I Went Back for More Poland

Been a couple months since I posted here. I had been spending a lot of time preparing for my latest trip to Poland. About this time last year Judy and I spent almost two weeks visiting Krakow, Wrocław, (including a day trip to Bolesławiec), Poznan, and Gdansk. Last month I did a solo mission for 12 days to cover some places we missed, spending time across Warsaw, Lublin, Rzeszow, and Zakopane, with side trips to Łodz, Kazimierz Dolny, and Zamość. Now that I have settled back into the home routine here in la CDMX I can start with the recap notes.

On the way over the first thing I noticed is that our World Cup benefits are becoming tangible. While I'm not particularly looking forward to whatever 'World Cup effect' we'll have here over the summer, I'm not mad that our airport is getting a makeover.

Some parts are still very much a work in progress ...

Some parts are looking pretty good ...

And some of the money-making souvenir shops have definitely been upgraded ...

Also plenty of corny, pandering sponsor ads in rotation as you stroll through ...

I was probably 85% recovered from a random food-poisoning bout and wasn't enthused about what the airline meals might do to me. So I prepped with a Carl's Jr chicken sandwich and some stomach settling meds, with full intent to not eat again for the next ~18 hours until I touched down in Warsaw.

Flight was taking off around 8pm, so I settled into 41H and managed to rest pretty well most of the way. My sleep-on-the-plane skills have leveled up these past few years.

Lufthansa got me into Warsaw on schedule. Travel gods smiled on me as my trip was perfectly timed. Most of their strike disruptions were over in time for my departure. And my short-haul trips between FRA > WAW and KRK > MUC were not impacted by their jet fuel price driven cancellations.

Arrivals concourse at WAW was nice. Consistent with the contemporary retail & food aesthetic of most modern airports I've seen recently.

Having not eaten in nearly a day, McDonald's was just what the doctor ordered. This would be the first of many MCD's meals over the next two weeks.

Went with the McCrispy or some such and gobbled it down before heading out to the ground transportation area. I wasn't sure what to expect when ordering a Bolt here, but the approach is pretty smooth and smart. Rather than get connected with a specific car, you get a code, then get in a line that functions just like a taxi line.

When your turn in line comes you hop in the car, give the driver the code, and you're off. Smooth. It's right next to the taxi line, too. Kind of interesting to see, especially in light of the drama, tension, fines, and violence around getting Ubers in / out of Benito Juarez in la CDMX.

It was a quick and pleasant ride to the apartment I would be staying in (Apartment Piano, which you can find on booking.com). Location was great. Easy enough to get to the center of the city or over to the Royal Route.

Apartment itself lived up to its description. Cozy, quiet. Only issue I had (and it became a consistent issue across multiple places I stayed), was with the induction stove top. More on that in a later post.

I rallied for a walkabout to the old town and snapped some vibe shots as I went.

(Shot of the Chopin Institute, which was right around the corner from where I stayed)

(I believe that is the Ordynacka 02 bus stop. I used its cousin Ordynacka 01 more as it was sending buses in the other direction.)

(View of Czapski Palace back there)

(And a couple of shots from the Rynek)

Finished the evening with a Biedronka run to stock the fridge a bit.

Overall a smooth day of travel, setting the table for the next 11 days in Poland.

One last busy day in Lima - part III - ChocoMuseo, Inka Plaza, and some burgers

During my final afternoon in Lima I was to try out one of the chocolate workshops at the Choco Museo, which is within Inka Plaza. If there was any doubt that you were within the epicenter of souvenir shopping in Lima, the walk over to Inka Plaza from the Parque Kennedy area would clear that up for you right quick.

I was there for the Bean to Bar workshop, 3pm version. I got there a few minutes early. Easy to find the location, but didn't seem like they were getting ready for anything quite yet.

I spoke with one of the young women to understand what was going on. She seemed a little surprised to hear that I was part of the upcoming session, as it would be en español. Apparently una familia Mexicana had booked up most of the slots in the 3pm session. I thought I was to be testing an english version of the experience, too. But I told her that sí, hablo español, entonces no habrá ningún inconveniente. However, I did still have a few minutes until the workshop started, so I did a quick spin of the pasillos in Inka Plaza. Good to see some familiar items that Judy and I had picked up back during our visit in 2006. Our golden sun mirror is long gone, but we still have maybe 4 of those little foldable stools that we paid $6 each for. Now they run like $20+. Inflation.

Eventually we did start the bean to bar workshop. We began with making our own chocolate bar. Step one was picking your preferred chocolate, dark or milk. I'm a dark chocolate fan. But since I would be sharing my handiwork with Judy, I opted for milk chocolate.

Next it was time for the toppings. I felt that quinoa y almendras would be a good combo (spoiler alert: I was right). Lot of choices and you can see how kids or anyone with a sweet tooth could get carried away.

Once you've got your bars all done they are taken away and set in the nearby fridge.

Then it's education time. First you get introduced to the gigantic cacao fruit. And yes, junior did seem to be wearing pajamas and that face was representative of his mood for most of the workshop. But his two sisters, mom, and su abuela were there to keep him entertained and in check.

Next we got a lesson about the fermentation process. Definitely did not know any of this.

Then it was bean roasting time. We were told to pick out 6 good ones each for collective roasting.

Around this time I was fading and less vigilant in capturing every step of the workshop. We tried a couple of traditional drinks. One dating back to Incan times, another more Mexican in nature. I was happy with my bean grinding skills.

And of course I was pleased with my final product. Combo learning experience, hands-on activity, and a built-in gift to bring home for the wife.

Now I had about 90 minutes or so before my car would take me to the airport. I decided to hit one of the Inka Plaza locales and get a baby alpaca tapete for the dogs. Lucha approved once it got home.

I also decided to patronize the McDonald's at the northern tip of Parque 7 Junio. If you look closely you can see a Burger King sign across the way. I had tried the BK on my first night in Lima. Didn't love it. If you're deciding between which US mainstream burger place to eat at during your visit in Miraflores, I highly recommend the McDonald's. Much better atmosphere.

Two hours later I doubled down. Yes, I went for Burger Boy at the airport. Well, not a true double down. Went the healthy route with a chicken sandwich at McDonald's. But a double dinner nonetheless. Slept pretty well on the red eye back to Mexico City.