Seagulls, Rocks, etc.

05/29/2012 18:24

Ewa Ostasz, as I’ve mentioned before, is a dear friend of mine whom I have known for many years. I first met her when she was working in the bookstore at the Ukrainian Foundation in Kraków. On a day-to-day basis, she now officially manages Smak Ukrainski, the restaurant at the Foundation. Unofficially, however, she runs the entire organization. As we get closer to the trip, I’ll get you all of her contact numbers, email, and addresses (home and work).

Ewa is our main contact in Kraków. When we want to know how to get somewhere, we ask Ewa. When we want to know if something is worth seeing, we ask Ewa. If we need help organizing or booking something, we ask Ewa. You get the picture, she’s indispensible, and very easygoing and likeable too. As I mentioned yesterday in Trevorton, if you want to make her laugh, you can call her “Ewa Mewa” (Eva Meva), which means “Ewa the seagull.” People sometimes call her this because it comes from a bawdy limerick, which of course sounds much better and funnier in the original than it does in English:

Ewa Mewa spadła z drzewa,

Spadła na kamyczki

I potłukła se cycki!
 

Ewa the seagull fell from a tree.

She fell onto the rocks

And smashed her boobs!

Again, not quite the same in English, but you get the idea. I’m sure she’s thrilled with the information I’ve just shared, so feel free to call her “Ewa Mewa” whenever you like. 

Ewa on a trip with me when we went mountain biking along the Polish-Slovak border.

Ewa and I biking on a trail from Kraków to the Tyniec monastery.

Ewa checking in on things at the restaurant.