We're laughing later...which means now. :)

I'm home in Klaipeda! It feels so good to be in a place where I can unpack my suitcase (well...I guess I'll do that tomorrow) and won't have to pack it again (for at least 2 weeks).

Poland was a crazy adventure. Here are a list of the highlights:

- the man in Warsaw who gave us 50 zloty for 25 USD so we could get to our hostel (everything was closed...no exchange places..nothing).

- the 3 people from Warsaw (Johanna and 2 guys) who helped us take the buses we needed to get to our hostel

-Mila getting puked on. Well...her stuff got puked on. Not exactly a HIGHlight tho.

-Going to parts of several Easter vigils in beautiful cathedrals on Saturday night

-eating polish sausages (the pickle was soggy/mushy....kind of a disappointment, to be honest)

-We learned that people bring easter baskets to church Saturday night to be blessed...and then eat them on Sunday with their families and/or friends

-Monday is "Wet Monday" my immediate thought was...oh, that's when people can get drunk again because Lent is over. "No," Johanna said, "People just throw water at each other!" (random? We didn't see this happen, but it DID kind of rain on Monday!)

-How practically NOTHING was open in Krakow Sunday or Monday...Easter is a National Holiday.

-We saw Wawel Castle,

-Jewish District

-Schindler's Factory

-A Jewish cemetary

-meeting Ben (a guy from France staying in our hostel...he befriended our group and hung out with us most of Sunday).

-Other random meetings (I talked to a guy from Australia on the bus, and a couple from Michigan in the train station)

-Accidentally getting off the train at the wrong spot (all 6 of us)...realizing our mistake and then forcing the doors open and leaping back on the train. We would have been stuck in podunk Poland for who knows how long....

-seeing Auschwitz... a sobering experience.

-Forgetting my toiletry back in Warsaw hostel and then getting it back!! (retainer and all...my geekdom is restored!)

-getting 3 bedroom bathroom ensuite bedrooms with balconies for our last night in Warsaw (for the same price as the dormitory...AND we didn't have to sleep under a bridge or something. how's that for a smart idea?)

Really, this trip was great. We had a lot of unexpected things happen to us...but we made it. We didn't miss a single train, we saw everything we wanted to see, we didn't starve and we had places to sleep at night. God really took care of us this weekend. We saw some beautiful things...and some really horrific things. This world is so complex...so beautiful and so horrible. It was obvious this weekend what was the work of the Lord and what was satan. I really don't know any other explanation for the horrors of Auschwitz than pure satanic power. If you want a description of hell...that's it. One of the signs at Auschwitz read: "The one who does not remember history is bound to live through it again" --George Santayana

It reminded me of the KBG museum in Vilnius (see my blog in January about that). And how our guide told us..."don't forget Africa"...horrible things are STILL happening. What are you going to do about it?

So all in all it was a good weekend. It has it's ups and downs for sure, but in the end we were all satisfied with the adventure. That's what travel is all about, right? Embracing the unexpected...and learning to enjoy the tiredness and frustrations...because after all, when will you be feeling this again...for this reason in this place? Probably never.

Praise God we got to Poland...and back. :)