Fine art is that in which the hand, the head, and the heart of (hu)man go together. – John Ruskin

The eastern European city of Kraków is a cultural gem, both as a unique historic artifact and a community literally full to overflowing with the arts. Museums, colleges, schools of art, music conservatories, jazz bars, community theater, professional theater, opera, a philharmonic orchestra, classical, avant guard, traditional – and so much more.

So Andrew and Alicia took us out to see Jonathan Larson’s rock-opera “Rent” at the Krakow VARIETE Theatre. Here’s my take on how powerful a medium musical theater is when it comes to communication: I have never seen Rent, I had no knowledge of the plot other than the bare minimum, I was not familiar with the music. And, by the way, every word in the musical was translated into Polish (note to reader: Polish is not exactly an easy language to understand!)

Yet, via the compelling music, the pitch-perfect performances and the inventive choreography, I was able to follow the plot without any real sense of missing out.

The talent of these young people was top-notch, arguably on par with any I have ever seen. Additionally, the live band was beyond remarkable. What a great night out! Now I’m going to have to see Rent in English (just in case I am wrong thinking the show is about students at a conservative religious college singing and dancing their way through their first semester away from home)!

Monday in the Old Town:

Monday Rebekah and I hiked our way through the Old Town and into Kraków’s massive Rynek Główny; it is purportedly the largest medieval market square in Europe.

We have been glad of our new frost-proof overcoats and yesterday was no exception.

Rebekah and I checked out the Cloth Hall, a testimony to Kraków’s long history as a hub for trade and commerce. We circled the busy shopping and entertainment district. We viewed most of the stalls in the Christmas Market until we were cold enough to require mulled wine. We sat in a café to drink cappuccino.

We plotted our next set of adventures, and then we walked back through the busy medieval streets, bricked and cobblestoned, to our apartment before meeting the family for a wonderful dinner at a most excellent Polish restaurant.

This is our life for the next couple of weeks. It essentially boils down to a running battle between the Polish food and the amount of exercise we can generate walking the length and breadth of this beautiful city. At the moment the Polish cuisine seems to be is winning.

May your final Advent approach and Christmas Eve landing this year be filled with the peace, the hope, the love and the joy that Jesus came to offer. There is nothing that could be a greater gift for any one of us – especially ourselves – than the assurance of God’s love and promise.

“because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” – Luke 1:78-79

Because of love, and with every blessing – DEREK