We survived our first ever solo trip to the big city! Amber, Patsy, and I braved public transportation and went to Warsaw together this past weekend. This summer, there will be lots of volunteer teams coming to Olsztyn from the States, and we'll be responsible for picking them up in Warsaw and getting them back, so we needed to go try it out on our own this weekend! It was a great time to get away for a while and enjoy some "American culture". I know, it sounds funny in Warsaw, but I'll explain.
So, we left early Friday morning and caught the train from Olsztyn to Warsaw. It was about a 4 hour trip and was really neat to see the Polish countryside as we travelled. What was NOT cool was the woman next to me whose TWO cell phones continually beeped and buzzed and rang. I promise you I was within an inch of grabbing BOTH phones and chucking them out the window.
We safely arrived in Warsaw and emerged from the underground train station to...utter chaos. We decided that the best plan would be to head over to a huge mall nearby and get some lunch before we headed to where we'd be staying. Simple plan, right? Too bad we couldn't figure out how to get across the street! Amber (who has earned the affectionate nickname of Magellan, although being from Missouri she prefers Lewis & Clark) had all kinds of maps and bus lines and plans for how to get to the important places we needed...what we did not have was a way to cross the street! Needless to say, we found a way and got some lunch (Subway!!!), and found our way to our room. After a cup of coffee, we headed back out to see some sights in Warsaw, then found our way to TGIFridays! (after a stop over at a little Indian shop where Amber and I bought the most beautiful purses)
Saturday was another busy day, including meeting a family at the airport (they've lived in Poland for almost 2 years, but will be moving to Olsztyn this weekend!), hanging out with our friend Joe, going to a huge mall, riding all over Warsaw in trams, busses, metros, and a Fiat, going to the Harley shop (I would NOT make something like that up!), and eating dinner at The Hard Rock Cafe. It's so funny, but when you're living in a foreign country, anything American is suddenly your favorite and feels so familiar. I didn't spend a lot of time at Harley shops in the states, but going to this one felt like home.
Sunday, Amber and Patsy and I had church together, then headed out one final time to yet another mall where we did a little other shopping and ate some lunch. Then we headed to the Warsaw train station, caught our train and headed home.
It was a great weekend and I'm looking forward to going back again this summer!
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3 comments:
That's so weird to know all those American places are there... makes you seem a little closer to home. We have boycotted Fridays because we always get the WORST service... is the service better in Poland??
That sounds like a great weekend! Did most of the American sites have people who spoke English?
I am so proud of you traveling to the city alone. You three are really beginning to be the travelers. I am also surprised Amber could get directions over the phone and didn't have to have someone "Show Me". (That is Mo. isn't it?) Glad you had a great time. Aunt Jenni
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