First, a few general notes about Poland. Poland is a land of cruiser bikes, riden by many many people all over the flat, flat countryside and towns. It has reimerging traditional style visible in newer buildings and restaurants lining the roads. It is surprisingly hot during the summer, especially as we arrived during a heat wave. It is lush and surprisingly colorful. Left over from the Soviet Era it has grey blocky buildings and wariness lurking at the very corners of the older generations' eyes. It has member status in the EU, and is attempting to meet the criteria for full inclusion. It is a country with a long memory.
Now, Poland. We landed in Warsaw and immediately left, driving out to the country to see our/mmy mother's relatives. What followed was days of being dined, conversated and generally cared for by the relatives for a few lovely days. We first stayed with my mother's cousin Valdek's family, consisting for his wife Eva, daughter Paulina and in-laws. They took us to the local castle, the graveyard where many older generations of the family are buried, on a lovely bikeride through the country. And, of course, they fed us. My gosh, the Polish can feed a girl! Tomates, potatoes, cucumbers, cheese, more cheese, meat, more meat, even more dairy products, tea, coffee, bread, a number of deserts (gelatine is very popular, it being summer). Dill, of course, is a very popular flavoring. Eva is a wonderful cook (Valdek joked that it was the reason that he married her; which was actually the reason that my babsha told my mother to marry my father), and the whole family were incredibly generous hosts. My Polish family are so nice! Its really a pity that I can't talk to them, although we hashed out a language of smiles, nods, gestures and bemusement.
We took a sidetrip to the Baltic Sea, taking Paulina - eager for English practice, and improving every day - with us. The "Sea" strangely resembles a bath in both its relatively warm temperature and placid nature, with a color recalling a sort of green version of amber (its most famous product). The swimming may not have been ideal, but there were thousands of people on that beach, some swimming but many just lounging. To be tan is to be cool, perhaps difficult for a people not known for the swarthiness of their complexions. We stayed on a wonderful farm, complete with kittens, a kitchen for us to use, and even bikes. We ate creamy curled ice cream spires on the beach and debated going to the Polish-Kalingrad border "just to see Russia". On the way back we stopped at Malbork castle, the largest castle complex in Europe and an example of the Polish Gothic, which is interesting given that they built with mainly brick and the Gothic seemed to apply mainly to flat facades. But beautiful, and impressive.
Back in Chechanow, we headed over to meet more relatives, Valdek's sister Gryjina (that is almost certainly spelled wrong), her husband and son. Their farm is large and prosperous, with new equipment and very healthy cows who at one point we helped herd. Again, more friendliness, communication outside of speaking, and food. Particularly what kim and I came to call The Slab. Note; if your hosts don't eat much at dinner, its probably because dessert is waiting. And what dessert! A slab of 'Polish Cheesecake', gelatin, cream cheese and fruit all mixed and layered together, refrigerated, than cut into portions that can only be called giant. I estimate its size as approximately 2 to 2.5 inches tall, 3" in one direction and 4" in the other. Delicious, but my god!
In addition to a farm, cows, a nice house, and lots of dessert, Gryjina's family also had a stream on their property that was dammed slightly to allow for swimming, of which opportunity Kim and I availed ourselves of three times during our 24h stay. But then it was time to leave the countryside and head to the big city; Warsaw.
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