Travelsmartplanet

The last Lithuanian President was an American named Valdas Adamkus.

The current President is a woman, Dalia Grybauskaitė

Esperanto was created in the late 1870s by Dr. Ludovic Lazarus Zamenhof, an ophthalmologist from Bialystok, Poland.

Here are some sample phrases in the language.

(per Wikipedia)

Ever the scapegoats, during the 14th century Jews were being blamed for spreading the black plague.

In 1346 Kazimierz III of Poland decreed Royal protection against persecution of the Jews. This is a reason so many Jews migrated to Poland. Over the centuries, more Jews wound up here than any other country in Europe.

Poles didn’t have the bucks to buy new cars when they were finally permitted to. Unfortunately, this gave rise to the expression “Today stolen, tomorrow  in Poland”.

Even in Poland, car theft was such a problem that when couples would attend the theatre dressed in finery, they might be carrying their car radio or windshield wipers.

It is said that Napoleon always wore a red shirt so if he got shot, his troops would not see the blood and be discouraged.

Berliners like to joke that that’s why Hitler wore brown pants.

German hunters in the north sit in raised  little wooden huts out in the fields. This way the animals do not smell them as easily. They would be hunting rabbit,  pheasant or deer.

On secondary roads in Poland, you might see women in scanty clothing standing on the sides. They provide “comfort” for travelers. Many are from other countries like the Ukraine, Romania, Thailand, etc.

1/4 of the world’s storks roost in Poland and birth 2 or 3 chicks. They mate for life and are said to bring good luck. In August or September, they leave for Africa. They eat frogs and insects which have not been sprayed with insecticide.


Even though Poland was behind the iron curtain, 80% of the farms managed to remain privately owned and raised crops in the “old fashioned” way, which was of course, organic. So now, as part of the EU, they have a corner on organic produce and meat.

There are more bridges in Berlin than Venice – about 1,000

The Berlin wall, which came down on November 9, 1989, had been 100 miles long, 12′ high and 6′ thick.