Introduction to Poland

My foot in really deep snow

First things first. I was going start by getting straight into it but if I tell you I eat dinner at 2pm without explaining then this will be odd indeed. So I eat dinner at 2pm and then around 6 or 7 we eat supper which is a small meal, maybe sandwhiches, grilled sausage, cold meats etc. And breakfast is in the morning as it should be. The reason that you eat like this (I think) is because it’s dark by 4pm so having dinner early makes sense and then you just have a little bit of food later on so you’re not hungry.

                               

Goodbye sun!

               

It's only 4 o'clock!

                      

Every house has a cupboard or lots of hooks as soon as you walk in because everywhere you go, you wear boots and big jackets and scarfs and hats and gloves etc, so when you walk into someone’s house you declothe because they will obviously have the heating on and you don’t wanna be tramping snow, mud or rain all through the house. If it’s your house, then everyone has slippers waiting at the door and you walk around in them throughout the house so that you’re feet aren’t cold.

Everyone has a fireplace in the basement that fires the heaters in every room of the house. Toilet, bathroom, entrance hallway, bedroom, every room! Double glass on the windows, double bricks on the walls, doors which don’t let air in or out, all to keep the warmth in and the cold out!

When driving, there are big see through screens on the side of the road to keep from the snow blowing onto the road. There are also electronic temperature signs everywhere which tell you the temperature of the air and the temperature of the road, so that you know if it’s frozen or not.

When it snows, snow plows clear the road and other trucks put sand and salt on the road to make it less slippery. We used to put salt on the ground in Hungry Jack’s when oil had spilled to make it not slippery, this is a much bigger scale.

Every city/small town/village has a marketplace. From the olden days, they have stood the test of time and they are open all week. You can buy clothes, alcohol, meat, fruit and veg, yoghurt, jam, lollies, chocolates, etc pretty much everything and you know that it’s all fresh. I saw half a pig the other day. Fresh.

I classify everything as pre war or after war. Some buildings look great, some buildings are falling apart and a lot are restored and look fantastic. The same goes with the roads. Some were built by the Germans and some are new and not as bumpy.

Ciocia is Auntie in Polish and my Ciocia raised my Mum and lives in Jelenia Gora with her daughter, Mariola. This is my homebase and where I’ll be spending most of my time. Jelenia Gora is at the bottom of Poland, two hours to Prague and three to Berlin. It is right next to the mountains and as you’re driving in your ears pop!



My Ciocia watching her beloved volleyball



Poland (PL) or Germany (D)?