I should first point out that I was not lost. I knew where I was at all times. It was Alicja's place that was lost.
At the beginning of the year, I made the decision to visit Morocco in either February or March. And I almost did. I reserved a plane ticket, but I couldn't get myself to pay for it, so the reservation expired. At the same time, my friend Alicja, whom I met in Turkey in 2009, was strongly suggesting, but without pressuring, that I come to visit her in Poland. So... why not. After verifying that I was not misinterpreting her invitation, I purchased the ticket and headed out.
Why on earth would someone leave the warm, beautiful Virgin Islands to visit Poland in the middle of winter? I ordered some thermal underwear and a bomber jacket from JC Penny and waited nervously for 2 weeks for them to arrive. When it finally arrived, the package was busted open, but the contents were safe. I also picked up a pair of boots from K-mart. These along with my wool scarf from India and a knitted cap, and I was ready.
As much as people complain about the hassles at airports, I really didn't have any issues. I checked my backpack thru to Poland so I wouldn't have to deal with it in Miami nor in London. And it didn't get lost. I had to go thru security two times. First in St. Croix, then again in London. Heathrow airport is so big, I had to take a bus to get from one terminal to another. But security checks are easy. Take off your shoes and belt, remove contents from pockets, put everything in the bins and you're ok.
Airline food, however, is another story. I knew they would be selling snacks at ridiculous prices on the flight to Miami, but I forgot to pack my sandwich. So I was really looking forward to dinner on the flight to London. I was seated in the second to last row of the 777, in the smaller, more cramped seats. There was no one in the seat next to me, so it was ok. However, from there I could hear the flight attendants yap, yap, yap, complain, complain, complain. I was getting a headache.
Whatever thoughts I had of them changed when they served me dinner. They were really nice. They offered a choice of beef with potatoes or Thai fried rice with vegetables. They said I could have both. Have as many as I wanted. So I took one of each and felt quite satisfied.
In the morning, just about when we landed in London, I started to feel the need to use the toilet. No problem, I'll disembark, find my next gate, then use the toilet. I soon realized that this could not wait. This was diarrhea. And since they had already shut off the engines, the ventilation system was not working. Well... The flight attendants had to spray the cabin. I should have known something was wrong with the food, that they were so generous with it.
Anyway, I arrived safely in Warsaw, and Alicja was there on time. It was good to see her again. She said I looked alot different. I had gained some weight, and my hair was now braided. We took the bus back to her place. On the way she pointed out various landmarks. We walked from the bus stop to her place, and it seemed like a short easy walk.
That night we went over some maps. She pointed out where her place was in relation to where I would catch the tram to get into town. She said I should always retrace my steps, so I don't get lost. She also said I would need to know her address, but forgot to give it to me, and I forgot to ask for it.
I slept till really late. Alicja was able to work at home, so she was still there. I had breakfast, and we talked. Sometime later, she got a call from work and needed to go in immediately. So we scrambled out of the house; I to the center of town, she to work.
I did quite a bit of walking, ducking into stores, just to get out of the cold for a few minutes. It is a nice city, but there are no old historic buildings, as the Nazis destroyed just about everything. I eventually got to a shopping mall with a really cool curvy glass roof.
As I was sitting eating lunch, I started thinking about retracing my steps. But I did not know what bus we had taken or even on which street we had caught the bus. I would have to take the tram. After eating, I caught the tram, so I would be back before dark. I recognized the area from the day before, so I got off the tram and started walking. But then nothing looked familiar. That's when I realized I did not know the address nor the telephone number!
I walked around and around until it started to get dark, then I took the tram back into the city center to the shopping mall, the only place I knew of with overpriced internet. I sent Alicja a message, that I could not find her place and I was at the shopping mall waiting. And I waited. And I waited. She doesn't check her messages everyday. What if she just assumed that I was out having fun?
While I was waiting, a girl tried to pick me up. I suspected that she might be a prostitute. As I was telling Alicja about this, she asked if the girl was really young, like 16. I couldn't tell how old she was, but she did look young and was wearing glitter lipstick. It turns out there is a phenomenon sweeping Poland where young girls from normal homes are having sex with older men in exchange for things from the mall. But they don't see themselves as prostitutes.
So I kept waiting. I found out that the mall closes at 10pm, so around 9:30, I sent another message and started worrying what to do when the mall closes. Around 10, I decided to take the tram and look for her place again. Still no luck. Now I did not know that the guidebook described this part of the city as being rough and advised taking a taxi in and out, but I knew that wandering around the streets alone late at night is not a good thing.
Time to look for the nearest police station. Of course it is inevitable that anyone you ask for directions will also be a visitor and not know. I was pointed in the general direction and started walking. Did I mention that it was winter?
I could not find the police station. I stopped and asked a guy on the street. He told me to go back about 300 meters and to the left a couple hundred meters was the police station. Well, I found a fire station with no recognizable entrance. I saw a BP gas station and went there. Maybe they would have a phone book. They did not. There was one guy there who spoke English, so I asked him where the police station was. It was right there, just past the VW dealership. But when I got there, I saw nothing. There were some people standing there. I asked them. They pointed at the nothing I was looking at!
There were no police cars in front. There was light in one window and a little sign over the door. I rang the doorbell. An officer came to the window. I told him I could not find my friend's house. Then he came to the door, but he did not speak English. Only Polish and Czech. Oh boy... I would have to try speaking in Russian and hope he was old enough to have studied Russian as a child. I was able to communicate my problem to him, and he was able to communicate back to me, that without an address or telephone number, he can't help me.
I ask if he knew the location of an internet cafe. He pointed west and said something. I asked if it was 24hr. He didn't know. Or more accurately, I have no idea what he said. So I asked him for the location of a bigger police station. He pointed in the same direction and said something. I thanked him and walked back to the tram stop. At this point, I was thinking about taking the tram back into the city center and sleeping in the train station. I didn't know where any hostels were located, so that was not an option.
I saw two guys on the street and asked them if they knew where the police station was. Of course they were not from Warsaw, but one spoke English. They pointed me to the same station I had visited. No, no, I want a big police station. They were going into the city center, and they knew where the main police station was located. So I went with them.
The one that didn't speak English was from Belarus. The other one didn't really want to say where he was from. They might have been up to no good. They were riding the buses and trams without tickets. At one point they discussed, in Russian, that if they got caught, they would say they were helping me find the police station.
But they didn't think the police station would be a good place to go. They suggested the US embassy. Then they asked if I could send my friend a message on facebook. They knew the location of a 24hr internet cafe, a few blocks from the city center. In fact that is where the Belarusian guy was going. I went with him. Had I known about this place, I would have gone there instead of the shopping mall.
Alicja had sent several messages. Don't move! I'm coming to get you! She had gotten home late and was quite concerned that I was not there. She searched the mall, went to the police station, enlisted the help of her friends, finally giving up and going home. She had sent her address and phone number, and hoped I had found a place to spend the night, and wouldn't pack up my things and leave the next day.
I called her using the Belarusian's phone to let her know where I was. It was really late, so I had to take a taxi. But with the address and a GPS system in the cab, I was delivered right to the building. After I got inside, Alicja asked if I was angry at her. I said no, why should I be angry. I knew she had intended to give me the address. It was because she was summoned to the office so suddenly that we both forgot about little important details.
Besides, now I had a story to tell. She made some tea, and I told her all about my day. Thus began my new travels.
Since this is the only thing I will post about Warsaw, I should state that I enjoyed my time there and look forward to visiting again sometime when it is warm.
