Marla and I felt a wonderful sense of joy seeing her cousin, Kathaleen, in Boulder. We were celebrating being vaccinated and able to socialize outside our homes. We had not seen her in person for over a year. I particularly enjoy chatting with her as she is a life-long learner, a world traveler, and a progressive thinker. We went to a local sandwich shop for lunch and ate outside in the sun.

Kathaleen and I wanted to have hot tea at Breakfast Champion, a Turkish bakery next door. Marla thought the Turkish coffee looked interesting and something she had never tried before. I love the decorative metal coffee serving pieces. The coffee is very strong so some water and pieces of candied chocolate helped. Kathaleen’s stories of exploring Turkey on a walking tour brought our scene alive.

I perused their pastry display case and selected some wonderful pistachio baklava to take home. We mentioned taking a small hike after dropping her back home. Kathaleen suggested Davidson Mesa Trail” in nearby Louisville as it is flat with beautiful views for our late afternoon walk.

It was a sensational spring day.

Walking west you see a sensational panoramic vista of Boulder, the “Flatirons”, the Front Range and the majestic snowcapped Rocky Mountains.

A view of Boulder, the University of Boulder campus, and the 13,222 Ft. snowcapped Mount Audubon in the distance.

I felt very energized! Maybe it was from the strong Turkish Tea.

Marla takes a water break in the intense afternoon sun.

The back deck of this beautiful home on the trail must have a sensational Front Range View!

We drove through Westminster on the way home and decided to place a take-out order at Cracovia Restaurant, a Polish restaurant we hadn’t visited in years. I ordered a “Platter for two.” It was a gigantic assortment of “mizeria” ( creamy cucumber salad),”Czerwony Barszcz” (classic beat soup), “Zupa Ogorkowa”(creamy pickle soup), 8 assorted “pierogi” (dumpling with pork, potatoes, etc.), 2 cabbage rolls, 1 “krokiet” (a ground pork croquette), a link of Kielbasa sausage, BBQ ribs, and mashed potatoes.

Marla tries to make sense of all the dishes and sauces.

The dinner was fantastic! The soups were some of the best we’ve ever tasted! They even supplied a super hot polish mustard and a pickle for the kielbasa. The only thing missing was a Polish beer. And, for the finish,…the superb pistachio baklavas micro-waved for 15 seconds. Just so tasty! We had so much left over we made two more meals out of it! There is a reason Cracovia is the best Polish restaurant in our state!

What a super day! Around the world from Boulder, Turkey, and finishing with Poland.

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.