I am now installed in what is a paradise for Professor Ceiling Cat. A Marriott! At the Warsaw airport! (I have never gotten over my youthful feeling that hotels are impossibly expensive luxuries, and I always enjoy the hell out of them, using all the little soaps and shampoos and watching cable t.v.) All I must do tomorrow is to walk across the street to the terminal at 10 a.m.
But I’m sad to leave Poland and my dear friends Andrzej, Malgorzata, and Hili-Cat, and my new friend Sarah. It was cold today, and there was even a bit of snow, so our activities were limited to working, nomming and a quick walk to the Vistula. Hili accompanied us.
Can you find the cat in the photo below? The crypsis is remarkable. (Still, it’s easier than Matthew’s damn nightjars!)
Fitness, Hili’s nemesis, made an appearance this morning. A while back Fitness was lost for four days, and when he finally returned had undergone a personality transformation: he was friendly to human strangers and even got along with Hili. Sadly, Fitness has now reverted to his skittish self, so it was remarkable that Andrzej was able to pick him up:
Finally, as I rode the train back to Warsaw, my leaden heart was lifted by a lovely sunset:
My last meal in Poland? A cheese sandwich from the hotel store, a diet Coke, and a free apple from the front desk.
Farewell, Poland, and I hope to see you again before too long.
Not related to the post, but I thought of your blog when reading this NPR article, just now. Fascinating.
‘You’re Invisible, But I’ll Eat You Anyway.’ Secrets Of Snow-Diving Foxes
Aw, I feel like I’m leaving Poland myself…Thanks for the vicarious vacation, PCC!
So interesting about Fitness’s brief personality change, and what it might imply, i.e., that cats are far more dependent and attached to us than they let on.
Whenever Winston’s been ill or particularly stressed he’s always come to me for a secure cuddle, and although I’m always quite worried about him at those times, I’m also extremely touched and humbled by his confidence. Nearly all the other cats I’ve had have done the typical crawl-off-and-hide thing when distressed…
“using all the little soaps and shampoos”
I clearly stay in hotels too often. I can’t remember the last time we actually bought any shampoo (or shower gel). We have a cornucopia (actually a plastic bag) that I continually replenish from my business trips…
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Is there a book of Mormon in your room Jerry?
Bill Marriott is pretty high up in the LDS Church & a big fan of the evil Rev. Billy Graham. I reckon anyone checking into a Marriott should bring a spare empty suitcase or two on principle 🙂
What a great trip! Lucky you!
My one trip to Poland was in July of 1995 for a family funeral. Besides the depressing reason for my trip, I was impressed by the profoundly bleak communist-era architecture of Warsaw, and elsewhere. I had never seen buildings (and even telephone/electrical poles) that looked as if they had been purposefully designed to be ugly.
I hope things have improved in the nearly two decades since that visit.
Great posts from Poland. I do wish you’ll see it again before too long, so we’ll too. Napoléon sends best regards to Hili. Cheers!
Bon Voyage!
Thanks a lot for your lovely comments and photos of your trip. I’ve enjoyed following you, Prof. Ceiling Cat and your hostess’s delicious cakes – I feel like having been there myself. Have a safe trip home!!!
I have never been to Poland.
Now I have.
Me too!
What a wonderful trip that was! 🙂
No photo of the cheese sandwich?
Haha.
Isn’t there a sub-culture where people take photos of every single meal and post it to some website?
Thank you so much for sharing your time in Poland with us. I would so much like to visit my family there, but I most likely never will…so thank you for sharing it with me through your writing!
My sister-in-law’s family is from around Cracow. I must try and tag along with her on a trip some time.