Day 26 - Day 28

These 3 days flew by as I soaked in the atmosphere...

I got up very early the first day... or should I say awakening came unto me... because those of you who know me even slightly would know I am not a person who is an early riser!! And so, respecting God's decision, I got myself presentable and walked out of the house... hmm... I was not utilizing the complete features of my eyes... they can make out millions of hues... but they were exposed to only 2... greens of the meadows and blues of the skies...

Marchin's mother was milking the cows in their backyard... And what backyard it was!! 15 building from Mumbai along with their parking areas would have fit into it... Fresh crisp lawn... about 8 inches to a foot tall green blades... filled with littles whites, yellows and violets... I went up to her and wished her what the yard presented me... a good morning...

I spent the next 3 hours watching the beautiful aftereffects of the sunrise and played hide and seek with the sun... it was very cloudy, very windy and very cold in spite of the occasional rays... I laid down on the grass and sang some songs... hmmm... I do that often when I am alone with the nature... And it went on till I felt the hunger pangs...

I got down and boiled some eggs... Majonez as the spelling on the jar goes (Polish pronunciation of J is like Y), from the Poland is the tastiest I have ever had... it is also one of the reasons I have survived Poland with all it's abundant meat intake... egg, mayonnaise and salad is all I used to have, day in, day out, if you don't count the cakes...

'Any problem?'

Sabina asked that as I sat down with my eggs on their porch... The beautiful scents of the flower beds must be just air to their roses... and the leafy stretches of the mountains would be their routine view as they brushed in the mornings... so, it was understandable that she thought I was upset with something to sit all alone outside and have my breakfast...

'No problem... just enjoying the local air...'

She smiled away slightly convinced... The rest of the day passed by as I took some shots, met some more people and sang some more songs... The dinner was delightful... I mean after four days of cakes and eggs, potato and salad seems like daawat! And as I just started with my two-course, Eva and Bishek (the pair who got married) came in to pick us up... The way Eva stuffed my plate in a box and Bishek stuffed me in the car only suggested they were super heroes and have 'saving the world from the evil powers of Anamara' as their next item on the to-do list... They reached us to Dorotha's in 10 minutes, Sabina used to take at least 30!

As a conclusion to the discussion that was going on in the evening about my sight seeing, Dorotha told me Marchin is going to come next morning at 9 to take me around to see Krakow...

'OK, good night!' and I surrendered myself to the dreamland!

Marchin came at 10, the next morning... We set off for the day... He picked up another girl on our way to Krakow... and though I don't understand Polish (of which I got an overdose today), I could make out he was trying to impress her... The boredom that I experienced the whole day was definitely not because I was jealous... it was simply the result of being ignored... but I tagged along and saw what I possibly could in 3 hours...

Krakow is a good city in terms of culture... the town center is a very happening place... They have a few museums, some chariots you can ride, some cute cafes, souvenir shops, a large cathedral, a statue here and there and funny people... We had our lunch at a Mexican joint... they served a large plate full of French fries with each order... And can you imagine, I (of all the people) got full in just half the dish... and that excluding the fries? I almost fell asleep at the table... for a reason other than the Polish chatter!

We went to this Galleria after our late lunch... Mall basically... I found an interesting shop and the boredom vanished! I went around trying stuff!! My wish got realized in some 10 minutes (and their's too I guess)... they wandered off somewhere and now, I was free to shop! Getting good clothes of my size is difficult... but this shop had variety, good prices and nice range of sizes! I got myself a shirt, a t shirt, a pair of chappals and a frock... I got a nice one piece for my mom too... And here was the beginning of my ESS (Europe Shopping Spree)...

We got back home at nightfall... and I fell asleep like I hadn't slept for months!

The last day was frenzied!! Ania was out to buy every food item available for sale in all of Poland... She got all kinds of jams, jars of Majonez and dressings, forest honey, noodles, herbs, spices, cosmetics, magazines, diapers and creams and a large pram for Wiktor, carrots and radishes even... It was honestly a miracle how all the things fit into the singular bag that we had taken along! But the grace of Jesus safely reached us back home in 5 peices, 3 of us, a bag and a pram!!

Mama was all smiles... the curve did not straighten up for what I noticed at least 30 minutes... And as we reached home... the building welcomed us with a non-functional lift! We had to make 3 trips each, up and down to take up all the luggage... My spine should receive a Red and White bahaduri puraskar for what it underwent that night!!

All in all a great experience of the European countryside!! Na zdrowie to Poland!