My Weekend Getaway for Polish Pottery

 The first pottery store we hit, as soon as we got into Boleslawiec.

 My first, of many, purchases!!  I just "had" to make one purchase at our first stop!

 There were at least 25+ stores similar to this one.  Since this was Julie and Lynette's third visit, they knew the stores to hit and the ones to miss.  We shopped for 6 hours on Saturday and 2 hours on Sunday.  The majority of stores were like this one--pottery EVERYWHERE.  At first, it was completely overwhelming, especially since I did not come with any sort of list of what I "needed" or was really shopping for.  I was mainly looking for various platters to serve tapas, a large vase, a water pitcher and a few coffee mugs.

 Standing outside of our LOVELY hotel; a hotel that is located in a restored 18th century barn.

The Legend of the Blue Beetroot:
In Poland around 1791 the fields of Lower Silesia were all planted with beetroots.  One of the most popular uses for the beetroot was moonshine!!  The strong alcohol was secretly brewed in the cellars of the barn.  Only a few locals knew that the cart of beetroots coming from the barn hid a secret stash of moonshine below.  The story goes that one winter as the farmer left the yard the horse bolted and slipped badly on the icy road.  The whole lot, farmer, cart, horses, moonshine and the beetroots fell into the pond.  Despite dredging, everything mysteriously disappeared without a trace.  The story passed down by locals for generations says even now a single blue beetroot will occasionally float to the surface of the pond, it is a strange blue color and of course it is completely impregnated with alcohol!!!

 The inside of the hotel was quaint and beautiful with its chunky wood beams, traditional vaulted ceilings and hand made furniture.

 The restaurant was located in the old stable.  As soon as we checked in, we settled in by the wood-burning store with a glass of Pinot Noir.

 We scheduled facials and pedicures for 5PM.  Staff from a local spa came to our hotel to pamper us!!  

The price of beauty:))))

 We still had room for more, but thought it was time to head back to Germany.

Yesterday was my sisters 25th birthday!!  Though we celebrated in Paris, I could not pass up buying her a cross and magnet--two things she collects.  I love you Sis!!

 My purchases...a little of this and that.  I intended to leave everything boxed up and be surprised when I unpack in the USA, but I could not resist evaluating and admiring all of my unique and beautiful purchases.

A treat for Elle and Britta.

This is one of my favorite platters.

My vase.

 And yet another surprise/treat for my little sweeties...a miniature tea set!!

 It was such a FUN and relaxing weekend. And, Matt and the girls had a fun and special weekend together.  They visited an indoor amusement park, had "movie night," attended church and made one trip to Mc.Donalds.  Though I enjoyed some shopping and pampering, I was so happy to see my three sweethearts last night and be back in Germany.  

All in all, Boleslawiec had beautiful pottery, but the town itself was very industrial and "thugish."  I definitely observed some shady behavior amongst some of the locals, but we always stuck together and there were never any problems.  If I/we ever make it back to Poland, I will definitely want to see more of the countryside and not this industrial town again.  Though, I know many girlfriends who would love a weekend getaway to Boleslawiec for pottery; so, if my arm was twisted just right, I would probably go back for more:)!!