Gliwice and Katowice with Aga

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8th October - Arrival Evening

In true Polish style, myself and Aga headed straight for the pub, since the train to Gliwice wasn't for another hour. It was good to meet again, and Aga's English was pretty-much perfect thanks to a two year stint in Newcastle. In fact, she'd even picked up a hilarious Georgie accent on a few words 😊

After a nice beer and a status update, we headed back to the station and on a rickety old train to Gliwice, where we walked down to the dorms. This was an experience in itself, I hadn't stayed in student dorms in years, but they reminded me remarkably of my days in Allanbrooke with their 60s architecture and tiling everywhere. Having met up with Aga's gorgeous roommate Iza, who also speaks English to Newcastle perfection, we headed down to the bar, to help her prepare for her exam the next day 😊
Turns out exams don't matter that much in Poland, you can (and people do) repeat them as many times as you like, so no worries!
Aga insists on giving me her bed, so after taking instructions from Iza on exactly how to prepare morning coffee, I need my sleep.

9th October - Katowice and Gliwice

After coffee preparation (using a saucepan on a plywood shelf and a free-standing element), a Lidl breakfast with Aga and a utilitarian shower, we grab the bus into Katowice. Some sort of sight-seeing is planned by Aga but she's evasive on the details. Turns out it's the best kind of sightseeing: from a big wheel in an old-school communist-style funfair! It being a Tuesday morning, there's not much life to the place, and since the big-wheel operator things we're a couple, we stop at the top of the wheel for ages, looking down upon the fair and town below.

The kid inside me is charged for more rides after that, first up is mid-air-spinny-spinny-thing (I don't even know how to start describing it, I'll get Aga to send a picture) that's made out of very solid steel cars and metal, and proves to a bit of a laugh. And then on to a pretty nifty rollercoaster that turns out to be surprisingly scary for its size, even if that's only because the track is so damn bumpy! By this point, the kids are starting to show up, and anyway its lunch time so we grab a great pizza next door and look at a rope park, with the possible intention of going back there.

Unfortunately, those hopes are dashed by the fact that I have a telephone interview at 4, so we go to Katowice, grab a beer in the cold terrace area of a cafe (and freeze!) and then head to a cybercafe so I can do this interview. I don't know how Aga put up with it, even I was bored to stone as this interview lasted an hour and a half, which turns out to be for some rather uninteresting application. Long story short, I definitely owe Aga at this point, so I do my best to pacify her with a bit of food, and she brings me to a pretty good little underground cafe where we get some dinner.

Then back to Gliwice, where apparently there's going to be drinking in the student dorms this evening. We meet Zanick and friends, and I'm christened Tadzik. It's also made clear that being the foreigner, I'm supposed to drink alcohol until I pass out. So first of all, I give Aga a tin whistle, and after a quick lesson, she proves to be definitely the most promising learner so far. Then down to the shop to buy some Wodka and back to the party.

We chat in broken English, while the glass goes round and round. Zanick is forcefully jovial, and pleased with my choice of 'stomach wodka' - I agree - its the nicest vodka I've ever tasted. Asked what other Wodkas I know, I mention Zebrovka and he and Iza trek off to buy some, for no apparent reason. He returns with 2 bottles of Zebrovka (it's a bison grass vodka) and the drinking continues. Zanick presents me with a free fleece the garage gave him to combat the Polish weather and refuses to just take 'thanks' for an answer, so I wear the fleece.

At this point, things get vodka-hazy. I remember we finished the stomach vodka, and a lot of Zebrovka. I remember trying to explain the concept of motherload but it went down like a lead balloon, because saying bad things about anyones mother in Poland's not big or clever. (Best not to mention it unless its complimenting her cooking.) I remember laughing at guys sleazing on Iza. And then I needed sleep.

10th October

Up early to find Aga and Iza sharing the opposite bed, if I'd known that was going to happen I'd have happily slept on the floor.
A quick tea and coffee and we're off, I have to get the 10:30 train and Aga has to get to her first day of college, so we part ways at a junction near her dept. and then I head to the station and hop directly onto the mainline train to Krakow.

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