Mom and Dad's Visit

Gdansk

I had been looking forward to my parents visit for months! Finally the time came, my host family and I drove to Gdansk and did some exploring of our own on Saturday before going to the airport Sunday afternoon to pick up my parents. The last minutes for waiting for their flight to get in were the longest. But finally I saw their smiling faces come through the doors! 

We spent the first couple days of their visit in Gdansk and Sopot. The first evening they were there we went into Old Town and looked around the market and at all the unique buildings lining the old town streets. It was really fun to see how excited they both were. As we started searching for a place to eat the restaurants seemed to fill up, we ended up finding a table at a nice traditional polish restaurant on the main Street of old town. 

Once our bellies were full, we checked out the goods at the market. Lots of cities have markets on the weekends where you can buy anything from sheepskin rugs, to vodka, to wind-chimes!

The following morning we took a tour of the Motlawa river on a big pirate ship! It was a windy trip but on the way back we found some blankets to keep the chill off. After the boat trip my host family headed back to Olsztyn, and my parents and I walked the old town streets the rest of the day. 

For dinner we found a lovely restaurant, just a ten minute walk from where we were staying. The restaurant was at a hotel in the city, but somehow we managed to have the whole place to our selves! The food was amazing and after enjoying our meal, I had fun listening to both my parents try to speak some polish. Having gone through many of the same struggles with pronunciation, I had to laugh at some of their first attempts, but I think by the end of their trip they finally had it down ;) 

Our last day in the north we took the train to Sopot for the day, it was an adventure finding the train to Sopot. Even after a year of living in Poland and attempting to speak polish, there are still times I am flustered and don't quite pick up everything that people tell me. Finally we arrived in Sopot and headed towards the sea! Sopot has the largest wooden boardwalk in Europe, we enjoyed some ice cream as we walked along the long walkway. We had packed a picnic lunch as well :) 

Zakopane

After our (long) overnight train, we arrived in Krakow where we had about an hour before we had to pick up our rental car. Our timing couldn't have been more perfect, if you are in the old town of Krakow on the hour you get a special treat. So we rushed to the center of old town to hear the trumpeter play his tune. There is a legend that many years ago in Krakow the man in the watch tower was playing a song to warn the people of an attack, when he was shot in the neck with an arrow. (a more extensive version of the story is linked here) We got to have a quick look around the square before heading back to the train station to get our car. I did my best navigating, while mom was in charge of the camera on our drive to Zakopane. 

We arrived at our airbnb (with some help!) after a drive right up the side of a mountain, literally! But it was so worth it. The view from our place was incredible, we were practically on the top of a mountain, and our windows looked out at the other ranges. 

After a good night's sleep we headed down the mountain to explore the center of town. We walked around for a bit, checking out the shops as we made our way to a local bike shop. There we rented bikes for the day. We ended up on a mountain road of sorts, here we ran into a fun surprise! There was a field full of sheep. As we took a rest from peddling we watched the sheep dogs in action, rounding up the heard and leading them across the street. 

Our bike ride led us back into town to find dinner before making the trek up the mountain. Once back up at the house, dad and I got our bake on! I have been missing the home made bread that I am so privileged to have, so I took the chance to help my dad (aka the master creator!!) make a beautiful loaf of bread. It came out of the oven just in time for a late night snack. It was an extra treat after the delicious pancake breakfast we had had that morning (with home made maple syrup of course). 

The last day in Zakopane we went for a hike in the clouds on a hike called Nosal. Though it was a cloudy day, the views were still amazing and it was great to be moving all morning :) Our timing couldn't have been more perfect, after the lovely hike up and a quick waffle at the bottom, we escaped to the spa, avoiding the raindrops! I have been to the spa before but not quite as nice as this one. They gave us big fluffy robes and showed us to the dressing rooms. After each of us had had a relaxing massage, we enjoyed a cup of green tea together. When the relaxation part was over, we slowly made our way to the restaurant for another delicious meal! 

Greece

Unfortunately our short visit was coming to a close (or pause maybe) After a windy drive back to Krakow, we got on our train, me to Olsztyn and mom and dad to Warsaw. In Warsaw they took a taxi to the airport and arrived in Greece that evening. It was bittersweet to see them go (for a few reasons), I was so glad to see them finally celebrate their 25 wedding anniversary properly! They had been dreaming of Greece for ages and I'm so glad they made it! However I would have loved to jump in their suitcase and go right with them, not only to go to Greece but to hang with the rents ;) I know they enjoyed their romantic get away though! 

The Last Leg

I greeted my favorite guests at the train station in Olsztyn on Thursday afternoon. We went back to my host house for dinner and some family time! Friday morning we were the first ones up, after a big breakfast my host mom brought us into the city for a meeting with my counselor and Olivia's counselor. We met for coffee and chatted for a while before heading off to explore the city. 

We walked through the park and checked out the castle, unfortunately the tower wasn't open for us to go up but we looked around the courtyard. From there we went back into the park and found the lookout that allows you to see all of the city! We went back to the town square and looked for some souvenirs. 

Then we took a bus to the city beach and explored some cool little spots along the water. 

Shortly after heading back to my house, we hopped in the car with my host family and drove about 30 minutes to a little hike. The hike was around the mouth of the river Lyny (the L is pronounced as a w in this name) It was a buggy walk but everything was so green and full, it was beautiful! 

Once we got back home, we started a bonfire and did some grilling with my host family and host aunt and uncle :) 

Sadly the trip was coming to an end. The following day we did some shopping, then met my host family in town for dinner and then saw my parents off on the train :( Only about a month until I am home safe and sound though! 

I loved showing my family the place that I have lived this year, it was fun to see what they thought and to have them meet my wonderful host family. I hope that we will have a chance to discover new countries (or maybe continents!) together some day :)