Anyone who lives near the Mediterranean can tell you - August is a dead month. Opening hours are reduced, some restaurants even close (but don't expect them to advertise the fact, you'll just find a note on the door of your favourite little tapas place to the effect of "Back September 1") and everyone who is anyone goes on holidays. This year is a little different, we have a financial crisis to contend with, and nobody has any money, so most people are just staying with family in other parts of Spain. But my only family either a) lives four blocks from my house or b) lives 13,000 kilometers from my house, so neither of those two options appealed much. Next best option for crisis-friendly travelling: somewhere reachable by low-cost airlines with a favourable exchange rate. 4 złotys to the euro? Destination: Poland!
In truth my original idea had been to go by train from Warsaw to Budapest, via Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, and anything else I could squeeze in. But I was so wrapped up in work, and the paperwork for buying the house, and moving, that I couldn't be bothered planning the itinerary. Besides, I liked the idea of seeing a lot of one country. I tend to say I've "been to" France, when I have visited only Paris and Lyon, and "been to" Germany, having seen only Berlin and München. This is technically the truth, but France is not just Paris, and there is much more to Germany than the Berlin wall and funny traffic light men. Since the company I work for has a branch in Poland, I felt very connected to the place, and the many Polish friends I had made in Dublin increased my curiosity. Not to mention I was dying to taste pierogi!
Practically all the water cooler talk at the office in July centres around summer holiday plans. "Puzzled" would be the way I would describe the almost universal reaction I received when I told people I was planning a trip to Poland. "I'm planning to travel around Poland." I would announce, with a smile of happy anticipation. "What, just Poland?" was the most common reply. "Who are you going with?", they would continue, probably thinking that at least in good company my vacation wouldn't be so horrendously dull. "Oh, just me. I'm going to interrail, and I couldn't really find anyone else that wanted to interrail around Poland, so I'm going by myself". At this point they were so stunned that a young woman was actually going to backpack by rail around an ex-iron curtain state BY HERSELF, that they almost couldn't think of anything to say. "Er, well, have fun then", they would stammer, before swiftly changing the topic. But I was quietly confident that they were all wrong about Poland, that they hadn't a clue what they were talking about, and that once I got there I would find the proof that I needed that Poland is a special, unique place. And so it proved to be, surpassing even my greatest expectations.
Ver mapa más grande
In truth my original idea had been to go by train from Warsaw to Budapest, via Slovakia, Hungary, Czech Republic, and anything else I could squeeze in. But I was so wrapped up in work, and the paperwork for buying the house, and moving, that I couldn't be bothered planning the itinerary. Besides, I liked the idea of seeing a lot of one country. I tend to say I've "been to" France, when I have visited only Paris and Lyon, and "been to" Germany, having seen only Berlin and München. This is technically the truth, but France is not just Paris, and there is much more to Germany than the Berlin wall and funny traffic light men. Since the company I work for has a branch in Poland, I felt very connected to the place, and the many Polish friends I had made in Dublin increased my curiosity. Not to mention I was dying to taste pierogi!
Practically all the water cooler talk at the office in July centres around summer holiday plans. "Puzzled" would be the way I would describe the almost universal reaction I received when I told people I was planning a trip to Poland. "I'm planning to travel around Poland." I would announce, with a smile of happy anticipation. "What, just Poland?" was the most common reply. "Who are you going with?", they would continue, probably thinking that at least in good company my vacation wouldn't be so horrendously dull. "Oh, just me. I'm going to interrail, and I couldn't really find anyone else that wanted to interrail around Poland, so I'm going by myself". At this point they were so stunned that a young woman was actually going to backpack by rail around an ex-iron curtain state BY HERSELF, that they almost couldn't think of anything to say. "Er, well, have fun then", they would stammer, before swiftly changing the topic. But I was quietly confident that they were all wrong about Poland, that they hadn't a clue what they were talking about, and that once I got there I would find the proof that I needed that Poland is a special, unique place. And so it proved to be, surpassing even my greatest expectations.
Ver mapa más grande
No comments:
Post a Comment