RaRa's travels: Cześć Poland! Enjoying the diplomatic high life in Warsaw being enchanted by Krakow.

Sunday August 13

On Thursday night, I probably slept for about an hour before my alarm went off at 245am to get ready for my 6am flight to Warsaw, Poland on Friday. No matter what I do, if I have an alarm set earlier than 7am, I wake up every hour before the alarm, anticipating the buzzing sound. I know I am not alone with this!

My teacher Daiva asked me the day before if I wanted her son Daumantas to give me a lift to the airport. I politely declined, as it was a bit cruel to ask Daumantas to get us so early to give me a lift, when I could get a bus from the station to the airport. Later I asked my friends, ‘would you accept a lift if it was offered, even if it meant the person picking you up had to get up at 230am? Without hesitation they say ‘yes!’ I go back to Daiva later and ask if I can still get that lift. Daiva tells me to start the conversation with Daumantas telling him how great he is, and I do. I really have been looked after here. Daumantas and I have a good conversation on the way to the airport about him living in Scotland, languages and relationship dramas in the course. I give him a hug, some chocolate and a kangaroo pin before I leave.

Annika, my friend from Lithuania, tells me that she has just given birth to her second baby!

A Crumble is born!

Annika's lovely girl Ema, playing in the pool, just two days before the next little one is born.

I make it to Poland and get the train to Kristian’s apartment in Warsaw. The train is super comfortable and costs about $1 AUD. Kristian is in a similar state to me when I arrive. He has just said goodbye to his previous guests who left at 5am and he is getting ready for work. Kristian and I went to college together and shared the same friends. We were never in the same friendship circle but always got a long well. Last year at our friend Lily’s wedding in Canberra, Kristian told me that he had been living in Poland for the last two years working for the Australian Embassy. Kristian said ‘come and visit if you like’! A few months later I said ‘Kristian, I am coming to Poland to come and see you!’

When I turn up at Kristian’s apartment, I am blown away. He lives in the center of the city across from these beautiful parks. The apartment is huge and modern, he lives on his own, accommodation is covered, he is being paid an Australian salary with Polish prices and he has a cleaner. I straight up admit that I am jelous with an added Australian ‘fuck you’ to emphasise my jealousy. Kristian says ‘thank you Australian tax payers’. What the hell am I doing being a nurse?

It’s fun in Poland. Everyone speaks with me in Polish, as apparently I look a bit Polish. I don’t understand anything of what people are saying to me, so I can just appreciate how lovely the language sounds. I live when two people don’t speak a common language and you continue to talk to each other in your own language, smiling and pulling each other along by the arm, making hand gestures, it’s really beautiful!

Kristian suggests I have a sleep and I tell him I will try and hold off until at least the afternoon, as to not try and muck up my sleep patterns. Almost immediately after my shower with fancy little back massage hoses that I can’t seem to turn off, I am asleep on the most gloriously comfortable bed. I am so damn grateful. Honestly, sleep is the most amazing thing, and a comfortable big bed after my bed in Lithuania, is worth it’s weight in gold. It’s crazy hot here, over 30 degrees and humid. It feels like the tropics, which is not how I anticipated Polish summer to be.

When I wake up I go for a walk through the beautiful parks. There are many parks here that all join together. Again, with nature, I feel at peace.

I go to a local restaurant and buy nearly everything off the menu. I veg on the couch watching Netflix after a second nap and tell Kristian I was could not find the shop that is apparently next door to his apartment. I have resigned to the fact that without any sleep the night before, I am totally useless. Kristian and I head out to a street food market and catch up on everything we have missed since the wedding.

Look at this sneeky guy in the background! Kristian's serious expression does not help. It looks like I am getting set up to be murdered!

Kristian is kind, intelligent, calm and super funny. I really appreciate his company and perspectives on life. We spend a bit of time piecing together the connections of people we went to college with. Who’s still friends with who etc.

On Saturday, it’s raining and we have a much needed late start to the day. I’m enjoying my runs in the park. We do some shopping together as I need some stuff for El Camino De Santiago towards the end of my trip in Europe. We pick every type of berry we want from the marker and I feel so spoiled!

Beautiful war memorial near Kristian's house in Warsaw.

Kristian has given me a photos shopped hat here. It looks a bit real though no?

Kristian tells me that a lot of what he wanted to show me in Warsaw is outside and the weather is crap. I tell Kristian that I’m more just happy to spend time with him, and that I let go of the idea of having ‘set plans traveling' a few months ago, and have been much happier ever since.

We head to a groovy outdoor bar with Kristian’s friends from the Embassy; from Ireland, Scotland, Sweden and New Zealand. They are a nice bunch of people and it’s so interesting for me to hear stories about people living and working overseas for so long. I’ve been told that in the country, people in Poland are living off much less money but here in Warsaw, I am surprised at how much more affluent it seems here than what I had anticipated. We head back to Kristian’s to start a new Netflix series together and eat junk food, it’s ace.

Rasa with a cat on her head, in Kristian's house.

This morning (Sunday) I enjoyed my morning run again in the parks and Kristian and I are on a train to Krakow where we will stay for the night. I love my train time, I have time to read, write and listen to music. My friend Sonja from Germany who I visited, posted me back my shoes that I left at her house along with an English translated book written by a German comedian who completed El Camino De Santiago. It was such a sweet gesture from Sonja, and I am loving the book. When I look outside at the strobe effect of the train track among forest and farms, I think that life can’t get much better than this; I feel inspired. Going on planes makes me cry, often because you are exhausted, you say goodbye to people before you go through customs, you have to deal with the trauma and bullshit of getting through customs and then you are on the plane, and things feel somewhat ‘final’. Trains remind you that you are on a journey, going from one place to another, and that fine, in fact it’s a good thing. Also the waiter on the train gave me free tea. I am much more romantic about any place or person that provides me with free tea.

Monday August 14

I am on my way home on the train from Krakow with Kristian. It’s been an excellent weekend. Krakow is very beautiful, full of culture, mate.

We are both exhausted. Kristian has been dealing with a phone call from the embassy as well, about some Polish security guards who attacked some club patrons who may or may have not been Australi . I feel I can’t complain about exhaustion too much. This beautiful and lively Greek woman across from us on the train is a single mum and has made a day trip to Krakow from Warsaw with her son. She makes the most of the holidays they have and they travel everywhere. I know she must really be exhausted, but they are both so cheerful to be able to have the experiences. Much respect!

Yesterday we ate half a duck each with cranberry sauce and gravy, along with potatoes, dumpling, apple and pickled cabbage. I think I’m getting a bit more squishy now, and that is okay. We both had a nap after and spent time walking around town Wawel castle and hit the pierogi festival. I had different pierogi filled with salmon, snow peas, cheese, cherries and other yummy things that I can’t exactly remember.

It’s great just to wander around really. Today we intended to go on a free walking tour but we both fell asleep under a tree by the river. I’m not complaining. I’m at a very tired point in my trip, so I’m happy to chill when I can. Kristian is on a weekend from his working week too.

We walked around the Jewish part of town and after saw the tour group we were meant to be on! We wanted to go in to the Schindler’s museum but the tickets had sold out. It was one of those days where things were not working out quite as planned, and that is okay. I said to Kristian ‘okay sum up all of Polish Jewish history in 5 minutes’. I feel as though Kristian may have given me the main points here without perhaps quite as much detail as a tour group. :P

I’ve certainly eaten like a queen here with Kristian. We had a late start and headed to a café where Kristian had sparkling wine and melted chocolate on bread as well as eggs and fruit. I had an omelette alongside fruit and muesli.

I keep telling Kristian, ‘it’s okay, we are on holidays’. Kristian reminds me that he is not actually on holidays as he has been working in Poland for the last couple of years. I tell Kristian that while he is with me, he is on holidays.

Not a bad place for Rasa and Kristian to have a beer.

I have learned about Schindler’s list and will have to watch the movie in due course so I feel less guilty about falling asleep under the tree. Schindler’s List received mostly positive reviews but received some criticism about being entirely one sided and not exploring what the Nazi’s actually thought about their own actions. I found out that the movie I have seen ‘The Pianist’ (also about the holocaust) was filmed in Warsaw. Our friend Cat and me watched this movie once getting it mixed up with the movie ‘The Piano’ (which has a completely different story). The Pianist was probably the saddest movies I have ever seen.

We found some gym equipment in the park by the river and had a go on all the pieces which was quite funny. It’s very cool hearing Kristian speaking Polish and even funnier watching him avoid using the gym equipment properly as ‘exercise is crap’.

Did I ever say I was tired? So tired, but happy. I have so many great things planned over the next month but I need a second wind! I feel dreadfully unprepared for El Camino Se Santiago. But like all things this trip and in life, I’ll figure it out as I go.

I will miss Kristian but he will be back in Canberra soon, so that is good.

Hustle and bustle at the Pierogi festival in Krakov.

Wawel Castle

I am very excited to see the audio tour can be in Lithuanian!

So Kristian and I ate a lot today.

The worst truck

The barbecued highland goats cheese with Jam is also amazing.

I should have organising photos many years ago. But here is my first photos, which will hopefully be a collection of photos of 'bins of the world'. I suggested to Kristian that I could do 'toilets of the world' but he thinks this may have been done before. I like this bin as it looks like he has a hat.

We shared half a duck each with cranberry sauce and gravy, and potatoes and pickled cabbage and apple...

During World War II, the Jews had no choice but to live in a specific place that was identified by the German authorities at the time. So, in 1941, the Podgorze district of Krakow was closed off and used as a Jewish ghetto.

The above photograph is of seventy bronze chairs scattered around Plac Bohaterow Getta which used to be Plac Zgody. The chairs represent loss and absence as the ghetto in Krakow was cleared and all the residents’ possessions were strewn across the streets.