By Leslie Schroader, For the Tribune

Many days have passed since I was in the wonderful and unique country of Poland.

Each day I think of some happy event that took place there.

Each day I think of the many struggles the peoples have had over the centuries.

Only strong- willed people could survive.

I noted that the older generation who remember the communistic regime so well, still most often maintain a stoic appearance.

Most often no eye contact is exchanged when meeting.

There is no greeting.

It seems the fear of being arrested for exchanging a conversation or greeting is still with them.

This is not true with the younger people. They smile and laugh readily and sing and dance and meet friends at the disco. The music, hairstyles and clothing are like those of the Western young people.

Or, could it be that the West has adopted their styles.

There are no fat people in Poland.

I was told this before I went.

The young people are tall and slender, handsome and beautiful.

The mature people have also maintained a proper body weight.

If one sees a &uot;fat&uot; person, he or she is most likely a tourist.

The individual may be from Germany, Russia, or the United States.

Yes, one can eat at a fast food restaurant &045; McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King or Kentucky Fried Chicken.

But breakfast in that wonderful country is apt to be fruit, juice, sliced tomatoes, cheese, tea or coffee.

The other meals often include the wonderful and flavorful, many-grained, hard bread, rice and chicken soup, or other soups, cold meats, more cheeses, salads and something to drink.

On special occasion there might be some wine served.

Jakub, my Polish student, and his family invited me to their country.

Jakub was a wonderful chauffeur and he and his mother were excellent guides.

I exchanged the local dollars to Polish. When I arrived in Warsaw, the exchange was $4 for $1 from the States.

Later it fell back to $3.80.

Since the family was giving me the tour of Poland, I gave them the money and told them to spend it.

I did not know the price of &uot;things,&uot; and I could not speak the language.

It was my privilege to be taken to the Baltic Sea.

The Sea is the northern border of Poland.

Walking Europe’s longest boardwalk on a hazy, damp day did not dampen the spirits.

Ships could be seen plowing through the waters as they traveled, oftentimes, to countries bordering the Baltic.

Near the shore were several training sailboats where, like a school, young people were learning to sail.

They and the very tall, well-designed, abstract monument that honored the men who had been lost at sea were all good photographic subjects.

Nearby was the large, well-constructed Marine Museum where more time could have been spent studying and observing the aquatic life and reading about the sea’s development.

The area around the Bay of Danzig made me both happy and sad.

I was happy to see the parts of ancient Poland restored and well preserved.

And, I was very happy to see the activities of a working people.

We spent most of our time around the cities of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot.

I was fascinated with the many cranes with which ships were loaded and unloaded as they entered and left the harbor.

The harbor of the Vista (Wisla) River also had cranes used in the building and repairing of ships.

I thought of my readings, done long ago, about Leck Walesa and many others, both living and dead, who fought for the Polish solidarity movement.

It was led primarily by the electrical worker and it was centered in what was then called the Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk.

The strikers’ demands were finally met and the people now had the right to form unions that were denied to them many times when they had tried before.

It united varied segments of Polish society which included workers, students, clergy and intellectuals.

Walesa became Poland’s first president of their democracy.

We drove from the north to the south across Poland’s vast flatland, similar to parts of the Midwest in the States, and into the Tartra Mountains that create the border between Poland and Czech Republic and Slovakia.

As we rode down a mountain on a ski lift toward the valley below, we could see the many runs and ski lifts on the other side that are used by the Polish skiers.

Perhaps some will be in the Winter Olympics.

In this region, too, I saw log cabins being constructed.

I learned that the idea of log construction had come from Europe and that it was not an invention of the Great Plains people of the United States.

The Tartra Mountains were more rugged and beautiful than I had expected.

When we arrived, there was almost no snow on them.

Even many peaks were bare but when we left the next morning, the mountains were completely covered with &uot;powdered sugar&uot; white.

It was here that Pope John Paul II lived and grew as a child.

Everywhere, street names, flags, Bible verses and statues and churches honored him.

Many castles still exist in Poland.

In Krakow one finds The Wawel that is the complex of the Royal Castle and the Grand Cathedral of Saints Stanislaw and Waclaw which is one of the most important cathedrals in the country.

The cathedral is the final resting place of most of the Polish kings, as well as national heroes and revered poets.

Behind the cathedral is the Royal Castle, one of the most magnificent Renaissance residents in Central Europe.

Jakub and I purchased several paintings from artists in the vast Market Square near the center of the city.

Every day venders set up shops and sell their wares to natives and tourist.

History can also be sad.

I hurt when I saw the area first bombed by the Germans when they attacked Poland during World War II.

It is noble of the people to leave the ruins as a reminder of the horror war brings and yet it is a monument left as a reminder of lives lost needlessly.

I have several photos of the monument constructed on the hilltop overlooking the city of Gdansk and the harbor below.

As one looks behind, he sees a football field size green area with the woods behind.

At the edge of the woods in giant 10-foot letters are the words &uot;NIGDY WIECEJ WOJNY.&uot;

(Never more war!)

Not only did we travel from north to south, but we traveled east to west from Zbuczyn and Siedlce in the east and to Poznan in the west.

Of course we spent time in Warsaw, the capitol city.

I had to see the old structures as well as the new.

I enjoyed flying to Poland on the Polish Airlines.

The plane landed in Warsaw.

This was the same day that the Polish Government was being courted by representatives from the European Union.

Many European dignitaries were there and so was the Polish security.

Many well armed, carbine carrying military men could be seen even along the roadsides.

I tried to look harmless and innocent.

It must have worked.

Besides the kindness of the Kozuchowski family to invite me to Poland so that they could show me their beautiful country, it was my pleasure and privilege to attend the graduation exercise University School of Physical Education in Poznan and see Jakub get his master’s degree in physiotherapy. Unlike graduations in the States where &uot;Pomp and Circumstance&uot; is played, I was pleased to here the music of Frederic Chopin.

And that is as it should be.

He is a revered Polish music composer.

Again, I have photos of the very large statue of Frederic Chopin and the Royal Gardens surrounding the statue that we had seen in Warsaw.

If anyone has the opportunity to tour countries in Europe, do not overlook the wonders of Poland’s history, culture, well designed constructions, especially the churches, the arts and Poland’s many contributions to the world.

The country of Poland is truly a developing democracy.

(Les Schroader, a retired educator, resides in Alden.)