Tick, Tock, Tick, Tock...

-

Less than a week to go and I feel totally unprepared.  Previous readers will know I leave the packing to the last minute, so maybe I'll start that soon. 

Just some basic information before the trip--plus my obligatory Google trip map.

We'll be flying out of Newark airport again on the Polish national airline, LOT.  Leaving in the evening of October 19, we'll land in Warsaw on morning of the 20th at Warsaw's Chopin Airport (WAW).  I hear you asking, "Why do you always go so far to fly when Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) is so close?"  You are right to ask--we do like Harrisburg Airport but our experience is that the more "links in the chain" you have, the more likely something will go wrong.  It's one reason why we'll pay more for a direct flight when we can.

We'll be seeing four cities (in this order): Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, and Łódź--I'll provide more information on these later but for now, see how you do on the pronunciation.  I've helpfully provided the correct diacritical marks in the names.

We're leaving on the 30th, so we've got ten days to see these four cities.  My time may be my own now, but Fe is still working for the "man".  Those three-week vacations where I can immerse myself in the culture are done for a while.  The one advantage this time is that I'm renting a car and driving it which should save some time. 

Here's a link to the Google Map.

Time to get ready--check back for more posts on the 19th (or maybe later).

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Final Catsup

-
Image
Another disclosure--this is being done on November 1.  There's a lot to cover but like the earlier catch-up, I will make each day a separate post instead of a very long one. Our first full day in Wrocław we walked across the street to the monastery we could see form our hotel room--the Church and Monastery of St. Adalbert .  It's a huge medieval church and I was eager to see inside since we didn't get to it the evening before.   The entrance and tower.  The link above has better photos. The Altar The alabaster casket of St. Ceslaus , the patron saint of Wrocław. Next was a tram ride to Cathedral Island .  It's the oldest part of town and since the Oder River has shifted over time, part of it is no longer an island. Cathedral of St. John the Baptist Closeup of the altar and stained glass window in the Church of St. Mary on the Sand .  It's called that because it's on Sand Island. Riverside View The bridge in the picture above is the Trumski Bridge , whi...
Read more

On the Road Again

-
Image
We left Wrocław in the morning for Łódź (pronounced WOODZH, to the best of my knowledge) which was about 220 km (137 mi) away.  We punched "avoid tolls" in the GPS, hoping that we'd see more smaller towns along the way, but it didn't work out that way.  We saw some of the suburbs, but were soon on the freeway. So for those who are wondering what driving in Poland is like, I have to say it's not much different from the US.  You drive on the right side of the road, traffic lights operate the same with some variation, road signs are pretty intuitive, although they're in metric (which if you've noticed, I'm trying to acclimate my readers to).  To be honest, in many ways it's easier.  No one hangs in the left lane, trucks are kept at a slower speed and stay in the right (by law, I believe)--with none on the road on Sundays that I saw.  Gas is expensive however, at about 6.20 PLN/liter (about $5.50/gal) and I was worried about parking space thanks to the...
Read more

Goodbye, Poland

-
Image
 Got up early on Sunday the 29th since or flight out of Warsaw was at 450 pm and it was about 1.5 hours from Łódź--and I don't like to cut it close.  We were all packed up and weighed to make sure we met the luggage requirements.  Fe was getting ready and we wanted some more paczki , so I went out while she was getting ready.  Unfortunately, on an early Sunday morning (about 7 am) not much is open here--not even Starbucks! Here are some sights from my early morning wanderings: Jesuits Church of the Most Holy Name of Jesus .  Went inside but with Mass being celebrated, I didn't take any pictures. Walking along Franklin D Roosevelt Street. Street Art Solidarity Plaque.  It honors the Łódź teachers and educational workers persecuted by the Polish People's Republic (PRL) from 1945-1989.   Another early 20th century tenement building. My cell camera may have been full of photos but I still needed to get croissants and coffee.  Luckily the Etno Ca...
Read more