christopher-hill.com

Poland, Upside down houses, Vodka

I've been to Poland once before. That's not quite true: I've been through Poland once before. I was on a train from Brussels to Moscow, had a headache, hadn't really slept thanks to the screaming child in the next cabin, was hungry and was in a bad mood. So, even it was possible to get a taste for a country in the 13 and a half hours it takes to cross it on a train (it isn't), I was in no fit state to do so.
I've just spent a much more fulfilling weekend in Poland to celebrate Parners's birthday. The flight from Doncaster got in to Gdansk at 1:30 am, so we just went straight to bed on Friday night. We managed to crawl out of bed the following morning to go and visit the "Upside Down House" museum, which commemorates the hardships thrust upon the country in the 20th century by both Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Russia. The Upside Down House itself is exactly that, an upside down house respresenting how lives were turned upside down.
In the evening, we partied. I'm afraid my memory of the evening is incredibly hazy. I do remember having a great time, being drunk, saying "Na zdrowie" a lot prior to downing another shot of vodka, and accidentally ripping my shirt. Twice. What I don't remember but seemingly happened, is deciding at just 11pm that the best thing to do was to go bed. Somehow I managed it while everyone's back was turned, I think the vodka fairies must have been looking out for me. I stirred occassionally, heard everyone else carrying on partying, thought what a shame it was that I was in bed, and then fell asleep again. What a lightweight! My evening may have been too short, but it was a lot of fun.
The next day we went to Monica's parents' house, chilled out, and went for a walk to the lake. It's a lovely part of the country. I'm afraid I don't know how to spell the name of the town we were in (though I can tell you it's pronounced "Shit No"), but would love to go back for longer.
More Photos Here

Monday, July 14, 2008 10:42 PM