New Food #3 - Mövenpick Ice Cream

Having stumbled across Mövenpick Yogurt (New Food #2) and having liked it so much, I was really interested when I stumbled across Mövenpick Ice Cream.  There are two types, a "regular" line that I would compare to Dryers or Bryers; and a super-premium line that is better than either of those two.

So far I've tried the coffee flavor of the regular line, and it was fantastic.  And I've tried the Strawberry and Tiramisu flavors of the super-premium line.  The Strawberry was more of a sorbet than an ice cream and was OK, but didn't blow me away.  The Tiramisu though was fantastic.  The Super-Premium line isn't cheap though.  After converting to dollars, it's about $10 for 810ml (which I would guess is a bit more than 2 pints).

Stuff That's Different #1 - Wedding Rings

So to fill some more space on the blog, I'm going to start posting short little "Stuff That's Different" posts that just highlight a single thing that is different here in Poland versus the US.

The first thing that's different is that wedding rings are worn on the right hand here.  As a single-guy, you can see how this might have been a bit confusing for me at first, and why I might think it's an important thing to know.  ;)

New Food #2 - Mövenpick Yogurt

So I was reminded when talking to my Mom on Thanksgiving that I had not done any new foods since the first one, and that it had been a bit since I updated the blog.  I've had a cold for the last week or so, so I'll use that as an excuse.  =)

So as anyone who knows me can attest, I like my yogurt.  Chobani yogurt is fantastic, and I was pretty sure I wouldn't be able to get any here in Poland.  So I tried several of the local Polish brands but the yogurt style here tends to be more liquidy (is that a word?) and much less custardy (what about that one?), which isn't really the way I like it.

I lucked out though when I tried a brand called Mövenpick of Switzerland.  It's a custard-style yogurt (slightly thicker than Yo-plait) and is really really good.  There are a few flavors that are definitely different than what you see in the US, such as Strawberry-Rhubarb, Apple Pie, Plum, Caramel, Apple-Pear, and Strawberry-Guava.  I haven't tried all of the flavors yet, but the Raspberry, Caramel, and Blueberry are all fantastic.  The limited-edition Coffee flavor was not so hot.


Interestingly enough, the Mövenpick yogurt sold in Poland is made in Finland, not Switzerland.

Apparently, I'm a wimp......

So I am getting my first taste of the "mild" Polish winter this week, and I have come to conclusion that I am an absolute wimp when it comes to the cold.  While I see some people who are bundled up against the cold, I still see lots of Polish women who are still dressed in short skirts and open jackets while walking outside.  Meanwhile, I went out this weekend and bought another sweater and a pair of casual shoes that were all leather (all but one pair of my casual shoes were purchased for Sacramento, meaning as much mesh as possible to let the feet breathe) because my feet were getting cold as I walked around.  I'm also nearly the only guy I see wearing gloves yet.

So all in all, I definitely appear to be a wimp when it comes to the cold.  Maybe I'll adapt.  Maybe I'll have to go out and buy one of the really warm jackets by Wellensteyn (http://www.wellensteyn-usa.com/home.aspx) that I stumbled across in one of the local stores.

Have fun.

Father Frost is coming for a visit

I'm told Father Frost is coming for a visit.  No, not Santa Claus.  I'm talking about a bit of cold weather.  On a whim I decided to name some temperature ranges for my own amusement.  They are:

Kid Boreal

Kid Boreal is temperatures from 15 degrees C to just above 0 degrees C (59-32 degrees F)

Father Frost

Father Frost is temperatures from 0 degrees C to -15 degrees C (32-5 degrees F)

Old Man Winter

And Old Man Winter is any temperature below -15 degrees C (roughly 3 degrees F and less)


We are supposed to  have lows under 30 degrees F starting Thursday and all the way through Monday or Tuesday.  And our highs are supposed to be around 40 degrees F or less (~5 degrees C).

So wish me luck while I get my first "mild" taste of the Polish Winter.  One of my co-workers today was mentioning that just a couple of years ago it reached -30 degrees C here in Poznan (that's -22 Fahrenheit) during a cold stretch of Winter.  I just hope it doesn't quite that bad.

Have fun everyone!

My New Best Friend

Meet my new best friend.  Yes, it's an iron.  But what can I say, my washing machine is small and it seems that everything that comes out of it is DEEPLY wrinkled.  So in an attempt to not look like a complete rag bag, an iron has become an absolute necessity.    =)

And yes, that is a pillow case I'm ironing there.  There dryer function on my combo washer/dryer tends to leave things pretty damp, and since I only have 1 pair of sheets so far, I iron them not to get the wrinkles out, but to help dry them.

I may have to beg for some advice from the ladies among my co-workers because frankly I feel that I am missing some deeply held knowledge that the Europeans have long since worked out on how to keep your clothes looking good. =)

Unfortunately, I seem to have reached the current limit of my "single-guy skills" and the results of my ironing definitely could use some improvement.  I think I'm going to have to try and not dry a few things and just let them hang to dry.  But I have no idea how long that will take and what the results will be.  But hey, you only live once right? 

Have fun everyone.  Especially those of you in the US with your nice full size washer and dryers!

Graffiti Time #1

One thing I really don't like about Poznań is how much graffiti there is around town.  Unfortunately, nearly all of it is badly done, defaces otherwise decent property, and frequently quite irritating (such as the idiots who used a permanent pen marker to draw all over the screen and keys for a tram ticket machine, making it nearly impossible to see the screen).

So it was nice to come across some graffiti that actually showed at least a bit of artistic talent (or a lot in one case) AND that was placed along the river-side of a protective wall where it is only visible from the river and which doesn't deface an otherwise perfectly good building).

So here are the only decently done graffiti I have seen so far.  Enjoy!

I love this!  That is actually King Kong on top of the old Pozna Town Hall in the old Market Square.

I also like this Tarzan image where the painted branches meld into the actual tree.

This one isn't so great.  But it's still worlds better than usual unintelligible scribbles I see.

This one also isn't that great, but I like the giant snoz.  =)

Puppy Time!

While I was out for my walk along the Warta River on Saturday, I came across several people who were walking their dogs.  There was one lady who had these 2 small dogs that were bouncing along through the high grass and that were pretty funny to watch.  One dog with black markings was constantly on the move and it was hard to get some pictures of.  But she was nice enough to stop and let me grab a few pictures of her other dog (with brown markings). 

So for your enjoyment, I present a couple of polish puppies.