April 19, 2014. Saturday
And so it begins, our trip to Poland. Chilly here in Cleveland, but the sun is shining. We are staying at the Hampton Inn Airport because they offer free parking during our trip and a free shuttle to the airport. After doing research on my Polish roots for 25+ years, I am finally going to visit the ancestral homeland. My husband Mike is looking forward to all the good Polish meals.
April 20, 2014. Easter Sunday
I am on the plane to Atlanta. I am still hopeful to find what happened to my g-g-grandmother Scholastica Chojnowska Pogonska Balcerzak. She never came to the USA and it would be nice to visit her at graveside and say Hello in Sonsk or Ciemniewko. I am so ready to stomp a few cemeteries. Take some photos etc. We are in first class and the red wine is flowing.
Tip of the day: Always wear ear plugs on a plane. What a difference it makes. Our steward is super nice. He just offered me a 3rd glass of red wine and I politely declined. I am re-reading on the Kindle app my favorite book, The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham.
1:30 pm —Atlanta, Georgia Airport
You have to pay for internet here in Atlanta. Not cool. Flight to Paris leaves at 3:25pm
Paris, France
On the plane flying over the Atlantic Ocean I watched the movies: The Hobbit, Frozen and Disney’s old The Lady and the Tramp. We were in Business Elite thanks to all our Frequent Flier Miles, so we had a seat that turned into a bed. The view out the window was beautiful with lots of stars in the sky. The food on our Delta flight was fantastic, and so was the crew. Our pilot was a woman. Very cool.
April 21, 2014.
Dingus day in Poland (Monday after Easter Sunday)
KLM/Air France
At the Paris airport, we were bussed out to our plane, and walked the stairs. I love the old fashioned feeling of walking up the stairs to the plane. Once again we have a lady pilot, how neat. She was standing at the front of the plane as we came onboard, and gave a speech in Polish. She very dramatically told us in English that the weather was good and it would be a nice flight to Warsaw. She turned and walked into the cockpit, locked it and off we went. As we flew up we could see the Eiffel Tower! That was a thrill. Breakfast was plain yogurt, croissant, fruit, orange juice and a ham sandwich. I ate everything but the sandwich. Most of the passengers are Polish, and it’s neat to hear the kids on board speaking in Polish. In less than one hour we will be in Warsaw. We have been travelling for 3 days.
Hope you find everything you are looking for. We are just back from a three week trip to Poland, found out lots about the family and lots that was very very sad. Met family who we didn’t know existed! They fed us like kings and looked after us like we had known them always. Beautiful people. We will be going back next year and they are visiting us this year…..I just love them all.
Have a wonderful trip and I will be following your blog avidly!
The sun comes up at 4:30 a.m. in Poland. That was something we did not expect at all. The climate in Poland is much warmer than what we have at home, what a pleasant surprise that was. When we arrived in Poland on April 21st it was springtime. The trees were green and flowers were in bloom! It was warm and sunny almost everyday. We packed for a cool, early spring and found most of the clothes we brought were too warm to wear. We live in Northwest Ohio and the week before we left it snowed! 🙂
Great title for this blog!
How to buy water in Poland. At the restaurant you are charged for water, only buy if you intend to drink it. At the store, it is confusing as to still or sparkling water. Personal preference here, but I like still water. At the newer hotels in Warsaw, we drank the water right out of the faucet.
Still Water: Niegazowana
Sparkling Water: . Gazowana