Life in Poland

The reason for my recent journey to Europe was to help my daughter and her family move temporarily to Warsaw, Poland.  Her husband had gone over a bit earlier so that he could get their apartment (or flat, as it seems to be called there) ready and stocked.  The last thing needed after such a long and strenuous journey with two small children (ages 2 and 5) was to arrive with nothing set up.  So Sterling got the household items and furnishings needed, along with groceries - plus he needed to hit the ground running in his temporary work assignment.  I had planned to visit them while they're in Poland, but thought it would be in late spring or early summer.  However, I knew my help would be most useful to assist Kris in getting the kids, plus six months worth of clothes and sundries (11 suitcases worth) there.  I wouldn't have chosen to visit Poland in February, but that's what it ended up being.

By coincidence, my friend Marta (who's living in Prague now) just happened to be in Poland the day after I arrived.  We were able to meet for coffee at a little coffee house around the corner from Kris and Sterling's place and catch up a bit.  It's a small world!

The Parker's flat is located in a complex of several buildings in a lovely area close to central Warsaw.  It is flanked by parks and is close to a rail station.  They're on what Americans would consider the second floor, but here it is the first floor.  The flat has three good sized bedrooms (although one of the bedrooms, Zoe's room, has no closet, so I suppose it would be considered an office or something), and one and a half bathrooms, so it's a decent size. It's beautifully appointed, with hardwood floors throughout, high-end doors, a very modern - if somewhat weird - kitchen, two large balconies, and beautiful shelving. 

There are a few odd things, or at least odd to we Americans.  For example - and I don't know if this is a Polish thing or specific to this landlord - there is a washer but no dryer.  With as much laundry as the Parkers generate, I can't imagine that line drying will go well.  Or heating pads.  According to Marta, who is from Warsaw, there's no such thing here.  Kris was pretty unhappy about that.  The flat also has great security, which I'm very grateful for.  There's a great playground in the complex, and several others very close by.  Though it was pretty gray and dreary in my time there, I'm sure once spring arrives it will be quite beautiful.

It is also only a short walk to the train station, and just one stop away from the central train station and central Warsaw.   We went there the night after we arrived.  We had dinner at Vapianos, an Italian restaurant, where they give you a card to keep track of your food and beverage purchases.  You then go to one or more of the stations - one for pizza, one for salads, one for pasta, etc.  You tap the card at each station for whatever is purchased and then the cashier reads the card at the end of the meal for payment.  The food was great, with generous portions.  One great thing about Poland is that prices are really quite low - especially food prices.  My quite large Greek salad and a glass of wine was about $7 - about what just the wine would be here in the U.S.  Other restaurants were equally inexpensive.  We really liked another local pizza place, where our meal of a large pizza, an even larger pizza, a pasta dish, a salad and five drinks was just a bit over $20, and they refused an offered tip. 

Grocery prices are similarly low.  Kris joked that they're going to experience sticker shock when they have their first visit to Costco back in the States.  Going to the grocery store was always a very interesting experience, and we went quite often.  Because the Parkers will have no car while they're there, they have to haul everything home by hand - which necessitates frequent trips.  Few of the grocery items are in English.  Some things are obvious, like milk, but others are a mystery.  Kris has to have a translator with her so she can figure out what things are.  Some items just seemed odd, like the ketchup-flavored Cheetos, or the hot dog buns that were hollow cylinders of bread. 

We went down to "Old Warsaw" one night, but it was very bad weather, so we couldn't really enjoy it.  We were trying to find a good Polish restaurant to eat at, but it was snowing and the kids were cold and hungry.  All the restaurants in the area we were in were actually a bit on the expensive side. We were huddled in the entry way of one of these places, contemplating going back out to the main square to catch an Uber ride, when a couple of Americans came out of the restaurant.  It turns out that the gentleman does pretty much what I used to do - arrange travel for groups - and he and his daughter were on a site visit to Poland and other locations.  He was pretty talkative, and by the time they left, we decided that the kids couldn't handle any further delay in getting some dinner.  So we had dinner there, even though it was a bit on the expensive side.  That wouldn't have been so bad, if the service had been decent.  It was a very small, pub-like place, and we waited for our meal for quite some time.  It was okay, but not great. 

People smoke a lot in Poland, and don't seem to have much concern for where they smoke.  There also doesn't seem to be many restrictions about where smoking is allowed.

A couple of days before I left, Kris had her first doctor appointment.  She was a bit apprehensive about it - both about the health care system in general, and about finding her way around.  But she had a very positive experience with both aspects, and felt reassured about her pregnancy health care.  I am hoping they will be back home before Baby Girl Parker makes her debut, but it's good to know that she'll receive good care while she's there. 

The kids seem to be adjusting to life in Poland pretty well, especially Atti.  His appetite has been enormous, and he started talking right away about missing Poland when they move back.

It gets dark quite early in Poland, with dusk starting around 4:30.  It seemed like the days were really, really short because by the time Zoe got up from her nap, it was already getting dark.  So we actually didn't have much time in the daytime to go do much. 

All too soon, it was time for me to head home.  Even though I had but a taste of what living in Europe is like, I'm sure that the Parkers will have an unforgettable experience.  They will likely face challenges, but what beautiful memories they are making!  I will miss them terribly.  All I can say is thank heavens for Skype!