Poland Week 2: Day 4

Day 4: We started the day off the day with a trip to the shopping center to splurge some cash, and then headed to the Salt Mine for a fun packed afternoon. 

After a treacherous walk down 52 flights of stairs, we began our journey around the underground chambers of the Salt Mine. Many of us tasted the walls of the tunnels (sometimes even the floor) and most said it was “finger licking good”.

Following the tour nearly 100 meters underground, we took flight up the lift and back into the sunshine.

Soon we will be directing to the main square for our last night in Hard Rock Cafe… and hopefully there will be tentacles on the menu. 

ELICIA 

Poland so far 2k16 week 2

Day 3: We started the day early and all went down for a early breakfast, had our ritual morning talk. Then we all got ready and headed off to the pizza restraunt, the pizzas went down well and surprisingly the sun was shining! So we headed back to the hotel to get on the coach. 

After about one and a half hours we had reached Auschwitz 1, grabbed our headphones and went on our guided tour. None of us knew what to expect and for some it was quite emotional but everyone seemed to understand a lot and although it was a sad experience it was very eye opening and a good place to have been. 

The coach journey was filled with some classics e.g living on a prayer, Mamma Mia and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody. Then after a quick relax in our rooms we went down to the restraunt for some classic fish and chips!

Eliza, Emma, Elicia, Leah, Chloe and Kathryn!

Poland So Far 2k16 Week 2

Day 2: After an early start to the day, we got ready for the walking tour around Kraków. 

Firstly we began our trek past the river and to the old Jewish ghetto, where we counted the amount of Jewish people that died in Kraków between 1939-1945… 69,000. 

Swiftly moving on, the teachers treated us to a scrumptious ice cream, and then carried on our tour to Schindlers Factory. We thoroughly enjoyed travelling back in time to experience what it was like 75 years ago.

After taking a quick stop for lunch we headed back to the hotel for to get ready for the Jewish restaurant. As we entered, the atmosphere was unusual for most, however but as the band began we all went bananas! Singing, dancing and clapping and along, the band loved our enthusiasm and said we were the best English group they had ever performed to!

The night was one of the best as a whole, although as the night went on it was bit too much aubergine in the air, but hopefully the day ahead will be just as great as the one before!

Elicia,Emma,Leah, Eliza, Kathryn and Chloe!

Poland So Far 2k16 week 2

Day 1: An early start to the airport at 4am surprise suprise Reggie was on time, in fact early. Few alarms didn’t go off but everyone made it. After a quick bag drop at the hotel we explored the main square in Kraków, then we went back to the hotel freshened up and unpacked and strolled down to tea. We finished with a top banana day, but a bit of an aubergine night.

Wall licking on day 4…

Evening all, for my second blog post of the day, filling you in on our activities today. 
After our earlier get up so far (8am – don’t feel too sorry for us!) we were collected by a coach and taken to the salt mines. Anyone that knows me will know that this is my version of Disney Land! We were underground (at some points up to 100m underground) for over 2 hours and we only saw 1% of the mines. The favourite part of the visit for me is always when the student gets to lick the walls. I don’t know what they are always expecting, but whoever tries it always goes “oh my god it’s so salty!!! It never fails to get me giggling. 

After our salt mine visit we were dropped off at Galeria Krakowska for an afternoon shopping spree. Sephora was a favourite shop for the girls and everyone enjoyed filling up on food from McDonalds or KFC (Pizza Hut for the staff!) 
We have just returned to the hotel after our final evening in the city. We had an excellent meal at the Hard Rock Cafe and some free time in the square (where a downpour took us all by surprise!) 
Our final day awaits us tomorrow, with our now traditional bowling celebration and awards ceremony. We have a late flight home but will try and write a final blog if I can! 

Miss Stothers 

Belated day 3 post…

Hello all,

Firstly apologies for the delay in this post. We had a jam packed day and an eventful evening, with the staff patrolling the corridors until late so unfortunately I didn’t have time to write anything. 

We started the day with a bit of a cheeky lie in and a leisurely hotel breakfast. We then toon advantage of some free time in the main square. Some students decided to fill up on a full English breakfast (£3) whilst others went on a photo spree with our dragon mascot (bizarrely named Jonathan!!!!) 

Lunchtime was spent melting in a garden courtyard of a pizza restaurant. It was a beautiful setting and the pizza Was delicious, however the heat was so overwhelming that most of us spent the time simply melting into a big pool on the floor!

After a relaxed and fun morning, the afternoon was a serious somber affair, and was the reason why we are here. We joined the coach and headed to the outskirts of Kraków to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. As always, the students did us proud and were incredibly respectful. It is always a hard day and there is no way to describe or put into any words what you see and learn about. As one of our students put it “it is so big and so horrible it seems more like fiction than real life”. 

We made it back to the hotel quite late and had a quick dinner before heading back out for a final bit of time in the square. 

I will write today’s blog later this evening. 

Miss Stothers 

Lots of walking on day two…

Good evening from Kraków, 

We’ve had a jam packed day here in Kraków, that started with breakfast on the hotel and then the start of the Stothers walking tour of Kraków. Our first port of call was the holocaust memorial square, which is located in the area of the city that was made into the ghetto during the war. The square is full of metal chairs, with each chair representing 1000 Jews who lost their lives in Kraków during the Second World War. We spent a couple of minutes taking in the sights of a famous pharmacy within the ghetto. The pharmacy had been open before the way, and the Polish  couple running it refused to leave once the area became a Jewish ghetto. They helped the Jewish community as much as they could, and eventually became recognised as ‘righteous among the nations’. 

We walked from here to Schindler’s Factory. This is the famous factory where Oskar Schindker employed members of the Jewish community (originally simply because they were cheaper to employ) but by the end of the war saved thousands of Jewish lives. We gave the students an hour to explore the museum, which includes the history of Kraków before and after the war. After this we headed back to the main square for some lunch and a chance to cool off by dunking our feet in fountain. 

Eventually, with many blisters and some interesting tan lines, we made it back to the hotel. We had a quick turn around and then I as back out walking and heading to the modern Jewish district (Kazimierz) for our dinner at Ariel Restaurant. As always, the Jewish band impressed us with their music and we dined on delicious beef and cinnamon soup and chicken and rice. 

Up til this point in the day, all had gone to plan and everyone seemed upbeat and confident when myself and Mr Radcliffe suggested that we lead the group back to the main square for some free time. This plan did not go well! I was led to believe that the Head of Geography should have been an excellent navigator, but by the time we had passed the same square 3 times, we begun to realise that we were very lost! Fear not, an hour later we had managed to find our way back to the main square and the students were very relieved to get some time to rest up and grab a cold drink. 

We are now back at the hotel, students (hopefully) tucked up in bed and the staff are on corridor patrol (this is code for playing cards on the corridor!) 

We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow, and I will update you all as soon as I can. 

Miss Stothers 

Melting on day one…

Good afternoon to all blog readers, 

Everyone’s day started with a very bright and early wake up call, and we all gathered at Leeds Bardford Airport at 4am (ok guys, we were 2 minutes late, get over it!!!) After checking in and going through security we all split up to get some food. 

The flight went smoothly and was enjoyed by most (myself and Mr Thomson excluded) and by midday we were checking in to the Hotel Wyspianski. We ensured we had a quick turn around and were heading out to the main square by 1 o clock. The students were taken aback by the beauty of the main square, and also by the intense heat that the sun was belting out today. We showed everyone the boundaries and gave them some time to sunbathe, grab a cold drink and some food. Many delighted in jumping in the big fountain and cooling off in the big sprinklers.  

After such an early get up we are planning a relatively relaxed evening. We are eating at the hotel and then students will be able to watch the Poland vs Portugal match if they wish or just chill out in the hotel. 

Tomorrow we head out on a walking tour of the city follower d h an evening meal at a traditional Jewish restaurant with our own live music! 

So far, as always, the Parkside students have been absolutely incredible and a complete asset to the school! 

For now, good evening, 

Miss Stothers x

48 hours to go!

Hi all,

Just another quick update from me.

With less than 48 hours to go until trip 1 departs, I just wanted to run through a quick checklist of things that you need:

1. Pack sensible clothes. I have attached a link to the weather forecast. It is due to be hot, but also with some showers.
2. Pack plug adapters! I know how much you will panic if you cannot charge your phone. Poland uses the standard European plug adapter.
3. The hoodies are here. If you have not collected yours yet, do so from FD1.
4. Ensure your passport and EHIC cards are handed in to me ASAP. I have all but 4 of the trip 1 passports, but am still a long way off with collecting them for trip 2. They can still be handed in even when I am away, ensure they are handed to either Mrs Rushworth or Mr Needham.
5. Pack your zloty, but you may want a few pounds for Leeds Bradford airport.
6. Ensure any medication that you require is packed. If you are travel sick make sure you have adequate medication and make sure you take it!
7. Make sure you are ready to be dropped off at the airport at 4am on Thursday. Any problems either the night before or that morning please text or call me on the numbers provided on the PowerPoint. The second number is my personal one and is best for contact whilst we are in this country. When we are in Poland, use the school mobile number.

Weather forecast: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/3094802

Time to get giddy – we are nearly there!

Miss Stothers

Poland 2016

Hello all,

Welcome to the first blog post for ‘Parkside Goes To Poland 2016′. With 6 days to go until Trip 1, and 13 days to go until Trip 2… I thought it was time to reiterate a few important messages.

Firstly, we are REALLY NEARLY there with paperwork etc. There are two lots of passport details that I need urgently for week 2, those people know who they are. If you think you have anything outstanding, please please come see me ASAP.

Secondly, a ParentMail with an updated version of the parents’ meeting powerpoint was sent out today. Please look at this carefully as it explains the change in flight times. Just to confirm, we now leave Krakow much later on the Monday evening and will arrive back at Parkside at an estimated time of 3am (on the Tuesday morning). I sincerely apologise for this inconvenience – RyanAir only informed us of it this Monday. With this in mind, Mr Taylor has authorised students to come into school later on the Tuesday. Students must attend from P4 onwards (11.35am).

Thirdly, the hoodies have arrived today. We will hand these out on Monday. They are not part of school uniform and you must not wear them in the school building (but PLEASE wear them to the airport!)

I will update this blog every day on the trip to inform everyone of what we have been up to, and include as many photos as the hotel wifi will allow so you can all our sunburnt faces. Currently the weather in Krakow for next week looks v hot, with no cloud cover or chance of rain. BRING SUN CREAM!!!

The staff team are getting very giddy, and we hope the students are too. It is an incredible trip and one which creates memories to last a lifetime (cheesy but true)!

Many thanks,

Miss Stothers