I
write to you now from a PKP Intercity train making its way from
Gdynia, Poland to Berlin, Germany. The past week or so has given me a
nice stay in Poland in the company of some really good friends, and
now I have silly photos, a full belly, and a light sun tan to
remember it by. From my arrival in Poznań for
the solstice, to the day trips for walks around the cities, to
dodging about through banks of fresh fruit and old books, to sitting
on a ledge by the sea talking, to warming my face by a fire in the
middle of the night, and finally to where I sit now, I have nothing
but good things to remember…
With such a short amount of time to stay, I confess
that there simply wasn’t the possibility to really tour Poland and
see places like Cracow, Warsaw, and the mountain regions of the
Northeast; but while I was here, I was taken on tours of Poznań,
Gdańsk, and Gydnia, and enjoyed a much calmer
and more laid back stay than I had in Germany or Italy. It’s been
quite a long two months out on the road, so my much more relaxing
visit to Poland was just what the doctor ordered. And, all things
considered, I hit it at a pretty good time for weather and a pretty
interesting time for tourism, considering the 2012 Europe Cup
Football Tournament. Most of my time was spent in the port cities of
the north where the Polish Scout troop I met almost five years ago
originates.
The
Baltic region of Poland is dominated by a rich history of Teutonic
rule, a thriving amber trade, and the two main northern ports of
Gdań
sk and Gdynia (just mash that ‘g’ and
‘d’ together and you should be able to pronounce it mostly
properly). In Gdań
sk, I got to see the
largest standing brick church in Europe (complete with a beautiful
astronomical clock like the one in Lübeck)
and walk through a lot of enchanting streets built in the old style.
In Gdynia, I got to see some of the shipyard in the middle of the
celebration of the anniversary of one of their ships, the Dar
Młodzieży,
the “Gift of the Young”
and walked along the Baltic beach. What I think I enjoyed above all
was that (aside from hitting Gdań
sk’s main
street on International Free Hug Day) there were so few other
tourists and I could enjoy things like picking up cupcakes at a local
shop and walking along the harbor with a dear old friend. It was like
a home away from home.
 |
| St. Mary's Church in Gdansk |
 |
| Justyna (our guide in Gdansk), Zuzia, and me with our "lucky" cupcakes |
Zuzia and her wonderful parents hosted me in their
apartment in Gdynia for the course of my stay. Every day, they fed me
a few traditional Polish dishes and eventually also left me with a
cookbook of Polish cuisine. Zuzi, like her mom, is an artist, so the
house is full of paintings and artwork as well as a lot of art
supplies and an overall warm décor. Advice to the traveler: if you
plan on staying in the house of another, stay with a family of
artists (or musicians). In my experience, they always make it feel
like home. Zuzia’s family really was simply too kind to me. I can’t
even say.
Aside from the occasional city tour, we had a few
other adventures just amongst ourselves. One notable excitement was
the day that I talked her family into letting me cook something for
them. My plan was to give them a taste of both my Italian life and my
American life, so after much searching I found a delicious summer
risotto to make for lunch and after much thinking I remembered my
famous recipe for chocolate chip cookies.
We went out that morning to the old market for fresh
ingredients and just made a day of it. In fact, while I was here we
went out shopping a few other times. Zuzi took me to her favorite
used and antique book store and later also brought me to the Polish
Scout shop. There, I got a new beret for my uniform (the other was
too small) and maybe also did some shopping for a few good siblings
and my dear scouting mom.
In the end, the risotto turned out magnificently and
the cookies were an instant hit. It was delightful to see them have
fun helping me pour ingredients and mixing the bowl “with love.”
After the dough was made, Zuzi’s father Mariusz was like a little
kid on his birthday when I let him lick the spoon. That was my
favorite part, I think! I made them have the first cookies fresh out
of the oven with a little glass of milk, and they loved them.
 |
| In the kitchen |
 |
| our risotto d'estate |
 |
| Zuzi's parents love it! |
On the subject of birthdays, I actually do have
another thing to recount. While I was here in Poland, I had my
twentieth birthday just a few days ago, and I got to celebrate it
doing one of my favorite things in the world: sailing. Ania and her
parents own a sailboat on big lake near a 700 year old town called
Iława
(ee-wah-vah —good
luck with that one; at least it’s not ‘Tczew’). I have never
been, shall I say, boat camping before, but I think this was a really
good first time.
 |
| Irmina and Ania |
We set out on Wednesday and picked up enough food
(and chocolate chip cookies!) to last almost the entire trip, making
a quick stop to see the castle in Malbork (ah-yee-bitmah-toong…
just kidding! XD Malbork is pronounced normally) and that afternoon
we were on the boat, a single mast beauty named Aria.
We were Ania, Zuzia, a shy girl named Irmina (new friend to me), and
of course myself. Ania was captain and Zuzi and Irmi were the
seasoned crew, while I was learning the ropes yet again for the third
ever sailing adventure of my life. We had pretty fair winds the first
day and had a pretty basic camp on one of the little islands that
night, bunking down with sleeping bags and blankets in the cabin of
the boat.
The next day was a slow one with partly cloudy skies
and almost no wind. The girls woke me, however, with well wishes and
”Sto Lat”,
the Polish “Happy Birthday Song.” For breakfast, they had packed
peanut butter and jelly to make sandwiches just for me in honor of my
birthday. Everyone got to try one and Ania and Irmina—who were new
to the idea of peanut butter and jelly—loved it. And, to make up
for the slow sailing day, the girls sat on deck with the guitar and
played songs, singing together in Polish.
It was at this point, watching them playing and
singing together, that I could tell just how special of a thing they
had invited me to join by coming sailing with them. Rocking gently
with the boat on the water, I found myself in the midst of something
that made these girls who they were together. I understood that
sailing trips like these were things entirely theirs, part of the
valuable friendship that they share, and that I was honored to join.
That night, the girls requested lots of firewood (as
the man, I had jobs that typically had descriptions like “Jon,
could you please catch the boat when we get into the dock?” or “Jon
could you please carry this on board?” or “Jon, could you please
fetch us firewood?” and I replied, “As you wish…”) while they
prepared food on the boat and started setting up camp. I was out on
one of my runs, hiking my way through underbrush with a load over my
shoulder, when Ania suddenly came along the nearby path, saying that
they needed me back at camp. Somewhat concerned, I followed her back
to where we were setting up by the water’s edge, only to find them
all holding a cake they had just made and singing “Sto
Lat” with big smiles on their faces.
A warm fire, a swim in the lake at sunset, roasting
kielbasa over the flames, and staying up all night playing violin,
playing guitar, singing, telling stories, and counting the stars
until sunrise over the lake made it one of my favorite birthdays
ever.
On that subject, I’m not sure if I have a lot to
say or not about turning twenty. Ask me in a year maybe.
The next day was fantastic weather, and the only sad
part was that it was our last. Everyone stripped down to bathing
suits under the warm sun and we had excellent winds for sailing
through the water. Ania gave me one last birthday present and let me
be captain, handing me the wheel and giving directions only when
necessary. It was the first time I’ve ever sailed a boat like that
in my life, and I had a wonderful time.
Eventually, we docked and unpacked the boat, tying
everything down and locking up. Another adventurous travel later and
we were all back home, safe and tired (even though, after inventory
later, I found I had lost yet another left sock). I said good bye to
Ania and Irmina and that night celebrated my birthday again with
Zuzia’s family. They, yet again, did and still do too much for me.
I can’t thank them enough now, but I can assure them that revenge
is coming. One way or another, I’m going to get them back for all
their kindness and find something really special for them =] Everyone
made my visit to Poland an absolutely perfect and wonderful
experience. I think that in years to come, God willing, I’ll make
it back again, just like I’ll make it back to Italy, to Germany, to
everywhere in the world I need to go, and most importantly back home.
Home. Yes, that does bring me back to the present,
doesn’t it?
Today everyone woke up unreasonably early to greet
the 5am clock and the falling rain of a thunderstorm. These days it
seems that it is almost always raining anytime I leave some place.
One taxi ride later, we were at Gdynia Główny
railway station and they were loading me onto the train underneath
the falling drops. I thanked and saluted everyone one last time and
they stayed on the platform by the train until it pulled out of the
station. Then they followed along, chasing the window until it left
them behind. Do widzenia…Until
we meet again.
Now I find myself once more returning home. It will
be an almost three day adventure getting there. When I get to Berlin
this afternoon, I’ll make my way to Frankfurt and then catch my
flight tomorrow morning. One ocean later, I’ll be stateside, and
then it’s just petty talk to get back to my family. It’s been a
fantastic adventure so far and I’ve had a grand two months in
Europe. Now, I just have the duty of making sure it ends well. I’ve
learned a lot, grown a little, and met some good people along the
way. I guess that’s just how it is.
I’m Jonathon, and this is my life.
.
