Trip to Poland - Update

Guess you've been waiting for pictures from my trip to Poland, huh? Well, my trip got pushed out several weeks. Some things weren't ready for the trip plus my Belgium contact has been vacation. Not much sense going if I wouldn't be able to accomplish the objectives.

This really worked out nicely since my mom ended up arriving during the week I would have been in Poland. The time we spent together was very nice and much better than being in Poland, even if I do love to travel!

Going Back to Poland!

I'm excited because I'm going back to Augustow, Poland. I leave next weekend. I know I won't have much free time to sight see since I'll only be there for a week to give some training. Nevertheless, the Nikon will be going along because you never know what you might see! I was so frustrated with the little Sony Cybershot I used before but it was better than nothing at all. It will be nice to have the Nikon with me and a telephoto lens or two.

Remember, this is what northeastern Poland looked like the last time I was there in February. Cold and snowy. I can't wait to see it in the summertime!

Snow, snow, and MORE snow!

That's 28 degs F! And this was a warm day!

I will be staying in a different hotel on this trip and hopefully will have better Internet access so I can post pictures during my time there.

Poland - Adventures in Getting Home

The day arrived when we were due to fly home. Hooray! After two weeks in Poland, I think we were all ready to go home and get away from each other. We practically were together the entire time as a group from 7 a.m. each day until 9 p.m. No wonder we got on each others' nerves.

View of the Warsaw Airport from my hotel room

The plan was to meet for breakfast at 7 a.m. and then head to the airport across the street for a 10:10 a.m. departure to Copenhagen. Only things didn't go according to plan.

We did meet for breakfast only to learn that SAS canceled our trip home. The boss found this out the night before and had been working with our travel agency to rebook flights home.

The latest update was that we tentatively were on a LOT Polish Airlines flight from Warsaw to Chicago leaving at noon and then on a United flight to Seattle. But we would need to leave for the airport immediately after breakfast to pick up the new tickets.

So off we trundle to the airport at 7:30 a.m. and locate the SAS ticketing counter. After dealing with the agent, tickets in hand, we now had to wait until 9:00 a.m. to check our luggage at the LOT counter. Plus there would be another 2-1/2 hours until boarding after that.

Let me tell you, there is not much to do in the airport in Warsaw, especially while waiting to check luggage. The boss spent much of the time back in line at the SAS counter ensuring we had first class seats from Chicago to Seattle. The rest of us sat around and talked shop in the mean time.

The inside of the new Terminal 2 in Warsaw

Upon the clock reaching the 9 o'clock hour, we approached the LOT counter to check our bags. Nope, not yet. First we have to get our documents (passport) checked and stamped. Not through Customs mind you, but something with LOT airlines. Luckily there isn't a line and we quickly did the passport thing and returned to the baggage counter.

Now our tickets are handwritten and all five of us are on one piece of paper which we entrusted to the boss. One by one we handed over our passports again to the agent at the baggage counter as our luggage was weighed and tagged. Surprisingly enough, I had one of the lightest suitcases out of our crew. Me, the sole woman! Guess those guys don't know how to pack light for two weeks on the road. :-)

Next up was clearing Security. Again, a very short line due to priority boarding passes and it didn't take us all long to get through.

We all paid a visit to the duty free shop. I was looking for a specific brand of Belgian chocolates per a recommendation from another employee who spent three years in our Brussels office. No such luck so I picked up some Swiss chocolate instead. I also got a bag of peanut M&M's for on the airplane just in case LOT was lacking in on-board amenities that we had on the SAS flight over to Denmark. I also picked up a small souvenir for Karl.

I would have bought a bottle of the Wyborowa vodka but I didn't want to deal with Customs in Chicago and trying to bring it on board the plane.

Shopping complete, off we went to find the restaurant to use the vouchers SAS had given us for food. Hey, we had a couple of hours yet to kill before boarding.

Looking Back at the Hotel

When it gets close to our boarding time, we head for the gate. But wait, we have to go through Customs first. Get out those passports!

We find a place to sit near our gate and I am amazed by how many people are waiting for this flight. Looks like it will be a full one. Our flight over from Seattle was not crowded at all. No wonder SAS dropped the route.

We wait and wait, and then wait some more. Boarding time comes and goes. If they are making announcements, it is in Polish and we don't understand them. Finally we hear an announcement in English saying the flight is delayed and another announcement will be made in ten minutes.

When the ten minutes are up, sure enough, another announcement. Only now it is the boarding call. Wow! The waiting crowd just floods the gate area. No priority boarding. Just a mass of people funneling into a single line at the gate. I lead our group to what should be the business class line and we push through to board the aircraft.

We are just over an hour late pushing back from the gate. This gives us some cause for concern because originally we had just over two hours once reaching Chicago to make our connection. Our boss lets us know if we miss our connecting flight, there are two other flights leaving Chicago at later times for Seattle.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the interior of the plane. Blue and orange seats. Ewww. Not very pleasing to the eye at all unless you are a Denver Bronco fan. You can also tell this is an older Boeing 767 plane and it wasn't as nice as the SAS one. No individual in-seat entertainment systems but instead a personal hand-held unit. But in all fairness to LOT, the seats were comfortable, food was halfway decent and the flight attendants were nice. We certainly didn't starve on the flight.

It was neat flying during the daylight hours over the frozen waters near Canada. You could see the cracks in the ice and it just looked bitter cold.

View from the air coming into Canada

After a ten hour flight, we land at O'Hare. Thankfully there is good weather in Chicago.

The plan now is to get through Customs, retrieve our luggage, re-check it through and get to the new gate in another terminal. Nobody told me to wear running shoes!

Our gate in the International terminal has to be as far away from Customs as possible. We did a brisk walk to Customs and my shins started cramping up midway there. Suck it up and keep going, Sally.

Our group is directed to a lane to wait to clear Customs. There is a gentleman ahead of us that is having issues getting through. Tick, tick, tick goes the clock.

Finally we can start processing through. One, two, three people are done. Just as the fourth team member starts to approach the counter, we are put on hold. A serviceman is coming through and he has priority. I have no issue with this, but the guy didn't have his documents ready. Tick, tick, tick...

Okay, we are all through with our passports stamped for re-entry into the United States. Now it is off to the baggage carousel to retrieve our bags. Of course, it is the farthest one away!

I quickly locate mine and start searching for the rest of the team. I find two of them and am told that once I am through making my declarations at the next Customs checkpoint to wait for another team member to arrive who in turn will wait for the last guy to arrive. We don't want to leave anyone behind.

Mike arrives and now it is my turn to head for the United counter to re-check my bag. Wouldn't you know, it is not close to where I am standing. Suck it up, Sally. Those shins will hang in there.

I deposit my bag and start looking behind me for Mike and Steve to show up. We need them so we can show our passports to the United agent and receive our boarding passes for the Seattle flight. Tick, tick, tick...no Mike or Steve yet.

Just as I start heading back towards the last checkpoint, here comes Mike. Steve should be right behind him, he says. Steve's bags were pulled for a secondary screening and caused him to be delayed.

Finally, we are together to show our passports to the United agent and new boarding passes in hand, we race to find the tram to get to the other terminal.

This does mean we will have to clear Security again. Tick, tick, tick. We get in line and the TSA agent takes her good old time checking our passports and boarding passes. Then it's on to the next line to do the screening and what not.

We find a fairly short line but suddenly we notice that the bins are not going through the x-ray machine. What the heck? After a few minutes, one of the TSA employees tells us we will need to move to another line. The machine has stopped functioning.

Now it is less than thirty minutes until departure time. Not boarding time, departure. Yikes! And we still are not through Security. Tick, tick, tick. A few other travelers are ready to let us go ahead of them in line when a new line opens and we jump right in. Shoes, belts and jackets off, laptops out, briefcases or backpacks on the conveyor belt. Let's all get through this.

Thankfully nobody gets selected for additional screening and we scoop up our belongings and reassemble our bags. Then it is yet another rush to the gate which is waaaaay down at the other end of the terminal. Suck it up, Sally. Another few minutes of this and your shins can rest.

By now, I am also struggling to breathe because of the bronchitus as a result of the cold that I left home with. I practically fall into my seat, my hands are shaking, and I can't find my inhaler. I'm not getting back up to see if it is my bag in the overhead bin. I'm toast. We've been traveling for about seventeen hours now. I make a quick call on my cell to Karl to let him know I've made the Seattle flight and the plane is getting ready to leave the gate.

My poor seat mate is also sick so we are quite the pair, either sneezing or coughing or wheezing.

Sunset Leaving Chicago

I had every intention of staying awake on this flight so that I would be able to sleep once reaching home. However, shortly after dinner was served and the tray removed, I was out like a light. I probably slept for two hours as we jetted westward.

We landed in Seattle somewhere around 8:30 p.m. Now it was time to pick up our luggage and drive home. Just as I reached the baggage carousel, I heard our names being paged. I went to the counter and was informed that my bag did not make the flight and was due to come in on one of those later flights. We were told in Chicago that our bags might not make the flight. No big deal. United would deliver it to my house the next day and anything that was important I already had with me.

I filled out the necessary paperwork and in short order, I was on my way home where upon I promptly fell into bed exhausted.

BTW - my luggage arrived on my porch around 3:30 a.m. Sunday morning. The delivery guy called my cell number, but I never heard it ring.

So when can I go again? :-)

I truly enjoyed my trip to Poland and hope to return in the coming weeks.

Poland - The Kulig

Although our group worked out butts off during our visit to Poland, there was still time for some fun.

Twice we went on a kulig which is a horse-drawn sleigh ride. This is a popular Polish winter tradition anytime between Christmas and Ash Wednesday.

The first kulig was at night which is when you typically would do this. After being told to dress warmly, we arrived at the starting point near Wigierski Park Narodowy, or Wigry National Park. Our host for the evening was the company we had spent the past two days working with.

They handed out warm hats and gloves in case someone forgot to bring theirs. Then we loaded up the two sleighs and set off through the forest. We joked that whoever was sitting in the front seats were riding "economy class" because of looking at the horses' rear ends.

Getting Ready to Kulig

The "Big" Train Engine

We finished up our evening by having a sit-down dinner inside a rustic building. I had a great time!

Our next kulig was on a Sunday afternoon. This time we went to Plaska which is in the Puszcza Augustowska, or the Augustow Primeval Forest. Another company hosted this event for us.

Again, we loaded up our sleighs and off we went through the snow-covered forest.

Sleigh Ride Through the Forest

We stopped somewhere out in the forest to do the required "Nastrovia!" and then got back in the sleighs.

Two Horsepowered Sleigh Team

To start the journey back to the lodge, the dog that accompanied us ran and barked alongside the sleighs. "Come on, let's go," he barked! I was in the lead sleigh on the way back. I think the four-legged guy behind us was anxious to get to the barn because at one point I could reach behind me and practically touch him.

Heading Back to the Lodge

Then it was time to gather around the bonfire and cook our kielbasas and eat more bigos.

Kielbasas & Bigos

The lodge is located along another part of the Augustow Canal. They kept a small section cleared so that you could use the sauna, then run down and jump into the canal, and then go back to the sauna. We were offered the privilege of performing this ritual, but it required being in the buff in the sauna. Between that and the thought of going in the freezing cold water, I decided to pass.

On the Count of 3...Jump In!

Our evening ended by going inside the lodge for more authentic Polish food, drinks and dancing. There wasn't any escaping the dancing part but I refuse to post pictures of it. :-)

The kuligs were lots of fun and nothing that I've experienced stateside. If you ever get a chance to do this, GO FOR IT!

Next up, the return trip home.

Poland - Roadside Sightings

I saw many interesting things along the roads during my travels in Poland.

First up - tiny windows. I'm still puzzled by these windows in the gable ends of the houses. They appear to be located in areas under the eaves which typically would be closed off.

Are they for additional light? I don't know. I do know they are not for ventilation. Many of them looked like they were fixed panes of glass.

Tiny windows in the gable walls

Maybe it is just a regional thing in northeastern Poland since I only saw them around Augustow and Olecko. I haven't been able to find any information about it on the web. If you know more about these windows, please email me. You can find my email address on the right.

Another interesting thing I saw were the stork nests. These things are HUGE! Apparently this area of Poland is home to a large population of storks, but not in the winter.

They were typically perched on top of a power pole. Many poles had a wire basket frame in which the nest was built.

Vacant stork nests

Speaking of power poles, they are not your typical American power pole. Most were made from concrete rather than wood and several were in a tripod configuration.

Concrete utility poles

One thing I noticed right off the bat is the amount of what I assume to be mistletoe in the trees. It is especially noticeable this time of year since the trees are bare.

Everywhere you looked you could find a tree with this fungus growing in it. One of the boat yard owners offered to send some home with me since I was so intrigued by it. I politely declined.

Mistletoe?

Yet another frequent roadside sighting are the shrines. These shrines are to publicly thank a saint or God for a benefit or blessing received. They are often located at the edge of a village. According to Polish folklore, another popular location for a shrine is at a crossroads where many people pass by and because crossroads were believed to be the haunts for evil spirits, who may be held in check by the influence of a sacred figure.

Smaller newer shrines may also mark the spot of a fatal accident.

Regardless of the reason, they are plentiful throughout Poland.

Roadside Shrines

Yet another interesting sighting was on the road between Augustow and Olecko near the village of Wilkasy. In the middle of the dense forest just along the side of the road was another cemetery. It was very different than the one I posted about yesterday.

This particular cemetery has 43 German and 42 Russian soldiers buried in it according to the plaque by the gate. It dates from World War I.

Soldiers' Cemetery

And finally, on our last trip back from Olecko, I happened to be sitting in the front passenger's seat in the van. (Hey, we didn't have a Polish driver at the time and I felt safe!)

Looking down the road, I saw a very strange sight. Upon reaching it, yep, I was right. A car perched on the guardrail. Nobody was around, but it sure looked like it was quite the step from the driver's door to the ground. We thought the driver came around the corner from the opposite direction we were traveling and lost control on the icy road. He slid up onto the guard rail and destroyed the front axle of the car. I suspect the vehicle is totaled due to the amount of damage on the other side.

Oops!

To be continued...

More from Poland - Augustow

During the time I was in Poland, I had a few hours on a Sunday morning to walk into the town of Augustow. There are great walking paths all around the hotel and lakefront and it made for easy walk, even though they were covered with snow.

On the route taken into town, we passed through a large cemetery. Upon entering the cemetery, someone had set up a small stand and was selling flowers and candles. Inside, row after row of headstones, most with a cross of some kind on them. It was a very beautiful scene actually.

Several of the gravesites were well tended. The snow had been brushed off and flickering lanterns or candles were nestled in flowers.

It amazed me to see so many people out and about in the cemetery on a cold Sunday morning.

Cemetery showing the multitude of crosses

My co-worker and I continued on towards the center of town. We crossed the Augustow Canal.

The canal was built in the 19th century and links the Vistula River in northeastern Poland and the Neman River in Belarus. It is almost 63 miles long. The Polish side of the canal is very popular with kayakers, canoeists and boaters who enjoy the picturesque route.

This time of year, however, the canal is mostly frozen.

Frozen Augustow Canal

Next stop was the town square in Augustow. Surrounded by shops, the square itself was quite large with the requisite statue in it. There was also a visitors center but it was closed.

It was very quiet in town and not many cars were driving around the cobblestone streets. We would soon find out why.

Market Square area in Augustow

After walking around the square, we headed off down a side street towards the massive church spires. Just as we got to the church, Mass let out and a couple of hundred people came streaming out of the doors. Approximately 90% of the Polish population is Roman Catholic according to web sources.

We waited until most people had left before walking around the church. We did not go inside out of respect but I would have enjoyed seeing the interior.

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Pope John Paul II is beloved in Poland (of course!) and there was a statue of him outside of the church. He apparently stayed near Augustow during a pilgrimage in 1999 but I was unable to read the information in our hotel because it was written in Polish.

Pope John Paul II statue

We returned to the hotel after walking around town, but first I had to slip and fall on an icy path just before we reached the hotel. Ouch!

Augustow is a lovely town and I hope I can experience it during the warmer months.

Poland Revisted

I promised more pictures and stories from my recent trip to Poland.

So let's go back to the beginning since I wasn't able to post any pictures while I was there.

We arrived in Warsaw (Warszawa) around 5 p.m. Flying over the city was interesting. My eye was drawn to all of the large concrete housing projects that were erected by the communist regime after the bombings during WWII.

Arriving over Warsaw

Our hotel in Warsaw was directly across the street from the airport terminal. When we awoke on Tuesday morning, it was snowing. That helped to make an interesting drive out of Warsaw when combined with the morning rush hour traffic.

Warsaw Airport Terminal

Snowing in Warsaw

Warsaw looked like a beautiful city and I wish we would have had time to do some exploring. Maybe on a future trip I can see more of it.

On the outskirts of Warsaw, we passed a large shopping area that included...


The highway coming out of Warsaw was very nice. And then...OMG! Try taking four lanes of traffic, including heavy truck traffic, and put them onto two narrow lanes, sometimes without much of a shoulder, and you experience some harrowing situations!

Our group was in a large American made conversion van. I made sure to sit in the back next to a window so I could watch out the side, not the front. With good reason. The couple of times I looked forward, I think we were three feet from the back end of a semi-truck in front of us. Our driver would edge out to see if he could pass the truck. If all was clear, zoom! Off we'd go around the truck, ducking quickly back into our lane. Over and over this situation was repeated. I felt it was best for me not to look forward.

We made a short stop in the town of Lomza (pronounce Womsa) at none other than...


Our hotel in Augustow was interesting. The Hotel Warszawa is a resort hotel that I'm sure is very enjoyable in the summer months. It is located on Lake Necko. My room was very different from any other room I've ever stayed in over in the U.S.

Hotel View from Lake Necko side

For starters, the tiny beds. The room configuration was two "twin" beds complete with wooden bed rails pushed together. The height of the beds were about eighteen inches off the floor. The bed consisted of a box spring type thing with a folded up comforter on top of it. The sheet over the box spring didn't even cover it at the head and foot of the bed. Strange. The pillow was a large flat square that when folded in half was similar in size to a standard pillow. And there was also a smaller square pillow. All under the bedspread.

It pays to be short

One of the guys in our group said his feet hung off the end of the bed.

To sleep, I unfolded the comforter thing, rotated it so that it would cover most of the boxspring, and then got a blanket out of the closet to sleep under. It was a heavy fleece blanket so that was nice. The sheet and pillow case were about 80-thread count. Very scratchy and I also think my skin did not like the detergent being used. I couldn't keep enough lotion on my skin to stop it from drying out in patches.

The carpet on the floor was almost like felt. Nothing like a typical rug or even commercial grade carpet. And the drapes over the window...it was a trick to get them closed because they barely fit across. If you pulled on one side too much, you now had an uncovered window on the other side.

The bath was small but decent...a nice shower and the heater allowed you to hang your towel over it to warm it up. Good thing I brought my own shower sponge. The hotel did not provide washcloths. I understand that this is a fairly standard practice for European hotels any way.

I did have nice views of the frozen lake from my room(s). I ended up switching rooms and moved from the Internet dead zone on the first floor to the second floor after a few days.

Views from balcony

We ate most of our meals at the restaurant in the hotel. Between our group, we probably ate everything on the menu at least once. It was starting to get boring by the end of the second week there. They offered regional Polish dishes and I tried several of them in addition to the usual fare found on most menus. For the most part, the food was good although I think I was served shoe leather one night for dinner instead of a New York strip steak.

For breakfast each morning, I settled on cereal, yogurt, some fresh fruit and a cup of coffee along with a glass of juice. They did have scrambled eggs and sausages, but I just couldn't bring myself to eat runny scrambled eggs. So I stuck with Honey Nut Cheerios until we cleaned those out and then switched to Sugar Puffs. No Cocoa Puffs for me!

To be continued...