The last few weekends, my love and I found ourselves strolling through the Old Town and soaking up all its beauty. Nowy Swiat street turns into Krakowskie Przedmiescie, the terminus being the Royal Castle and lonely King Ziggy up on his column. I love the contrasting view that I get from the Castle Square, as I can see the modern National Stadium across the Wisla River framed by the antiquated style of the Royal Garden and its bastions.
Along with all the heritage, comes what most consider an undesirable side effect- tourist shops. One cannot blame them for popping up here, though I must admit that compared to what I have seen elsewhere in Europe, they are in the most part tastefully stocked and kept up. Poland is lucky to have a rich history of craftsmanship and a resurgence in folk arts thanks to which many of the souvenier shops are stocked with beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade objects amidst the keychains and fridge magnets. You'll find artistic posters, amber jewelry, Christmas ornaments- both ceramic and wooden, hand-painted wooden boxes, and scarves and shawls decorated with Slavic flowers.
During our trips to the Old Town, B and I have recently been hunting for the perfect Boleslawiec ceramics. Boleslawiec is a town in Poland, close to Wroclaw, where there is a long history in creating iconic hand-painted pottery. You'll know something is Boleslawiec when you see it, as the main colours are usually reserved to white, royal blue, and green, in the trademark dots, swirls, and flowers. Not only are the cups, plates, platters, and candlesticks cute as a button, but also very practical. These ceramics can be put in the oven, in the microwave and in the dishwasher with no reservations! I don't know if everyone understands the full gravity of this trait, but I know that I love being able to cook and serve my roast chicken in one dish- a very pretty one- and not have to worry about transferring hot food from a practical (and practical looking) baking dish to an impractical (but better looking) serving platter.
My collection started with a parfait bowl. I wanted a cute bowl with a "foot" to eat my oatmeal and cereal out of. Soon it was accompanied by my serving dish that I use for roasting meat, vegetables or just displaying a delicious meal in a special way. In the last two weeks these beautiful pieces of pottery have been joined by 3 jolly Christmas "bombki" and a flower vase. The Christmas ornaments are the first that we have purchased for our little 2-person family, and though we don't plan on having a tree this year, we look forward to hanging them elsewhere in our nest and someday, on a real evergreen tree. The vase we bought out of great need, as we realised that the flowers we were buying needed a nicer display than the Moldovan wine bottle we were using and that the sticky bits from the label were bothering us more than we were willing to admit.
I am currently on the lookout for the perfect Boleslawiec tea pot. As tea is the national (non-alcoholic) beverage of this country, and I drink litres of it here, it's a practical yet sentimental testament to my time in Warsaw.
Follow us on Instagram for an update on our search for the perfect pot!
zuzapaw
bpawlowicz
Along with all the heritage, comes what most consider an undesirable side effect- tourist shops. One cannot blame them for popping up here, though I must admit that compared to what I have seen elsewhere in Europe, they are in the most part tastefully stocked and kept up. Poland is lucky to have a rich history of craftsmanship and a resurgence in folk arts thanks to which many of the souvenier shops are stocked with beautiful one-of-a-kind handmade objects amidst the keychains and fridge magnets. You'll find artistic posters, amber jewelry, Christmas ornaments- both ceramic and wooden, hand-painted wooden boxes, and scarves and shawls decorated with Slavic flowers.
During our trips to the Old Town, B and I have recently been hunting for the perfect Boleslawiec ceramics. Boleslawiec is a town in Poland, close to Wroclaw, where there is a long history in creating iconic hand-painted pottery. You'll know something is Boleslawiec when you see it, as the main colours are usually reserved to white, royal blue, and green, in the trademark dots, swirls, and flowers. Not only are the cups, plates, platters, and candlesticks cute as a button, but also very practical. These ceramics can be put in the oven, in the microwave and in the dishwasher with no reservations! I don't know if everyone understands the full gravity of this trait, but I know that I love being able to cook and serve my roast chicken in one dish- a very pretty one- and not have to worry about transferring hot food from a practical (and practical looking) baking dish to an impractical (but better looking) serving platter.
My collection started with a parfait bowl. I wanted a cute bowl with a "foot" to eat my oatmeal and cereal out of. Soon it was accompanied by my serving dish that I use for roasting meat, vegetables or just displaying a delicious meal in a special way. In the last two weeks these beautiful pieces of pottery have been joined by 3 jolly Christmas "bombki" and a flower vase. The Christmas ornaments are the first that we have purchased for our little 2-person family, and though we don't plan on having a tree this year, we look forward to hanging them elsewhere in our nest and someday, on a real evergreen tree. The vase we bought out of great need, as we realised that the flowers we were buying needed a nicer display than the Moldovan wine bottle we were using and that the sticky bits from the label were bothering us more than we were willing to admit.
I am currently on the lookout for the perfect Boleslawiec tea pot. As tea is the national (non-alcoholic) beverage of this country, and I drink litres of it here, it's a practical yet sentimental testament to my time in Warsaw.
Follow us on Instagram for an update on our search for the perfect pot!
zuzapaw
bpawlowicz