The Idea

I started trying to think positive thoughts, trying to turn my situation to the advantage. I have family in Poland but don’t particularly care to see half of them, and due to a messy divorce between my parents in which I took clear and unambiguous sides, I’m not sure I want to see the other half. This cuts into the number of places to stay. I get a sick feeling in my stomach that I’ll be fighting bums for benches in the park.

Eventually, I dial 1-800-Mommy and inform her of the situation, once I’m sure she’s likely to wake to the phone. I don’t think to ask for money yet, since I don’t know how much I’ll need and I have enough to last me for any immediate eventualities, including cab trips to friends near Warsaw or, if need be, a train ticket to Wroclaw (my home city in the southwest of Poland).

After dropping off all the paperwork at the consulate, making sure it’s to their satisfaction, and picking up my bag at the airport, I decide to head to Wroclaw. I’ll have to bang on a few doors when I get there, since I don’t know the numbers and phone books aren’t exactly easy to find, but the friends there are better and, if I get desperate, I can live with some family. Coming out of the airport with my bags, a man walks up to me, starts reaching for my bag and repeating “taxi! taxi!” He asks where to in broken English, I reply “train station” in English, and he says “60 zloty” ($20USD). Since the train station is just by the consulate, and my trips there cost me just over 20 zloty, I give him, in perfect Polish, my response: “spierdalaj”. Use your imagination for the translation.

A typical idyllic village

Fields and tree clusters for cover - ideal tank country

Ultralights, the first pair

Also, a tip for those traveling in Poland – only take corporate, licensed cabs at cab stands. They’ll have the fare per kilometer written on the side and are way more trustworthy than the unlicensed (read: mafia) cabbies. They can still take tourists the long way around town, but you won’t be making any health care donations to your new Russian mob friends in an alley in the middle of nowhere, either.

After arriving at the train station and getting my ticket I find I missed my train by seconds. Literally, I was running down the stairs to the tracks and saw it rolling away. A sinking feeling started to hit my stomach as I realized I’d had another 2 hours and 15 minutes to think about my predicament. By this time, I knew the only way to keep positive was to be productive, but I had no immediate problems I could tackle. Worse, it was apparent I’d be away from work for an unknown amount of time and this was unscheduled... but this is where opportunity knocks: hence my Polish travel log.

Churches dominate the rural landscape

They're also quite breathtaking

Finally, in Wroclaw - now what?

I whip out the camera and start snapping pics. Most don’t turn out well due to the poor lighting, but it kills time and keeps me feeling productive. Eventually the train’s arrival is called out, and as I make my way aboard to a second-class seat that beats most “first class” experiences I’ve had on North American trains, I wonder where I’m going to stay overnight.