the little engine that could...

here were are! the second full day in poland and we are experiencing our very first train ride.

at this point, the train has not left the station, but we felt an overwhelming since of relief that we made it on the train. there was also the haunting realization that we would be all alone in figuring it all out on our way back. that was too scary to ponder on for the moment, so we tried to enjoy the here and now.

there was one other gentleman riding in our cart. he was dressed as a business man and he appeared to be preparing a speech during the ride. we looked over time to time and caught him rehearsing his presentation with hand movements and mouth gestures. we did our best not to stare or laugh and chad commented that he was glad he didn't have his job. :-)

 once the train started to move, it was apparent that chad was riding backwards and i was facing forward. this resulted in our individual pictures having slightly different perspectives.

we saw a lot of graffiti on the way and after several failed attempts to capture the design that caught our eye, we just gave up trying to take pictures of it while in a moving train.

our small table was engulfed with our ridiculous amount of electronics that we had with us. our iphones can't make calls here in europe, but they are handy within wifi range. this is our only window into what's going on back home and we were glad to have it with us. also in the pile we have our small point-and-shoot camera, our dslr camera & finally our video camera out ready to record anything and everything we might consider memorable.

 during this train ride, we enjoyed free tea and coffee from a cart that was pushed through the tiny hall. instant coffee & tea is very popular here. it allows them to only have to prepare hot water.

chad is studying up on the language. we only have a few phrases down by this point.

i, for one, was being rocked to sleep by the gentle motions of the train. i can't explain how soothing the train ride was. i was also still trying to recover from all the traveling and staying up late that we're enduring. not to mention the very eventful day i had yesterday that nearly put me in a wheelchair for life.

we passed by so many beautiful fields like this.

we had a sneak peek in many of their backyards and small neighborhoods.

some areas were really nice, while others were terribly trashy.

i use that word because there were actual piles of garbage resembling large piles of snow in some places.

there were many houses very close to the track.

 i don't think i would enjoy train traffic so close to my home.

there are tiny buds starting to blossom here and there. i think their winter is finally over. i am hoping to see more colors of spring before our trip is over.

chad is always on a mission to get the best footage. his eye wandered over towards my direction right when i took the picture. i think he was saying something like.."what are you doing?"

  doesn't this make you want to plant christmas trees all around your house?

we weren't able to catch it on film or camera, but we sometimes saw horse and buggies slowly roaming about with old amish looking people inside. it was like seeing polish folk art come to life.

i would imagine some of these people live completely self sufficient on their land,

but those land owners would miss out on the pleasure of eating these amazing cookies that are found at the local grocery store in town. they are one of the many great treats i've tasted since arriving in poland. i'm hoping to bring some back home!