Day 50, July 31, 2014
For photo album of 2014 Poland, Click HERE
It was poring rain as we left Riga, Latvia. As we climbed into the sky, lightening flashed around us and the ride was bumpy, but fairly short, only a couple of hours. We arrived in Warsaw around 3:00. By the time we picked up our rental car, bought a few groceries (wine, cheese,and grapes to share with our hosts) and drove out of the city towards our SERVAS host destination about 26 kilometers southeast of the airport, it was just after five. When we arrived at our address, there was a green iron gate closing the driveway separating the street from a long wooded driveway, with no house in sight.
There were some Polish words on the gate which we did not understand and could not translate without a WiFi connection, nor could we call as we did not have a phone. I thought the words could have been a beware of dog sign. As we knew our hosts were expecting us about this time, Russ honked the car horn a couple of times, Two large dogs rounded the corner from the end of the driveway and bounded toward the gate barking. Well we got the dogs' attention. We waited for awhile hoping the barking dogs would bring forth some people, but it didn't.
Even though the dogs were barking, they weren't snarling and even though they were big, one a golden lab and the other a strawberry blond shaggy sheep dog that resembled a Starwars Wookie, they looked benign. Russ examined the gate and discovered it was not electric and with a little effort it could be slid open. Despite my vocal reluctance to move inside the gate, Russ slid it open far enough to insert himself, and I stayed in the car outside the gate in case the dogs decided to eat him. The dogs continued to bark, but followed after him as he turned right onto a pathway and disappeared a short distance from the gate.
Soon from the far end of the drive a man and woman started to walk towards the gate and car. Russ intersected them at the path, and I could see that introductions were being made.
Later I found out there was a small cottage on the pathway from which Jaycek's contracting business operates. The staff contacted the house. The other thing I found out was the sign on the gate did not say Beware of Dogs, it said Open the sliding gate....hahaha!
Anyway, we made it inside the compound and met our lovely hosts, Jacek, engineer/contactor and Hanna, retired psychologist, also post war baby boomers who grew up in the flattened war-torn Warsaw during the Soviet times. They had much to share with us and we were eager to learn about their lives. Today they live in a rural area with property that is large enough for three homes including one in which their daughter, husband, and three grandchildren live.
For photo album of 2014 Poland, Click HERE
It was poring rain as we left Riga, Latvia. As we climbed into the sky, lightening flashed around us and the ride was bumpy, but fairly short, only a couple of hours. We arrived in Warsaw around 3:00. By the time we picked up our rental car, bought a few groceries (wine, cheese,and grapes to share with our hosts) and drove out of the city towards our SERVAS host destination about 26 kilometers southeast of the airport, it was just after five. When we arrived at our address, there was a green iron gate closing the driveway separating the street from a long wooded driveway, with no house in sight.
There were some Polish words on the gate which we did not understand and could not translate without a WiFi connection, nor could we call as we did not have a phone. I thought the words could have been a beware of dog sign. As we knew our hosts were expecting us about this time, Russ honked the car horn a couple of times, Two large dogs rounded the corner from the end of the driveway and bounded toward the gate barking. Well we got the dogs' attention. We waited for awhile hoping the barking dogs would bring forth some people, but it didn't.
Even though the dogs were barking, they weren't snarling and even though they were big, one a golden lab and the other a strawberry blond shaggy sheep dog that resembled a Starwars Wookie, they looked benign. Russ examined the gate and discovered it was not electric and with a little effort it could be slid open. Despite my vocal reluctance to move inside the gate, Russ slid it open far enough to insert himself, and I stayed in the car outside the gate in case the dogs decided to eat him. The dogs continued to bark, but followed after him as he turned right onto a pathway and disappeared a short distance from the gate.
Soon from the far end of the drive a man and woman started to walk towards the gate and car. Russ intersected them at the path, and I could see that introductions were being made.
Later I found out there was a small cottage on the pathway from which Jaycek's contracting business operates. The staff contacted the house. The other thing I found out was the sign on the gate did not say Beware of Dogs, it said Open the sliding gate....hahaha!
Anyway, we made it inside the compound and met our lovely hosts, Jacek, engineer/contactor and Hanna, retired psychologist, also post war baby boomers who grew up in the flattened war-torn Warsaw during the Soviet times. They had much to share with us and we were eager to learn about their lives. Today they live in a rural area with property that is large enough for three homes including one in which their daughter, husband, and three grandchildren live.
Hanna immediately made sure we had something to eat. We arrived between their dinner (around) three and their (supper) between 7:00 and 8:00. She had prepared some wonderful cold salmon with dill and eggplant, tomato salad and hot cauliflower with creamy herb sauce. It was delicious and much appreciated. After dinner, we continued our conversations seeing some of the local sites (rivers, parks, saltaire park where people enjoy the humid salt mist sprayed on pine boughs).
Our bedroom turned out to be a spacious attic apartment above the cottage that Russ first found when we arrived. We had everything we needed and it was a very pleasant retreat.
All is well with the Worrall Travel R's in Warsaw, Poland
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