{"id":3750,"date":"2015-09-11T14:14:38","date_gmt":"2015-09-11T19:14:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3750"},"modified":"2015-09-11T14:14:38","modified_gmt":"2015-09-11T19:14:38","slug":"european-vacation-day-15-in-search-of-zurek-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/?p=3750","title":{"rendered":"European Vacation: Day 15 In search of Zurek roots"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our trip has finally come to the day I had planned around for many months.\u00a0 We were meeting our driver and going outside of Krakow to Rudy Rysie.\u00a0 Josef Zurek had left his home and village of Rudy Rysie in probably late 1912 or early 1913 to make the journey to America.<\/p>\n

The family stories are that he was poaching deer in the local woods.\u00a0 He wasn\u2019t caught red-handed, but they knew it was him.\u00a0 He had made a gun illegally and was hunting.\u00a0 Joe told his mother good-bye and left the village for Krakow.\u00a0 From there, he made his way to Bergen, Germany and boarded a boat for New York.\u00a0 He arrived in New York in August of 1913.\u00a0 His final destination was Chicago where he made his life.\u00a0 He died in 1949.<\/p>\n

Over the last couple of years, I\u2019ve collected information for Joe Zurek through my efforts to map out Rich\u2019s family.\u00a0 I had several pieces of information showing his home village as Rudy Rysie.\u00a0 This location matched up with the family stories.\u00a0 When I had this information confirmed, I asked Rich if it was time to go and see this village.\u00a0 This year\u2019s Zurek Family Vacation was planned for Germany and Poland.<\/p>\n

Today, we made the journey out to Rudy Rysie.\u00a0 We came down to breakfast to find one of the drivers waiting for us.\u00a0 We had not expected him until 10:00 and it was only 9:00.\u00a0 He explained he was having car trouble anyway and would have another driver pick us up for the trip.<\/p>\n

At 10:00, David met us outside of the hotel.\u00a0 He was a young student working his way through college.\u00a0 We walked around the corner to the van he was driving.\u00a0 We talked about Krakow, our purpose for the trip today, and how college was different in Poland from the U.S.\u00a0 David is completing his last year at the university for a Master\u2019s in Finance.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t think he was too sure about what we had planned for our journey.\u00a0 I explained how I saw the village on Google maps.\u00a0 I planned to go out to the cemetery at the end of the village first to look for the Zurek name and just to walk around.\u00a0 Then I wanted to go by the church in case there was someone there we could talk to about the village.<\/p>\n

The trip was only 45 minutes outside of Krakow to the west.\u00a0 It went by pretty quickly.\u00a0 There was construction as we entered the town and couldn\u2019t stop for the sign to get our picture.\u00a0 I directed David to the cemetery first.\u00a0 He was a little worried about walking around and finding anything.<\/p>\n

We started sweeping the grounds and found 5 or 6 Zureks buried there.\u00a0 Most of them were of Joe\u2019s generation or later.\u00a0 Rich did find a grave for Marjanna Zurek who died on 22 Jan 1922.\u00a0 The age would possibly be correct for our Marjanna.\u00a0 We took pictures and David translated the grave stone to read Rest in Peace.\u00a0 It was amazing that there would even be a stone here for her.\u00a0 We wondered if Joe knew she had died and managed to pay for a simple marker.<\/p>\n

David drove us out of town to the north where we found one of the other town signs.\u00a0 We got out and took our pictures under it.\u00a0 This was just to prove we had been there.\u00a0 I felt like we were putting our feet on the same ground that Joe and his mother had walked in the village.<\/p>\n

We drove back to the church and parked in front of a wooden structure.\u00a0 David translated the sign for us.\u00a0 This was the site of the original wooden church that had been constructed in the 1600s, but had burnt down in 1978 after being struck by lightning.\u00a0 This answered one of my questions then.\u00a0 I wondered where the original church had stood.\u00a0 This gave us another location where we could stand and know Joe had probably been.<\/p>\n

No one was at the church and it was locked.\u00a0 David looked up the number for the rectory, but the phone only rang and rang.\u00a0 After some discussion of what to ask, David knocked on the rectory door.\u00a0 An older lady came to the door and talked with David.\u00a0 She was the current priest\u2019s mother.\u00a0 She helped around the rectory.\u00a0 Unfortunately, the priest was at the school teaching and would not be back until after 3:00.<\/p>\n

David had asked her if there were any other Zureks in town.\u00a0 She only knew of a lady in her 70s.\u00a0 I assume Zurek was her married name and she probably didn\u2019t have much history for her husband\u2019s family.\u00a0 We had seen a Josef Zurek in the graveyard that would fit the age group and was probably the lady\u2019s husband.\u00a0 The mother was not from the town and didn\u2019t know much of its history.<\/p>\n

The priest\u2019s mother attempted to talk to Rich in Polish, but Rich didn\u2019t understand her.\u00a0 David explained that we didn\u2019t speak Polish.\u00a0 She seemed a little sad about that.\u00a0 David thanked her for all of the information and we went back to the van.<\/p>\n

At that point, there wasn\u2019t much left to see in town.\u00a0 The corner store was closed or I would stopped to talk to someone about the town.\u00a0 I wanted to drive by the fish ponds on the edge of town just to see them.\u00a0 It turned out to be private property and set up high so you could see them easily.<\/p>\n

With that, we decided our visit was over.\u00a0 It was time to head back to Krakow.\u00a0 David was a wonderful translator and helped us by providing details that he knew on small town life and Polish habits.\u00a0 It was the type of help I had hoped for from the car service.<\/p>\n

Back in Krakow, the traffic was pretty heavy and it took a bit to get back to the hotel.\u00a0 Once there, I got my picture taken with David so I\u2019d have a record of the young man who helped us on this leg of our journey.\u00a0 I think he was a little bit shy about doing that.\u00a0 I tipped him for helping and I think he was happy with that.<\/p>\n

Now that we were in town, it was time to eat lunch.\u00a0 It was 1:00 and I hadn\u2019t eaten since 9:00.\u00a0 We wondered down St Florian Street looking at the menus for each restaurant.\u00a0 The first one was too American for what we wanted.\u00a0 Finally, we talked to one of the barkers dressed in a military outfit and viewed the menu.\u00a0 It had Zurek soup and pierogi, which is what we wanted.\u00a0 He led us into an alley and down a flight of stairs to a vault under the street.\u00a0 This was beginning to be very familiar.<\/p>\n

Once inside, a waiter led us to a table.\u00a0 The place was small with brick walls as part of a vault.\u00a0 Once we ordered, the waiter explained that we were sitting in what was once the stable for the horses of the guard at the Florian Gate.\u00a0 The level of the street at that time was down this far.\u00a0 He took us into another room further back in the restaurant.\u00a0 This room was directly under the current street and would have the street level in 980 AD.\u00a0 How cool is that?<\/p>\n

We got our soup, which was so delicious.\u00a0 We shared a plate of mixed pierogi, which were boiled and then butter with bacon had been drizzled over the top of them.\u00a0 It was the best way to serve the pierogis.\u00a0 I\u2019m not going to fry mine anymore.\u00a0 This was so delicious.<\/p>\n

The waiter talked to us about our journey out to Rudy Rysie.\u00a0 He explained that he had a couple from Chicago in earlier in the day.\u00a0 The man\u2019s father had come from the same village as the waiter\u2019s grandfather.\u00a0 The waiter had called his grandfather, who remembered the man in question.\u00a0 It is a small world sometimes.<\/p>\n

We finished our lunch and we headed back up to the street to explore the town some more.\u00a0 We went out the Florian Gate and paste the Barbican with is moat clearly marked.\u00a0 Across the busy street, there was a monument for the Battle of Grunewald in 1410.\u00a0 This commemorated the battle between the joint Polish and Lithuanian armies and the German Teutonic knights.\u00a0 It was massive.<\/p>\n

There was a model showing where the statue was in relationship to other structures in the local streets.\u00a0 We saw that another market existed on the next street over.\u00a0 We decided to explore that market and see how it differed from the main square.\u00a0 It was simply amazing.<\/p>\n

From the outside, it appeared to be a set of poor shacks.\u00a0 Once inside, you were in a maze of color and smells. There were butchers, grocers, and lots of produce of all kinds.\u00a0 It was an open air market under one big tent.\u00a0 We walked up and down the aisles looking and smelling.\u00a0 It was so amazing.<\/p>\n

We were so tired at this point.\u00a0 The decision was that we were low on caffeine and we headed to a little coffee shop we saw in the Planty.\u00a0 It was sitting out in the path.\u00a0 We went in and sat down.\u00a0 The lady running the shop came out and took our order.\u00a0 She asked if we wanted black or white.\u00a0 That\u2019s with or without cream.\u00a0 The kawa came out and it was delicious.\u00a0 We watched people with their dogs.\u00a0 There was a beagle with a large flag.\u00a0 A small Yorkie came into the area and I was allowed to pet it.<\/p>\n

The path on the Planty is always full.\u00a0 There are students who seem to be hurrying off to classes.\u00a0 We see several of them with instrument cases strapped to their backs.\u00a0 We assume they are headed to a music class or rehearsal.\u00a0 There are people on bicycles or roller blades, people pushing baby carriages or strollers, and even people pushing suitcases leaving or heading to a hotel within the old city.<\/p>\n

After sitting and talking for a while, we decide to walk back to the hotel.\u00a0 We find the lady and pay our bill.\u00a0 As we walk back through the Florian Gate, Rich tells me to get a picture of the three men in traditional Polish dress and playing music inside the gate\u00a0 As I do that,\u00a0 Rich drops money into their basket.\u00a0 There is a trumpet, accordion, and a percussion player.<\/p>\n

We walk past the hotel and around the corner.\u00a0 We decide to look for the restaurant that Pawel was telling us about with the traditional Highlander foods.\u00a0 We know that it is down St. Thomas Street, but it looks like it is in an alley.\u00a0 When we get to the spot where the map says to turn, we discover we are in another smaller square.<\/p>\n

We find Morskie Oko on the square.\u00a0 There are some huge metal sculptures of clowns on wheels in the square along with a very nice fountain that uses colored lights.\u00a0 We find out later this is St. Stephan\u2019s Square.\u00a0 We walk back up to the main square and wind our way back to the hotel.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m tired and think about taking a nap.\u00a0 But if I lay down now, I might just sleep through the evening.\u00a0 Marcin contacts us about dinner.\u00a0 We agree to meet at Morskie Oko at 6:00 for dinner that evening.\u00a0 Rich and I can walk there.\u00a0 Hopefully, Marcin and Aneta can find a parking space.\u00a0 Cracow is always so busy down here.<\/p>\n

At 5:30, we leave to walk to the hotel.\u00a0 It really only takes 5 minutes to get back to the square.\u00a0 We sit outside to wait for time to get closer.\u00a0 Everyone around us is eating ice cream, or lody.\u00a0 I have to say that ice cream is a really big thing with the Cracovians.\u00a0 There are two or three places on each block to buy lody.<\/p>\n

About 5 minutes until 6, we go into the restaurant to get a table.\u00a0 To sit inside we have to walk all the way up to the top floor.\u00a0 The rest of the restaurant has been reserved.\u00a0 Up here, there are three tables available.\u00a0 We pick out one table and wait for them to arrive.\u00a0 Rich gets a text from Marcin that traffic is bad and they will be about 15 minutes late.\u00a0 About 20 minutes later, Aneta appears to let us know that they are having trouble finding a place to park.\u00a0 Because we are so high up, we see a little yellow convertible go by on the street.\u00a0 Rich guesses that Marcin drop his latest toy today.<\/p>\n

About 10 minutes later, they are back and join us for dinner.\u00a0 Most of us order potato pancakes and goulash.\u00a0 Rich has veal medallions with mushrooms.\u00a0 Rich also has to try their version of Zurek soup served in a rye bread bowl.\u00a0 He says it\u2019s not the best he\u2019s had on this trip, but he would still eat it.<\/p>\n

We talk and work our way through dinner.\u00a0 Marcin starts bringing up pictures of places and things on his phone to show us what to expect in Zakopane.\u00a0 He talks about the cheese ladies and all the wonderful things in the local market.\u00a0 He tells us about walking in the tunnel under the road to get to the local market and not just the tourist shopping streets.\u00a0 We continue to talk about what to do and see when we are in Zakopane.\u00a0 It\u2019s nice to have some idea of what we should do before we get there.<\/p>\n

Pretty soon, it\u2019s time to leave the restaurant and find out that it has rained since we entered.\u00a0 We turn to go back toward the main square when Marcin stops and goes into the Alkohole store.\u00a0 This is the name of the liquor store.\u00a0 He is trying to make sure if he can buy a specific liquor before he comes back to the States in October.<\/p>\n

We head down St. Thomas to one of the cross streets and make our way to the main square.\u00a0 We walk around the square as Marcin and Aneta tell us things we didn\u2019t know.\u00a0 We walk down Grodeska so that we can go over to the street where John Paul II stayed in Krakow.\u00a0 There is a picture in the window where he would say good night to the crowds.\u00a0 He would joke with them that he was old and needed to sleep, but he would continue to talk to the crowd.<\/p>\n

We walked back toward Grodeska and beyond to a smaller church that was open.\u00a0 There was a youth mass in progress.\u00a0 We went in to look at the beautiful sanctuary.\u00a0 Back out on the street, we went by the American embassy, restaurants, and a smaller local market.\u00a0 Near the corner, there was a pub with a sign over the door that literally said, \u201cPub on this street on the left side\u201d.\u00a0 That was the name of the pub.\u00a0 I thought it was kind of catchy.<\/p>\n

We walked on around until we got to the place where Marcin had parked his little yellow toy of a convertible.\u00a0 It was really nice looking.\u00a0 The lines were very clean.\u00a0 I was kidding with Aneta about driving the car.\u00a0 She had driven it and said it was a lot of fun.<\/p>\n

We walked back to our hotel to show Aneta and Marcin where we had been staying.\u00a0 The room was small, but we really only needed it for sleeping.\u00a0 It served us well for the price and location.\u00a0 Downstairs, I said good-bye to them.\u00a0 Marcin would be in Schaumburg in October.\u00a0 I really hoped Aneta would be able to join him there also.<\/p>\n

Boy, was I tired.\u00a0 I still had blogs and pictures to post.\u00a0 I worked on this until about 11:30 when I just couldn\u2019t take anymore.\u00a0 Time to call it quits and hit the pillowcase.<\/p>\n

\"David<\/a>
David and Rich standing outside of the cemetery.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"First<\/a>
First two Zureks we found.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Another<\/a>
Another Zurek headstone we found<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"One<\/a>
One of the Zurek headstones in the cemetery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Faceplate<\/a>
Faceplate on Marjanna Zurek’s gravestone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Joy<\/a>
Joy and David walking around the Rudy Rysie cemetery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Good<\/a>
Good Shepherd Catholic Church in town.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Site<\/a>
Site of original church before 1978.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Pope<\/a>
Pope John Paul II statue at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in town.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Farmland<\/a>
Farmland around the cemetery<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich with the Rudy Rysie sign<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Rich<\/a>
Rich and Joy with Rudy Rysie sign.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Joy<\/a>
Joy with our driver, David, back at the hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Relief<\/a>
Relief on the Florian Gate<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Where<\/a>
Where the moat was back in the day when the Barbican was the entrance<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Model<\/a>
Model of old Cracow. The Barbican is on this end and that’s where our hotel is.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Looking<\/a>
Looking around the local market square we found.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Clown<\/a>
Clown sculpture in St. Stephan’s Square<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Dinner<\/a>
Dinner at Moskie Oko on St. Stephan’s Square.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our trip has finally come to the day I had planned around for many months.\u00a0 We were meeting our driver and going outside of Krakow to Rudy Rysie.\u00a0 Josef Zurek had left his home and village of Rudy Rysie in probably late 1912 or early 1913 to make the journey to America. The family stories […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3750"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3750"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3750\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3774,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3750\/revisions\/3774"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3750"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3750"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zurekbrau.com\/blogs\/richsblog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3750"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}