I’ve been visiting Poland every year or so for the last decade and a half. It was my very first European destination, and it’s wonderful to see the steady and continuous growth of my grandparents’ homeland. In many ways, Poland is several years behind North American standards, especially with things like proper customer service and general efficiency. On the positive side, food is mostly locally grown and is therefore much higher quality and traditional family values are mixed with immense respect and courtesy.

The main reason why I return so often is because of my buddy, Stef. Like me, he’s half Canadian and half Polish. Unlike me, 15 years ago he decided he was done with Canada and investigated his Polish roots. Now completely settled in Warsaw with his lovely wife, Ola and their daughter, Bella, he lives the good life. So when he invited me to witness the birth of his second daughter in September, I accepted immediately and elected to stay much longer. Until now, I’ve been really happy with the decision. Settling in Poland was exactly what I needed after experiencing traveler’s fatigue.

I arrived on June 30th, a day before my birthday, and immediately proceeded north to the coast. Stef was staying at a cottage with a few good friends, and we spent several days splashing around in the sea and local lakes, playing card games, eating and drinking. Mostly drinking though (this is Poland after all!)

Stef set me up with a cozy, recently renovated and well-located apartment. Aside from a table and few over-sized chairs, the place was virtually empty, so I had to buy basic things such as cooking utensils, towels, lamps and pictures to make the place more functional and welcoming. Also, the fridge and washing machine had to be replaced, along with the thin and crappy foam mattress. Luckily everything is being reimbursed by the owner, and I just received his approval to buy a couch, coffee table, rug, new kitchen table and chairs, and office chair. Once I’m done, the place will be perfect 🙂

Aside from nesting, I had a few guests. The first was Sonja, a world traveler from Holland whom I met while in Hong Kong. She was passing through eastern Europe and had never been to Poland before. We started the tour in Krakow, visited the Salt Mine of Wieliczka, a World Heritage Site. Then returned to Warsaw to party for a couple of days. Sonja’s an adventurous and fun girl, ready for anything.

My second guest was a fellow Montrealer who is also on a round-the-world tour. Tianna is travelling west while I am travelling east, and we crossed paths once in Seoul, Korea. She also had never seen Poland, so we partied in both Warsaw and Krakow. Since we had more time in Krakow, aside from the salt mine we also visited Auschwitz. It was my second visit and it’s very sad and humbling experience. It’s unbelievable what humans can do other humans. Anyway, Tianna has an incredible history of her own which I still encourage her to write, is very easy going, and is the kind of girl you want to make laugh as often as possible.

Without routines, how do I spend my days? Well, first I wake up whenever my body tells me it had enough sleep. Usually that means between 9:00 and 9:30, but can be as late as 11:00, depending on what time I went to bed and how many drinks I had the night before. Then I make sure to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner, in that order. Sometimes I get confused and eat lunch before dinner and vice versa, but I’m working on that 😉 Meals are generally healthy and I try to keep alcohol consumption to a minimum, but that’s challenging (this is Poland after all!)

Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays I join Stef and friend, Michal at their office, browse their WiFi for a while, and then we head to the gym. Our typical workout is a 5km run followed by 40 minutes of rapid-paced strength exercises and we walk out feeling like a million dollars.

Some days I borrow Stef’s Yamaha R6 and zip around town with a friend, but I quickly learned that Polish drivers are very hard to predict and are just as likely to make room for you on the road as they are to swerve into your lane with complete disregard. Further, the roads around Warsaw are nearly all straight, which makes for a less than exciting ride; riding is all about curves. Further, the R6 is a full sports bike, so the 8h / 500km rides I used to do around Montreal are just not possible; your arms, back and butt hurt too much after a couple of hours.

Other days Stef and I discuss business opportunities, as there are many gaps here. We don’t even need to come up with an original concept; you can take something that works in North America and apply it to the Polish market. Copy + paste = done. Maybe I’ll be part Polish business owner one day.

Lastly, afternoon naps are common, as well as time spent reading and watching movies. There are 17 hours of daylight and the warm weather is perfect for t-shirt and shorts. Overall, it’s a very tough life, and I’m enjoying every moment of it 🙂