once arriving at our stop, we gathered our bags and carefully exited the train. we were not sure which way to leave the station, so we did our best figuring out where to go.
once we got to street level, we began walking into the city. i do not claim to be good with a map or directions for that matter. i gave chad the lead as i usually do in these types of situations. he kept looking at the printed map that was given to us by pawel the day prior, but couldn't seem to find the street we were on. chad kept insisting that we need to head farther north.
as we were going in the direction he felt was best, i began to feel very weary. i stopped and told him this does not feel right. we are walking towards a major road and should be nearing an older looking town. i suggested we turn back and retrace our steps until we find a sign pointing us in the right direction or even a street that appears on the map.
as we are getting closer to another intersection, we stop for chad to examine the map yet again. i was on my best behavior and tried to wait patiently as he studied the streets. the feisty crystal wanted to rip the no good stupid google map out of his hands and tear it up in a million pieces throwing them up in the air like confetti to dramatically prove a point showing how useless this map was to us, but i chose the calmer much wiser crystal and waited patiently next to him instead.
(here is a picture that reminded me of us)
just then, a stranger walked by and did a double take at the sight of two very lost tourists. he was heading in the opposite direction, but stopped and asked us if we need help...in english! we told him where we wanted to go and he said, "i am headed that way too. i will show you. follow me." as we started walking, it was very apparent that he was not originally headed this way, but he was going out of his way to help us.
he was from italy on a business trip. he explained that he had a week off which explained why he was out and about. we learned he works in technology and he was a very friendly man. he seemed to have a good grasp on the area in general and we memorized the path he took us on.
as we were walking beside a building, a bird pooped on chad while wearing his oldest hoodie. talk about adding insult to injury. a few days later on, he would also lose the zipper pull on the same beloved hoodie. he has had the same grey hoodie since he was 16 and wants to be buried in it one day. i'm a little worried it may not survive this poland trip to see america again, but for his sake i hope it does!
as we were walking beside a building, a bird pooped on chad while wearing his oldest hoodie. talk about adding insult to injury. a few days later on, he would also lose the zipper pull on the same beloved hoodie. he has had the same grey hoodie since he was 16 and wants to be buried in it one day. i'm a little worried it may not survive this poland trip to see america again, but for his sake i hope it does!
our new italian guide led us right up to the correct street we needed to be on and then we all politely said our goodbyes. the walk should have taken about 20 minutes from the train station, but we walked easily an extra 30 minutes in the complete opposite direction. without his help, we might be wondering around poland still trying to find that darn hotel. chad disagrees and thinks we would have found it just fine with his trusty ole map by his side! he always thinks that after someone helps us. i'll never understand men and their directions!!!
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