Month: February 2026

The two-week list

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Poland, travel

My friend Nerissa sometimes posts lists that I find fun and interesting, so I thought I’d put together a similar-type post. We’ve been in Poland for two weeks. Here are some thoughts:

  • 5 boxes of tissues in 2 weeks. Andy got sick first; I’m sick now.
  • 2 or 3 sunny days and about 10-12 days of light, constant snowfall.
  • Most sidewalks don’t get shoveled or plowed.
  • Our apartment is at the top of a hill, making every errand a good work-out.
  • Polish pickles.
  • We walk everywhere or take the train. I love this.
  • Our tiny bathroom has both a washing machine and a system for hanging wet clothes. I love this too.
  • My Polish is good enough that I can say pretty much anything I want to say.
  • I can’t understand anything anyone says to me in Polish.
  • No, not everyone speaks English.
  • Cukernia: cake and coffee shops.

Pictures to go with the list:

Tłusty Czwartek

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Fat Thursday, food, Poland, pączki

It’s Fat Thursday (Tłusty Czwartek) today! How lucky that we arrived in time to celebrate. I wrote a post about Fat Thursday when we were in Poland before, so if you want more details you can read that one. Basically, the Thursday before Ash Wednesday is the Polish version of Fat Tuesday/Mardi Gras…

…celebrated with pączki.

Everyone in Poland is buying and eating these doughnuts today. Friends of ours bought some yesterday and gave us two. We had those with our coffee this morning (not pictured). While out doing chores this afternoon, I passed a piekarnia (bakery) that was advertising its pączki. They had only about six left. I bought a chocolate and a “rose” which might actually be raspberry.

Delicious!

Winter in Sopot

elizabethcaulfieldfelt Baltic Sea, beach, Gdansk, Poland, travel

Hello from Sopot, Poland. We left Stevens Point a week ago, and I’m finally making a post!

Sopot is the smallest of the Tri-Cities or Troj-Miasto of Gdansk, Sopot, Gdynia. Sopot is historically a spa town and is now a major Polish tourist destination–in the warm months. We are the exception!

It has been a busy week of visiting friends, exploring, and getting organized. However, yesterday we had some free time and walked down to the sea, about a 15-minute walk from where we are staying. Northern Poland is experiencing a colder, snowier winter than it has seen in the past 20 or so years.

On the way to the Baltic, we passed some children sledding. Hopefully nobody slid all the way to the road.

It’s all downhill to the beach.

It’s important to remember where you enter the beach. Once you are out on the sand/snow/water, the forest looks all the same. The best route for us is entrance/wejscie 5.

With all the snow, it was hard to tell where the beach ended and the frozen Baltic began. I think we stood on frozen waves, but we saw no reason to risk walking out too far.

The cold isn’t as severe as what we get in Wisconsin. When people tell us it will be below 0 tomorrow, they are referring to Celsius. Not to show off or anything, but weather in the 20s Fahrenheit won’t keep us home.

Still, I’m eager for the snow to melt and the sun to come out. Stay warm, friends.