(a sequel to North of Poland)
June 21. Time to drive down south and meet hubby's relatives who had been waiting for us. While rolling by the super highway, I noticed some sights of interest, such as these yellow fields with rows of trees, thick forests of lofty pine trees, pine groves with grassy undergrowth, people selling berries and honey by the roadside, etc. Some parts of the highways and on to the autostrada have free-speed driving. You could just imagine most vehicles zipping at 170 kph or more. Aww...so alarming!
We drove past the city of Poznan without taking a look at the center as we stuck to the main highway. I just managed to snap these shots from our speeding car.
Finally, we arrived in the little town of Turek. The husband of my hubby's cousin came to meet us in a corner of the downtown and was glad to see us for the first time. Upon reaching their house, I was a little surprised at how their house looked like, which was far different from what google maps showed us. It's an old house but well-maintained, and too big to shelter two aging persons.
As soon as we pulled into their driveway and hopped out of the car, Joanna, hubby's cousin, took my arm and led me to the house, then seated me in the dining room where she had been busy preparing for our lunch.
Later in the evening, relatives started pouring in, apparently curious to meet us. They were all so kind to us despite the language barrier that thwarted my desire to speak with them about many things. We just managed to understand one another through body language, which went minimally.
We had a festive dinner. Wine was bottomless. I relished the pastries, especially their kind of cheesecake. I loved their cherry beverage and cherry wine. Ah, this is indeed a country where I had my fill of cherries prepared in various ways!
The day after, our male host took us on a tour downtown, which was such a small place but with a flowery plaza and some fascinatingly colorful buildings.
From there, we proceeded to the house of their daughter, which was huge as well for a family of three. The property includes spacious gardens and a grassy lawn. Aww, these people must be so rich to own such properties!
There was another family gathering that night with more relatives. After dinner, another of hubby's cousins and his daughter took us to a gypsy musical show by the lake. My first time to watch and listen to live gypsy music.
We spent the following day visiting a nearby town renowned for its castle and a hot spring recreational park. After walking around, we sat by a restaurant to get cooled with homemade fruity ice cream.
We spent three days and nights in this house, enjoying the rustic serenity and simplicity. I also had a good time looking around the garden and capturing things that appealed to my eyes.
I walked around the neighborhood in the company of my camera and just kept on shooting interesting things.
For the first time too, I saw live storks up-close while riding in the car. They were often seen in the fields, on nests perched on electric posts or while flying overhead. Unfortunately, I only managed to shoot these chicks on their nest.
For the first time too, I saw live storks up-close while riding in the car. They were often seen in the fields, on nests perched on electric posts or while flying overhead. Unfortunately, I only managed to shoot these chicks on their nest.
Departure day arrived. Next in our itinerary would be a visit to another of hubby's relatives in Krakow, a bustling city in the south, but he could not accommodate us that day. And so we made a spur-of-the-moment decision to head directly to the southernmost city of the country.
The real excitement awaited me there.
(to be continued)
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