Today is a national holiday for Poland, celebrating the three wise men giving gifts to Mary and Joseph for baby Jesus. This year is also special because Poland is celebrating 100years of independence.

We were informed the night before that breakfast would be served at 10am. Of course we came down the stairs to a beautiful table set with a wide selection of meats, cheeses, bread and accompaniments. Scrambled eggs were also being cooked. We were not allowed to lift a finger as we were provided with first class service. Once finished, we were driven to one the 12 churches in Lubin for the 11:30am mass. Irene was worried that the the roof may cave in as she arrived but Pavel assured her that the churches in Lubin were Irene-proof and had very strong walls. The church was full, the altar was heavy with priests and the service was conducted in Polish. The children’s choir was quite beautiful.

After mass the crowd was organised into teams: blue, red and green to represent each wise man. We were given cardboard crowns as part of the blue team. As we lined up with the crowd, there was lots of chanting and singing around us. People and children were dressed up in capes and there were horse drawn carriages that led each group. The procession commenced and we walked along the streets stopping at various “stations” where there were performances recreating particular events in Polish history. The atmosphere was vibrant and the whole village seemed to be participating in the event. Anna and Milena were dressed as angels in the last performance and Honorata would have been on stage playing music with Piotr but unfortunately she was at home very ill.

The parade finished in the new stadium. It was crowded with people singing carols and enjoying the festivities. This lasted for about an hour.

Back to Elsżbieta’s place, where another feast was being prepared by Jacek and Evalenka. This time the whole family would be joining us, 20 people in total, with the exception of poor Honorata. Anna and Damien arrived with little Kacper, who was thoroughly entertained by Irene’s antics (and will remember her as a baba jaga). Entree was chicken soup with noodles followed by platters of meat including schnitzel, chicken thighs stuffed with mince, meat balls with cheese and beef roulade. Accompaniments included sauerkraut, klusky (dumplings), potatoes and various salads. To drink was cherry juice, grapefruit juice, water……and vodka.

Our entertainment tonight was in the form of games. We played Jenga, Dobble and another game of number strategy, in teams, called Rummikub. The language differences were insignificant as we played together, and laughter filled most of the night. Goodbyes were said as various family members departed and Irene and Teresa sensibly went to bed at around midnight. Those who remained sat up playing games until 2am, with Amadeusz ensuring that he and Michele finished every last drop of vodka.

What a special day to share with the family, experiencing traditions that we would not have the chance to experience in Australia. Another fantastic visit with this beautiful family, we will be sad to say goodbye tomorrow. But alas, more traveling must be had. Dobranoc!

Happy Birsday Irena! The longest birthday you have ever had.

Teresa and Irene went out to breakfast at a seafood cafe. They ordered the scrambled eggs with salmon and butter, and a frittata with mushrooms, tomato and cheese. They were very tasty. Michele stayed home and rested a bit more. It wasn’t long until it was time to get an Uber to the Polskibus station. The Uber was a Mazda van and our driver was very informative. We’ve only had good experiences with Uber so far, and we know that we can trust that the driver won’t be overcharging us.

The bus ride was delayed by 35mins but we were able to keep Amadeusz informed thanks to the onboard Wifi. Kamil and Amadeusz were waiting for us at Wrocław when we arrived and Kamil drove us another 1hr 20mins to Elsżbieta’s house in Lubin. We were once again welcomed like we were long lost relatives coming home. Waiting for us was Elsżbieta, Pavel, Teresa, Janusz, Anna & Milena. Faneks the cat sighed with bemusement that he would have to share his house once again.

The family did not tell Władek of our arrival so it was an emotional greeting when he came through the door, especially for Irene meeting him for the first time.

The table was laden with delicious foods and we knew that we had arrived at the best restaurant in Poland. Entree was pork and vegetable soup and for main we had pierogi (mushroom & cabbage served in goose fat) along with multiple salads and sides. To drink was jugs of cherry juice, apple juice and water…and of course, vodka! The family were so generous, gifting us with ceramic angels and surprising Irene with a bunch of flowers for her birthday.

After dinner Amadeusz disappeared with the promise of returning with a little surprise. After about 20mins he returned with his best friend, Piotr, and a keyboard in tow. Piotr was Amadeusz’s first vocal coach and is also Milena’s current vocal coach. The concert began. Amadeusz performed three beautiful arias in Latin and Italian. Milena sang “Tomorrow”, and Piotr played the keyboard and sang us some songs in English. He even made us laugh by serenading Irene in a Peter Allen-esque style performance for his last song.

For dessert we had toffee cake served with coffee, tea and more vodka. It was a very special first night and we enjoyed it immensely. Having Amadeusz there of course made it a lot easier to communicate, although Milena, Pavel and Elsżbieta’s English is quite good too. We were weary after a day of travel and went to bed at around midnight. Tomorrow is another big day. Dobranoc!

The sun rises at 7:30am in Poland at this time of year, much earlier than our previous two countries. We got dressed and set out to find the old town. We stopped at Loft for a bite to eat and some beers. Here we had our first Polish pierogi of the trip (yours are still better Babcia), filled with cheese and potato, served without sour cream and when we asked they said they don’t have any!

The temperature was about 6 degrees but there was a biting wind that made it feel much colder. We found the old town quite easily (no thanks to Michele, who tried to convince us it was in the opposite direction). There are a lot of pop-up outdoor museums along the way informing us of various historical events, and there are also constant glittering Christmas installations decorating the streets.

We walked into the old town square and admired more markets. All of this was apparently was completely destroyed by bombs during World War II but now restored. We bought Irene some Oscypek from a street vendor to try, which is smoked salty cheese served hot, delicious! We continued exploring the historical streets and walked home, via a quick espresso martini pit stop, as the dark set in at around 3:30pm.

We were really keen to have an authentic Polish meal for dinner, and luckily there was a restaurant just around the corner. Kuźnia Smaku was a dimly lit, inviting place and we were the first guests to arrive. Robert was out waiter who made us feel very welcome, even bringing us complimentary sparkling rosé when he found out that it was Irene’s birthday (well, in Australia anyway, it’s to be a looong one this year). We shared two types of pierogi: goose, and veal, served with a cup of sour borsh, which was divine. We also shared a plate of gołompki (cabbage rolls), which were just as delicious (but still nothing on yours Babcia!). We washed this down with shots of Zubrowka and called it a night. On the short walk home we encountered a severely drunk man who was trying desperately to stand up but kept falling on his head on the hard concrete. We tried to help him and told him to sit down but he refused. Luckily a young lady saw the commotion and spoke to him in Polish. She said that he was telling us to leave him and she would call the police from afar. We thanked her and set off home for bed.

We are catching a bus to see the Polish family tomorrow so we may not have Wifi to post for a couple of days. We will be sure to tell you about it once we are back on line. Until then, dobranoc!

Today we said goodbye to Scott, who had to travel back to Frankfurt to do something called work…..what’s that again? Michele and Teresa were in desperate need of a hair salon so the four of us walked down to the big shopping centre. Scott caught an Uber from just out the front so we said our farewells (he texted us from the airport to tell us that the Uber had cost him €3.70!). Michele and Teresa managed to find blow drys within an hour of each other and the rest of the time was spent perusing the shops.

We had a quick bite to eat at a cafe on the way home and then packed our things ready for our flight to Warsaw. Our Uber driver, Roman,met us downstairs and was very talkative and friendly. The ride only cost us €3.50.

When Teresa was booking our flights with Lot Airlines, she had spent the extra $68 so that she could choose our seats (she had chosen two window seats and an aisle in the same row) so we were surprised to see that they had not honoured this. The lady told us where to go to rectify this and, once we were settled in the bar with refreshments, Teresa went to speak to them. The lady made a quick phone call and assured us that new boarding passes would be issued at the gate. When we finally got to the gate, the lady gave us our new boarding passes which were all in the same row….one on the window and two in the aisle. Lesson learnt: don’t bother paying extra for seats that you can’t be guaranteed. On embarking on our flight we found that the man who was supposed to be sitting on the window seat was sitting in the aisle…so we got our wish anyway!

The flight was delayed by about half an hour but once in the air it was quick and smooth. We took a taxi from the airport to our apartment in the heart of Warsaw and met with Piotr. He was very informative about the apartment and even walked us to Aioli, the restaurant around the corner that he recommended for dinner. By now it was around 8:30pm so we were keen to just have a quick bite and then settle in to our apartment for the night. The restaurant was very busy, with a young crowd and a dj in the corner. We ordered off the typically Italian menu: roast beef fettuccine for Michele, a burger for Teresa and chorizo pizza for Irene. Beers and a margarita accompanied our meals.

With dinner completed we found a 24 hour supermarket around the corner that sells alcohol (eat your heart out Helsinki!) to stock up, and then headed home. The apartment is cosy and adequate for our needs. Teresa and Michele are in a tiny room with two single beds and Irene is in a tiny room with a double bed. The living area is spacious and we have found one tv channel that is in English, without a man speaking over the top in Polish. Tomorrow we explore Warsawa. Dobranoc!

The rain had washed away the snow and we awoke to a drizzly morning in Tallinn. We took our time getting ready, on account of the 9:30am sunrise, and then headed out into the day. We found the Occupation Museum, which documented the turbulent Estonian history. It was quite sombre and eye-opening reading about the atrocities suffered by people throughout the last 70years. We spent about an hour here before going off in search of lunch.

A quick stop in the Christmas Markets saw Irene go a little beany-crazy. She found 5 sparkly ones that she just could not decide between…what the hell, we’re on holidays….she just got them all!

We found the Golden Piglet, a quirky little restaurant in the old town serving traditional Estonian cuisine. We started off by ordering crispy pigs ear with garlic sauce for the table and some soup: Michele had a sauerkraut and pork soup, Irene had creamy pea soup with smoked pork, and Scott had pumpkin and vegetable soup with smoked cheese….a clear winner. For main course Teresa had an amazing crispy pork shank with mustard and Scott had pork roast with sauerkraut. We washed down lunch with Estonian beer, pepper vodka and local liqueur called vana. Irene and Scott also tried a traditional dessert drink called Kama, which is a milled flour blend (a bit like a really smooth porridge) served with berries.

We picked up supplies at the supermarket and then went home for another quiet night in. In this country we can actually watch tv in English and the WiFi is good. Tomorrow, Poland! Head ööd!

To our delight a good dusting of snow had fallen overnight, making everything appear to have been frosted with icing sugar and turning Tallinn into a winter wonderland. We set out just before midday in search of lunch. We walked through the old town and admired it in the daylight, although the ground was still peppered with confetti from the night before. Scott found a cafe that was open called Revel. It was in a very old building and boasted a menu with Russian, Asian and English influence. Scott ordered a beef dish with gravy and the rest of us ordered dumplings with lamb. Just what we needed!

After lunch we found the Christmas markets in the old town. Of course gluhwein (called glüg here) was a staple as we ogled the many wares, which included ornaments, scarves, gloves, hats and other souvenirs. Then we moved onto a bar in a very old laneway where we (mostly just wanted to find somewhere to use a bathroom but, okay we will have another drink) had a round of beers as well as a small snack of Estonian cheese, deep fried in bread crumbs. Leaving here, we walked through a cobblestoned lane way displaying large, old headstones from the 13th century.

We found our way to the Solaris shopping centre, where the supermarket was open…great to know for New Years Day… and bought supplies. Dinner was to be a range of snacks tonight, rather than going out. We feasted on pork, potato bake, sauerkraut and other tasty dishes from the delicatessen and settled in for a quiet evening. More exploring to come. Head ööd!

We awoke early and had a quick FaceTime with Babcia and Bla before navigating our way into the main harbour to catch our Viking Line ferry. We began by taking a tram from the front of our building but once we were in the city decided to jump in a cab for the rest of the way. It was about 9:30am (we had to check in 90mins before) and the sun was just rising over the Baltic, making the views from the cafe in the ferry terminal quite attractive.

At just after 11:30am we began boarding along with the rest of the herd (well that’s what it felt like). Scott managed to find us some seats in the middle of the 8th floor near the children’s section, but more importantly, nice and close to the bar. Beverages were ordered and we settled in for our 2 hour journey. About half an hour in, Teresa noticed an empty table near the window so we were able to relocate and enjoy the view as we progressed toward our destination.

As we approached Tallinn, Estonia, the skyline was quite amazing as the contrast between the old town and the more modern Estonia was starkly evident. We also noticed the vast difference between the speed of the meter in the taxi from the Ferry port to our AirBnb, much slower than in Helsinki!

We met Signe at our apartment, she was very inviting and briefed us about events in Tallinn and housekeeping details. We were touched that she had also gone to the effort of leaving us champagne and gingerbread cookies decorated with our names. An afternoon nap was in order, so we organised the sleeping arrangements and rested our weary heads for an hour.

We awoke at 5:30pm. The sky outside was pitch black. Michele, Teresa and Scott ventured out in search of a supermarket where we could buy snacks and alcohol. Great news…no weird rules here, the supermarkets are open until about 11pm and you can buy alcohol until 10. It was an easy and short walk to the shops from our apartment. We spent a fair amount of time in the grocery store admiring the wares and guessing what each item contained.

We made our way into the old town, past Freedom Square, where festivities were building. Signe had informed us that the 100 year anniversary of independence was also happening in the next week, so big celebrations were in order. We were a little late for our 8pm reservation at Rataskaevu 16 but our table was waiting. Deesi was our waitress for the evening. Where do we start? The service was outstanding. The menu was extensive but not overwhelming. The building was authentic 13th century architecture. It was a wonderful way to bring in the new year.

For entree Scott and Michele had salted salmon and Teresa had fried herring fillets. Main course was lamb rump, again for Michele and Scott, braised elk roast for Teresa and slow cooked pork belly for Irene. We also had the most amazing complimentary bread and butter for the table. Drinks were mulled wine, gin & tonic, and… of course, vodka.

After dinner we ordered coffees and our lovely waitress wrote personal affirmations for each of us on the doilies underneath the cups. We were very impressed with her attentiveness and enthusiasm and were sorry to say goodbye. She gave us two piccolos of sparkling wine as parting gifts. We made our way back to the apartment through a crowded Freedom Square. Sleep did not come easy, as the fireworks exploded around us for hours, but alas we were content. Happy new year. Head ööd!

Poor Irene woke up with a chest cold so she decided that a day of rest was in order (little did she know that, due to the difficult door, she would be locked in the apartment until we got home much later). Michele, Scott and Teresa set out to explore the city. We followed the shoreline of the harbour and admired the juxtaposition of nature against the Helsinki sky. A shortcut through a tree lined park conjured images of scenery from the Lord of the Rings, with dark green grass and mossy rocks laid out around us. The light sprinkle turned into rain and sleet as we got closer to the main harbour so we stopped in at a cafe called Robert’s Coffee for a breather. Michele’s boots had begun to invite water into the toes so the break was welcome. Here we ordered Irish coffees and snacks. On the next table was a little Scottish dog called Elvis who had a little collar that was lit up so he could be found in the dark afternoon.

We continued our journey and found some markets, where Michele found a furry cossack-inspired headband to warm her freezing ears. The weather had cleared up and Scott showed us the building where he had been standing when The Hoff had appeared and spoken to him on a previous trip. Teresa decided that she would shout her children a ride on the Helsinki SkyWheel, essentially a big Ferris wheel. The views of the city were picturesque and we were amazed to peer down and see people swimming in the open-air heated baths just next door.

After about 4 rotations we alighted the Ferris wheel just as dusk was setting in…at around 2:30pm. We had a quick refreshment in a coffee shop before catching a family photo on the expansive steps of the cathedral. Scott was feeling peckish…..again… so we walked into the main part of town and found a mall. Here we found a Thai restaurant and shared Pad Thai and vino. Commercialism then presented itself and we found a Myer-esque department store to get lost in. Michele bought a new coat with a hood to finally protect her salon-straight hair.

Our intentions were to go straight home and we had messaged Irene this (at around 4:30) but the weather had other thoughts. We attempted to walk in the heavy rain/snow but had to stop into a Sportsbar for a beer and let it subside a little. We did not realise that Irene had tried multiple times throughout the day to leave the apartment, to no avail, so she was at home eagerly awaiting our return. We finally arrived back just after 6pm and made it a priority to go and get some wine. We found that the kiosk across the road only sold beer and cider and that we had to walk a further half kilometre to the Alko for anything stronger. We found the Alko and tried the doors…. they would not open…and then we read the sign that informed us that the Alko shuts at 6pm on Saturday nights. Apparently you need to plan your drinking much earlier in the day or go out. Instead, we settled for more beer and then set out in search of dinner.

The recommended Finnish restaurant that we had intended to go to was closed on arrival so we decided to take a chance and see if there was a table at the seafood restaurant on the water. We were in luck and the restaurant, although on a limited menu for this time of year, did not disappoint. We began with a round of gin and tonics, made with Finnish gin, apparently the best rye gin in the world. Entree was escargot in garlic butter and mussels in blue cheese…..delicious! For main Michele and Teresa had traditional Finnish creamy salmon soup, Scott had boulliabaise and Irene had half a kilo of shrimp. We washed this down vodka, tonic and dill cocktails.

Our meals and drinks were well enjoyed and we bid our friendly and informative waiter adieu. Time for rest as tomorrow brings another country. Next stop, Estonia. Hyvää yötä!

We awoke early and made our way to Frankfurt Flughafen to catch our flight to Helsinki. The time in the air was about 2 1/2 hours and we passed the time by having a little plane party. Teresa was sitting in an aisle by herself so she didn’t get to partake.

The taxis in Helsinki already have about €7 on the meter, unless you call one, so the trip from the airport cost us about €70. Our Airbnb was right across from the water, but in an area that appeared to still be under development, so there were lots of buildings around us with scaffolding. We picked up the key from a friendly man in the supermarket across the road and made our way to the 6th floor. The front door was a bit of a struggle to open (it took Michele a day to work it out and Teresa & Irene never managed to master it) but once we were in, the apartment was clean, spacious and boasted lovely views. That said, we wouldn’t see the full extent of them until the next morning as it was about 5pm and the sun had set at about 3:20pm.

Scott and Irene had a room each and Teresa & Michele were sharing one with two single beds. Once we got ourselves established we had a drink and planned where we would eat dinner. Our Airbnb host had suggested a couple of restaurants and we decided to try a Russian restaurant about 20mins walk away.

Walking into our private room in the restaurant was reminiscent of an 18th century Russian aristocratic house. The walls were lined with dark blue velour and decorated with pictures of Finnish Prime Ministers. The table was laden with gold-plated cutlery and bohemian crystal glasses. Our very enthusiastic waitress explained to us that the King of Sweden had dined in this very room. We began with a round of vodka cocktails with sweet pickles and an amuse bouche that was in the middle of the table waiting for us, which we later found out was bear salami with sour cream and horseradish.

Michele ordered an entree of borscht and Scott & Teresa had vorschmack, which was minced lamb with anchovies. When they came the waitress informed us that should we need her we could just press the “vodka button” and she would come back….very handy! We took advantage of this button and ordered a round of vodka tasting, which is essentially four shots of different types of vodka (Russian standard, Stoli, Belevedere and Zubrowka).

Our main courses consisted of a platter of Shashliks, which were like skewers of meat served on a sizzling plate with accompaniments of sauerkraut, swede, mushrooms, carrots and potato. Irene & Scott shared deer with creamy mushroom sauce (Irene didn’t enjoy the strong, gamey flavour of the deer) and Teresa had chicken with garlic butter. Michele’s main was piroshki, the Russian version of pierogi, filled with lamb. Dessert was a baked Alaska shared between Irene, Scott & Michele while being serenaded by a guitar playing musician. He played us Kalinka and we sang along to “Those were the Days”.

A brief taxi ride back and we decided to grab a bottle of wine from the supermarket before heading up to our apartment. Here we found that all alcohol sales stop at 9pm…..hmmmm….luckily there was beer at the apartment! We would have to stock up tomorrow. Until then hyvää yötä!

We awoke at around 7am to 1 degree temperatures in this beautiful city and set out to find Winkel, the cafe that Michele and Teresa had eaten in on a previous visit in 2014. The streets were dimly lit and empty, since the sun really doesn’t rise until around 9am, and people in the European Winter are usually yet to get out of bed. After Michele’s phone took us on a big detour we found Winkel and enjoyed a breakfast of croissant, toasted sandwich and omelette (Scott had decided to remain resting at the hotel).

After breakfast it was time to find a hair salon! We met up with Scott and walked the increasingly busy streets, holding our breath as we passed the various “coffee shops” until we found a place that would cater for our needs. Amsterdam is packed with Europeans shopping at this time of year because of the holiday season. Michele got an appointment within half an hour so she stayed in town while Teresa and Irene walked back to the hotel to check out (with Teresa managing to find a blow dry on the way back).

After becoming salon ready, Michele met Irene and Teresa back at the hotel bar where we enjoyed expresso martinis and veal and prawn croquettes. Once again we had a cheeky but very attentive bartender called Richard. Scott had met Selenka and another one of his friends, Kristie, for lunch so we were meeting him afterwards for the drive back to Frankfurt. We had checked out of our room prior to lunch but were reluctant to leave. The Ambassade is a highly recommended hotel, perfectly situated, friendly and comfortable. Scott has vowed to only stay here in the future.

We broke up our drive back with a stop in a McDonald’s. It’s always interesting to check out the menu in a different country….not much difference really. Scott tried to make up for lost time by speeding up on the autobahn, but road works along the way slowed cars down to 120km/hr and even 80km/hr (crawling!).

Scott dropped us back near our hotel after 9pm and we looked forward to getting into our room and resting. The two men on the front desk smirked at us as we walked into the lift. At the room Teresa tried her key…..it didn’t work…..Irene tried her key……it didn’t work……Michele tried her key…..no avail. Teresa went back downstairs to find out that she can’t count, she had booked for 6 nights when we were really in there for 7 (cue eye roll). Luckily the hotel staff had anticipated this and had left our luggage in our room and just reserved us another night. Thanks Excelsior!

We finally retired to our room for our last night. Tomorrow Helsinki. Guten Nacht!