European SUMMER VACATION - at the beach in Poland!
That's a first. At least for me.
The place is PACKED.
Excited kids carry sand pails and
plastic shovels.
Parents follow with beach chairs and umbrellas.
Teens stand in line for ice cream.
Grandparents tote sun hats and books.
EVERYONE pitches in when it's time to build a sand castle.
It feels like a scene from the 1950's.
Multi-generational. All ages.
Sunburned and happy.
Just enjoying the heck out of being at the beach.
Even these stripey wind shelters feel retro. (We ARE on the Baltic Sea, after all-).
I've only just seen them in old photos.
The town is crazy busy.
In the evenings, the polka music is loud.
There are folk dances.
An emcee invites people up on stage.
An excited crowd shouts encouragement.
We can hear it from our balcony.
We find a lovely room in an "Aparthotel" in Swinoujscie.
But : NO ONE speaks English - or German.
Even though Germany is a 5 minutes' drive.
Even though Germany is a 5 minutes' drive.
(And there's no border anymore, which I still find weird.)
Our room comes with dinner and breakfast.
Very Old World.
Potato soup, dumplings, meatloaf and tomato sauce.
All very hearty.
We share tables with other guests.
But no one speaks to each other.
(Smiles are extremely rare, too.)
And - the breakfast!
A vast buffet.
Salads, cheeses, jam, pancakes, hot dogs.
-And 11 types of meat.
Only one small problem with breakfast:
INSTANT coffee.
A spoon in a jar of Nescafé. That's it.
A spoon in a jar of Nescafé. That's it.
Stan just looks at it - in total dismay.
(Have I mentioned that Stan is rather fond of morning coffee?)
So - first time either of us has been in Poland.
Just a small corner of it.
It wasn't really planned.
We rented a car in Berlin, and headed north.
Apparently, we're on an island. Had to take a ferry to get here. Our GPS did NOT like that. It kept telling us to "TURN AROUND! TURN AROUND! GO BACK!" |
Found ourselves in Poland.
With the European SUMMER VACATION in full swing!
Like peeking through a window to another world.
Unexpected.
Then - back to the German side. Nice. They're friendlier here. |