European Mexico

I have arrived! Tonight- Barcelona! I wish I had more time to explore the city. This time I only get to see the airport and a hotel. Oh well...
Wizz Air has got to have the coolest airplane art and uniforms. The outside of the "airbus" is pink, purple, and white. The uniform shirts are basically hot pink with purple collars and buttons. Yes, they are awesome. Wizz limits your checked bag to 32kg. I can work with that. My suitcase (ooo maybe I should name it! Ideas?) weighed in at 17.9kg. Here's the problem: for my flight tomorrow, my suitcase needs to lose 2 kg. Why? Because when purchasing your ticket, you don't get a bag allowance. That's separate. You also have two options, at different prices, for checked bags: 15 kg or 20 kg. Guess which one I have? Yup. (I didn't buy the ticket.) So my carry on, which already weighs a million pounds, is going to have to gain a few. Otherwise- Excess weight fees, it will not be a pleasure to meet you. I was not informed of this at home, and the trans-Atlantic allowance is about 50lbs, so I packed accordingly. I'm a girl- of course, I'm going to make full use of my bag allowance! :)
The airport in Barcelona is nice. During landing, you can see the water on one side and the city on the other. I called the hotel to request the shuttle service. Thank goodness they spoke English! Me plus stress does not equal Spanish. And I was not about the completely mess up a conversation of such importance. While waiting, I was treated to a blinding sun, setting behind some mountains in the distance. It reminded me of Cuernavaca, Mexico. The hotel is nicely decorated.

Btw, if you want my skype name or my phone number for Spain, shoot me an email. I would love to hear from you and will get back to you asap!

Pic: Sunset

Then the Commies came...

1930's- It was during these years that my great great grandfather built a beautiful apartment building. Today, my grandmother's sisters and their families live in four of the five apartments (one per floor). Now, these living spaces are not your typical apartments- generally somewhat cramped, low ceilings, not works of architecture. No, these have high ceilings, beautifully arranged rooms, original hardwood floors, and big windows. Not as large as a house and yard, but still very comfortable. The Polish word for them is "kamienica." It roughly translates to a "tenement house." Google -> images -> "Kamienica" and you'll get the idea. After World War II, the Communists didn't care too much for private property and decided they were lords of the house. Fast forward a few decades to when my grandmother's family regained full ownership of the building- let just say that most of the apartments required some serious renovations (which take time and money, so it's a slow process) to bring back their former grandeur.
Another apartment building from the 1880's that my great grandparents owned was also let out to strangers during Communism. Again, it required vast amounts of renovation after the fall of the Iron Curtain. The particular apartment that my grandparents own and have renovated is also very beautiful- higher ceilings than in the other building and bigger. Originally, it spanned the entire floor, but was divided in half at some point. The period furniture fits in perfectly. Life before the War must have been just grand...

Random note: After World War I, Poland regained its independence from Prussia, Russia, and Austria. Joining all the local governments and laws was somewhat of a challenge because each occupying country had different rules, including which side of the road you drive on. Some places used the left side of the road, others used the right side. Supposedly, car makers finally decided the confusion was too much and started making cars with the steering wheel in the middle. Did this cause people to drive the middle of the road, I do not know.

Pic: Scenery 3

From the drive

Pic: Scenery 2

From the drive.

Pic: Scenery 1

On the road

Pic: View from the hammock

Pic: Post-sunset

Missed it, oh well.

Life in a hammock

The last few days have been wonderfully lazy. We spent this afternoon at my grandparents' cabin, which we call "Salno" and where my brother and I spent a large portion of our summers as little kids. There is a hammock there. Life in the hammock is very pleasant. Green all around. Birds singing, it's so peaceful. Daddy, you should look into getting one for our backyard. (We have have a perfectly good tree.) I would probably take up residence in it... at least for some time.

The sunset view from my grandparents' balcony is so beautiful. The noise from the busy street below, not so much, but the sun, yes. Though the sixth floor apartment is tiny, stepping out on the balcony gives you the feeling of much more space (than if your view consisted of another building). There are few skyscrapers in this city and many trees. Treetops dominate the view. But the real stunner is the sun. Some evenings the colors are so rich in red and orange. I'll try to remember to take a picture of that for you.

I hope to provide you with some more interesting news when I arrive in Spain as these two weeks have been reserved for family and leisure.

Lilies of the valley

Everywhere I go there's a bouquet of these pretty white flowers. They remind me of Anne of Green Gables... I don't know why. Anyway, they're in season here and it's just wonderful! Also, leave it to Poland to have completely indecisive weather. One day it's freezing- as in, pull out the sweaters and coats. The next, you're digging through your closet for shorts and a t-shirt. And this continues all summer long.......

Today's dinner special: strawberry pierogi. I must comment on the strawberries. They may not be the prettiest strawberries around, but they sure beat ones normally found in our grocery stores (pleasing to the eye but rather tasteless in comparison). Neither my grandma nor I are in any way experts at this, but we managed. The dough is very simple. It's the assembly that can get... well, very sticky and messy. Especially using strawberries that don't really conform to your desired shape. In the end, the family was fed and everyone survived. Success.

Forget Me Not

(reposting because I was curious as to what would happen if I pressed "delete".... yeah...luckily I had typed this out in a saved doc)

This was the central point of Father's homily to the kids. As the cutie pies received Communion for the first time, they were to always remember Him. The church was so pretty and the celebration was very sincere, not too stiff and not too relaxed. The children were dressed in similar gowns (something like a derivative of altar boy garb), not little bridezillas. Everyone (just the closest family) went to a restaurant for dinner. Martynka, her godfather, and I went back to the church later in the afternoon for May devotions- a beautiful Polish tradition of daily recitation of the Litany of Loreto in May. We spent a pleasant afternoon at my aunt's house, with more cake(s) than anyone could eat.

In Spanish, there's "Senora" and "Senorita." In Polish, there's "Pani" and "Panienka." Except that "Pani" is not as harsh as "Senora" and "Panienka" is used for teenagers through young adults (or mid-20's), but "Pani" is sometimes applied to the latter as well. We don't really have strict rules on that, depends on the situation and the person. Oh and then there's "Panna," which can be used for unmarried adult women. More equivalent to Ms. ... After that little Polish lesson, my point is:  It felt soo weird to be called "Pani" by some of my uncle's family. Of course, it was very polite and added a bit of formality (and a slight taste of finer culture from back in the day). I just didn't think I was quite that old yet...

Get this- There were 5 Anna's: 1 grandmother, 2 aunts, 2 cousins. Not all on the same side of the family. Talk about mass confusion when anyone called out "Ania!"

Toodles!

It's all about family

Storks- not a common site in the States. But driving through the countryside here, you see plenty of their signature nests on chimneys and telephone poles. Sometimes you'll even see the residing stork. There's something so "country" about them. Traveling by train is probably the best way to really take in the Polish countryside, which is so beautiful. Sit and stare out the window... Even just driving from one city to the next (from my mom's family to my dad's), the roads take you through beautiful rolling fields, with a big blue sky. For some reason, I always notice the clouds more than I do at home. Probably because I'm not the one driving (a very good thing, driving in Europe is crazy and with a stick shift).

Chilling with my mom's family in Gdansk was wonderful! With one exception, everyone lives within about 30 min of each other, in city traffic. The day I arrived, I was treated to seeing almost everyone as they dropped in for dinner at grandma's. If I was forced to choose a favorite cousin on that side, right now it would have to be Natalka. (No offense to my other cousins, I love you all!) She's 1, giggly, totally adorable and totally spoiled! Who could resist? Seeing all my cousins growing up (I'm the oldest) makes me feel really old... My big brother (I mean "uncle" jk) has a baby! I must be getting old! Now I know what my aunts and uncles meant when they said they felt old as I was growing up... Oh, old age....

On a walk through a nearby neighborhood.

My family is very concerned about my solo travel plans- they recently watched "Taken." I have been requested to check in daily. Otherwise, "they" will have to deal with my uncle, who plans on taking out half of Spain, if necessary. Seriously guys, I will be fine. :)

Big day ahead- my goddaughter's First Communion!

And then there was one...

So it begins- two months abroad. Fancy word, abroad. It certainly doesn't feel so fancy. Stepping off the plane in Poland feels more like arriving at my second home, not a foreign country. The word foreign implies something unknown, which does not apply to Poland. This is my first time traveling completely on my own. I've always had someone with me, even if it was my younger sister. This is both scary and exciting. A new challenge of sorts.

People watching at the airport can be quite interesting. There are people from so many different backgrounds on a single flight- some are traveling for business, some are coming home after visiting friends or family in the US, some are returning to their homeland after years away, and others, like me, are just popping in for a visit.
Random thing I noticed- Facial expressions can roughly differentiate between (born and raised) Americans and non-Americans. Europeans tend to wear a more somber face. It's a bit difficult to explain, but if you look around, you might notice it. Maybe it's just a look in their eyes... I don't know.

Random highlights: At DTW, I ran into the Dux's! We're all headed off to our respective family First Communions.
If you haven't watched "We Bought a Zoo," you should. It is a delightful film. Gives you some things to think about, if you happen to be in the pondering mood. Otherwise, it's just a very enjoyable movie.

Right now, this adventure feels more exhausting than exhilerating- as I'm writing, my body thinks it's 4am...

(Writing from Frankfurt Airport)