W = V ; Ł = W ; Sz = Sh ; C = Ts (or thereabouts)
SO - after exploring Europe we headed off to Poland to meet and spend time with Andrews family. I had no idea what to expect of Poland. My limited knowledge came from World War II movies, what I’d heard from Andrew and his family in Australia and a few other bits and pieces. Most of these movies and all Andrew’s time in Poland was based in winter so I was expecting quite a dreary, cold, grey world but at the same time a lot of love.
My first experience of Poland was stressful to say the least. We got the train from Prague to Poznań that went via Wrocław in the south. When we got to Wrocław we found a terribly disorganised station in the middle of renovations where no one, not even information, knew which track our train would be departing from. A notice said that the train was going to be 15mins later than on our timetable but it came 5 mins after that so the track we had to go to was only posted 20mins after the train was supposed to have left. I have never seen my husband so stressed in my life, as he ran around from platform to platform checking out every information board he could find. Thankfully he was on the right track at the right time when the train pulled up so we made it.
We were greeted at the train station in Poznań by Andrews’s uncle, Konrad, who everyone, including his friends, calls ‘Stryjek’ which means uncle in Polish. He’s an absolutely gorgeous man, so welcoming, we felt at home immediately. His apartment was like stepping back in time as he would rather repair than replace so he would keep pointing out items and telling us how old they were including one woven throw that is over 100 years old! To Andrew it was like walking down memory lane especially when he saw his childhood teddy bear. After dinner the men did the washing, hanging it up on a makeshift line that they were so proud of and we all headed off to bed.
As we had arrived at night I hadn’t seen what Poznań was actually like so when I stepped out the door in the morning I was pleasantly surprised to find green and colour everywhere. The streets were lined with trees, the sky was blue, and the buildings that were once blocky and grey have been painted all sorts of colours creating quite a nice sight. The landscape was nothing like what I had expected; it was absolutely beautiful, full of vibrancy and life.
So Stryjek took us into town and spent the day showing us the city. We checked out an old brewery that has been converted into an award winning shopping centre, had coffee in the Old Market Square and visited a couple of different cathedrals. He was an incredible tour guide, telling us the history of the city as well as amusing anecdotes all along the way. It was so much fun although we found walking into the cathedrals a little awkward as both times we arrived just as mass was starting. Andrew & I were trying to leave out of respect but Stryjek kept motioning to us saying ‘come see this’ so we endured the glares of the congregants, tried to hide behind the pillars and had a good tour.
The next day Andrew & I weren’t feeling too well so we stayed home, only to venture out for a ‘small walk’ that ended up being a long walk, through a gorgeous oak park nearby. The length of the walk would have been fine but due to unseasonal rain it was like walking through a tropical rainforest complete with mosquitoes so we were exhausted by the time we got home.
A word on Polish hospitality – incredible! Being the family from overseas we were invited by old friends of Andrews Dad and Stryjek’s for dinner a number of times. They are the loveliest people you can meet and some of the best cooks ever. I left every time feeling like I was going to burst. I’ve also developed a new love for blueberries. They are so sweet and delicious in Poland whereas the ones I’ve eaten in Australia have been sour. Every time a bowl of them was put on the table I ate at least half of them by myself, I tried to share but they were so yummy. It was also awesome how we’d get to someone’s place and there’d be maybe five of us sitting down to eat, and then another person would arrive, and then another so that by the end of the night maybe ten people had come and gone. I also had a bunch of ‘Lost in Translation’ moments where everyone would be conversing in Polish and I’d get a two second gist of what they were talking about, though one night everyone at the table was practicing their English which was a whole lot easier for me although I felt a little bad that my hosts were struggling through the conversation for my sake. So a huge thank you to Zbyszek & Danka and to Tadeusz & Marysia and their families for being so welcoming! I loved meeting you all and spending time with you.
Next up and we heading off to Wrocław to spend time with Andrews cousin, Ewa, and her husband Tadeusz. So we jumped into Stryjek’s Fiat and drove the 150km’s from Poznań to Wrocław, arriving 5hrs after we’d left. We had a little car trouble that we had to stop for plus Poland is in the process of preparing for Euro 2012 so there are roadwork’s everywhere but it still blows my mind that it took 5hrs to drive 150km’s! I have no idea where that time disappeared too but fortunately the scenery was very pretty.
We eventually arrived at Ewa & Tadeusz’s house where we were welcomed with open arms. Ewa, being an English teacher, was great to talk to and I loved how she kept correcting Andrew's Polish when he used the wrong endings. Tadeusz doesn’t speak English but when I found out he speaks German I thought I’d give it a bash and I think I failed, but at least I could communicate a little! So after a short rest we headed out to see the Jewish Quarter of Wrocław by night that was absolutely beautiful and highly entertaining, especially when we were driving illegally through the central Catholic area to see the cathedral. We joked that if we were pulled over we’d tell the police that Stryjek was a cardinal making it okay for us to be there.
The following day we visited the beautiful Książ Castle. It was built on top of a rocky ridge in a hilly forest region in the south of Poland. The castle, unfortunately, has been ravaged by invaders so at times we felt like we were walking through an open inspection, but what has been restored, the grounds and the building itself were absolutely stunning.
We spent a lot of time in Wrocław chilling out as both Andrew & myself had caught a cold of some sort but it was a very appreciated rest from the running around we had been doing. We finally went to see the movie Inception, which fortunately was playing in English with Polish subtitles. Polish dubbing is more like a commentary with the one person doing all the vocals so the subtitles are definitely the way to go. I couldn’t believe the shopping centre that the movie theatre was in – it was massive and even had an aquarium with a shark in it!
On our final day Andrew excitedly took me to see his favourite place in Wrocław – the Racławice Panorama. In a round building a 360 degree panoramic painting of a major battle in Poland, led by the famous General Kosciuszko (sound familiar Australians?) has been set up on the wall and in front of it on the ground has been placed sand, tree’s and all sorts of other items that fit into the painting. For example at one point in the painting there are ruts in the road filled with water that continues into the actual sand. It’s absolutely incredible, you feel like you’re right in the middle of the battle, which is the whole point of the style.
We had such a great time in Wrocław. I liked to say the hugest thank you to Tadeusz & Ewa. They looked after us so much even to the point that when we got up at 5am to take the train Ewa got up to make us breakfast and gave us a packed lunch and then Tadeusz drove us to the station and made sure we got on the right train.
So we were invited by Tadeusz & Ewa’s children to go sailing with them in a region called Mazury in the north of Poland. My first time sailing and I was very excited! We arrived in the afternoon in a town called Giżycko and were met by Łukasz, Asia, Witek & Karolina. We all walked to the docks and boarded the sailing boat that would be our home for the next three days. It was a tight 8 person yacht, but cosy for 6, named Jawrosz, but renamed by the Pols to Bronisław Komorowski.
We hung out for the rest of the night, getting to know each other over good beer and bad pizza. Andrew & I were given the bow to sleep in which was cosy but I couldn’t sleep due to the end of season dance party nearby that was so loud I could feel the beat in my bones. It raged until 4am, so I was pretty wrecked the next day.
I love sailing! We spent the next three days cruising around, going from lake to lake via the canals where there’d be a flurry of dropping or raising the sails and then sitting back chilling out until the wind caught the sails suddenly and we thought the yacht would tip! It was beautiful. The wind was cold but the clouds held back their rain (mostly) and the scenery was absolutely stunning. We docked every night and had dinner in one of the local pubs or restaurants. One place had a breakfast item called ‘the Hangover Breakfast’ which included scrambled eggs, sour yoghurt and a tablet! We didn’t need it but it was funny.
We stopped on one shore in order to check out the Mazurski Canal that the Germans dug during WW2 that stretches from the lakes to the Baltic Sea. The special thing about this canal is that when the war finished there was only a short distance left to dig to make the connection but they left the work and to this day it hasn’t been finished. While exploring we also found a bunch of German bunkers in the woods, which was very exciting so we grabbed our torches and went inside to check them out. It was pretty cool.
Another unique feature in the area is a bridge that opens for the boats every hour or so during the day but instead of opening vertically it rotates horizontally via a manual winch. One night we were desperately sailing to get through the bridge before it closed for the final time, as we’d have to sail around a further 2km’s to get to the docks. Thankfully we made it with 15mins to spare.
Our last day sailing was absolutely stunning. The sun came out and the wind wasn’t so cold so we sunbaked on the deck, drank beer and generally hung out. It was so nice. I think I could really get used to life on the water.
We headed to a town named Mikołajki so that Andrew & I could catch the train back to Poznań. When we arrived in the port we walked to the train station and all we found were tracks that had been reclaimed by the weeds! Andrew checked the timetable again and found that the town we wanted was Mikołajki Pomorskie, close in name but not geographically! So we had to change our plans, get up seriously early the next morning to take a bus back to Giżycko and find an alternative train to Poznań. So we spent our last night hanging out, feeding the swans, playing Celebrity Heads and drinking hot beer with honey & cinnamon, which is surprisingly delicious. Thank you guys for inviting us to go sailing with you, we had an awesome time and look forward to seeing you again.
Back in Poznań we had two days to prepare for the next step in our journey. We went shopping to get some warmer clothes, sent a ridiculously expensive parcel back to Australia and had incredible dinners with Stryjeks friends. We also took the opportunity for Andrew to visit his grandparents’ grave. It was very interesting to see some of his families history and to hear the stories of their lives from Stryjek.
And so our time in Poland came to an end. It was so good to meet everyone finally, to see such a beautiful country and to learn a little of the language. We absolutely appreciate the generous hospitality of everyone who hosted us in any capacity. And a special final dziekuje bardzo to Stryek who took two weeks off work to hang out with us, provided many breakfasts of cold meats and cheeses, drove us all around the country and brought lots of laughter to us. He is an absolute gem.
Now it’s off to Russia we go!
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