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Published: March 27th 2009
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Feeding the Gulls
In Sopot, Baltic Sea in the background "One more time, how do you say
Pleased to meet you?" I asked Michał as we got off the plane and walked across the wet runway in Gdansk. I wanted to make a good first impression on his Mum. Plus, she didn't speak English anyway, so I figured I should make the effort.
Michał gave me a disappointed look I was quite familiar with. I'd last seen it a few hours before when I told him I'd dropped my boarding pass on the way to the airport.
'Miło mi Panią poznać' he responded, wearily.
You think that
looks hard to pronounce?? Imagine hearing it. See that first word? That says
Meewo. Apparently if you put a cross through an L it becomes a W. Fair enough... So
Michał is really mee-how. I won't even go into the rest of those squiggly symbols. All I knew was that my old German trick of coughing through the words wasn't gonna help here. Neither was my old 'say it in English with a French accent' variety for France. It was all new here, and I was literally speechless.
Let me put it simply; almost any Polish word, when written, looks like a
Down at the local Sklep
This Sklep (shop) is the best place in town to get your Spozywczo-Przemyslowy's, that much was for sure. bad scrabble hand. When you or I might despair with the W's, Z's and Y's all together higgledy-piggledy, a Polish speaker would delight in being able to spell, say, SPOZYWCZO as you can see in my photo to the left. I wouldn't dare consider the damage that little baby would unleash on a triple word score. A mind-blowing concept eh, Grandma?
Speaking of mind-blowing concepts, did you know in Poland they don't write 'Ladies' and 'Gentlemen' on the public toilet doors? Of course they don't, it's a different language. Instead they use symbols, but not the friendly, helpful symbols of little people where one is clearly wearing some form of skirt/dress thing. No, that would be too easy for tourists (or perhaps they don't wear dresses in Poland...) No, instead, they put a triangle on one door and a circle on the other. What a gem of a puzzle this is, you're probably thinking. I, however, was faced with this predicament alone, and desperate to solve it as quickly as possible, in the downstairs section of a fancy ice-cream/waffle parlour. And I think the waitress was already suspicious of me after the sounds I made when I was trying
Carefree Days at Sopot
If you're wondering why I'm running around the beach like a little girl, then you obviously haven't watched The Piano. If this is the case, I think there's something wrong with YOU. to give my order. A triangle kind of looks like a dress, I thought. What does a circle mean, then? A monocle? Hm... no, too easy, that's what they want me to think.... I certainly didn't want to try my luck either after the unfortunate Hungry Jack's, Subiaco incident of 2001.
The manager of the parlour came downstairs, and did that thing manager's do when they pretend to be busy but are really keeping an eye on someone they think is shoplifting/dangerous. They must have seen me on the security camera, loitering suspiciously. Act casual, I thought. I made a move towards the circle, the monocle.... and put my palm against the door, then glanced towards the manager. He shook his head. I shifted to the triangle, smiled and put my palm against this one, then looked at the manager again. He gave me a slow nod. I gave him a smile which I hoped would come across as "I'm just a stupid Australian who hasn't heard about the whole triangle/circle thing, don't worry about me" and definitely not as "Follow me." Must have worked, I made it back to Michal who thought the whole thing was hilarious.
Delight
Apple and chocolate cake. The Best Cake Ever. Anyway, I thought I would take the time to write some thoughts about my wonderful stay with the Ratanski's in their village in Northern Poland, as I thought you might find it interesting to see how I found it living as a foreigner in a land so different from London (or Perth).
The Ratanski's live in a cosy house in the middle of a huge farm of sorts, with no animals except for a few cats to keep the mice away. The fields gently roll off towards an old highway which is barely used anymore thanks to a new motorway somewhere out of the way, and so the house is now quite peaceful. It's a picturesque scene, a white little cottage protected by leafy wintery trees on all sides, in the middle of nowhere. Inside, the house is decorated with paintings on every wall, painted by Michal's mother, and they are fantastic. Portraits, landscapes, you name it. Many things to captivate your attention at dinnertime if everyone happened to be speaking Polish. And speaking of food...
Besides being delicious, filling and healthy, Michal's mum prepares food that is a feast for the eyes as well. I sat wide-eyed
Michal's Back Yard
I love a good sunset. Seems Northern Poland enjoys a good one too. at the dinner table as plate after plate of aromatic and colourful food was displayed before me as if I were royalty. The striking red beetroot dishes; the pink of the herring dish (which looked like a birthday cake), the steaming yellow potatoes, the green garnishes and vegetables, then the fish plates, kidney stews, sauces, soups .... I loved it all before I'd even touched it. I'd never tasted some of the things I was eating and Michal couldn't translate their names into English - so they will always remain some kind of gastronomic mystery - which I may never solve, but will never forget. I was told that all the vegetables were home grown and everything was homemade as well. I regret not taking a picture of all this to share with everyone, but food like that doesn't come around for me that often and photography was the last thing on my mind I'm afraid.
Another big part of Michal's life is his car. If you had asked me two weeks ago what sort of car he drives, I would have said grey. But now, after learning a thing or two, I can tell you that it's a
The Secret Pocket!
The heaviest book in the world is ironically the Lonely Planet guide to travelling smart in Europe. Must be 2kgs. Ain't no restrictions on our pocket space, Ryanair! (Yet) silver Mercedes C Class 220 CDI Sport. The C Class is the best kind of Mercedes as well, harder, better, faster, stronger than any of the other classes. I know this because we spent many hours inside it, weaving between the traffic along the bleak highways of Northern Poland. I mention all this because Michal would want me to. The car is a part of him. And when I'm in the passenger seat screaming along the highway with Radio Eska pumping, I feel like it's a part of me too. And now it's a part of this travel blog.
Anyhow, now I'm on the road again I can't go on, I'll have to cut it here. Looking back, I'm glad I accepted the invitation to visit Michal's family and see how they live. I think seeing how other cultures function around the world is one of the most enlightening experiences of travelling, and people who let me see this first-hand have a special place in my grateful heart.
Serdecznie dziękuję.
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Gary
non-member comment
Obvious innit?
The circle is a nice soft shape into which the triangle gets poked....