Christmas Eve Update

We have now been in Goldap for 4 days. I have been running 5 miles every morning and Oliwia has been riding the exercycle. I hope to post some more pictures of the path that I am running but the pictures take a while to load on a DSL connection. I guess that's what happens when you get spoiled with the internet speeds offered in the U.S.

I'll now bring you up to date as to what we've been doing since we've been here. Last Tuesday Oliwia went to her birth town of Gizycko. I stayed behind and hung out with her brother Filip and played on the computer. I finally figured out the IP/TCIP settings just this morning so I can now sit downstairs and blog wirelessly from the couch. The majority of our days are spent just relaxing. Oliwia's dad has a sauna in his hotel which we enjoyed on Wednesday. We've been watching a lot of movies. Filip has loaded up on the DVD so there are plenty to choose from. We have watched The Mummy, The MummyII, The LadyKillers, and some others. All of the movies are in English with Polish subtitles so everyone (that means me) can enjoy. I have also become a “24” junky. We have the complete first season and I have about 5 episodes left. Since Oliwia and I had jet lag and often found ourselves awake at 4 in the morning, the episodes have come in handy. This morning we slept until 8 after staying up until 10 so I think we have finally kicked the jet lag. Part of the problem, in my opinions is that because the amount of daylight is so limited and it never gets “fully” bright, one’s body has trouble adjusting.


Oh, I forgot to mention that after Oliwia returned from Gizycko we went into Goldap and bought a Polish/English dictionary. I am getting better at reading and pronouncing words but I am far from being anywhere near competent. I have managed to learn the days of the week.

I’ve really enjoyed running in this snow-covered town. Last time we were in Poland, Salt Lake had the snowstorm of the century. This time, Poland is snow covered and has that cozy feeling. When I go into town, I see parents pulling their children along the sidewalks on sleds. I also took some pictures of some kids sledding on a hill. Once they saw that I had a camera, they all rushed to the top of the hill so that they could get their picture taken. Oliwia ran into an old schoolmate who worked at the currency exchange booth. We bought some flowers and eggs in town, which is such a welcome change from the Wal-Martization of the U.S. And I would even wager that Wal-Mart couldn’t beat the prices here. I used the eggs to make an omelet for Oliwia. The eggs are a much brighter orange on the inside and the omelet came out fluffier than those that I make in Salt Lake. Oliwia claims that it tastes better as well.

Other than shaking the snow off of the trees, playing with the cat and dog, the days revolve around eating and drinking. Alright, there’s the key word…drinking. After all we are in Poland. We haven’t been drinking much but that will all change tonight as the 3-day period of celebrating begins. Luiza arrived last night and her family will be here this evening. Her family owns a bakery so I am looking forward to some great bread in additon to the vegetarian bigos (a cabbage dish) that they will be bringing. Lucyna (Oliwia’s mom) makes the best garlic salad dressing that I have ever had. She has also been making pierogi. One thing is certain; one never has to worry about a lack of food when hanging out with the Tymofiejewicz family. They even bought me spaghetti and various soy products.

That should bring everyone up to date. The snow has now turned to rain and the table is being set for tonight’s feast. We miss everyone back in Salt Lake and will see you in the new year. Until I update again, Nazdrowie!!!!!!!!!

Goldap 2005-2006

Well,
Here I am, December 21, 2005 in Goldap Poland. Things have finally settled down and I have found time to blog. Actually, everything has been very relaxing and it is just now that I have found the motivation to write this blog. First, I would like to dedicate this blog to my dad. I have been trying to find an example that would illustrate the usefullness of a blog. I hope this succeeds and he, as well as everyone else, can find some vicarious enjoyment in this.

The trip started with a flight to JFK. There weren't any problems and the connecting flight was made without any problems. I did find time to watch the Dallas Cowboys get there buts kicked and grab a slice of pizza while Oliwia hit the duty free shop to buy some Johny Walker black for her parents. Then we were off to Paris.

On the way to Paris we watched the first season of The Office which we downloaded from Itunes. It has its moments and I think there were times that the other people on the plane were wondering what we were laughing at. We started to watch the unedited version of 40 year-old virgin but stopped as we felt it was inappropriate on the plane where other people could see it. Therefore we watched half of Madagascar (Thanks Jason and Amy!). We eventually finished it on the crowded and cramped flight from Paris to Warsaw while we were in front of two guys who hadn't showered in a week. Anyway, we landed on time in rainy Paris which is often reffered to as the City Of Lights but perhaps is better known as the worst airport in the modern world! Planes land and take off far enough from the gate that it is a 15 minute shuttle to get to the plane. Even so, it still takes 3 shuttles to get everyone to and from the plane in unorganized chaos. It didn't surprise me at all that our baggage missed the trip and we were without it for a day.

Eventually we landed in Warsaw where Luiza, Filip, Lucyna and Rzyard were waiting to meet us. Customs is a joke for no EU members. The EU line processed 500 people in the time it took to process 10 others. Eventually I got tired of waiting and decided to "play dumb" and try the EU line. No problem and I recommend this method for any other travelers. It is around 33 degrees F but it sure felt good after the plane ride. We drove straight to Goldap (except for Luiza who will come up on Friday) and stopped at the equivelant of a roadside diner for some tradtional Polish food along the way. I had potato pancakes and a Lech beer (mmmmm!) while Filip had a leg of Pig. I then slept the remainder of the trip to Goldap where Oliwia began catching up with her family. We all called it an early night and hit the sack around 10.

I am not going to describe the town except to say that is snow covered and quaint. I'll post pictures so you can get the idea. We are located about 2.5 miles outside of the town center and it makes for a nice run along the snow covered streets in the morning. The house is fantastic. It is in the middle of the forest and I feel as if I am vacationing in a Chalet. I saw a deer outside the window the other morning. It doesn't get light out until around 8 and it gets dark at 3:45 pm. In other words, the days are short. Well, that's enough for now. Here are some pictures.