|
Poland
Impressions
& Musings
Many of our impressions are
scattered throughout our journal entries, but for other generalities or oddities, see
below. These are not meant to stereotype all of Poland, these are simply things we
observed during our travels. $1 = ~4 Zloty
Cybercafes: $1 or $4 per hour
Orange juice: didn't have it here
Bottled water (1.5L): $.50
Typical Breakfast: $3 - slices of meat, tomatoes, cucumbers, cheese, bread
Typical Lunch: $2-$5 - hot dog or "hamburger" with cabbage and lots of sauce
Typical Dinner: $8-$12 - tripe soup, pierogies, pizza with ketchup
Beer, vodka, and ice cream were the most common items being consumed on the street
Accomodations: ranged from $12 in Gdansk to $35 in Krakow
The paper products were the
most interesting we'd seen to date. The napkins they used were non-absorbent, stiff
squares of tissue paper. Toilet paper ranged from tough sandpaper-like material to rolls
of the crepe-paper we used to decorate at birthday parties as a kid: it would stretch
instead of tear off.
We saw a lot of crossword
puzzles being done: on trains, people working ticket counters, guards in museums, everyone
was doing them. Crossword puzzle books were available for sale everywhere.
Several people we met had
been to Chicago, the largest population of Poles until recently, when Warsaw regained it's
former position.
Very few of the people we met
spoke English (except in Krakow), even teenagers and those in their 20's - 30's.
They had an odd
interpretation of pizza: flat, round bread with some cheese baked on it with rows of
stripes of ketchup "sos" (sauce)
They also had an odd
interpretation of omelettes. They would spread strawberry jam all over them.
At 12:00 a.m. on August 15 in
Warsaw a throng of cheers rose up to our hostel window from the streets below. Fireworks
followed. Could it be because of Ascension Day? We still don't know.
|
