How we decided to go around the world .. 1 country - Poland!
The best gateway to Poland - Swidnica
5 days have passed since we left our native Dnepropetrovsk, and we already miss its rhythmic life and beautiful sunsets over the Dnieper. But we did not leave our beloved lands for nothing - now we are in full combat readiness for the first steps towards the implementation of our mission.
We arrived at the border of Ukraine and Poland, at the small automobile checkpoint Krakovets, on the evening of September 17th. And here - a locomotive of cars that were indecently dense, moved us away from the post by 1.5 km. The wait dragged on for a tedious 6 hours. It’s even creepy to imagine what the situation is at Shegini, where the distance to the checkpoint is about 5 km!
This is where the new "tip of the day" was born: it's better to pass border checkpoints that are far from tourist routes, for example, Krakovets or Grushev. And even better - in Svidnica, where there are no queues at all, but, unfortunately, we were told about this when we had already crossed the border. True, they warned: “the road is not very good. ”
As soon as we were on the other side of the border, we rushed headlong in the direction of Warsaw along the night country roads. Unfortunately, in the dark, it was not particularly possible to see the landscapes, and we were already tired. Therefore, at that moment we were interested in one thing - to quickly find an overnight stay.
Late dinner at a Polish gas station
It was past midnight when the bright lights of a huge gas station pleased our eyes. There is also a spacious overnight parking for trucks, near which we sat down to spend the night.
Our belated dinner consisted of 2 large lattes, 2 large yogurts and 2 large mysterious things: with chicken and something like Margherita pizza, only in the base - bread rolls (Vitalik has wheat, I have oatmeal) . All this cost 70 zlotys.
What pleasantly surprised us is that everything is done for people! I arrived, refueled, I need to vacuum in the cabin - please, fill up the water - please, or maybe pump up the wheels - they won’t refuse either... not like we beg at gas stations - can you get some water from you!
After tasting local dishes, we settled down to rest in a tent - this is its first test in foreign conditions! The night spoiled us with 20-degree heat.
Hood picnic
We woke up early in the morning. Our breakfast was made with evening yogurt, "mystery stuff" and hot coffee. And we ate right on the hood of our wonderful car. Refreshed and again - on the road!
After a couple of hours, we stopped at a roadside McDonald's, fifty kilometers from Warsaw, and work was already in full swing here... Work questions were settled, processed and uploaded a photo from Kyiv. And at the same time we found ourselves housing, we decided to book an apartment in order to put ourselves in order. After all, before this 5 days we did not have the opportunity to fully wash and wash.
A week is not enough to see Warsaw
We arrived in the capital of Poland at about 4 pm. Very beautiful city! And we will live, albeit less than two days, but in its very heart. Our apartments turned out to be small, small, but in a new house and with a beautiful parking lot, which we barely squeezed into with our height.
And although there was a gusty wind that shook the tent, it did not interfere with a comfortable sleep.
Warsaw is a neat, clean, tidy city, proud of its rich history. Here is a very beautiful center and the old city, which we enjoyed from a bird's eye view. In general, to get acquainted with it - a week will not be enough. For example, we looked into the local zoo and did not notice where the day had gone, although only 70% of its inhabitants managed to see it. This is a huge park where animals do not live in enclosures, but in free areas, they are protected from people by ditches and small bars. You can watch how well-groomed and happy animals play, eat and take care of their offspring here. But we could not afford this, important things awaited us.
Meeting with countrymen
On the evening of September 18, we were warmly welcomed by the Polish Open Dialogue Foundation and the Ukrainian World organization. It was organized for us by Natalya Panchenko, an activist of the Euromaidan Warsaw organization, for which we are very grateful to her. The meeting took place in the premises that were allocated to the Ukrainian World after the events on the Maidan. Information work, consultations on the laws of Poland, on obtaining citizenship and employment, as well as the reception of refugees are carried out here. 1483122.jpg" target="_blank">
It was a great joy to meet the interested and burning eyes of people who moved to Poland from different parts of Ukraine, to hear how they worry about their fellow countrymen. And it was especially pleasant to see with what warmth they accepted gifts - a flag and motanka dolls from Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk... Communication with the guys dragged on until late at night. They know quite a lot about the events in Ukraine. And they were mainly interested in local details: the mood of Dnepropetrovsk residents, which political forces are in the lead, whom we plan to elect...
Such meetings not only inspire action, but also give a clear understanding that we are doing everything right! That Ukraine is united and loved by Ukrainians, no matter where they live!
Exactly at noon, we started from Warsaw to Vilnius, filled with experiences, impressions and photographs.
