Notes From The Road - Summertime Sadness :)

Cute pillows in Krakow.

With my summer vacation effectively coming to an end, I believe it’s time for another round of random musings from my adventures Stateside, Canada, and now back in Poland. These are in no particular order, and there is certainly a touch of sarcasm, just because it’s deserved.

1. Even on Premium Economy flights, which might as well be business class for this traveler, there are still yahoos who like to put their bare feet on the armrest. I don’t get it; I never will. You didn’t pay for the seat in front of you, so why are you putting your smelly feet on any part of the seat that another passenger has claimed as their own? 
2. It seems to be universal that more parents are letting their children play football in the airport. Some even join in to kick the ball around, because that makes sense. Props to the dad who didn’t have a soccer ball (see how I changed the word there) but had a tennis ball and played a game of toss with their kid in a busy walking area. 
3. I was delighted to find the two free water fountains at the Munich airport terminal I hung out in for seven hours. That saved me 50 euros and allowed me to eat a proper Wiener Schnitzel. I should still be celebrating, but I’m still processing why I had three different families decide the office, quiet, library area was a suitable base of operations. Oh, wait, that’s right, it’s not, but the fathers on each occasion sat down, pulled out their phones, and ignored their children while the wife was left to it all. And think, I thought I would only see something like this in Morocco. 
4. After taking up swimming since the end of June, I’ve made it a point to swim everywhere I’ve traveled. Bowie, Maryland, was the first locale, followed by Lake Winnisquam, the Augusta, Maine, YMCA, Katy’s Cove in St. Andrews (which was a brackish, cold mess), and now the Wroclaw Spa Center, with pools in use since the late 1800s. To that end, I’ve learned in Bowie that people won’t share lanes unless they have absolutely no choice. Most will simply sit out and wait for one of the five lanes to become available, whereas in Wroclaw we have three, four, or five people sharing the same lane. I feel like I’m back at Camp Wildcat figuring out when to pass someone, where to pause, and when to take a rest. I’ll try the Aquapark soon enough, but since the Spa Center is only a mile from my apartment and costs about half as much, we will hold off on that one.
5. More swimming comments - to the guy I shared a lane with today. Why did you swim half a lap and then wait several minutes to do another one? You sitting on the corner was a pain because you never got out of the way entirely. I commend you for getting out there, but maybe next time shift to a lane where people aren’t stopping for a breather every thirty seconds. I counted how many times our third swimmer almost took him out. Then again, I might have chosen to be like you and avoid the geriatric lane two lanes over, where they thought protocol was to swim in tandem at the same time, doggy-paddle, no less.
6. Kraków remains overpriced, and no one who visits knows any differently. If there’s one Polish city that prices for the tourists, it has to be Kraków. Nice to be back, but between food costs and the droves of people aimlessly walking and then stopping for photos mid-stride, I was ready to walk to Nysa rather than take the train.
7. Train life is always entertaining. Kudos to the old bitty who wouldn’t move out of the way for me to slide into the window seat. I suppose she felt two inches was clearly enough between her and the table. Double kudos to you for then asking the conductor to help you with your bag, because I wasn’t going to budge an inch after your congeniality.  
8. Only one person drank a beer this trip. Granted, it was a regional train, but I was still hoping Poland would bring its “A” game, and that was not the case. Then again, today it’s a Manchester United game, and the local Poles who support that team go hard, filling their empty soda containers with vodka. I watched it. Well done! By the way, this was at McDonald’s, which makes it even better.
9. I’m starting to think the only people who consciously move out of the way on sidewalks are Canadians and Americans. I should also add a good number of older Brits. This was at epidemic level in Tangier, but Wroclaw isn’t much better. I don’t have the droves of men walking in groups, but young families hogging the entire sidewalk. They don’t seem to care either whether it’s a cyclist or other walkers coming in their direction. I have yet to see anyone move out of the way. 
10. The fact that fans are not in every hotel room during the Polish summer remains a mystery to me. Whether the apartments in Suwalki and Bialystok or the guest house in Krakow, we aren’t going back to colder summers. Please buy a fan for your guests to enjoy, unless you intend to buy an air conditioner unit. If so, disregard my comment. Then again, let me know when so I can book a future trip.
11. I think it’s cool that President Joe Biden had an expressway named after him in Scranton, PA. I’m confident that it was cheaper to do that signage than President Trump’s airport naming. While it doesn’t matter to me either way, I passed the expressway twice this summer en route to New Hampshire and to the Mohegan Casino. True to form, I didn’t win any money at the slots. I’m glad my mom walked away with $500.00 because we need at least one positive story. I buried the lead there; the chocolate frappe I had at the casino was spot on, so that was winning for me, my moment to shine.
12. Highlight of the summer, even though I complained about the water being brackish, murky, and salty, has to be swimming at Katy’s Cove. I didn’t expect mountain and waterfront views. I wonder if there will be a fourth trip to St. Andrew’s by the Sea. 
13. Back to food: the pork dish I had in Nysa might be worth a trip back, or at least the thought of one. We will call it a pork version of Beef Wellington, using mushrooms for the coating instead of pate. That was a good meal and a local specialty. I'm so proud of myself; I didn't have a cheeseburger or pizza. Yay to me! 
    
14. Train rides are always interesting, but I had no clue I would get to enjoy two nuns who wouldn't shut up for two hours, save when they were stuffing their mouths with food. These weren't nuns of the 1970s, but with cell phones, Starbucks, and hiking poles to boot. I might have half listened to their conversation had I not been consumed by the older woman in front of me, who switched seats so her dog could sprawl out across the seats. ​

---