Day 8 - Thanksgiving in Krakow

I woke up very early to repack my stuffed backpack and I still ended up later than I expected. Kristin offered to drive me into Sheffield to catch my train, at 8:30 am. I said my goodbye to Ian and he told me I am welcome back anytime. I was very excited about that, but I couldn't make any promises. Kristin drove very quickly to the train station so I could catch my train, thank goodness she did because I barely made it! We rushed through our goodbyes, gave quick hugs and I hurried to look at the departure trains. I had to ask for help because I couldn't find my exact train, and the woman told me platform 2, either a train at 8:18 or 8:30. I found this rather odd because according to my clock it was already 8:25. But I ran around the corner and jumped on the 8:18 train, I was the last one on and the train began to move just as I stepped in. Kristin, your fast driving got me on an early train! I couldn't believe it! As panicked as I was, I quickly asked someone to move so I could get into a reserved seat. There was no where else to sit and I didn't want to spend the time looking! A women snapped at me saying, "Its reserved." But the man quickly moved, and said, its only reserved from Lesiester on, so it was perfectly fine for now. I began to relax a little, but I refused to let myself sleep so I didn't miss my stop. I stepped of at Darby and waited for my connection to London Luton. As soon as I was on, I felt relieved and got a small nap in.

Once at London Luton, I jumped off the train and caught a bus to the airport. I had to check my big bag because you are only allowed one carry-on for EasyJet flights. I was a bit reluctant to hand over my bag, but it turned out well in the end. I spent a long time in the terminal waiting for my plane, but I was able to enjoy a nice bagel and some much needed water. I also spent some time reading travel books in the bookshop, that came in handy later! EasyJet does not give seat numbers so everyone ran like cattle to the plane and scrabbled to find open seats I was able to snag one by the window and look at all the wonderful sights. I sat next to a rather rich couple from the UK, and they began drinking on the flight and having a rather good time. I found them most entertaining, and 2 hours later we landed in Krakow.

Krakow is FREEZING, at least that was my first impression. I was very happy to be an American at that point, because I was able to get through customs faster. The European Union line was extremely long, but I was the second person through the "All Other Passports" line. I grabbed my bag off the carousel and walked out to see many people waiting for visitors. I took a look around and saw Nic Bartlett wondering toward me looking at the arrival signs. I quickly waved and he saw me. He lead me to the bus and we were able to catch up on the past few years, all things we had in common back then. etc etc. He also explained to me that the English view Krakow as a vacationa spot, almost equivilent to Vegas for Americans. Since it is so cheap to come here, the English come to party, which explained the people next to me on the flight. He also explained that English don't have the best reputation here because of that, and I will likely be mistaken for English. It was interesting insight. We jumped on a train and headed toward the city. Nic graciously carried my backpack the entire way! I felt horrible, because it is really heavy. He insisted, so I didn't argue. Once off the train we walked, although I would consider it more of a jog, to the apartment I was staying at. We got the key from the women downstairs and we walked in to set my things down. The apartment is incredible! Thank you Nic and Dorota! The first thing I noticed was it was very warmly heated, and I felt great about that in the freezing cold. It has a nice sized bathroom, kitchen, dinning room, bedroom with a wardrobe and a loft. The apartment has two large beds and its all just for me. I feel a little lonely in there, it seems like a lot of space for me, but I am really liking it.

We dropped off my stuff and ran through the city to Nic and Dorota's apartment. I tried to pay close attention to streets so I could navigate my way around, but I felt mostly overwhelmed. It was very dark and the city is very big. Of course I don't understand any Polish, so I do not recognize anything on the signs. To say the least, my first feeling of Poland made me feel very out of my comfort zone and I worried a little bit about how I was going to get around. Once we arrived at their place, which seemed like FOREVER away, although Nic says, "10 min," I was greeted by Dorota. Dorota is so kind-hearted and such a welcoming person, I really enjoy her company and the knowledge she shares.

Nic and Dorota prepared an amazing Thanksgiving dinner for me and their neighbors, turkey and all! Dorota set the table and it all looked lovely. The turkey looked amazing, according to Nic and Dorota is was quite a challenge getting a whole turkey here in Poland. They would never sell an entire turkey, only parts of a turkey and they had to go to great lengths to find one. Their neighbors arrived, Marta, Janusz and Maciek and they greeted us with "Happy day." They had never heard of Thanksgiving and did a bit of research on what it was they were celebrating. The son, Maciek was the only one who spoke English, but they did a very good job with hand gestures and smiles. They were all very nice, and it was wonderful to hear everyone speaking Polish. It is a really pretty language and I enjoy listening to it. Nic, Maciek and I had some good conversations in English. They brought along their wiener dog, Goofy, and I took to him right away. He eats vegetables, carrotts, celery and apples. I found that adorable!

Nic and Dorota served turkey, mashed potatoes, curried beats, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, gravy, spinach tart, stuffing, tiramasu, and polish cake. It was AMAZING! Nic is a VERY good cook, and it was better than anything I could ever make. He did a great job and I was so happy to have celebrated Thanksgiving. It was such a surprise. We drank lots of wine, and Nic had me try the Polish Vodka, Zubrowka. It is made from Bison Grass, and actually has grass in the bottle. I don't really like Vodka, but it was one of the best I've had. Nic tried to make the dinner as traditional as he could and it was fun to see the neighbors ponder what exactly they were eating. If you know me well, you know that mashed potatoes are my all time favorite so I was looking forward to those the most. Apparently Polish would NEVER puree a potato and serve it, you should have seen the looks Marta, Janusz and Maciek gave the potato mixture. I couldn't stop laughing. I put a large helping on my plate, dug a hole in the middle and poured gravy in the center. I was demonstrating on how Americans traditionally eat mashed potates. Maciek looked at me like I was disgusting, he put a very small amount on his plate and said, "okay, I try this?" Oh it was funny. Other than the mashed potatoes the neighbors didn't seem to weirded out by anything else on the table, so that was good.

Once dinner was finished and the table was clean, I started to fade because of my long day. Nic and Dorota kindly walked me home and pointed out a few of the great sights of Krakow. They gave me some pointers, because I would be on my own tomorrow. I also noted the road home so I could walk to their place tomorrow as well. Poland is starting to grow on me. Yes, it is different and I can't understand anything, but so far I really like the people. I am looking forward to tomorrow and seeing the city. Their neighbor even told me I look Polish! Dark hair and dark eyes. I guess I will fit right in!