Poland

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Been in Poland almost 1 week. For the most part a good week so far. Great to see my dad – fun to spend time with my niece here. It’s been a long time seen I’ve been in Europe – I'm reminded that I like the vibe. Warsaw is cosmopolitan but not too expensive – people friendly and helpful for the most part. Today we are on the train headed to Gdansk – a smaller town in the north part of the country on the Baltic Sea – supposedly this is the place to get some of the best Baltic amber – sweet! I am on the train as I type this – I forgot how much I enjoy traveling by train. The only real pain in the neck thing so far has been the ongoing debacle with trying to get the Russian visa. I went to the Russian embassy the other day in Warsaw – it’s sort of an intimidating complex there. Finally figured out the correct door to go to (nobody at the embassy seems to speak English) – I was told I had to come back the next day. I went back with all my documents in order and the supervisor guy basically told me they couldn’t accept it because my invitation didn’t have the proper stamp. So – I had to request an original copy of the invitation from the agency which administered it to me – and had it fed exed to my dad’s office at the university in Warsaw – more money. So I will return again to the embassy when we get back to Warsaw from Gdansk and hopefully it will be in order – then need to wait 2 weeks for it to be processed. I feel so incredibly frustrated with the bureaucracy – I don’t even know if I want to go to Russia anymore – except I already have a ticket purchased from Moscow to a town in Far East Siberia close to the Mongolian border. Moscow is supposed to be quite interesting. Maybe the intense bureaucracy is remnants of the communist regime.

My niece Diana has been introducing me to the world of couch surfing – which is an amazing resource for traveling and finding places to stay at no cost and meeting some local folks as well as other travelers. I will without a doubt become a host for other couch surfers when I return – as a way to give back and meet some foreigners coming to Flagstaff. If anyone is going to be doing any traveling, I highly recommend checking this out – there is a website. We will be “couch surfing” in Gdansk. Diana leaves Warsaw on May 4 – to head back to the States – before that we will do a hiking trip for 4 days in the central part of the country. Once she leaves, I will head to Krakow as this is supposedly a beautiful city – one of the few that were not flattened in WWII - and will spend what I am sure will be a somber day visiting Auschwitz just outside of the city. The history of Poland is amazing – and I’m glad to finally make it here to explore my roots.

I think that’s it for right now – I’m going to doze a bit while watching the Polish countryside roll by.

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Comments

[Tracey]

Good to hear from you
Hey Becky, Thanks for the update. I was thinking about you this morning as I drove to school.

[rebdavina]

cool - it's been kinda busy. thought of a name yet for the baby girl?

[Tracey]

We have decided on Zoey Lucinda Grantham. The middle name is after both of our grandmothers which was Lucille. I didn't really get a chance to respond much this morning. It sounds like your trip has been an adventure thus far. Can't wait to hear more. Love to you.