Kristen's Post-Tour Ponderings | Rozważania

What can I say about the tour?  The history of Poland is one of war and survival.  The borders have changed over the many, many years that people have lived in this area, but the people are persistent, care for others, and really have something to be proud of when it comes to their culture, history, arts, etc.  The tour balanced the seriousness of these harder times with a celebration of what they have accomplished to bring Poland to its free status for the past 35 years.  Activities to celebrate the culture like a Chopin concert, making gingerbread, learning how to make pierogi from scratch, learning some of the language, vodka tasting, and more were woven in throughout the tour to provide a nice balance to what had the potential to be quite serious and profoundly sad given the events of WWII and communism in Poland.  

Our guide was one of the best.  I do not say this as hyperbole as others who have been on 11 and 14 tours respectively said he was tied for the best guides they have had. He taught us Polish along the way, made some heavy and complicated history easy to understand, provided treats along the way (I started calling him Babushka because he was overfeeding us), and information some fun along the way.  He is really smart on top of fluently speaks 8 languages and working on his ninth: Hebrew.

More than the enjoyment of the tour's content and guide was something my mom noted as well: we finally had a deeper sense of family roots.  Much of Polish history and the language was cut off intentionally by my grandparents' generation.  The Polish-American culture is simultaneously collectivistic and individualistic. We are hardworking and highly value education. There are traditions, but we did not know where they come from. Now, we have a better idea of where we came from, the origins of a number of family traditions (including being given an orange at Christmas by my grandparents), etc. I suspect I will be back and am going to see if I can prove direct lineage to a Polish citizen to obtain dual citizenship if possible. The Polish people are one I am proud to have come from. They survive overwhelmingly impossible odds and still will give the shirt off of their backs to help another.

Would I do this trip all over again knowing everything I do now?  Absolutely.  In fact, I wish I visited Poland years earlier.  People from various aspects of my life have joined in my excitement and are still asking me about the trip.  A few have added Poland onto their travel bucket list saying they had never considered it before.  Two coworkers who immigrated as adults from Poland are attempting to teach me Polish (with 7 tenses and male, female, and gender neutral endings including the gender you are as well, it's quite the challenge).  It is a pleasure to share my love of travel and learning with others.  The more I travel, the more I find in common with people across the world, even in the midst of what on the surface appear insurmountable differences.  

What would I do differently?  

Extend my trip if possible on the backend by two days instead of one to visit a few more things around Kraków (not feasible this time around, but I will next time).  I also might add another day in Iceland now that I have a taste of travel in that amazing country as well.  

What am I continuing?  

Learning more about Polish history and exploring my family's history.  I am also considering embracing my roots further by pursuing dual citizenship with Poland.

What have I started since the trip?

I have started looking at obtaining dual citizenship.  It will start with proving I am a direct descendant of someone who was a Polish citizen.  Given that 6 of my great-grandparents are from the country, there is a good possibility that I can find documentation of them having lived there beyond their paperwork when immigrating into US ports of entry.  This will take some time and likely hiring a genealogist in Poland as the records are all in Polish.  There is some hope to find them as the German and Russian armies did not destroy the rural areas quite as badly as the major cities during WWII, so the records may still exist.

I have also made gingerbread decorations as Christmas presents this year using the Katarzyna mold I purchased at the the Museum of Toruń Gingerbread.   

Others in my family are talking about doing a private tour to visit the areas where our family originates.  Of course, we already discussed the possibility with Tomasz as he runs a tour company.

Where am I going next?

I will be going on another Rick Steves' Europe tour in 2025: the Athens & the Heart of Greece tour.  A coworker will be traveling with me and I am currently trying to convince her to go to Venice for a post-tour add-on.  I already have plans lined up with friends for either the Best of Switzerland in 2026 and likely one of the Italy tours in 2027.  Even if their plans fall through and I go as a solo traveler, I will enjoy myself as I did on other tours.  The desire to explore, learn, and experience is endless and I fully intend to immerse myself in each and every experience.