A weekend away from Paris and France - trip to Warsaw

I already mentioned that before. Erasmus is not only about studying and staying in one city. The most important thing is to make ever lasting friendships and unforgettable memories. How do you do it? Do you things together! Go on adventures! Travel!

I made many friends from all over the world and one day found me in a very international group, some of them came from far away. For them, it was the perfect opportunity to travel Europe and they asked us to join them. We decided to go together to Warsaw. That was not my dream destination, but the prices for the flights were so low and the most important was to travel together with my friends. We were two from Colombia, three Greeks, one Italian, one Spanish, me and another Colombian girl, who studies in Belgium and would join us in Warsaw. We left on the Friday two weeks after the attacks. It was really stressful. I was used to being the only punctual one, but what awaited me for this weekend would top everything. We wanted to meet at half past 12 at the bus station for the shuttle bus to Beauvais. I was slightly late, because I hadn’t found the right exit from the Metro and was embarrassed to be the late one. But, I seemed to be the first one. Or not. After having searched for a bit, I found my Spanish friend, who had also printed out our tickets and was well informed because he really lived in Paris. That means long term, not like us. I was happy that someone, except of me, was already there. The Greeks wrote us that they are already here for a long time, but couldn’t find us and the two Columbians were still somewhere in the Metro. Some minutes later one of them arrived and told us that the Italian guy, who only knew the Columbian, was already at the airport. When everyone, except the Columbian girl had arrived, we were afraid of missing the flight, because the responsible woman told us that we would only get the flight with this one bus, who would leave now. The Spanish guy wanted to wait anyway and so we left without him. The two of them took the next bus and arrived still on time for boarding, even with the passport control for the Columbians. What was surprising was, that at the airport the security controls weren't higher, as expected after the attacks. Actually, I had even the feeling that there was almost no security staff and felt a bit unsafe. For me way to the airport had already been enough stress, normally I am one and a half hours before my flight at the airport. There, I didn’t know, it would come even worse during the next days…

After two and a half hours of uncomfortable flight with Ryanair, we landed in Modlin. First thing, we changed our Euro to Sloti and then took the bus to the train station, where we took the train to the city centre and another bus to our Hostel. It took us one and a half more hours. Until then, we already found out the Polish people don’t know or want to speak English and are relatively unfriendly. For example, when we asked one bus driver for the right bus, he just closed the door and drove away. The hostel was quite ok and we were sleeping alone in a 10 bed room, at least for the first night. We left our stuff there and went to search a restaurant, it was already late and we were starving. They had traditional Polish food and we shared all plates to be able to try everything. We also drank hot beer, which was quite a new experience. The first polish word that we learn was: Na zdrowie, which means cheers. Everything was delicious and a lot and that for few money. We paid three euro. Now, I don’t have to wonder anymore, how the Erasmus people in Poland are always so “rich”. After dinner, our last group member joined us and we went on search for a club. At one o’clock, we still hadn’t found something different than some small bars and we assumed that the Polish people just have a different sense of party. When we asked people in our age, they either didn’t speak English or send us to Irish Pubs. But we wanted to dance….

The next day, we wanted to do a walking tour at 11 o’clock, which was for free, but guess what: only three of nine people were ready, so we didn’t go. It had minus three degrees, it was foggy, cold and grey. With warm clothes, we went out to stroll through the city centre. We went to the old city wall and saw the castle of Warsaw. It is a nice city, with all the coloured houses and the Christmas decorations. Every few hours, we got some warm drinks to heat up again, didn’t matter if it was hot wine, hot bear, hot coffee or hot chocolate. The important thing was the HOT, because it was so cold outside. We had a cheap and traditional lunch and joined another walking tour, which was informing about the Jewish Warsaw. It was interesting what we got to know about all the Ghettos and the monuments. We walked arm in warm the whole day to keep us warm. The Columbian girls had to buy some socks (yes, they were wearing short socks and sneakers), scarf and hat. The jackets stayed open all the time, because of their outfits; -) We quit the tour after one and a half hours, of two and a half, because we were freezing and it was already pitch black. At four o’clock!

We heated up in the Foyer of the Jewish museum and bought some souvenirs. After long discussions, we decided to go to the quarter of Praga, which is said to be nice and sometime you could see bears there. We had a stroll there and then took the Metro to meet the Greek people, who went home before. That is, where we had our next bad experience with Polish people. When we changed the Metro, one guy followed us and asked us, if we were French. We had been talking French all the time, we do that always, so we just said yes. He stayed close to us, always staring at our Spanish friend and then attacked him, who, of course, backed away and tried to tell him he didn’t want anything bad. He was the only one of us, who only knew little English. I tried to get in between of the two and talked in English to the guy and asked him what his problem was, while the Columbian girls tried to find someone to help us. They weren’t successful as everyone just said:” It’s not our problem. ” The Polish guy was saying: “Speak Polish, speak Polish…. ”. From somewhere, a friend of him appeared and got him away from us. We were all a little shocked because we hadn’t done anything wrong, except of not speaking Polish. And no one even paid attention to that. When we arrived at the Christmas market, it was already closing and it was also only 10 stands. That’s not even a real Christmas market…. So, we went back home for dinner and met some nice and open-minded people: Greeks, French, Canadians…. The only strange person, was the Polish guy in our room. “I heard, in this room are only Spanish people, so I am moving out tomorrow”, he said. Then he added some anti-women comments, asked me, if I wanted to sleep with him and some other of our girls as well and then almost started a fight with our Greek friend. No one of us girls, entered the room alone, after that and we were all happy that he disappeared the next morning. This night, we were better prepared and had looked up some clubs before leaving and found them, where we met the brother and his friends of my Greek friend. It was a nice evening and it even had some snow!

The next morning, me and the Colombian girl, who stayed up as one of the last, threw everyone out of bed, because we wanted to be on time for the walking tour. The problem was that everyone was sleeping too long and when we wanted to leave and they just wanted to take a fast shower. I told them, if they would have wanted to take a shower, they would have had gotten up earlier. Now, the Columbians noticed that the Europeans also didn’t take a shower and when we told them that we had had one yesterday, they answered: “The dirty Europeans don’t take a shower every day. How can you survive that? ”. Well, it is freezing cold here, no one will sweat, so you can live one day without a shower. The next days, they would tease us: “Oh, today I didn’t take a shower, I already feel like a European”.

The next problem was what to wear. One of them: “Oh no, now I am wearing a jeans shirt on some jeans trousers. That is not acceptable, I have to change! ” and another one: “Oh no, this colour doesn’t go with that one, I have to change! ” I looked down at myself and my warm, fluffy, coloured leggings, my ugly but warm pullover, the not fitting hat, which I hate anyway because I look stupid wearing hats, and my boots and jacket, which I liked. That was maybe the only thing that looked nice, but also didn’t go with the rest. But actually, I prefer looking stupid to being cold. But that was the first time that I was wondering what the others, all perfectly dressed, were thinking about me and what I was wearing. No one ever said anything about that before, but that had been the moment, where I noticed how important dressing was for them and how unimportant for me and that I didn’t fit in this group. For a short moment, I felt unsecure and didn’t say anything, until I noticed that they didn’t judge me on what I was wearing. They liked me anyway, if not, they would not invite all the time. That’s when I said: “Nobody cares, if you are wearing jeans on jeans, when you put your jacket, no one will see it. Nobody cares if that colour goes with this one, better dress yourself warmly and let’s go! ” Even if we were a bit late, we still found the walking tour group and learnt a lot about Warsaw, its destruction, reconstruction, culture, surroundings, important persons as Marie Curie and the musician Chopin and a lot more. She told, for example about the football stadium, which has been completely flooded by rain and now is called "swimming pool" or the big bell in the city centre, where you have to jump on one leg three times around it to have luck. The weather was a lot nicer than the last days, the sun was shining and it was almost warm. After the one and a half hours of tour, we went to a traditional milk bar to have lunch. That was also, when the good weather ended and the fog returned. Before the sun went down, we went up the Palace of Culture, the highest tower in Warsaw, to enjoy the view over Warsaw. And again, it was pitch black. After strolling around without a destination, we went to a beer bar to try Polish beer. Here again, no one spoke English and we communicated with hand and feet. At night, we went again to a restaurant in the city centre, we poor Parisian people had to take advantage of the cheap food, before returning to Paris and not be able any more to buy a coffee. We all loved the Polish Pierogi! We ate them in every variation we found, sweet or salty.

The most stressful part is now to come. The returning flight. Me, as the German organizing talent, had the task to plan everything. But, nobody wanted to follow my plan: “That is too early…”, “We can do it in less time…”, “Don’t stress so much…”. The Columbian girl who studies in Belgium already left early in the morning, so I was left alone with the Italian guy, who was the only reliable one of my friends, when it comes to punctuality. I didn’t know him before, but we became close friends in few days. We were also the only two, to be ready on time. I had packed my bags the night before and in the morning, prepared myself, had breakfast, asked about the way and the train and everything, while the rest of us were still running around in pyjamas (and also that only after I opened the windows and let in the minus three degrees wind, which everyone hates me for) and asking: “When did we want to leave? ” and me: “Ten minutes ago…” At 10 past ten, everyone was ready, but then it was the hostel owner, who didn’t let us go. Someone of us hadn’t paid. That was impossible, because we paid altogether yesterday night, because it was obligatory to pay together. After some discussions, we found out that there was a guy with the same name in the hostel and we were allowed to leave.

We took the next bus and wanted to buy tickets for the train. “You want tickets for quarter past 11 or quarter past 12? ” - “Uhh, before, if possible? ” – “No, you are already too late for that one”. I had known it from the beginning, but now got nervous. So, we took the tickets for the next train, got something to eat and took the next train. In the train: “Nadine, where do we have to get off? ” – “I don’t know, that was your part, I thought you had looked it up. ” – “No…”. So, we searched on the internet for the next station and I got more and more nervous. Already in the train, we could do nothing but wait. At five past 12, we arrived at the train station and had to take the shuttle bus, which arrives at 12:25 o’clock at the airport. Our gate closes at half past 12. I was already pushing to be faster and the other still wanted to go to the toilet and finish their drinks! I was at the end of my nerves, the Columbians still would have to pass the passport control and everyone through the security check. And, oh my god, the Polish are one of the most relaxed people in the world, talking to everyone, opening up every single bag, rummaging through them and then don’t even close it again. At 12:13, we arrived at the gate and heard the announcement “Final call for the flight to Paris Beauvais”. We were the last to enter the plane and they closed the door and not even five minutes later, we were in the air. And guess what the other said? “Nadine, you didn’t have to stress that much, we did it anyway, next time we can get up even later”. That was a joke, or at least I hope that…

Three hours later, we arrived at Beauvais and got a little “heat shock”. In Paris, it had 12 degrees, which is 15 more than in Warsaw. Because of the climate conference in Paris, many streets were closed and the bus took even longer to get us home. We were all sleeping in the bus, one on the other. I was happy about the offer of my Greek friend to join him for dinner, his flatmate had cooked and was not in the mood to make my own dinner. Also, I didn’t want to go back to my little flat, where I would be alone. After that weekend of action, I would feel very lonely. I was so tired, that I took the wrong Metro, when returning home to my place and it took me even longer. It was the first and last time that something like that happened to me in Paris.

It was an amazing trip with my friends, we all got along very well and a had a lot of fun. We were laughing all day long, about everything. We didn’t have one problem or fight and that is very remarkable for travelling in such a big group and so many cultural backgrounds. And that, even though, we knew each other not for long, some only for a few months or weeks and two of them only a few days. Of course, we teased each other with some international prejudices, but it was in a friendly basis and no one took anything the wrong way. I am so thankful for having found such friends and I love them, however crazy they might be. It had also been a good boost for my French as we were talking four days all day long only French. But, I am happy to be back now and be able to relax… Oh wait! Relax? No, exams start next week, so start studying!

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