Poland, Baltic states and Eastern Europe

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BACK IN THE HABIT
Met cousin no. 2, Alex, in Jaroslaw, Poland, who delighted in presenting me with my travel tales to her students like a show and tell.
Alex teaches English in a convent/school under the same order of nuns as her sister Jac, but the difference in attitudes of the nuns were profound. Some just live too cloistered a life. Went away for the weekend with some teachers and nuns to a country town called Jemna. No khaki habits, but it didn't stop them from bush bashing and mounting large rocky boulders in very impressive fashion.
PRIEST AND NUN GO MISSING
While Alex and I taught one nun to throw her hands in the air and say in her best thick Polish accent ''I am a champion'', a search was out for our priest - who had the physical characteristics of Mr Bean - and a nun, who went missing at the same time. They were found - together and no-one dared say a thing.
A POLISH KISS
Horses, carts and rugged country locals ruled the roads here, a little old woman waved at us from her humble cottage, and we found a photo opportunity with a aged Polish farmer weaving cane baskets with his hard hands and crooked fingers. I was completely unprepared for the slobbering kiss he planted on my cheek as I thew my arm around him for the pic. He invited the nuns in for vodka. They kindly declined and we were on our way.
We prayed, prayed and prayed a bit more with the nuns, while the teachers led themselves astray in the direction of vodka. They stumbled their way back to the campfire that night and we all poked fat juicy savloy snags into the fire (who needs marshmallows?) devouring them, spitting and crackling into our mouths.
A STUNNING OLD TOWN
Next stop, Krakow. On my own again, but not for long. I found my kind of hostel - one that doesn't mind a party. Met some brilliant people and enjoyed some late nights. I backed up, however for a day trip to Auschwitz - sobering - and to a salt mine hundreds of years old, whose workers were artists and left their legacies in the form of statues, carvings, wall reliefs and a massive chapel, completely made of salt, displaying the most exquisite craftmanship. Krakow itself, one of Poland's only original old cities, undisturbed by the war, was just a beautiful place to get lost in.
HELSINKI IN A DAY
Jac and I saw Helsinki in a day, with her lovely Finnish friend, Saara, our guide and hostess. Just when I had gotten used to a 10pm nightfall in Poland, we didn't see darkness here until 2am. Then dawn came at 4am! Crikey!
We boarded a boat for Tallinn, Estonia the next morning to meet Uncle Pete and Aunty Di. Loads of Finnish people take this short boat ride accross to Estonia for cheap alcohol and a good time on the water.
FAMILY REUNION
Our reunion with Pete and Di was brilliant, but the greetings short. Within 15 we were in the Ukrainian embassy to apply for my visa. 30 minutes and too many US dollars later I had my visa. Money talks very loud, I keep being reminded on this journey.
We explored Estonia's beautiful capital city, and were very fortunate to have the apartment of a distant relative to stay in.
We had some brilliant get-to-know-yous with some some newly discovered relatives, learning of hardhsips in the war and the following Soviet occupation.
Next stop was Tartu, my grandmother's old stomping ground. We also found some relatives here, who were hospitible, kind and just so lovely. We explored our family tree and made a trip out of town, where we found an old derelict house buried in overgrowth, where my great grandmother grew up.
Parnu next. A smaller Estonian city, with a beach (but no waves, mind you) and not a mud bath in sight. Odd, considering the city was infamous for them.
MY FAVOURITE
Riga, Latvia is a place I'll come back to. Its old and new architecture are beautifully combined, it's a party town that doesn't sleep, and statuesqe and over-glamourous women co-exist with stern, fat babushkas. The Russian markets were interesting, to say the least. They were great big halls lined with counters and couters of sausage, cheese and fresh produce vendors. A smile nearly earned me a smack over the head with a salami from the babushka selling it to me. Latvia is also the home of amber, so we bought up big!
SOUTH OF THE BALTIC
Two nights in Lithuania's second biggest city of Kaunas next, where the main street was conveniently on the doorstep of our apartment. there were no shortage of pizza restaurants here, in fact, that's all they had. There was a car and motorcycle show over the weekend we were there, so the attractions had come to us. Thousands of motorcyclists ripped through the streets, making crossing the streets perilous. Showy cars lined the main streets the next day, attracting massive crowds on a stinking hot day.
BACK TO POLAND
The diversity of Poland's landscape has taken me completely by surprise and I love it. This country is beautiful.
This time I was in the north of Poland, Gdansk. I had the company of a lovely elderly Polish couple on the train to a place called Hel - a fishing village on the very tip of a Penisnsula jutting into the Baltic sea. My grandfather was sent to a labour camp here, and bolted for a ship carrying wouded German soldiers, fleeing the advancing Red Army. My Grandfather watched from the boat as Hel was bombed to nothing. This event almost marked the beginning of his new life - and to think I might not be here otherwise.
I absorbed Gdansk's old town, circling the cobble-stoned squares and streets with my head back, taking in a combination of tall gothic, baroque and renaissance-style buidlings and churches. Being summer, cafe and restaurant tables spilled onto the footpaths and happy people enjoyed the sunshine and surroundings as pigeons fluttered about them. This was one beautiful town.
A BEACH RESORT IN POLAND? WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT?
A 15 min train ride away was Sopot, a beach resort. It had a trendy pedestrian street - with trendy pedestrians - filled with pubs and cafes, and it spilled into a looooooong peir, occupied by by sunbathers, jewellery sellers and casual strollers. The pier was straddled by stretches of long sandy beach where men played football, couples sunbathed and children played. This place was so ideal. No one told me Poland had this!
TREKKING AGAIN
Reuinited with Pete and Di and Jac, we headed south to Zacopane, at the base of the Polish/Slovakian Tatra mountains. It's a ski town, providing brilliant hikes through summer. What another cool place. It was packed with hikers and wealthy Polish people. Architecture was in the form of tall, triangular alpine-style houses, constructed with heavy pine logs. Smoked cheese and pretzels were sold along the streets and hiking shops were ubiquitous. Jac, her mate Hannah and I set out for a walk one day, which turned into a 3hr uphill slug and the following day, joined by Alex and Martina, my swiss mate from Nepal, we all set off on another hike. We burnt off every slice of bread and cheese we'd ever eaten in Poland today!
The mountains were stunning. We started off among tall pine trees, through verdant hills, then as we got higher and higher, we found ourselves almost knee-deep in snow. We were all in shirts and shorts! Tiina even wore sandals!
GUTEN TAG
Another couple of days in Krakow for Tina and I before we made it to Berlin on the overnight train. We were a little daunted to find we were the only females in our wagon, and what's more, shared a cabin with two of the biggest Polish thugs I'd ever seen. None spoke English, but one Deutsch, and so did Tina. So, in the end, we got along famously, sharing some beers and stories. They never made it to Berlin. They were pulled off by some officials for suspected fake passports! Berlin is HUGE and my feet were soooo sore. We stayed with a friend of Tina's, Tia, who lived so close to town and was just wonderful. We checked out some free outdoor concerts on summer solstice, found some nightlife, took a cruise down the Spree and checked out some wonderful old buildings in town, even if the old landscape was a bit sullied by World Cup promotions. The World Cup excitement, however was contagious.
A SAD DAY
My biggest disappointment in Berlin was missing the Aus Vs Croatia game. It's a long story, but basically, I ended up roaming the streets searching for a place that was playing it. Free to air German tv was playing the Brasil V Japan game, so it was hard to find a place with cable tv that would show the Soceroos. I found some other Aussies also wandering around, joined them, and for the entire duration of the game, we searched. Finally we found an Aussie pub, which sold Fosters (eeewww) and ... was playing the Japan V Brasil game. DOH! I was astounded. Back on the search, we found a contingient of very happy and drunk Australians, cheering and stopping traffic on the streets. The 'roos were through! In this contingent was someone who owned a pub. So, we followed him and ended up BACK at this freakin' Aussie bar. I would have had a few words to him, had it not been for the free shots.
MORE ROOTS
Reunited again with the family and crossed the border into Lviv, Ukraine on an unforgettably sweltering and sweaty bus (unforgettable because we missed the Aus Vs Italy game - I'm having bad luck!). Someone has turned the heat up in this eastern block of Europe.
We're here for a few days yet and are thankful that among the five us, we can put together some Polish sentences, which is more or less understood here. No one speaks English and when you do, they think you've fallen off Mars.
My Grandfather was born and raised here, so this is a significant stop. We know nothing of his life while he lived here, but we're hoping to learn something before we leave.
Most of this town is in its old and original glory. Buildings are elaborate and raw. Cobblestone streets are the bane here of drivers and drivers are the bane of pedestrians!
We had a tour of the most grand and beautiful opera house here, with a flamboyant and very theatrical fat Ukrainian woman and we have tickets to the Ballet this Friday.
On footpaths, old women sing traditional melodic songs with their eyes closed and one hand out for money. Babushkas, with their headscarves, crowd footpaths, selling beautiful flower arrangements.
TIL NEXT TIME
Next stop Hungary and England!
Loving life and still living a dream.
Much love,
Bec/Clarky xoxo

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