Our Trip to Poland- Day 2: October 18, 2007

As we came off the plane at Lech Walesa Airport, Gdansk, Poland, it was a fairly long line through passport control, and my wife and I were the last ones through.

Three passport agents in special booths monitored those coming through the line. We noticed that whenever one of them left their post, they were carrying a weapon in their holsters.

When we finally cleared customs, and our suitcase was the last piece of luggage on the carousel. Thank goodness we tied that bright bandanna on the handle.

Police standing nearby were also armed.

As we left the gated area, a young man stood before us with a cardboard sign that read: "Tom & Donna Schalata."

We quickly learned that his name was Alexander, and he was sent there by our friend, Teresa Szalata. He would help us get to our hotel in Sopot.

Teresa is a personal friend, and perhaps a distant relative, that I became acquainted with during my family history research. She lives in Lublin, Poland, and it was our plan to meet her for the first time upon our arrival. She would be taking the train from Lublin to Sopot. This is a journey of several hours.

After a short debate over whether to take a taxi or a bus, then train, we opted for the latter, but soon learned that the next bus was about a 30-minute wait.

We took our luggage to the cafe in the airport terminal, and waited there for the bus. However, the bus unexpectedly arrived early, and we had to scramble to get on board.

If it wasn't for Alexander, I am not sure we would have made it. Despite months of practicing my Polish, my first experience was a shaky one. In addition, the task of toting all our luggage onto the bus was also quite a chore.

The bus ride gave us our first snap shot of Poland. It was strange to see stretches of some of the most beautiful architecture you can imagine, and still, in other places, there was much more graffiti than we expected.

From the bus terminal it was a fairly long walk to the train station. We purchased our tickets to Sopot, and shortly thereafter, I was able to experience my first ride on a Polish train. The 15 to 20 minute ride was indeed a memorable experience.

We knew it was only a few blocks from the train station to our destination, Hotel Irena, but we needed to ask for directions several times. The streets were a little confusing, and Alexander was not familiar with the town.

Once we arrived at the hotel, Alexander introduced us to the desk clerk, and he was on his way. We gave the 23-year-old college student an American baseball cap before he took off for his classes.

We checked in, and Teresa called to tell us that her train was late getting in from Warsaw, and we agreed to meet at the hotel at 9 AM the following day.

It was two flights of stairs up to our room, and it was quaint and modest, but comfortable. Since there was a restaurant on the first floor, we decided to partake of our first Polish meal.

My meal consisted of fried pork cutlets with apples and horseradish sauce, while Donna dined on mushroom and potato/sauerkraut pierogies. Both meals were delicious, and were superior to anything we had ever experienced back in the states.

Following our lunch, we decided to walk to the beach and have our first look at the Baltic Sea. The day was cold and blustery, but sunny in spots.

As we walked along the beach, in an attempt to reach Sopot's famous wooden pier, I slipped and fell at one point near a concrete abutment. Later, we would discover, that I more than likely lost my cell phone during the spill.

The pier is a landmark in Sopot, and is said to be the longest such structure in Europe. We passed a Catholic nun catching some sun on a bench, there, and the sight made a remarkable photograph.

By the time we reached the end of the pier, a light rain began to fall, and we experienced two other Kodak moments. The first involved a couple feeding a flock of swans and seagulls on the beach, and the second was a brilliant rainbow over the water.

Next, on our itinerary, was a stroll on Sopot's most famous street, Ulica Monte Casino. An avenue of shops was named in honor of the heroes of the famous battle of World War II.

As we reached the end of the street, I realized that my cell phone was missing. We re-traced our steps back to the pier and the beach with no success.

After cancelling our cell phone service back at the hotel, the desk clerk suggested we go to the local post office to purchase one of the many different pre-paid phone cards that were available there. The system is quite simple. Throughout the country there are pay phones painted different colors. The phone cards match the color of pay phones for each company. Blue card, blue phone, yellow card, yellow phone. Like a scene out of a Geico commercial, so easy a caveman can do it. Swipe your card, make your call. Easy as 1-2-3.

The remainder of our evening was spent in our room getting some much need rest from our trip, and snacking on a few items we picked up on our shopping spree. Our first full day in Poland was complete.