a lovely meal served by the women of the local church, followed by a concert put on by several bands and guest singers. The music was great and the fact that it was in Polish was not a problem - I just did my best to pronounce the words on the screen and sing whatever songs I could. Later there was a time of worship and some preaching and testimonies, and I was invited to share a word of greetings and testimony. My mention of the fact I was currently living in Moldova led to an interesting conversation with someone later. After the fireworks at midnight there was another meal and then as people started heading home or off to bed, the singing continued on a more and more informal level. It was a great night and one that I will not soon forget..

The next day we had another meal early in the afternoon and then later on we made the return journey to Katowice. That evening I had one last visit with the Rogaczewski family in their home and was so grateful for the warmth and kindness that they extended to me, including me as a member of the family. Early the next morning Ania drove me to the airport in Cracow and I went home feeling that - if I had to be away from my own family - this had been a wonderful way to spend my Christmas. Thank you, Lord, and thank you Ania and Jurek!

After Christmas in Cracow

After Christmas I took the train to Cracow to spend a couple of days on my own just seeing the sights and relaxing. The only time I had been there before had been with my short term mission team in 2003 when we spent an afternoon seeing as much as we could see in a brief time. This time I was able to spend some time getting my bearings, familiarizing myself at least with the old town and some of the historic sites, such as Wawel Castle. I just missed the Christmas market which they hold in the centre square, but that was ok as the 'Cloth market' was open anyway and there were plenty of shops to browse in. My hotel was just 5 minutes' walk from the train station and the historic town centre was also about 5 minutes' walk, so it was very handy to be able to see the town. On the first evening I just strolled around a bit but the next morning I did some serious tourist sight-seeing.

I had read a guide book in the hotel that told me about some interesting architecture by a guy named Teodor Talowski so I went in search of the houses they mentioned. One had an interesting inscription that I liked, which means 'Hurry slowly' and another had a character of a frog as the building had originally been by a part of the river where the frogs would sing at night. Another house had a donkey's head on it for some random reason - all very interesting but a bit off the beaten track.

I looked in the big St. Mary's Cathedral on the centre square and I also was able to go and see the exhibition of the elaborate nativity scenes created for the annual contest. "Every year since 1943, Krakow's Museum of History has celebrated Christmas with a competition for the most beautiful szopka (nativity scene or crib). All the cribs remain on display until early February. These are no ordinary cribs, just depicting Mary and Joseph in the stable with animals, shepherds and wise men coming to greet the baby Jesus. Krakow szopka are highly elaborate, depicting multi-storey buildings topped with church towers, although all with a focal point of the stable and the blessed child.The tradition is centuries old, and now has renewed meaning in the aftermath of the fall of Sovietism. The cribs are displayed in Krakow's main square (Rynek Glówny) on the first Thursday of December until 12pm when, after the sounding of the bugle call from the tower of St Mary's Church, they are transported to the museum in the Krzysztofory Palace for judging." For more information check out http://www.cracowcrafts.com/2.html and to see some sample szopki.

Unfortunately I didn't buy a ticket that allowed me to take photos and afterwards I wish I had. After walking all morning I was able to go back to my hotel and rest for the rest of the afternoon.

In the evening I attended a Chopin concert in a historic palace of sorts right on the centre square, after which I treated my self to a nice supper at a restaurant called the Orient Ekspres, whose decor was that of a train. After having travelled more than once on a train I wondered why I chose this very familiar ambiance but anyway, the food was good and the conversation of the British couples sitting across from me was somewhat entertaining. It would have been nice to have someone to converse with myself but oh well.

The next morning I only had time to walk across the park and up the hill to see Wawel Castle. It was a beautiful day and although my feet were still sore from all the walking I did the day before, it was quite pleasant and the air was just slightly crisp but not too cold. I toured the big cathedral in the Castle, poked in a souvenir shop and perused the grounds without taking time to see the other exhibits.

I was tempted to go and see the dragon's lair but decided I just didn't have time as I had to catch a train to get back to Katowice to meet my friend there. It had been a very pleasant couple of days in Krakow and certainly is a city I would recommend visiting and wouldn't mind visiting again.