I don\u2019t know how we do it, but we managed to make a 2.5 hour journey take 7 hours. This is how the day went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We left camp at 8am, hoping to get to Lublin at a reasonable hour to avoid the traffic. It was a 2 and a half hour journey and I have no idea where the time went. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The drivers here are terrible so I keep telling Mike to slow down, so maybe that\u2019s it. We almost had two head-on collisions today. I\u2019d told Mike just seconds before to slow down, when two cars came hurtling around the corner on the wrong side of the road. If he hadn\u2019t slowed down, it would have been a sure collision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trucks also are terrifying too. The roads are narrow and bumpy, and seeing them come full throttle at you, bouncing all over the roads is really putting my nerves on edge. And I\u2019m not normally a nervous passenger!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So we slowed it right down for the rest of day, and this could be where the time went. We also stopped at a supermarket, and got some Polish goodies to try. Nothing exciting, just chips and coleslaw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then we found a nice spot by a lake to rest in the shade and have an afternoon nap. But when I woke up, we\u2019d been invaded! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hundreds of tiny black bugs were crawling all over the walls. I have no idea what they were, but there were so many of them. We dashed out of the van, I gave it a good spray, and we got the heck out of there. They were everywhere, clinging to the outside of the van too. Really creepy little things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The next time we stopped, I looked to see if they were still there, but there were hundreds, if not thousands of dead ones all over the couch. Mike tipped them outside, and I hope thats the last we see of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We took the back roads in Lublin, and managed to avoid all the traffic until about the last 500 meters. There were long queues, but thankfully not in the direction we were going. It was really hot and I didn\u2019t want to get stuck in traffic. We arrived at the parking place, and I felt quite proud of my navigation and stress free drive into a big city. It was $12 to park for 24 hours, and we thought this was really cheap for a city right on the edge of the old town, considering we can also sleep here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We parked overlooking the old town, and went for a wander. The first thing that grabbed me, was the lack of people. Unlike other European old towns which are normally heaving, there was hardly anyone here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I was immediately impressed. The narrow cobbled streets wind between old buildings in faded pastels, some with cracked plaster and worn shutters that give it a rustic vibe. The old town feels quieter and less polished than many other European old towns and that\u2019s part of its charm. We found the tourist office and she said. \u201cYou must go to the castle, it\u2019s free today. They close at 6pm, but they allow entries before 5.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I looked at my watch. It was 4.45. So off we raced off to look at the castle. We\u2019re not ones to turn down free!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From the outside, it looked like those castles you draw as a kid. Clean lines, tall white walls, neat little towers. Inside, it also had a museum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exhibits took us on a journey from the Stone Age through medieval times and right into the 20th century. There were ancient tools, religious icons, wartime memorabilia, and paintings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The highlight though was the stunning Holy Trinity Chapel, tucked inside the castle walls. It\u2019s walls and roof were covered in murals (they call them frescoes), from the 15th century and reminded me of the Sistine chapel. It was amazing! There were a few art galleries to wander through as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After the castle, we went in search of Polish food. Kasia had given me a list of dishes to try. We found a Polish restaurant and ordered a couple of them. I noticed everyone else there was speaking Polish, which made it feel like we\u2019d stumbled on a spot locals actually come to. I didn\u2019t hear the usual American or English accents you often hear in tourist towns. Maybe Lublin hasn\u2019t been discovered by tourists yet and we\u2019re only here because Kasia recommended it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mike ordered spinach dumplings, which were basically like gnocchi. I went for dumplings filled with a cottage cheese-type filling, and when the plate arrived piled high with a sour cream dip, it looked more like a sharing platter than a main course. Thankfully, Mike was happy to help me finish it. We\u2019ve decided Polish food isn\u2019t really our thing, unless we find something like what we had at that bar yesterday. That was delicious!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While we sat at the restaurant, I noticed a couple of people popping their heads out of the apartment windows across the street, just watching the world go by. Something about the scene struck me. The crumbling shutters, the fading paint. It all felt cinematic and I imagined this as the setting for a story or a foreign film, the kind where not much happens, but everything feels important. There was inspiration everywhere, just waiting to be written. Who are these people behind the windows? What\u2019s it like inside their apartments? Do they share a bathroom with strangers down the hall? And who\u2019s the mysterious newcomer in number 3?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After dinner we wandered out of the old town walls, and into the main town. Even this was really nice with it\u2019s painted buildings and wide streets. It was busier now, with people going about their evenings, and it definitely felt like the place where locals came to meet, chat, and unwind after the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was a glittery Lublin sign all lit up, and fancy dancing fountains. There was also another portal here. We waved to people in Vilnius, where we stood just a week or so ago! I started doing shapes with my hands to see if they were seeing us in real time. Most people ignored me so I figured they might not be looking at us. But then, one guy decided to follow along. Next thing, we\u2019re doing the Macarena with people in Vilnius! It was so hilarious, and I wished I had\u2019ve filmed it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Then Vilnius disappeared to be replaced with Dublin. People there were a little more reserved and stuck to just waving. Then it cut to Philadelphia, and there was nobody there at all! That was weird. It reminded me of the members stand during the Mexican wave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was just a short walk back to our carpark where we collapsed in bed, exhausted. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I don\u2019t know how we do it, but we managed to make a 2.5 hour journey take 7 hours. This is how the day went. We left camp at 8am, hoping to get to Lublin at a reasonable hour to … Continue reading