School and City Tour

Today was a very long and exhausting day, I don't know if I'll have much energy for the Freshman Party later.. oh yess I will!  We were led by upper classmen around parts of the school, those that we most likely will need to know.  We then went into the Stary Rynek (Town Square) and got a tour from an actual Poznan tour guide.  The group started big then people kept dropping like flies and it ended up being only myself and a guy from Sweden and another from New Jersey.  Roughly a 5 hour walking day on cobblestone, which is pretty demanding.

Here is my bed.  It is roughly 2 inches thick.  The sheets don't fit properly.  As you can see there is a few inches on each side that is sheetless.  I placed the blanked on the sheet to add comfort.  My pillow I smash into a little ball so it supports my head.  It is a square pillow that is so soft that when you put your head on it, your head basically hits the bed.  At least I have a bed though.

This is a DDS (dental) building that we will be having our precourse classes in.  These classes are the first month that consist of Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Polish.  It is from about 8am-6pm for 3 and a half weeks.  I hear the classes themselves are fairly easy, high school caliber, but it is designed mostly to scare us.  Although supposedly the actual classes we take are more laid back and the hours are much better.  Inside this building is as great as the outside of it.

Oh no a roundabout, watch out for the Hicks' driving through, at least here they drive on the right side of the road.

This is freedom square.  It's located down the street from the Stary Rynek.  The visa building, museum, and other important Polish buildings are located here.  

Today it rained off and on.  Nothing too severe but luckily I had my umbrella my mom insisted I brought.  I do love the greenery and moss that these amounts of annual rainfall bring.

Back at the Stary Rynek.  It is still as amazing as it was the first time.  Notice the digital numbers in the left side of the screen.  This is a countdown to the Euro Cup in 2012.  652 days 3 hours 54 minutes and 19 seconds left!

Lovely statue here.  I spy an even more lovely Polish lady sitting on the stairs.

And the rain begins.  There was a wedding taking place to my right during this, I wonder how that went.

Here is one of the churches close to the Stary Rynek.  It was build in the 1500s and took 100 years to complete.  The structure took 50 years and those pillars you see look like marble.  When you touch them they are not as cold as typical marble; they are actually a fake marble composite that took a long time to get perfect.  The other 50 years took to decorate it inside.  It's one of handful of churches in a special cultural church group throughout Europe.  

Here is a video from inside the church.  It was really incredible.  The ceiling looks like a dome that was painted.  It actually is a painting of a dome, which does a very good job at fooling the eye.

In 1736 the Poznan flooded and the square flooded up to this marker, roughly 5 feet high. 

The view from atop a park looking over the town.

 

Another very beautiful church atop this hill.  The outside looks like a normal building but when you go into it, it's a very different story.  

When people stepped up into their seats (photo on right) they would step on top of the dragons of sin to enter the aisle.  

Saw this on the street.  "Welcome to Poland" it says.  Somewhat visible ( I was sparing you guys, believe me) is an old lady naked with blood on her knees and a horrifying face.  There supposedly is an 'abnormal nudes' show that is here.  Will definitely NOT be seeing that one!

This is the Jesuit college.  It was the first higher education center in Poznan.  

Throughout the city are enormous university buildings.  You could easily mistake them for small castles like the one I posted a few days ago that was built for Hitler.  We actually have one right next door to that that looks very similar.  It will be somewhat daunting taking the tram into town at 8am in the snow for biophysics...

I am learning the lay of the land and could probably make it back and forth from the dorms to the Stary Rynek successfully.  I need to rest up for the party tonight that is held in a university owned club that is connected to the big dorm Eskulap.