Poland: Sights and Tales...

I have just come back from a fairly long stay in Poland, as a part of my exploration of Europe, our eastern neighbor. Poland was probably one of the most interesting countries I've visited so far. Cecylia, my roommate and guide for my time there, came to pick me up right at the train station, and we took a cab to the apartment where we stayed for two weeks. Ceci told me that taking a cab was very rare for her, and I noticed that there were a lot fewer cars on the road, even when we got on a big highway.

Cecylia's appartment is that red one in the middle

After unpacking, the first thing we did was go out to eat. I'm not exactly sure what it was, but I ordered something called kotlet schabowy. It was.... interesting, but the rest of the time I spent there, I decided to stick with the pb&j that Ceci always seemed to have handy for me when I was hungry.

This is what my dinner looked like on my first night!

 I decided to ask her about some of the people around Poland, to get a better idea of what it would be like to live there. She told me that it's very easy to get a job in most places, and the pay is very good, even if the hours are a little bit longer than back in America. 

Cecylia also told me about the normal age of death in her country, and it was around 75 years old, which is a little younger than the US, but not by much. I also found out that there is a higher infant mortality rate in Poland, because overall, families do not have as much money to take care of their children, like the people in the U.S. do. 

The apartment I stayed in was pretty small, but very cozy. I had a great view of a busy street in Gdańsk from my bedroom window. I also noticed that there were very few lights in the appartment, nothing at all like America. There was perhaps a lamp in each room, but nothing more than what was absolutely needed. 

While I was there, I was lucky enough to catch a big event in Poland's boat racing season, which is a huge part of their culture. The race is called the Tall Ships' Race, and it's held at this huge dock in Szczecin. There were so many lights that night- it was so beautiful!

I got  really great overhead shots of the boats at the race!

Poland was my final country to visit in Europe, and it feels great to be back home. Though I loved being able to explore wherever my heart desired, it's much warmer here in America. There were days in Poland where I wished that I had brought my fuzzy jacket, and it was the middle of July! But I think that the thing I'll miss most about Europe is the friends I've made on my journey. Specifically Cecylia. She was such a nice girl, and such a great help with giving me some interesting facts on her homeland! Not to mention her adorable kitten kept us company those two weeks! What a wonderful experience this was. I know I will take the whole thing with me, wherever I go.

A big, "witam!" to my roomate and friend, Ceci!

*all images from wikimedia.org